The Dirt: Change Your Mindset With Weight Training

6 Weeks of Strength Transformation Blog Post

“I lifted weights for six months and this is what happened to my mindset”

RACHEL’S STORY

A few years ago, the general consensus was that if you wanted to lose fat, you needed to hit the cardio hard. And weight lifting? Well that would make you look like a bodybuilder. And that’s not the look most people want to achieve.

But now things are changing.

We’ve realised that lifting weights really is effective for slimming down because muscle burns more calories than fat even when you’re not working out. Women in particular won’t bulk up like some men are able to, but rather create sculpted, toned, lean bodies with curves in all the right places.

Instagram posts by fitness influencers have hammered home what lifting weights can do for your body, but less widely discussed is the effect it has on your brain, mental health and outlook on life.

I have been lifting weights for about six months and it has genuinely changed my life.

When I say weights, I mean proper heavy weights – I dabbled in resistance training and light dumbbells before, but now I’m deadlifting more than I weigh, using liquid chalk on my hands and refuelling on protein shakes with the rest of the weights room lads and ladies.

Sure, there have been changes to my body, but the main reason I am now so evangelical about lifting weights is what it has done for my mind.

You learn new skills

If you want to lift weights, you need to learn how to do the movements properly. It’s crucial to get someone who knows their stuff to teach you the correct technique, and then you have to work out how to engage the right muscles in each move.

“Learning to do the lifts is a skill in itself,” top personal trainer Rich Tidmarsh explained to The Independent. “Every time you’re weight training you’re learning how to control your body.”

And like learning any new skill, it makes you feel good.

You feel more confident

Seeing yourself progress is incredibly satisfying, and when lifting weights you can progress pretty quickly. Each time I go to the gym I can lift either a little bit heavier or do a few more reps, and being able to visibly see myself progress gives me a sense of achievement every time I workout.

“As you start to accomplish basic moves and then progress, that gives you those little building blocks of confidence,” says Tidmarsh, whose gym Reach is in Clapham, south London.

“It gives you the ability to cope with other things in life, it’s just confidence and a sense of achievement.”

Your focus improves

I, like most millennials, have the attention span of a goldfish. In fact, probably worse. I’m seemingly incapable of focussing on one task without automatically checking my phone every few minutes. In the gym though, this isn’t the case.

When lifting weights, you can’t be holding your phone at the same time. Your whole body is engaged and even if you’re thinking about how many likes you’ve got on your latest #girlswholift Instagram post, you can’t check. And this can help you improve your focus in other areas of life too.

What’s been essential for me is noting down how much I’m lifting – this helps keep me motivated, as does setting goals, such as being able to do an unassisted pull-up (which, it turns out, is a lot harder than it looks).

You’ll perform better at work

Studies show that employees who exercise at lunchtime are more productive at work, but lifting weights – whether at lunchtime or the evening – has undeniably made me more driven and ambitious.

My self-discipline has improved, and now that I get such a rush from hitting goals in the gym, I want to take this to other areas of my life.

“It’s because when people stick to a gym regime they’re actually getting some discipline in their lives, they’re getting a bit of balance, they’re achieving something and they start to drive themselves a little bit more in other areas,” Tidmarsh says.

While there are some “fat cats” who earn lots of money and don’t exercise, there is an overwhelming body of evidence which shows that the vast majority of high-achievers – from Barack Obama and Richard Branson to Cher – make time to exercise regularly.

You’ll feel more empowered

Lifting weights has undeniably made me a braver person.

Whereas once I was intimidated by the weights room in a gym (scary machines! Testosterone-fuelled, grunting men! Heavy weights!) I now hold my own there, despite the fact that they’re still dominated by guys.

Men build muscle more easily than women, and the way they’re built means they have the capacity to get stronger than most females, however it’s incredibly empowering to have a look around at what guys are lifting and see I’m matching or even beating them. I know, it’s not a competition. But if it was, it’s nice to know you wouldn’t be losing.

And this empowerment has spilled over into various aspects of my life – I’m more confident to speak up in meetings at work and feel less afraid if I’m the only woman in a tube carriage of men.

Also, I can open all the jars of jam! And carry heavy suitcases up stairs like it’s no trouble at all! And push broken-down cars (OK, that hasn’t actually happened yet but I’m sure it’s only a matter of time).

It doesn’t really make sense to me – it’s just picking up heavy things after all – but knowing you’re strong, and feeling it too, feels amazing. And when you feel amazing, your outlook on life shifts, and you start to realise you can do amazing things outside of the gym too.

 

Written by Rachel Hosie, The INDEPENDENT. Training with Richard Tidmarsh Strength & Conditioning Coach, Owner and Lead Trainer of Reach Fitness. Follow Rich now on Instagram and Twitter 

Check out the article in The Independent Online HERE

The Dirt: 6 Weeks of Strength Transformation

6 Weeks of Strength Transformation Blog Post

How much can 6 weeks of weight training with a Personal Trainer change your body?

Can you really transform your physique in six weeks?

If Instagram #transformationtuesday pictures are anything to go by, changing your body is easy if you just dedicate your life to it.

But the fact of the matter is, most of us aren’t able to dedicated our lives to fitness. We have jobs, social lives and commitments which mean we can’t workout everyday and eat chicken and broccoli for dinner every night even if we wanted to.

However surely it is possible to transform your fitness and physique and still live your life if you set your mind to it?

To put this to the test, two of The Independent’s staff members, Rachel Hosie and Matt Payton, worked out with a different personal trainer each for six weeks – we focused primarily on weight-training rather than HIIT or cardio.

Could we turn our bodies into those of fitness influencers in a month and a half? Read on to see how we got on.

RACHEL’S STORY

For my six-week challenge, I was to train with top personal trainer to the stars, Rich Tidmarsh, who trains Professor Green, Vogue Williams and a host of professional athletes including Harlequin Jamie Roberts.

Given Rich has a reputation for being a tough trainer, I was mildly terrified. I exercised, but I wasn’t exactly into fitness.

As well as personal training sessions with Rich, I was to do group workouts at his gym in Clapham, Reach Fitness.

At 5’9”, my starting weight was 75.8kg, my waist measured 74.2cm and my body fat percentage was 31.2. I certainly had a long way to go.

WEEK 1

In my first session with Rich, I do lots of peculiar exercises so he can learn how my body works. The good news: I’m quite flexible in my joints. The bad news: my back is like that of an elderly lady. Always excellent to hear at 24 years old.

I’m given an introduction to the basic weightlifting moves such as deadlifts, and am pretty chuffed to lift 40kg. Or I am until Rich tells me I should ultimately be lifting 1.5 times my bodyweight.

As I leave the gym sweaty, red in the face and with all my makeup melted off, I was mildly concerned by the fact that Rich said he was easing me in. This was not going to be easy.

The next day, I’d just shoved my second chocolate chip cookie into my mouth when Rich sent me my new nutrition plan. He wasn’t putting me on a diet as such, but explained that I simply needed to eat to fuel my fitness.

I’m to count my macros – that is, the amount of protein, carbs and fat I consume every day (the MyFitnessPal app was most handy for this). Rich set my ratios as 2:1:1, meaning I must aim to eat 150g of protein, 75g of fat and 75g of carbs each day.

He also tells me, tragically, that wine and prosecco are off the menu. I can, however, have gin, tequila and vodka. And I don’t need to be told twice.

As the week goes on, I keep getting caught out by carbs. There are carbs in everything! Even things you don’t think are carbs! And eating 150g of protein was a challenge too – I’d resorted to adding protein powders to me diet. Me! Protein powders!

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WEEK 2

I’ve resorted to weighing out my nut butter and realised I have no concept of how big a portion is. Instead of taking a piece of fruit as a snack for a train journey, I take chicken. CHICKEN! Nope, I don’t know who I am either.

I start going to the group training sessions at Reach – I realise I love the weights-based ones but detest the sessions that are mostly cardio-based. Reach feels different to other gyms because people seem to be there purely to get fitter and stronger, rather than for aesthetics.

In my third PT session, I deadlift 75kg which feels incredibly satisfying, and I can really see myself getting a bit addicted to lifting weights.

I’m definitely not hitting my macros perfectly every day – with a social life that revolves around eating and drinking, it’s really difficult.

WEEK 3

I’m enjoying learning new moves with Rich such as the overhead squat. As we move on to the 85kg deadlift, I’m told I need chalk on my hands to stop them slipping. I feel so legit and awesome.

I’m also using muscles I’ve never used before and have started to love the feeling of DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) I get the day after working out.

After each session, I feel delirious and exhausted but happy, even if I get a slight feeling of dread beforehand.

I still feel like I’m dying in the group sessions because I’m less fit than most other people there, and I realise you really have to think about engaging your muscles when doing each move otherwise you’re basically wasting your time.

Amazingly, I don’t struggle at all to meet my protein goal any more.

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WEEK 4

“I’M NOT LOSING WEIGHT!” I wail to Rich. To which he just says: “Good.”

“What?” I replied, with a perplexed expression on my face.

“I want you to be maintaining your weight or perhaps even gaining weight whilst your body gets smaller,” he explains. Which is good to hear.

This week, we focus less on super heavy weights and more on doing more reps of lower weights – I do 50 deadlifts of 60kg.

I used to be out eating and drinking every night. Now all I do is go to the gym and eat protein. I have no idea how this happened.

WEEK 5

This weekend was not my greatest health-wise – going away with friends meant I drank a lot (including wine and Pimm’s) and threw any concept of macros out the window.

That said, when I got back in my gym kit, I actually felt slim. I see my reflection while doing tricep dips and think I looked slimmer too. My leggings feel looser, and when I get home, my flatmate says I looked “toned, strong and definitely different.”

WEEK 6

I leave my final PT session with Rich feeling amazing. Astoundingly, I deadlift 105kg, which is 65kg more than when I started. Granted, I only did one rep at that weight, but I still did it.

I realise I’ve learned so much about technique – now I don’t have to think about squeezing my glutes or getting my posture right, I just do it. And what’s more, I enjoy it too.

Conclusion

I’m really chuffed with how my body has changed – unless I drastically cut down my calorie intake I’m not going to become skinny (which I wouldn’t want to be anyway), but my body has become curvier in the right places, stronger and more toned.

In under six weeks, I’ve lost 8.2cm from my waist, with my final measurement coming in at 74.2cm. My body fat percentage has dropped from 31.2 to 26.5, a reduction of 4.7 per cent and – despite the muscle gain – I have lost a little weight: 1.6kg to be precise.

Physical benefits aside though, my six weeks of training with Rich have changed my life because I’ve realised I absolutely love lifting weights. It’s strange how being able to lift heavy objects can feel so empowering and satisfying, but it really does.

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Written by Rachel Hosie, The INDEPENDENT. Training with Richard Tidmarsh Strength & Conditioning Coach, Owner and Lead Trainer of Reach Fitness. Follow Rich now on Instagram and Twitter 

Check out the article in The Independent Online HERE

The Dirt: The Truth About The Big Three

The Truth About The Big Three Blog Post

So we need to talk about the BIG THREE and I am not talking about Man United, Chelsea & Man City (sorry Arsenal & Tottenham fans!) The fact is that if the Big Three exercises that I am about to list don’t spring to mind, then there is a good chance that you are wasting your precious time in the gym.

I won’t keep you guessing any longer, I am talking about the DEADLIFT, FRONT SQUAT  & OVERHEAD PRESS. 

In my opinion these three movements combined should form the key elements of any strength & conditioning programme, whether that be getting fit for a triathlon or to look buff on the beach.

If you aren’t doing these movements you need to ask yourself why.

  • Do you know they are important but are avoiding them because you know they are tough?
  • Would you like to do them but don’t know how to execute them correctly?
  • Or have you just been doing spin classes with your fingers crossed hoping to get in great shape?!

If you have been avoiding them because you are lazy then you just need to realise that although these movements are demanding, adding them in to your regular routine will help you build strength, improve your posture, add lean mass and become more athletic all round.

If you are worried about form, that is actually a good thing. These movements are tricky to execute correctly and you do need a good level of mobility in key joints and good posture control to execute them to a high level. Every time I step in to a Globo gym, I see all of these sacred movements being poorly executed, don’t be “that guy,” find a good coach who can help you get the basics right because the list of benefits is too long to ignore.

And if you are that guy whose last twenty workouts have been spin and you wonder why your arms haven’t grown, swap half of these workouts for time in the weights room.

THE DEADLIFT 

Simply, my number ONE exercise. If I was only allowed to do one lift for the rest of my gym career it would be the Deadlift. In one movement you are using every major muscle group in the body, developing great strength through your posterior chain, teaching you good movement patterns and hell, who doesn’t like lifting heavy stuff off the floor in a cloud of chalk dust!

FRONT SQUAT

In my opinion the front squat will give you more bang for your buck than its close friend the Back Squat. Yes you will lift a lighter weight during front squats but it will force you to have greater flexibility, greater movement control and work your core more affectively than a back squat.

OVERHEAD PRESS

The final piece of the puzzle. Deadlift gives you pull, Front Squat moves you in a vertical plane so the Overhead Press completes the full picture which is the vertical push movement. This needs to be your key upper body movement, which rather than your typical body builder style bench press, will build your chest, shoulders, core and back.

 

Let’s talk numbers: 

Once you have grasped the shape and control needed for the Big Three, it is time to put some realistic goals in place. The weights you should be lifting for each movement is dictated by your body weight in kilograms to the weight you stack on the barbell.

  • An expert Deadlift is 2:1. Excellent: 1.5:1 & Good 1:1
  • Front Squat, your end goal should be 1.5:1
  • And start giving yourself high fives on Overhead Press when you get to 1:1.

So if you weigh 100kg, you are a beast when you can Deadlift 200kg, Front Squat 150kg and Push Press 100kg! Of course, all with impeccable form. Enjoy the journey!

 

Written by Richard Tidmarsh, Strength & Conditioning Coach, Owner and Lead Trainer of Reach Fitness. Follow Rich now on Instagram and Twitter 

The Dirt: The Truth About Strength Training

The Truth About Strength Training Blog Post

Rich shows Miranda Larbi from the METRO what weight lifting is all about, here is what she had to say…

Go on Instagram and the whole world seems to be weight training. No one wants to do cardio anymore, they just want to show off their guns and spam your wall with #gains photos.

But do they really know what they’re doing?

Head into many weights rooms or HIIT studios and you’ll find people frantically lifting heavy weights without having a clue about safety or posture. Many of these new boutique gyms expect folk to deadlift sizable amounts in a two-minute window before moving onto lunges or other exercises – meaning that if they aren’t already well-versed in posture then it’s quite likely they’ll be putting themselves at risk.

Richard Tidmarsh is one of the country’s leading PTs and operates out of Reach Fitness, down in Clapham, and he specialises in strength training.

I went down to his gym to see just how and why I should be lifting and what we can all do to avoid poor form and injury.

How To Lift Safely

  • Preparation: make sure your muscles are properly warmed up. Spend at least 10 minutes working on active stretching – lunges, forward bends etc. You want to keep moving rather than doing static stretching. Try standing with your feet hip-width apart, go down onto your hands and walk out into a plank – hold for five – and walk back up (all this keeping your legs straight).
  • Practise squatting properly: You want to be able to get the full range of movement in your legs so it’s no good if you’re lifting a decent weight but can only just bend your knees – you want your bum to be inches off the ground with your back straight and pelvis tucked in.
  • Posture: get yourself in front of a mirror and make sure that your back is straight, shoulders retracted, that your weight is in your heels and not your toes.
  • Don’t try to lift more than is sustainable: If you can’t do more than one rep without your hands feeling slippery or it feeling unsustainable, it’s too heavy.
  • Have someone around to spot you: Deadlifts are ok because if they fall, they don’t have that far to fall. If you’re squatting with a barbell, however, you definitely should have someone there to help you out if something happens. No one wants to die being crushed to death by an 80kg weight.

And no, he did not spare the rod.

Before we even got anywhere near a barbell, he made me do about 20 minutes of mobility work to see how flexible I already was.

First, squatting. Squatting against a wall, with my feet an inch from the bricks.

After all, squatting correctly is 90% of deadlifting and if you don’t go down low enough, stick your bum out, weight back, pevis in, chin up, then you’re putting immense pressure on the wrong part of the body. Ever had a dull ache in your lower back after a session in the weights room? Yep, that’s probably because your technique is crap.

Then it was on to planking with one leg in the air and the opposite arm doing single rows with a weight. IT IS MUCH HARDER THAN IT LOOKS!

Other core exercises included lying on my back doing jack knife-movements, trying to keep the small of my back flat on the floor, and various footballer-like lunges.

And then it was onto the weights. ‘“Lifting” is a skill and done right, you can make serious changes to the way your body looks and your performance in a wide range of sports. But, done wrong, you can do some serious damage!’ Rich tells Metro.co.uk.

‘Right now there is a groundswell of media saying people, particularly women, should lift weights. And this is great news because big moves such as Deadlifts, Front Squat and Overhead Push Press can help you build lean muscle, torch body fat and give you a better posture.

‘But people always want to cut corners and assume a quick glance at an Instagram account from a “fully qualified PT” who has no real clients will give them enough base knowledge to hit the weights room. No. Lifting weights is a skill that takes time to learn, so do your research and find a real coach who can get your basics right. You may find you have to do three months of mobility work and core strengthening before you can even execute the movements correctly.’

But what if you don’t have the cash to hire a PT? After all, 10 sessions with Richard at Reach Fitness costs over a grand. And that’s because you’re training with someone who has worked with elite athletes and international sports teams all over the world.

‘I understand that some people don’t have the spare cash to hire a PT and thus look to group training to get their weights workout,’ says Richard.

‘Just be careful where you choose to spend your training time as many gyms are telling you fibs!’

‘“Come and hit our weights workout,” they say. Upon entering, you find the coach is 23-year-old “fitness model” and the heaviest kettlebell in the gym is 12kg! You’re then instructed to do around 400 lateral shoulder raises as quick as you can with a 2kg dumbbell.’

He’s right of course.

We’ve all been to boot camp classes where you’re expected to as many reps as possible in two minutes with a weight that isn’t doing much for you apart from damaging your posture. And yet, we’ve grown to love boutique gyms which promise luxury facilities and a limit-busting workout.

The UK is experiencing a massive boom in high-end studios offering tiring, timed workouts where the aim is to go as hard as possible. When you’re dealing with your own body weight and cardiovascular capabilities, that might be ok. But when you throw weights into the mix, it doesn’t really work.

I know that myself; I trained at one fancy new gym where you had to do three rounds of 12 stations in 45 minutes, including Romanian deadlifts, squats and bicep curls. The stress of getting round in the time and aiming for a maximum number of reps meant that I never went dead enough, never retracted my shoulders properly and often had terrible wrist pain from lifting heavy weights wrongly.

‘Even though the showers are very nice and the music is cool, this bastardised version of strength training isn’t going to get you strong! Training like this you will actually get weaker and injured pretty quickly.’

Suddenly, those Molton Brown gel dispensers aren’t looking so luxurious.

So what tips does Richard give for starting off weight training?

  1. ‘You need to learn the movements and then lift heavy to change your body.
  2. ‘To bring this into black and white statistics, an excellent deadlift is categorised as x2 your bodyweight. So if you are 60kg, a lift of 120kg would be your end goal in a perfect world.
  3. ‘You will never achieve this is a gym that places fashion above fitness.’

 

Written by Miranda Larbi, The METRO. Training with Richard Tidmarsh Strength & Conditioning Coach, Owner and Lead Trainer of Reach Fitness. Follow Rich now on Instagram and Twitter 

Check out the article in The Metro.co.uk HERE

The Dirt: The Best Core Exercises

The Best Core Exercises Blog Post

Rich talks with COACH Magazine all about how to develop a stronger core. Here are some beginner, intermediate and advanced exercises for you to try…

Ensuring your core is strong and flexible will help you in the gym, playing sports or just going about your daily business. A strong core will also help you maintain good posture and avoid issues like lower back pain.

Basically, core exercises are a must for any fitness routine, so we asked Richard Tidmarsh, strength and conditioning coach and founder of Reach Fitness, for the moves he recommends for beginner, intermediate and advanced gym-goers.

Beginner Core Exercises

“Building a strong core is all about keeping still, not doing hundreds of abdominal curl repetitions,” says Tidmarsh. “These three holds will create the foundation of a strong core, teaching you to keep your hips aligned and how to control your posture.”

Plank

The definitive core exercise. The plank involves minimal movement but maximal effort, requiring you to support your body on your forearms and toes while holding your body in a straight line from your shoulders to your ankles. You can make it easier by resting on your knees, or harder by extending your arms so you’re supported by your hands.

Dead bug

Lie on your back with your arms extended straight up towards the ceiling, and your legs raised with your knees bent at 90°. Lower your right arm and left leg at the same time until they are hovering just above the floor, then return to the starting position. Then do the same with the opposite limbs.

Boat

Sit on the floor with your knees bent. Lean back slightly, keeping your back straight, and hold your arms out in front of you as you raise your feet off the ground with your legs together. If you can, extend your legs so they are straight and your body forms a V shape. You can also raise your arms and spread your legs to make the hold harder.

Naturally you can do each of the exercises as part of a training session, but for a beginner core workout try this suggested routine from Tidmarsh, doing five rounds in total of these three exercises.

1 Plank Time 30sec Rest 0sec

2 Dead bug Reps 10 Rest 0sec

3 Boat Time 30sec Rest 1min

Intermediate Core Exercises

“Here we start to add movement to a controlled core,” says Tidmarsh. “Can you stay still with good posture whilst another area of your body moves? It’s much tougher than you think!”

Ball push-away

Get into a plank position with your feet spread and your forearms resting on a gym ball. Push the ball away with your forearms, then pull it back it, while maintaining the plank position.

 

Hanging knee raise

On a set of dip bars, hold yourself steady with arms fully extended. Raise your knees towards your chest, then lower them slowly. Repeat. You can also do this exercise hanging from a pull-up bar.

 

Dumbbell Plank Drag

Get into the top press-up position. Put a dumbbell on the ground just to the right of your torso. Reach underneath and across with your left hand to grab the dumbbell and drag it to your left side. Then mirror the movement with your right hand.

 

If you want to combine three movements in one workout, here’s Tidmarsh’s suggested routine. Do three rounds in total of the three exercises.

1 Ball push-away Reps 8 Rest 0sec

2 Hanging knee raise Reps 8 Rest 0sec

3 Dumbbell plank drag Reps 8 Rest 1min

Advanced Core Exercises

“Now we start to add greater difficulty to posture control by adding more of a load, more of your bodyweight, or a larger range of movements,” says Tidmarsh. “Remember – slow and steady movement wins the race to a stronger core.”

Strict toes to bar

We did say these were advanced exercises, and this is certainly not one for newbies. While hanging from a pull-up bar, bend at the hips (not the waist) and lift your toes to the bar, keeping your legs together as you move.

 

L-sit

Use a pair of parallettes for this core cruncher. Lift and hold yourself up above the parallettes with your arms extended. Extend your legs straight out in front of you so you form an L-shape. Hold it – if you can.

 

Wall plank

Another savage hold exercise. Get into an elevated plank with your feet against a wall so you form a flat, horizontal line from heels to head. Hold. HOLD!

 

Put these three exercise together for this quick but brutal core workout designed by Tidmarsh. Do three rounds in total.

1 Strict toes to bar Reps 6 Rest 0min

2 L-sit Time 30sec Rest 0sec

3 Wall plank Time 30sec Rest 1min

Written by Richard Tidmarsh, Strength & Conditioning Coach, Owner and Lead Trainer of Reach Fitness. Follow Rich now on Instagram and Twitter 

Check out the article and watch the exercise videos in COACH Magazine HERE

The Dirt: Breakfasts Fit For A King

Breakfasts Fit For A King Blog Post

That’s right gentlemen your mum and grandma weren’t lying, breakfast really is the most important meal of the day! Having said that it doesn’t actually mean that you need to eat breakfast if that is part of your daily plan. Like any meal it should be specific to your goals and most importantly with breakfast, the time of day that you intend to train.

So let’s look at the different training options and a killer breakfast to match them…

Up at the crack of dawn to smash a training session before work? 

Even with the greatest will in the world it is unlikely that you will be getting up at 4am to prepare a gourmet breakfast to fuel this early morning session. So the best approach here is to eat big the evening before with plenty of carbohydrates, sweet potato etc. (you know the drill,) so that you can wake up and use that energy in your morning workout.

What are the tricks of the trade here? Two pints of water to get you hydrated, a strong double espresso for that wake-up kick and then use a BCAA hit during your workout to protect your lean mass during your fasted training session. The reward for not hitting snooze and sleeping in is that you can really eat breakfast like a king for the ultimate post session refuel.

Here’s one of my favourites:

Chocolate Oat Supreme 

  • Mix porridge oats with almond milk and chocolate whey protein and leave to soak overnight.

Then add the following toppings:

  • A handful of blueberries
  • 1 tbsp chia seeds
  • 1 tbsp pumpkin seeds
  • 10 chopped almonds
  • And sprinkle with desiccated coconut

 

Not up at 5am for a training session, but hitting the gym after work?

Breakfast is going to be the key meal to fuel your day. You can eat big here but eat lots of protein and fats and keep carb content low as you will need that energy boost closer to the time that you are training. The important thing is to leave enough time to prepare breakfast before you head off to work. Don’t grab an extra 30 minutes sleep and then think a croissant from Pret, as you sprint to the office, is going to cut the mustard!

Here are my favourite breakfast options:

The Fit Full English

  • 4 eggs scrambled with a dash of butter, chilli flakes and pepper
  • 150g smoked salmon with a squeeze of lemon
  • 6 cherry tomatoes
  • 1/2 avocado crushed

This isn’t rocket science guys, I am not a chef but anyone can scramble some eggs and be organised enough to have quality ingredients in the fridge. This will literally take 3 minutes to prepare.

Omega Kick-Starter

  • Canned sardines in tomato sauce (yes you should always have this in your cupboard for emergencies) Microwave for 90 seconds
  • Get your wok out and chuck in 6 asparagus spears
  • Chop 4 chestnut mushrooms and add them to the wok and cook until soft
  • Finally throw in 4 big handfuls of fresh spinach and stir in the wok until the spinach is wilted
  • Whack on a plate and stick the sardines on top.

Again, this isn’t difficult or fancy, but a great way of getting protein and omega 3s in to your diet and no I am not on commission from John West!

I personally have never measured my macros but I eat to match the food groups in my meals to my training objectives and how I feel. This keeps life and food pretty simple to manage and enjoyable. I suggest you do the same.

As seen in Men’s Health Online HERE

Written by Richard Tidmarsh, Strength & Conditioning Coach, Owner and Lead Trainer of Reach Fitness. Follow Rich now on Instagram and Twitter 

 

The Dirt: Fuelling London’s Top Personal Trainers

Nutrition Green Smootie

The Independent wanted to know all about Rich’s eating habits, here is what he had to say:

My average day at Reach Fitness London is demanding! Every hour is action packed training clients, international sports stars, taking group workouts and putting myself through an intense training! I need to fuel myself to perform from 6am to 9pm everyday.

I eat big so I have energy to supply to those I train and myself! I aim for around 4000 calories a day, 180g of Protein & use carbohydrates to recovery effectively from training and help with my sleep patterns.

An average day looks a little like this…

Continue reading “The Dirt: Fuelling London’s Top Personal Trainers”

The Dirt: Top 5 Post-Run Stretches

Top 5 Post-Run Stretches Blog Post

Runner’s World spoke with Rich about his thoughts on the best stretches for runners. Here is what Rich had to say: 

Whatever level you are at in your running journey, it is simply a fact that you can only perform as well as your have recovered from your last session. Just hit a personal best in your 10k run but didn’t follow that up with any recovery work it is likely you will come crashing down to earth in your next training session with tired and tight limbs, equalling one step forward and two steps back. In terms of recovery, here are my top stretches to add in to your routine after any run.

Continue reading “The Dirt: Top 5 Post-Run Stretches”