Sam
After squatting heavier at the weekend with 240kg x 5, I decided to also go heavier on the benchpress before I lose some of my strength due to cutting. I was happy with four reps as I had inclined dumbbell pressed heavy in the previous exercise. Just remember - putting on muscle ain't only about doing 10-12 reps, get some heavy sets in too!
Sam
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I'm happy with improving my squat from 210x8 to 220kgx8 in less than a week. Looking at video, the depth could have been a lower and I will correct that next time but still happy shifting 34 stone for 8 reps. It's was definitely worth skipping Saturday night! Great leg session with Akin, who improved his personal best from 180kg to 210kg!!!
The session went like this: squat 140x8, 170x8, 200x5, 220x 8. As the volume was pretty low on the squats for hypertrophy so I followed this with 4 sets of leg press for 20 reps and 3 sets of leg extensions for 25 reps. Then it was onto hamstrings, 4 sets of stiff legged deadlift and 5 sets of leg curls. Productive Sunday! Sam Squat today - 140x8, 160x8, 180x10, 200x8, 210x8. Leg press 380kgx16 / 3 sets. Leg Extensions 5 sets of 16 reps with a nice squeeze at the top....oh that hurt!! Stiff-legged deadlift on shrug machine, followed by high volume prone and seated leg curls. I already trained chest this morning and will be training calves after my evening clients....got to fit in the sessions when I can!
I made a video of top 5 female mistakes at the gym it's only right I do the same for the guys.
Click HERE for the top 5 female mistakes Here is a list of the 5 oils I used regularly. They are excellent sources of good fats which can help you to lose weight, lower your cholesterol, aid memory, reduce fatigue, balance your moods and depression! Some of the oils here are used for dressing and flavouring whilst others have a higher burn rate so can be used for sauteing
My Aims for 2013 were......
Action (not goals!) for 2014
I expect to tick off every single one of these goals. What are you goals?? Happy New Year everyone!!!! Superbly strong 60kg barbell walking lunges from Lucie (how many people can lunge their own bodyweight - male or female?). She has put on a stone in quality muscle within just 5 months of training with me but all in the right areas to improve her body composition. She trains super hard with heavy squats, lunges, deadlifts and under my careful supervision her body has transformed as you can see from her selfie! Not forgetting - she also eats clean too (as she should, being a knowledgeable nutritionist!). Training hard and smart really does pay off! Are ready to make the change? If so, you can contact me for a chat @ http://www.samwattfitness.com/contact.html Sam Watt I've noticed a worrying trend when assessing my new clients eating habits. In a significant number of cases, the calories that they consume are far too low, without them even realising - in some cases below 1000 calories. This applies to both the overweight and those trying to build muscle. Whether you're looking to lose fat, put muscle on or both, this a problem. The Overweight (not obese) By restricting your calories too severely you are slowing down your metabolism and losing lean mass (muscle) - which makes it much harder for you to lose weight. Therefore, I tend to surprise these clients by telling them to eat more food to lose weight! Under my careful guidance, I will slowly increase the calories to their body's sub-maintenance level and give them a detailed food plan to ensure they're eating the right foods at the right times; they end up losing more weight but in a sustainable way!!!! The Lean Person In order to put on weight you need to have a surplus of calories. Taking in lots of protein but not enough calories, won't lead to optimal results. Therefore, I would increase the calories to above maintenance levels, ensure they're eating the correct foods as well as taking the right supplementation to pack on the muscle! p.s. though this isn't a licence to eat everything in sight!!!!!! :-) http://www.samwattfitness.com/testimonials.html Sam Watt I just want to take time out to wish that my clients had a great Christmas and have an even better New Year. 2014 is going to be even better than 2013.
The goals are vastly different - from weight-loss, building fitness model physiques, competing on body-building stage or in endurance events, to strength building or just general fitness - we'll work together and I'll guide you through to your goals. The journey isn't always easy but once you've reach your destination, it will definitely be worth it! Sam With hard and consistent training with the right diet, I've gone from 94kg to 102kg. That's 17lbs of muscle gain in just 10 months. I'll be looking to put on a couple more kilos before I start to diet down to the show at the end of May 2014.
Someone was asking recently if anyone has gained any benefits from taking protein powder as they never seemed to achieve any extra results from it. Here's my response..... "If you train a muscle group, it'll take up to 72 hours to recover. To aid this recovery your body needs a regular dose of protein (20/30g) to stimulate protein synthesis, otherwise those muscles won't recover as well. The source of protein doesn't matter as long as it contains all the essential amino acids. Meat, oily fish, eggs and protein shakes are all just simply sources of protein. Protein shakes aren't magic but the real benefits is that it's an easy available source of complete protein, easily absorbed (whey), it takes no preparation and may contain other added ingredients that you may benefit from e.g. BCAA, creatine, additional carbs to bulk up etc etc." For the last few years I haven't supplemented my diet with any protein powders and made great gains but as I've got bigger recently and needed to up my protein intake, the powder has become a useful addition to my diet. Do you agree/disagree? Have you found an quick/easy alternative to protein powder? Here's a link a previous blog as to why protein aids weight loss: http://www.samwattfitness.com/1/post/2013/09/why-a-high-protein-diet-is-beneficial-for-fat-loss.html My top five exercise mistakes females make at the gym. Either the form is bad, the weight is too light or both - either way you're not going to get the results you desire. Girls need to lift weights heavy enough to stimulate muscle breakdown, otherwise it's pretty much a waste of time. Don't worry about getting too muscular....most guys training regularly struggle to achieve this muscular look even though their ratio of testosterone (the muscle building hormone) is many times that of females. So it maybe worth consulting an expert like myself, even just for a few sessions, so you don't end up wasting years of your training doing the wrong things!
Below are links to two of my clients - Lucie and Emma lifting some serious weights, both toned and NOT bulky! www.samwattfitness.com/1/post/2013/10/video-my-client-lucie-deadlifting-80kg-for-8-reps.html www.samwattfitness.com/1/post/2013/10/video-tone-legs-bum-my-client-emma-sumo-deadlifting-65kg.html LIKE / SHARE / COMMENT if you agree/disagree Treat a friend or family to my personal trainer gift voucher and help them kick start a healthier lifestyle! They are available for training sessions, nutrition consultations or both. Contact me to set-up your bespoke package
I trained today, while doing triceps dips the guy next to me was on the lat pulldown machine. While I managed to complete three sets in about 2.5 minutes, he didn't perform a single set! I see this time and time again and people wonder why they're not making gains. In order to fatigue your muscles to a point where they are broken down and rebuilt stronger bigger, they need to be stressed sufficiently.
So having a 5 minute break on an isolation exercise or checking Facebook in between sets isn't going to get you results. If you really want to use your phone in the gym - set the timer to go off 40-50 seconds after your last set and see how much gains you make in your training! Sam World famous fitness and cover models Steve Cook and Ryan Terry taking part in a photo shoot at the Xercise4Less, Leeds gym where I train my clients. Xercise4Less won the 2012 Budget Gym of the Year Award at the National Fitness Awards. These guys certainly know the right gym to train when up North!
The answer is a definite YES. I've had new clients who have run marathons but never weight trained but after being put on my weight training program performed a lot better. Here are some of reasons why:-
These are just some of the many benefits. If you're a runner, don't just run! It's time to pick up the weights |
AuthorSam Watt - Champion personal trainer and nutrition advisor Archives
January 2020
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