What Products are best for Brides when it comes to getting in shape?

Hey Guys,

As we all know there are so many products out there in the fitness industry, it's tough to know where to start!

They all seem to promise the world but very few deliver! Where do you start? What products actually work and which ones are best for your goals?

Well over on our sister site we have a product review section that covers products impartially and gives you the truth of what works and what is a waste of money.

Simply CLICK HERE to have a look at the ones we have covered!

If you want to have a product reviewed or want me to review a product just CLICK HERE and tell me all about it.

Stay Healthy,

Mike

What it takes to suceed

Hey Guys,


I’ve often wrote many times in the past about what it really takes to accomplish a goal.

Any goal that is worth having (to YOU, not other people) will always be really hard work. It will require you to work hard, sacrifice thing and become uncomfortable. This is the law of the universe, not mine. Everything has its price and you can either pay it or you can’t. Can’t pay the price, can’t have it and no amount of excuses will change that.


I think that we can all be a bit guilty of forgetting that sometimes (me included). It’s to easy to become commutable and stop really working hard for what we want.


We go a little soft.


It’s easier to stay in bed rather than get up and put the work in. It’s easier to take sort cuts rather than giving your best. However it is only our very best efforts that provide us with the results we need.


In this article Matt Kroc talks about what it takes to excel in powerlifting, bodybuilding and just being successful.


Well worth a read, it reminded me of some of the things I have been neglecting in my own lift.


Stay healthy,


Mike

Is your diet missing these important details?

They say the devil is in the details.

When it comes to diet and nutrition plans this mostly isn’t the case. If you have the major parts sorted out (calories, marco nutrients) then you most certainly will lose weight for a good period of time.

The problem comes when you stop losing weight. What do you do then? What advice do you trust?

If you where to ask any form of diet question on your Facebook you would be overwhelmed by advice. Some would be sound advice (try tracking what you are actually eating, try dropping a few calories etc) and some would be silly and even dangerous (try this shake based diet, try the egg/cabbage/raw food diet).

Before you go running off to try the latest diet craze and possibly kill all your progress, make sure that you are doing the following things consistently.

1.     Make sure you are drinking enough water. While drinking 2 litres per day is recommended, the magic happens at about 3-4 litres per day. This will keep you hydrated, make you fuller for longer, improve your health and make your hair, skin and nails look much better.

2.     Are you exercising? While a lot of people focus on the latest fad diet, they often forget to make sure that they are exercising 3-4 times per week. This will burn calories, tone your muscles and give you that perfect body shape for the honeymoon.

3.     Make sure that if you are exercising, you are working hard enough. Simply sitting on a bike while reading a magazine or walking on a treadmill while watching TV simply isn’t going to get the job done. You should be sweating, breathing hard and feeling like you have actually accomplished something when you have finished.

4.     Are you focused on your health? Having a diet that is ridiculously low in calories, vitamins and nutrients will not only make you ill, but will make it ten times harder to lose weight. Make sure what you are doing is sensible and healthy!

5.     Are you undoing all your hard work at the weekends? Any diet plan, no matter how intelligent and well thought out can be undone with a weekend of binge eating and drinking. It’s fine to have a treat (all my clients do), just make sure that you go about it in a smart way. A nice meal and a few drinks is a lot different to a couple of bottles of wine and endless takeaways and chocolate!

The truth of the matter is that almost everyone can get in shape for their wedding and honey moon as long as they use a sensible plan and give themselves enough time to get the job done. To give you an idea of how long you will need, a healthy, smart weight loss rate is one pound per week. Use this to get an idea for how long you will need to get the look you want.

Remember, if anyone is trying to convince you to do a diet and it involves taking a large amount of a product (shakes, pill, potions etc) or focuses on one type of food or starves you, it is a bad idea! Good nutrition is healthy, filling and flexible!

Stay Healthy,

Mike.

Article for Brides staying on their diet!

Hey Guys,


Here is an article I wrote for Kiss the Bride Magazine for Brides starting to stay on your diet.

You can read the article HERE


Also if you are wanting to get in shape for your big day and have no idea where to start, take 5 mins to have a quick look over on the website!


Stay Healthy,


Mike

Quick Tips for Brides to be!

Hey Guys,


Today I want to share with you a quick little article I did for Kiss the Bride Magazine.

Here are some quick tips for Brides to help you get in shape for the big day!

Real World Diet Tips for looking great in your Wedding Dress and on your Honey Moon

Hi there,

We all know that ever bride wants to look great in their dress on the big day and look even better in the Honey Moon photos. Brides everywhere work so hard to get in shape for their weddings but seem to always stubble at getting the perfect body that they want.

But where do you start?

So what factors make some brides more successful than others?

Why can some people get in shape easier than others?

Well to be honest there are a lot of factors that can determine the out come of any diet and fitness plan, however the most common is how dedicated the person is and how consistent they are with implementing a smart, well thought out nutrition plan.

The key is knowing what a smart, well thought out nutrition plan is!

However even if you have a great plan and all the will in the world, there will always be a few stalls or hiccups along the way. What do you do when this happens? How do you deal with these tricky problems?

With that in mind here are some quick tips that can make a massive difference to your plan and how you look on the big day.

1.     Give yourself enough time. Everyone seems to start a crash diet 4 weeks before the wedding. This is a bad idea! You want to give your self a couple of months so that you can do it nice and slow. This way you can still have treats all the way through the diet (CHOCOLATE!) and still get in great shape

2.     Have a plan. There is so much information on the Internet these days its scary. Everything seems to contradict everything else and it all sounds either to good to be true or torturous. The truth is that a sound plan is somewhere in the middle. It allows you to do things at a good pace, is balanced, and doesn’t deprive you of anything

3.     Know what to do when you get stuck. There comes a point in any diet where fat loss stalls, the key is knowing what to do when this happens. Normally it is just a little change or tweak that gets things moving again, but it is important to have a plan of what to do (see point 2).

4.     Have someone to lean on when times get hard and kick your butt when you’re being lazy. Things happen in real life that can hamper any fat loss plan like work, family, personal commitment, kids etc. During times like this it is important to have someone that will help you get through it. On the flip side there are going to be times when you just want to sit on the couch and eat cookies instead of training hard. It’s at times like this you need someone to kick your butt and remind you about that dress and those photos!

5.     Figure out how to stay motivated. For some people it is a photo of their honey moon on the fridge, writing down a list of goals or regular progress photos. It is important to have a way to motivate yourself to keep you on track for that big day. Find out what works best for you and keep it in a place where you will see it regularly (the fridge, mirror of phone back grounds are popular).

Getting in shape for your wedding is just another thing that requires you to plan and organise. However just like your wedding, as long as you have a smart plan and stick to it, you will have the day of your dreams!

If you have any questions or you would like a little extra help with your plan, please give me a shout on Twitter (@weddingdietplan) or if you want something a little more private and confidential, please send me a message on the website!

Stay healthy,

Mike

Chasing dreams or chasing goals?

Do you know the difference between a goal and a dream?


A goal is something that you are actively working HARD for while a dream is just something you wish would happen to you.

I bet that many of you reading this are sat there thinking “I’m working hard for my dreams”. I bet many of you post how dedicated you are on Facebook and Twitter and love the odd motivational picture on Instagram (don’t we all).


I love that, I really do. I’m all about people working hard towards a specific goal that will help them live the life they want.


However there seems to be a growing number of people out there who have forgot what HARD WORK actually is.


There seems to be a large number of people who have an entitled out look on their goals. People who seem to think that just because they are good at something, that people should support them and financially fund them towards their goal. Or even worse, that success will magically happen if they just keep doing what they love.


This is not the case.


I don’t care how good you are, how many medals or shows that you have won or what kind of champion you are.


YOU ARE NOT ENTITLED TO ANYTHING.


It is your responsibility to finance, fuel and provide the hard work necessary to achieve YOUR goals.


They are no one else’s.


Let me give you a hypothetical example of what I am talking about.


Say we have an athlete that is very good at their sport. They live at home with their Mother and Father and have no job except becoming better at their sport.


They practice every day, working on the sport that they love. They don’t consider it ‘work’ as it is an activity that they love with all their heart. Now say that this individual has had some success on the competitive circuit. They have won a few local torments and placed well at a few international ones as well.


They then decide that either a trip to a well established training centre, a trip abroad to compete or some other kind of trip that costs a large amount of money will benefit them and their goal. The individual does not work but decides to set up a Just Giving page or something similar to gain the funds necessary to make the trip. They then ask all their friends, family, training partners etc to give them money so that they can continue to chase their dream.


They are basically begging for free money to take a trip.


I’m sorry but this just isn’t right! Where is all the ‘hard work’ you said you were putting in? Where is the ‘Grind’ you talked about on Facebook? Why should anyone help you when you won’t even help yourself?


People like this are just plain lazy. If you are not willing to put in hard work to support yourself then any should anyone else?


Here is a list of things that an athlete I know did every week so that they could save up to travel to New Zealand to train. The individual is a full time student living in privately rented accommodation.

Train 11 sessions a week.

Study full time (second year University student studying Biochemistry)

Work 2 jobs. 1 weekend job, 1 night time job.

Cleans the training facility 3 times a week (to train for free)

Cares for his two dogs.

He also asked for zero money to take take the trip. Not a penny. Not from parents, friends, training partners or sponsors. He did it all on his own.

Now I’m not saying that dreams shouldn’t be chased. I’m a firm believer in chasing the life that you want. I tell all the kids in schools when I give talks that they CAN have the life that they want but they have to work for it, that their goal can be their reality.

Most of the time it won’t come through traditional channels, or even come at once. But the deciding factor in realising any goal is that you must work hard (harder than you think). There is always struggle, there is real sacrifice. There is always a huge amount of failures before success.

There is always HARD WORK!

We seem to have forgotten that to achieve any dream you must WORK HARD. This involves doing things you don’t want to do. This is early mornings and late nights, finding a way to support yourself and not ask for handouts, finding a way to turn DREAMS into GOALS and into reality.

If you can’t put the work in then you can’t have it. Everything has a price whether you like it or not. Not willing to pay the price? Can’t have it. That’s the universes law not mine.

No one should be supporting your dreams more than you.

Work hard.

Mike

Great workout for women looking to get in shape for their wedding!

Hey Guys,


Today I wanted to share with you a great workout routine designed specifically for women.

When you look around the web and do your research it';s often hard to find a good quality weights based workout that is designed to help women get the look at they want (lean and toned).


Here is an article by Christian Thibaudeau that really high lights the subtle differences between men and women and how to programme for this.


Give it a read and let me know what you think!


Stay healthy,


Mike

Wedding Blog

 One of the best things about getting married is being able to look back through the photos and videos of your big day and honey moon and see that yourself looking amazing in the dress of your dreams.

Seeing those pictures of yourself as you float down the isle in the dress you have dreamt of all your life.

You want the dress and yourself to captivate everyone’s attention on the big day.

And you should!

Most brides would love to be able to get in the best shape of their lives for their wedding but they don’t know where to start. In the world we live in there is so much information out there on how to get in shape and it all seems to contradict each other!

Where do you start? What advice do you follow?

I’ve found that most people who try diets get sick of them or fail, then presume that they can’t lose weight!

This isn’t the case at all!

I offer an individualized approach that we have used with brides from all over the globe, that is tailored to a persons needs and life style. This starts with a full evaluation of what they are currently doing, what they are eating, how much time they have and what time constraints they have (family, kids, work, school etc). What we then do is either come up with a meal plan or a base of foods for you to eat (or can just give you calories etc) then make weekly evaluations and tweaks to the plan so you keep losing fat as you move towards your goal.

It is this adjustment and knowing what to adjust that makes the BIG differences!

We specialize in helping brides lose fat and gain muscle so that they can look fantastic on their big day and honey moon!

We offer the following;

·      Full evaluation for every client and their unique lifestyle and issues


·      Specialized nutrition plan to support your goals and schedule


·      Proven results on an international level.


·      Adjustments and tweaks to help you move optimally towards your goal.


·      Full range of Nutrition Plans to suit every budget and payment option.

Over the wedding season I will be doing regular blogs to give you helpful hints and tips that will get you in the best shape possible for your wedding and honeymoon!

If you have any questions that you would like me to cover in upcoming g blogs or just want an answer to, just drop me a quick message HERE and I will get right back to you!

Stay Healthy,

Mike

Gluten. Is it really the food of the devil?

Hey Guys,


Today I want to share an article on the evils of gluten. Or rather the lack of them.

Gluten is the new bad guy in the fitness world with about a million companies coming out with gluten free food.


But is gluten really that bad for you?


While there is a lot of evidence to support that gluten is bad for you if you have an intolerance to it, most people are just panicking about nothing.


Intolerance’s to food is something that everyone should focus on. If you eat a certain type of food and it makes you ill, then you shouldn’t eat it. This is highly individual and not everyone is the same. Pat attention to your own body and make your own mind up rather than giving in to scare tactics!


You can read the article HERE.


Stay Healthy,


Mike

The Root of the problem

I can’t look at Facebook anymore.


Every time I scroll through my feed all I see is people pedaling rubbish that prays onto peoples insecurities.


Every week there seems to be a new scam that people are being conned to follow. At first there was just Herbalife, I could deal with that. It gave a few of us in the industry a good laugh and filled up my E mail inbox (still does).


But then there must of been a convention for unmoral people within the fitness industry. They must have all got together, took a look at the business model and thought to themselves,


“Hey, we are really missing a trick here! There are people that will believe anything as long as we recruit enough people to peddle shit. Let’s just come up with any random, voodoo sounding bullshit and they will make them believe that we have finally found THE magic pill!


Go forth my scammy, douchy brethren and post well lit selfies, inspirational memes every 5 seconds on Instagram, show constant photos of your shakes and potions, let them see that they can have results if they simply buy them for a ridiculous price! Offer zero accountability, support or real world advice in any situation! Close your social media accounts if you get bad reviews and reopen with a more hardcore sounding name (fucking megazord death fitness!).


Stop laughing, people really do this.


Now I see that the latest scam is a cream that you rub on your body.


Really? A CREAM?!


Do people really think that this will work? Do they actually think that rubbing a cream on certain body parts will have the fat just magically melt away? If this was even slightly the case don’t you think that one of the leading supplement companies would have bought and patented this miraculous cream then locked it in a cupboard so that they can continue to make billions of dollars a year?


Also don’t give me that ‘The product that the supplement companies tried to hide’ bullshit.


Do you think that a small start up with limited funds and resources are even capable of taking on companies that make billions of dollars a year?


What train of thought leads you to the conclusion that these products work?


Do you actually believe in the product or do you have your doubts? Do you think that there is just a SLIM chance that they will work (they won’t) and that will let you do what millions are struggling to achieve with a small percentage of the work?


I’m going to now start putting it down to just being damn lazy. Before I used to think that it was education that was the problem. People just weren’t educated on what was the right course of action and got confused with what to do. They then went with a recommendation from a ‘friend’ who was using a products.


Now I don’t think that’s he case at all.


One 2 min Google search on either Herbalife or JuicePlus reveals what they really are, a scam. If people can’t spend 2 mins (2 MINUTES!!) to search online for their health then they deserve to have their money taken from them.


That kind of laziness should have consequences.


So in conclusion, I think that these people deserve what they are getting.


There was no point to this rant after all…


Stay Healthy,


Mike

Products I recommend

Hey Guys,


One of the questions that I get asked a lot is what food and supplements do I recommend?


I always answer the question with the classic “A solid nutrition programme beats any supplement or fad diet”, and that’s true. I won’t ever sway from that as there are many great athletes and people smashing their goals with little to no supplements.


No supplement is necessary and anyone telling you that you NEED any supplement to hit your goals probably has their own agenda at heart.


Smart, dedicated nutrition beats everything!


However there are some supplements out there that make life a little bit easier and in some situations make things better.


In this post I will highlight brands and companies that I think that put out great stuff. Stuff that I use myself and recommend to clients.


DISCLAIMER 


Some of these companies I am affiliated with. This means that If you go through the links below and purchase something I either get a small piece of that or it helps me improve relationships so that I get more products to test (for posts like this). Some of these companies I have no affiliation with and get zero from them. I just think it’s great stuff.


If can find detailed product reviews on many of these products in the product section of the website which can be found HERE


Ok, first are the supplement companies that I recommend.


Myprotein


In particular I like their Impact Whey, Pre:Pare, ZMA, Vitamin System and waxy maize.


Biotest UK


Massive fans of Plazma, Mag-10, Indigo 3G, Flameout, Hot Rox and ZMA.


PhD Nutrition


Top marks for their Pharma range and Recovery Products.


Now for clothing and Equipment!


Roll Supreme


Tatami


Scramble


All of these companies have fantastic products and even better customer service! They really care about the sport and the people in it.


If you have tried any of these or have your opinion on any of them, please let me know in the comments.


I will occasionally repost this if any new products come out that are worth telling you guys about. Also keep checking the product review section for reviews every week!


Stay Healthy,


Mike

Post on Methods and Principles

Hey Guys,


Today I want to talk about principles.

Principles are the key to unlocking any goal that you have.


Many people focus on using methods to solve a problem (e.g. carb cycling, fasting etc) and try to get them to fit their own unique circumstance. The problem here is that sometimes it’s like trying to jam a square peg into a round hole. It might fit but its going to take a lot of effort than it needs to and it’s probably not going to look all that pretty in the end.


However if you understand principles (fat loss, muscle gain) then you can apply these principles to any situation and get results (round peg, round hole).


So why do people pick methods over principles?


Well firstly principles take more work to understand.


It’s much easier to be told exactly how to do something rather than being told how something works then getting you to creatively apply this to a new situation each time.


In BJJ the people who do the learn the quickest seem to understand principles better. They understand that to pass guard they need to maximise their tools and limit their opponents. They are then able to do this no matter what the bottom person does as they are applying a principle over a method.


The second reason people seem to favour methods (especially in nutrition) is that they seem to get a bit fanatical over things. In nutrition people seem to throw themselves into one method (carb cycling, fasting, carb back loading, IIFYM) and then stick to it religiously despite the results that they are getting (or aren’t getting). In nutrition people attach themselves with a cult like passion to a method then disregard everything else as nonsense or out dated information.


This simply isn’t the case.


If they took a closer look at things they would see that all of these methods are just different ways in which principles have been applied. If they then saw this, they could then use these methods to gain better understanding of the principles of nutrition.


What we then would have is a group of people that could use the correct methods at the right time in order to move towards their goals as the principles were always being applied (despite whatever method they used).


This however, would mean that I would be out of a job…


The best clients I have are the ones that ask LOTS of questions. They want to know WHY things are set up in a certain way and why I make the adjustments that I do, when I do. They are seeking to learn the principles of what is getting them the results.


Ask loads of questions whenever you are experiencing something new and you will be well on your way to understanding not just the HOW, but the WHY.


However you will probably end up annoying people as much as me (sorry coach).


Stay Healthy,


Mike

Rant on Picking a coach

Hey Guys,


The other day a friend posted this article on his Facebook wall.

I am a fan of the site and the author so I read the article. After reading it I concluded that I agreed with pretty much everything the author said with a few minor objections.


I then started to write this post.


I wrote out a long and detailed post about how (especially in sports) people need to pick their coaches and trainers wisely.


It seems that everyone is now an MMA or CrossFit coach and I even bet that your local gym has a few classes along these lines. it seems like every PT in the land is now an expert on how you can get ‘MMA conditioning’ or are Strength and Conditioning Experts.


I even wrote a big bit about how I thought that some of it applied to me and how results speak for themselves.


I however deleted it all and wrote this instead.


Yes people pretend to be something that they are not. Yes people try to get your money from you for things they have no experience in. And it’s your fault.


That’s right, it’s YOUR fault.


If people did the correct amount of research and asked the right questions then all of this Mickey Mouse trainer bullshit wouldn’t happen. People would get found out for the frauds they are and have to go actually learn the craft before getting clients in it.


Coaching is a skill set and it is your job to make sure that you get the right person for you. Not every PT can help you achieve every goal (just like no nutritionist knows all sports).


We need to be careful who we give access to helping us achieve out dreams.


Do the research!


Stay Healthy,


Mike

Burning Stubborn body fat

Hey Guys,


Today I want to share an article on shedding stubborn body fat.

I know that a lot of people have been in this situation.


They have lost a bit of fat but are finding it really hard to lose those last few pounds (this is normally when they call me).


This article touches on some very effective strategies that will help you eat away at those last few stubborn pounds of fat.


Give it a read HERE and let me know what you think!


Stay Healthy,


Mike

When people drop calories too low

Hey Guys,


The other day I talked about how using the scale was a bad idea in terms of assessing health and getting the body that you want.


I talked about how when the scale stopped moving people had a tendency to drop calories. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing to start, the problem comes when people use this as their only form of adjustment. After a while you’re going to start to run into some serious problems!


For the purpose of this post I am going to talk about people who are just focusing on a reduction in WEIGHT using the scale as their only indicator of progress. Remember that weight loss is different to fat loss, and people should focus on the other indicators mentioned in the previous post.


Let’s say we have an individual who is on a diet of 2000 calories a day. They are exercising a few times a week and are seeing results in their weight reduction. After a few weeks the weight loss stops, so they do what they think is right and drop calories by 500 per day.


They are now taking in 1500 calories everyday (this is quite low). The weight loss starts up again and they manage to lose a few more pounds, then it halts again. So what do they do now? Most people  drop by another 500 calories because that’s what worked before right?


The weight loss starts up again but this time it stops a lot quicker. By now the dieter is probably feeling tired all the time, feeling run down and may have any number of the following issues,

Getting colds and infections all the time.

Dry skin.

Poor sleep quality.

Irritability.

Loss of sex drive.

Skin tender to touch.

Weight gain.

Plus many other symptoms.

Weight loss as now pretty much stopped. even if they did ridiculous things like dropping even more calories or add in more exercise. 

So what’s happened?

Well they have gone far to low, far to soon. As they have dropped calories without looking at the plan as a whole, and the body has down regulated their metabolism to combat the lack of nutrients and fuel. 

This is called metabolic or adrenal damage (another article for another day).

Your body is now in a state where it will do everything it can to not lose weight. As far as it knows, it is on the brink of starvation. All your body wants to do is to survive, it has no idea that you are trying to make weight or just want abs for the summer!

The scope of this is far beyond this brief blog post, however here are a few things that you can do to prevent it in the first place,

Know what you are doing. If you don’t, ask your coach or a professional.

Make sure you are eating a sensible amount of calories for your body and your activity.

Get the right nutrients in! Make sure you aren’t neglecting any macronutrients.

Consider refeed meals if your calories are low.

Look at adding activity in before you cut calories.

Make sure that you are recovering from your training and you’re not just running yourself into the ground.

Running your calories to low for to long can do some serious damage to your metabolism and body. 

Having a damaged metabolism can effect your ability to build muscle and lose fat in the long run. You may also experience a number of other symptoms that will effect your life dramatically. 

NOT GOOD!

Make sure that you are making intelligent, calculated changes to keep you moving towards your goals while keeping you HEALTHY!

Remember that while calories do count in a fat loss plan, there are many other factors that make just a big difference!

Stay healthy,

Mike

Using the scale as a measure of fat loss

Hey Guys,


Today I wanted to talk briefly about people using the scale as a measure of progress.


Most people use the scale when it comes to judging just about everything when it comes to fat loss, weight loss and muscle gain.


Now if you are a weight class athlete then you simply have to keep an eye on the scale. There are plenty of people out there who have believed the poor advice ‘just eat healthy and you won’t gain weight’, only to step on the scales after a few weeks to find out that they have ballooned up beyond recognition.


However for most people, they just want to look a bit better when they are on the beach or by the pool (vanity is always first, health second. It’s the way of the world).

Now the main mistake that these people make is that they confuse weight loss and fat loss. For most people, they want to lose fat. They don’t really care how much they weigh. I always ask clients “If I had a magic wand that could give you the body of your dreams but you would weigh 1000 pounds every time you stepped on the scale, would you do it?” 

Most people say yes.

So if this is the case, why do you measure your progress by just the scale?

If you want to have a lean, healthy, muscular body, then the best way for you to judge progress is to use photos, the mirror and the tape measure. This will give you a good indicator of progress and stop you getting bummed out when you see an unexpected jump in the scale due to many different reasons that include,

Stress

Lack of sleep

Digesting food

Water retention

Plus a load of other things that make your weight go up and down throughout the week.

If you only focus on the scale number going down, then you’re applying a very one sided (and unfair) view of your progress. You are also inevitably setting yourself up for a negative experience ass the scale isn’t always going to come down!

So what happen when the scale doesn’t come down?

Well people generally do one of two things. They either,

1. Reduce calories
2. Add in more activity (extra training sessions, more cardio etc).

Now in some cases this can be a good strategy depending on what the rest of the plan looks like. However after a certain point this just does more damage than good! Quite a lot of clients come to me in this position. They have been trying to cut fat for a while, hit a road block and decided to drop calories right down. 

So what happens when people do this? How does it impact them?

in next weeks blog I will look at what happen in that situation and a few tips to avoid it!

Stay healthy,

Mike

Adding extra training into your plan

Now every coach worth their salt will tell you that you should place the main portion of your focus on skill work and actually doing your chosen sport.


They will also however, tell you that it is a good idea to supplement this training with other types of training that will benefit your performance in your sport.


This is where it gets a bit tricky. If you were to do a quick Google search on extra training practices you would get back a rather long list. Here are just a few that might crop up (there are hundreds more),

Strength training

Mobility training

Flexability training

Cardio

Power and explosive training

Kettle bells

Yoga

Plyometrics

GPP (General Physical Preparedness)

Crossfit

Grip training

Extra sports (wrestling, Judo, climbing etc for BJJ)

The list is endless!

Now I think that adding some extra training is a great idea for most people. I will however, say that my experience and expertise on this topic is VERY limited. Therefore, this post is completely my own opinion and holds no weight (as I’m not that sort of coach).

Another problem is recovery (especially as you get older). If you are training your sport a few times a week, then throw in strength training, then try for something else, it’s not long before you become burnt out. So what are your best options?

In my opinion the best type of training that you can add in (in order) is as follows,

Strength training

Mobility training

Cardio (that replicates your sport as closely as possible).

Now many will disagree with that (that’s fine with me) but I think that the above will give the best carry over and help the health of any individual.

I also like GPP and think that adding in extra work can be a great idea. HERE is an article wrote on the subject by Chad Waterbury.

What are your thoughts on extra training? Let me know at,

Twitter – @weddingdietplan

Website – www.weddingdietplan.co.uk

Stay Healthy,

Mike

3 Quick Tips for your Diet

Hey Guys,


I always say that the best diet is the diet that you can stick to!

You need to make a nutrition plan fit your own personal circumstances and your schedule.


Does this mean that you can just pick and choose what you want and not be dedicated?


Obviously not!


You need to have a well thought out, smart nutrition plan that is tailored for your goals and needs. However sometimes it is the little details that make or break a diet (I go over this a lot in my ebook). It is making sure that you make enough small changes that add up to a big change. As they say, success leaves clues.


So does failure.


Often diets fail for the same reasons. With that in mind, here are 3 quick tips that can be applied to any diet to help boost your chances of success!

1. Drink enough water. This one is always over looked!! If you are on a nutrition plan from your coach it will most probably have a specific amount of water that you have to drink every day. NEVER JUST GUESS THIS. Water is responsible for just about every mechanism in your body including fat loss and muscle gain! Make sure that you measured out exactly how much water you are supposed to be taking in. Its really important!
2. Being prepared. I have never met a single individual that was successful on any sort of nutrition plan that didn’t do meal prep. There are a few coaches out there who say that meal prep isn’t important and that anyone can achieve these results with some self control. I’m sorry but I’ver never seen it. Even worse is that these coaches got their physiques using tupperware and meal prep then tell others that they don’t need to do it! Prepare your meals in advance and take them with you. Don’t give yourself the opportunity to cheat.
3. Don’t jump around between diets. Sometimes people will see instant results when they start a nutrition plan, sometimes it takes a couple of weeks. Jumping from paleo to intermittent fasting to the anabolic diet will do you no good at all! Pick on nutrition principle and stick with it for a few MONTHS. the magic of any nutrition plan comes in the adjustments. Knowing what to adjust and when is what nutritional planning is all about. Stick with your plan and make sure to adjust at the right times. Listen to what your body is telling you (if you don’t know what you body is telling you, speak to your coach).

These are just a few little tips that can help you stay on track with your nutrition and smash your goals!

Stay healthy,

Mike

Had a look at something very special from the guys @roll_supreme today #bjj #gi #competition #light

Photos and stuff from Instagram http://ift.tt/1E5Ofxg

@roll_supreme always knows the best place for coffee :) #work #coffee

Photos and stuff from Instagram http://ift.tt/1HQsYqp

Fuck this tiny train. No work, least I can learn stuff from @thebrendanhufford #work #entrepreneursanacoffee

Photos and stuff from Instagram http://ift.tt/1FAY4Cj

EGGS!

Hey Guys,


Now any of my clients will tell you I love eggs!


Not the Creme Egg ones but the highly nutritious and yummy hen egg!


We all know that the humble egg has gotten a lot of bad press over the years and thankfully most health professionals are now agreeing that you want to be eating the whole egg. The whole egg has greater protein, fats plus a whole host of vitamins such as Vitamin A which is fantastic for growth and recovery (I supplemented with vitamin A to help recover from both my surgeries).


However it turns out that we may still be throwing out some great nutrition! Apparently the egg shell itself is a great source of calcium?! Calcium is essential for having strong bones, and having strong bones is essential for any fighter!!


Have a look at the original article HERE.


Got to admit though, as interesting as the article is, I won’t be prescribing egg shells to clients any time soon :)


Stay healthy,


Mike

Awesome seminar with the guys from @stealthbjj great tekkers and awesome to roll with all the guys from Manchester. Feel a bit broken now... #bjj #stealthbjj

Photos and stuff from Instagram http://ift.tt/1CEmoly

If you're going to have a mug of coffee, have a proper one @thebrendanhufford :) #coffee #doinwork #happygoodfriday

Photos and stuff from Instagram http://ift.tt/1EQ9WCV

Photos and stuff from Instagram http://ift.tt/1GOdZ1O

What the hell is this madness!!! #ocd #goingwild #client #results #goals #work #health #diet #nutrition #unorthodoxnutrition #coach #nutritioncoach #mma #BJJ #boxing #thaiboxing #muaithai #lowcarb #healthy #lifestyle #metabolism #instafood #fitfam #fit #physique #unorthodox ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ 💻 http://ift.tt/1eyNcW8 ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ Twitter - @mike_unorthodox ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ 💻 http://ift.tt/15PNh9Q ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ Twitter - @weddingdietplan ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖

Photos and stuff from Instagram http://ift.tt/1C6vaF6

Everyone has one talent. Mine is cooking meat :) #client #results #goals #work #health #diet #nutrition #unorthodoxnutrition #coach #nutritioncoach #mma #BJJ #boxing #thaiboxing #muaithai #lowcarb #healthy #lifestyle #metabolism #instafood #fitfam #fit #physique #unorthodox ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ 💻 http://ift.tt/1eyNcW8 ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ Twitter - @mike_unorthodox ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ 💻 http://ift.tt/15PNh9Q ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ Twitter - @weddingdietplan ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖

Photos and stuff from Instagram http://ift.tt/1IMmg5G

Sometimes it's survival baby @tonyjonesinit #bjj #wristlocksrule

Photos and stuff from Instagram http://ift.tt/1G7uLbF

"No work. Mam is out, we can play fight all over the house!" #stupiddog #dog #allworknoplay

Photos and stuff from Instagram http://ift.tt/1DfPDyA

Is doing CrossFit bad for you?

Crossfit is the devil.


Well that’s what a lot of people will tell you.


They will tell you that it’s a gimmick, taught by idiots and will only get hurt or killed (no shit, someone actually died). But is this true?


People say that Crossfit won’t make you any better at a specific sport and that you’re wasting your time.

Well I wouldn’t go that far. I would say that training your skill set in your specific sport will be the best thing, however some kind for supplemental training that improves your strength and conditioning is probably a good idea.


I’ve had a lot of conversations with people on the topic and most have never tried it. They have just read a couple of articles on the internet and got annoyed at people posting about their ‘WOD’ on social media (which IMO opinion is MUCH better than posting every Sunday about how wasted you were last night and on Mondays how much you hate your life…).


Now I have an opinion on people who form an opinion without actually trying something. I generally don’t listen to them as they have zero experience. However there is a lot of evidence out there about people getting injured when doing bad cross fit.


Then again I get injured if I just look at a BJJ mat. So is BJJ the devil as well?


To be honest it comes down to a persons ability to coach Crossfit. If someone sucks at coaching the lifts and techniques in a proper fashion then people are going to get injured. This goes for all sporting activities. Coaching is an art form in itself. They say that great teachers are born not made and I highly agree with that. Just because you’re jacket and can perform the lifts in your own training doesn’t mean you can coach. If this was the case GSP wouldn’t need a Coach and Usain Bolt would be creating an army of super runners to conquer every Olympics.


Just as we should search out the best teachers to learn how to play an instrument or drive a car, we should seek out the vest coaches in the rest of our lives.


Crossfit is just another tool that can be used to get people in shape just like any sport providing it is coached properly. It can make people VERY fit. I mean look at this madness.


So if you like the look of Crossfit and want to give it a go, then go right ahead! Just check the place out first and make sure they have a great coach.


Stay Healthy,


Mike

Low carb breakfast today as its a non training day #food #foodporn #foodie #marcos #protein #carb #fats #health #diet #nutrition #unorthodoxnutrition #coach #nutritioncoach #mma #BJJ #boxing #thaiboxing #muaithai #lowcarb #healthy #lifestyle #metabolism #instafood #fitfam #fit #physique #tasty #yum #unorthodox

Photos and stuff from Instagram http://ift.tt/1NneWQs

Sometimes @myprotein send me the weirdest stuff. Got some good stuff in product test though :) #client #results #goals #work #health #diet #nutrition #unorthodoxnutrition #coach #nutritioncoach #mma #BJJ #boxing #thaiboxing #muaithai #lowcarb #healthy #lifestyle #metabolism #instafood #fitfam #fit #physique #unorthodox ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ 💻 http://ift.tt/1eyNcW8 ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ Twitter - @mike_unorthodox ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ 💻 http://ift.tt/15PNh9Q ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ Twitter - @weddingdietplan ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖

Photos and stuff from Instagram http://ift.tt/1MbOuvU

Diet has started this week to get back to beat this level of conditioning that was last year. Numbers have shot up this past year so looking forward to seeing what changes have been made. Weekly updates on the blog of what I'm doing #client #results #goals #work #health #diet #nutrition #unorthodoxnutrition #coach #nutritioncoach #mma #BJJ #boxing #thaiboxing #muaithai #lowcarb #healthy #lifestyle #metabolism #instafood #fitfam #fit #physique #unorthodox ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ 💻 http://ift.tt/1eyNcW8 ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ Twitter - @mike_unorthodox ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ 💻 http://ift.tt/15PNh9Q ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ Twitter - @weddingdietplan ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖

Photos and stuff from Instagram http://ift.tt/1HUux6i

Run down to your local WHSmith to grab the latest issue of @bjjstyle Check out my latest series on #macronutrients #client #results #goals #work #health #diet #nutrition #unorthodoxnutrition #coach #nutritioncoach #mma #BJJ #boxing #thaiboxing #muaithai #lowcarb #healthy #lifestyle #metabolism #instafood #fitfam #fit #physique #unorthodox ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ 💻 http://ift.tt/1eyNcW8 ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ Twitter - @mike_unorthodox ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ 💻 http://ift.tt/15PNh9Q ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ Twitter - @weddingdietplan ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖

Photos and stuff from Instagram http://ift.tt/1N8N6rd

Client Matt Steady takes double gold at the British Stick Fighting Championship. We have moved Matt up a weight category this year for new challenges. Onto the next phase for the World Champs in a few months. Unbelievably proud! #stick fighting #britishchampion #client #results #goals #work #health #diet #nutrition #unorthodoxnutrition #coach #nutritioncoach #mma #BJJ #boxing #thaiboxing #muaithai #lowcarb #healthy #lifestyle #metabolism #instafood #fitfam #fit #physique #unorthodox ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ 💻 http://ift.tt/1eyNcW8 ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ Twitter - @mike_unorthodox ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ 💻 http://ift.tt/15PNh9Q ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ Twitter - @weddingdietplan ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖

Photos and stuff from Instagram http://ift.tt/1EGXQZZ

Client Amy O Mara featured in the local paper. Big things for this lady in the future! #client #results #goals #work #health #diet #nutrition #unorthodoxnutrition #coach #nutritioncoach #mma #BJJ #boxing #thaiboxing #muaithai #lowcarb #healthy #lifestyle #metabolism #instafood #fitfam #fit #physique #unorthodox ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ 💻 http://ift.tt/1eyNcW8 ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ Twitter - @mike_unorthodox ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ 💻 http://ift.tt/15PNh9Q ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ Twitter - @weddingdietplan ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖

Photos and stuff from Instagram http://ift.tt/1EGl7Ln