Improving recovery for faster results

In the fitness industry, a huge emphasis is often placed on the physical act of getting in kilometres and grinding out the reps, but you may be missing that one vital piece of the puzzle that can impede your results!
That is recovery (and something I see all too often!). If you’re not recovering optimally from your training sessions – whatever these may be, you will most likely struggle to make progress. Training causes stress and damage to the body and without proper recovery you will often be causing more damage than good. In this blog, I am going to explain three things you can do to improve or enhance your recovery so you can get the most out of your training efforts.

1. Sleep 7-9 hours

Sleep is something the body absolutely needs, and for good reason!
During the day, the body goes through countless stresses not even including training so when you put that on top of it, it all adds up. The main time your body has to repair itself is during sleep. Not just any sleep, good quality sleep. The majority of research suggests we need between 7-9 hours. Now this may seem difficult or unnecessary to some but trust me you’ll be feeling so much better for it.
Some simple ways to ensure you are getting a full night’s sleep without waking include, winding down before bed, sleeping in a dark room and turning electronics off or switching them to flight mode.
To get to sleep at night your body needs to be producing melatonin and to wake up in the morning it needs to produce cortisol. These are two hormones that are designed to work in sync with one and another. When one is high the other is low and vice versa. Under stress, your body will be prone to producing excess cortisol and therefore melatonin will be low. This is why it is important to take 30-60 minutes before bed to completely relax so you wind down, allow melatonin levels to rise and get to sleep far easier.
Melatonin production is easily disrupted by light, particularly blue light (the kind that your iPhone, laptop, and television emit). Light is nature’s alarm clock and it lets us know when to wake. To allow yourself a better quality sleep, make sure you are sleeping in a fully darkened room so your body doesn’t get the confusing signal that it is time to wake.
It has also been shown that cell phones and other electronic devices can also emit what is called electromagnetic radiation. Even just having these items in the same room as us can alter the amount of melatonin we produce, therefore, making it harder to sleep. So, make sure all your devices are switched off or on flight mode before sleeping.

2. Don’t neglect post-workout nutrition

In my opinion, post workout nutrition is crucial to improving recovery time.
Resistance training causes damage to your muscles, and at this point energy and glycogen is often depleted during training and insulin sensitivity is altered by training.
Muscle damage is caused most commonly by resistance training. After you finish your workout, you would have caused breakdown of your muscle fibres, this is why now it is crucial you have a form of fast digesting protein. One of protein’s main functions is to build and maintain muscle, as well as many other tissues in the body hence the need for protein after breaking down muscle tissue through training.
Prana protein powderAfter your workout, you absolutely will have depleted energy during the session. This means that your body will be looking for energy and can break down muscle cells and convert them into useable energy. To avoid this, make sure you are either having a protein shake or a meal within 60 minutes of training to refuel. protein (usually I suggest dairy free for my clients). I recommend 30-40 grams in a post-workout shake.
Insulin is a storage hormone. It’s job it to transport nutrients to cells. If you imagine insulin as a bus and carbohydrates as the passengers. The bus is either going to take the carbs to fat or muscle cells. We want them going to the muscle cells to help build and maintain muscle. This is more likely to occur after training because your muscle cells have been depleted of their stores and are more sensitive to insulin post workout, meaning the bus will want to take the passengers to the muscle cells. So, if you’re craving carbs, post workout can be a beneficial time to have them.

3. Chill out

Taking time to just chill out and relax is as equally important as nutrition and sleep for your body and your mind. Three ways you can do this is through meditation, breathing techniques and improving your time management. Also, just spending time doing something you enjoy.
Meditation can be a great way to improve your recovery because it helps switch your body into its ‘rest and digest’ branch of the nervous system. When your body is in a relaxed, unstressed state, the body can digest food for fuel, repair damaged cells and clear toxins. Allowing your body to do this will undoubtedly improve your recovery.
Most breathing techniques work similarly to meditation, where it puts your body in a more relaxed state for it to carry out repair work. This works great once you’ve finished your workout as it calms your body down from training and gets ready for the recovery process.
If you’re a busy person, finding time to relax and sometimes even eat food can be a real struggle. In my experience, scheduling out set times in your calendar for eating means that meals aren’t skipped and the body gets a chance to refuel. It also helps you be more productive during your other times of your day.

Focusing on post workout nutrition, sleep and taking some time to chill out can greatly increase your recovery and therefore increase the amount of progress you’re making in and out of the gym. I cannot emphasize enough the additional progress many of my clients make once they begin taking their recovery as seriously as they do their training.

Try implementing some of the additional recovery methods above, and let me know how you get on!

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The world is experiencing a shift in consciousness when it comes to health and fitness. Obviously, there is ‘nothing new under the sun’, but there is definitely an emerging culture bent on expressing strength through functional and dynamic movement. Whilst ‘intelligent’ conventional weight training will always have its place, many are turning to bodyweight exercises, AKA – calisthenics. Incidentally, if you’re curious, I have written a previous post on this style of training entitled ‘My Fitness & Health Journey’. More than ever, people are desiring more flexibility and to simply move better & feel stronger.

Therefore, in association with ‘The Kitchen’, we are very excited to bring to you Inner Strength’s ‘True Grit’ training program. And YES! You don’t have to travel to Richmond to experience this training modality. In fact, we’ll bring it to you! Sessions will be held early morning three days a week in The Kitchen’s outdoor dining area.

Keen to get on the ‘early-bird’ list… click here! Otherwise, hang around and read on for more information on what it’s all about.

What’s in a name?

We live in an age where bona fide results are rarely experienced, as most people are looking for instant gratification. They want the results, but don’t know how to dig deep, be consistent and persevere with purposeful determination.

True Grit, as the name suggests, is more than just an exercise system. It is a journey in the cultivation of mental fortitude. In other words, it’s a vehicle to develop the passion and resolve to push toward a long-term goal or end state and an uncompromising attitude of perseverance despite life’s obstacles and challenges. This is a chance for genuine individual growth with the added benefit of team encouragement and accountability.

What is Inner Strength’s True Grit?

‘True Grit’ is a system of exercises based on gymnastic body positions and movements. Participants will start with beginner level exercises and systematically progress through to more advanced movements as their strength and flexibility increases. It is noteworthy to point out at this stage that progression can only occur when mobility and strength increases take place simultaneously. In other words, someone might totally nail a strength element, but if their flexibility is wanting there is no progressing until it comes into an acceptable range and vice versa.

As you can well imagine, this process takes time, consistency and a fair amount of determination. The latter doesn’t come naturally for most of us. In fact, it is only developed through adversity and perseverance. So if you’re thinking something like… “I’m not a stouthearted stalwart with the resolve of an olympian” …that’s cool. Don’t place too high an expectation on yourself. Who knows unless you give it a go right? The space provided dictates a limited number of trainees and there will be a screening process to ensure that participants will be of a positive and encouraging demeanor.

By now you might be thinking that this isn’t like anything you have heard of before. It’s not a group core class, bootcamp or even some kind of 12 week challenge. At least we hope that’s what you’re thinking, because our vision is for something far more enduring and rewarding. Obviously life dictates, but ideally this will be a program that you will commit to for at least 12 months in order to really experience the full benefits. We guarantee you will not be disappointed.

What benefits can I expect?

• Pain relief – stronger and healthier joints and connective tissue.
• Balance improvement
• Flexibility and strength through a more dynamic range of motion.
• Fat loss* – development of long lean muscular tone.
• Ability to keep one step ahead of your kids!

*There will be an option for online nutritional coaching as part of a 12 month program commitment. I will cover more details regarding the nutritional coaching after sharing whether this training is for you.

The post Move Better Feel Stronger appeared first on Inner Strength Health and Performance.

It is easy to conclude that those who are at the top of their game in any respective field, have genetics on their side. You know… they were just born with this amazing ability or God given talent. When in fact there is really very little truth to that line of thinking at all. Moreover, it leads one to conclude that only the gifted will ever rise to the top and so what is the point anyway. That is simply demoralising and untrue!

While there is an element of truth to the genetic argument, it wouldn’t even equate unless another variable is added to the mix. True Grit is one critical ingredient to excelling in whatever endeavour you chose to take in life and it isn’t something that we’re necessarily born with. It is however something that we can develop given three key elements.

Find Your True North

Perhaps easier said than done, finding what Angela Duckworth of the University of Pennsylvania refers to, in her book entitled ‘Grit’, as ones “compass”, doesn’t just come to you through ‘navel-gazing’. You need to get yourself out there and experience life in all its variety and abundance. There will be sparks of inspiration and no doubt awkward failures, but eventually something will transpire and develop into an endeavour you’ll envision as worth pursuing with vigour… something that you foresee as being a rewarding life pursuit.

Set Realistic Attainable Goals

Chasing after something that’s seemingly insurmountable can be soul crushing and lead to procrastination or worse… total paralysis.  A valuable lesson in achieving the unachievable can be learned from an amazing documentary film ’Touching The Void’

Read the book or watch the movie, but whatever you do ‘Just do it’. It’s an incredible story of survival
Basically you need to attack a mountain by setting realistic attainable goals. Like orienteering, instead of wandering off aimlessly toward a mountainous goal, set your compass on a visible target and work your butt off to reach it within a certain time frame.

Having briefly celebrated your attained target, set your sights on the next goal with the encouragement and zeal afforded from your previous accomplishment. Rinse and repeat until before you know, others are viewing your achievements as though you were born with incredible genetics. More importantly, the satisfaction gained and the experience of the journey will perhaps be more valuable than the conquest itself.

Allow Tribulation To Build Tenacity

This is where ‘the rubber meets the road’. One has to cultivate a spirit of optimism when encountered with difficult situations or set backs. Life will always throw curve balls into the mix. They may manifest in various ways such as financial stress, opposition from people – often times those closest to you, time management or even negative self talk.

Go in with your eyes open. Keep them on the target. When you expect to be knocked down from the beginning, it’s easier to get back up and keep going. Those with tenacity are the ones who ‘get back on the horse’. Don’t be afraid of failure or making mistakes. Thomas Edison made over a thousand of them before finally inventing the lightbulb.

Can you imagine the ridicule he would’ve received from his peers or possibly even his friends and family… “give up Thomas, it’s an impossibility. How ridiculous, who ever heard of a lightbulb?”

How easy would it have been for him to give up. Thankfully he had a clear vision and the perseverance to endure set back after set back. That my friends is what true grit is all about and how anyone with a clear goal and self belief can achieve great things.

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I’ve been given the privilege of sharing with you my fitness & health journey. It is my hope that it will inspire and encourage you to endure even when at times it seems impossible. Anything worthwhile is never easy to attain.

Several years back, I became suddenly aware of my spiral into obesity. I’d hit that ‘middle-aged spread’ before even realising I’d sunken so deep. Working to support a growing family had seen me go from very physical work to desk patrol where it was the norm to bang out a twelve hour day glued to my computer. Prior to this development, I had always been an athletic individual.

In hindsight, I was probably experiencing something of a mid-life crises. So weighing in at 115 kg and feeling like I was running in concrete gumboots, I hit the gym in an all out effort to gain back something of the ‘glory days’. As I’m not one for doing things by halves, I also studied to become a personal trainer knowing that it was a lifestyle change that I felt would continue to challenge and motivate me. In reality it was probably more gruelling than challenging, but everything was proceeding in the right direction.

Poor dietary habits were gradually replaced and I trained with the same intensity as I studied. As a result, I improved my body composition immensely. I was making promising progress with my strength levels and was starting to glimpse a little glow of those former years.

Unfortunately, too much time slouched over my computer and sedentary lifestyle took more of a toll on my body than anticipated. Throw in a dislocated right shoulder in a freakish surfing accident ten years prior, and there was a recipe for injury in the mix.

I was fast becoming too strong for the connective tissue of my shoulder to handle. Unaware of the impending danger, I continued training hard until one day it all went pear-shaped. Amongst other stuff, I tore the labrum, which is a piece of fibrocartilage (rubbery tissue) attached to the rim of the shoulder socket that helps keep the ball of the joint in place.

Of course this created a huge amount of instability in the shoulder, an equal portion of pain, but mostly frustration with the sudden inability to train my upper body.  My shoulder specialist’s prognosis was that I had the shoulder joint of a man twice my age… that’s like almost a century! Not very encouraging considering I still felt half my age.

After having one bad experience under the knife and considering the lack of confidence my surgeon was exhibiting, I decided that surgery was not an option for me. So I went about rehabbing it the best way I knew how at the time.

Utilising conventional weight training methodology through corrective exercise, I managed to get my shoulder to a place where there was no more pain and felt reasonably stable. However, it all came undone as soon as I started to pick up the intensity. After repeatedly gaining ground only to lose months of rehabilitative work, I was becoming exasperated. This cycle continued for the best part of three years and to the point of near depression. What I was doing simply wasn’t working for me.

Going on the philosophy that nothing changes unless there’s real change, I knew that I had to find a different approach to training. After much research, I discovered that I wasn’t alone on this merry-go-round. I happened to stumble upon one of the largest training forums in the world today… GymnasticBodies.com. So, ‘long story short’, I invested in the foundation series, handstand 1 and stretch series of GST i.e. Gymnastic Strength Training.

Anyone who has seen me training over the past year would’ve noticed that I rarely touch weights these days. Other than for weighted mobility work, my time is spent doing weird and wonderful body weight exercises. Don’t worry, I’ve heard it all before and have been called worse things than spiderman. The great thing is that I’ve been injury free for all of 2016 and although I’ve lost some muscle mass, and strength in certain areas, my focus has been on laying down stronger and more flexible connective tissue that form the foundation to building an immensely strong body.

Having almost completed Foundation 1 of 4 foundational series, it’s still very early days before I’ll be performing those eye-popping gymnastic manoeuvres. However, I’m so grateful that I have come as far as I have without aggravating old injuries. In fact, my shoulders are the best they’ve felt in years thanks to the gymnastic strength training.

What is GST (Gymnastic Strength Training)?

There’s nothing new about strength training for gymnastics. In fact, we’re all well aware of the incredible feats of strength demonstrated by these ‘perceived’ superhuman athletes. Whether or not you’re aware of a new fitness trend emerging threatening to steal the thunder of other disciplines promoting ‘general physical preparedness’, GST is a phenomenon helping a multitude of adult population realise new heights in physical strength and flexibility/mobility.

There are several online outfits promoting this kind of training. I went with GymnasticBodies.com as I believe it’s backed by extensive research, experience and a collaboration of extremely smart individuals. None of it would be possible without, the now famous, Christopher Sommer.

Former coach for the USA Junior National Gymnastic Team, coach Sommer’s thirty plus years experience in training athletes to an elite caliber, has an obvious proven track record. Furthermore, I believe he is renown for training injury free athletes otherwise unheard of in gymnastics. I have to admit, it makes perfect sense considering the exercise programs strict protocols.

For example, every strength-based exercise (e.g. push up) there is a corresponding integrated mobility (I.M) movement. The I.M is specific to strengthening the ligaments and tendons associated with the push up.

Each strength-based exercise builds upon the next in a logical progression. The culmination develops the necessary strength and flexibility to perform seven foundational exercises for gymnastics i.e. the front lever, side lever, hollow back press, single leg squat, straddle planche, manna and straddle rope climb.

An interesting side note is that you only start getting into the maximal strength application through ring work having attained the foundational level of exercises mentioned.

Incidentally, there is no progressing with the strength exercises until your I.M is up to par. This is the testing part. You maybe a legend and absolutely nail the strength component, but spend an extra month or more bringing your mobility up to speed for that particular exercise. Which leads us to pose the question: Is this kind of training suitable for everyone?

The short answer is YES, but unfortunately no. Whilst this kind of training is hugely beneficial to absolutely everyone, it takes a person with a mature perspective on their training. I was recently asked, by another trainer (no names mentioned:), “don’t you get sick of doing so much mobility work”? My initial gut reaction was to punch him in the face! Kidding aside, the fact is it requires a great deal of discipline and restraint. We all want to throw tin above our heads and squat like a maniac, but as coach Sommer would say, “you have to earn it”.

So in answer to the original question, if you’re all about the slow game and desire to climb above the realm of mere mortals, then come join me on the journey of a lifetime! There really is no ceiling to this thing. The stronger you build your foundation, the higher you can climb.

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