What Is Pre-Exhaust Training?

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As the name suggests, Pre-Exhaust training is  a system that aims to Exhaust/Fatigue a certain muscle group. This is done using an isolation exercise such as a flye or extension before moving on to a compound lift such as a press or squat.

Why Use Pre-Ehxaust?
It is important to understand that muscles work in pairs to perform movements, for example the chest pairs with the triceps to push whilst the back pairs with the biceps to pull.
With this in mind, picture the size difference between the biceps and the back, which one do you think will fatigue first?  Given the biceps considerably lower size and power output its very likely that their fatigue would prevent us from fully overloading the back.

This is where Pre-Exhaust training comes in, by using an isolation exercise such as a reverse flye we can start to fatigue the back without placing stress on the biceps, this ultimately will allow us to perform a greater volume on the compound exercise.

Studies have shown that Pre-Exhaust training is an effective method for allowing a greater volume of work resulting in greater overload and muscular adaptation.

How Do I Use Pre-Exhaust?
Perform 1-2 isolation exercises on your target muscle group (3-4 sets each) before moving to 2 compound exercises (3-4 sets each).Isolation Exercises:

  • Chest: Flyes, Cable Cross Over
  • Back: Reverse Flye, Reverse Cross Over, Straight Arm Pulldowns/Pullovers
  • Shoulders: Side Lateral Raises, Front Lateral Raises,
  • Legs: Leg Extensions, Hack Squats, Leg Presses or Squats

4 Week Case Study: Real Results

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We love to share our clients successes with you, they say more than we ever could with words alone.

We use a range of body composition & fitness tests every 4 weeks to help track our clients progress and ensure that our programming is effective.

Below are some recent results from one of our awesome clients, she has only made small changes to her diet, started exercising 3x/week and still enjoys nights out & a social life…the results speak for themselves, being healthy doesn’t have to be hard.

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As you can see in just 4 weeks:

– her weight is down
– her waist is slimmer
– her body fat & BMI have dropped
– she has gained muscle on her legs and arms
– all of her fitness tests have considerable improvement

If all of this can be achieved in just 1 month, imagine what you could achieve over 6 months and longer.

We hope this helps to motivate you.
Tom’s

Overnight Oats: Ready Made Breakfast

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Do you find yourself rushing in the morning?

Did you know that people that skip breakfast have been proven to have less healthy lifestyles and are more prone to weight gain?

Eating a balanced breakfast can be easy though, you can prepare this filling, nutritious treat the night before in just 2 minutes.

Prep: 2 minutes
Serves: 1

Ingredients:
30 grams Porridge Oats
Palm full of Nuts (we used hazelnuts)
Semi/Skimmed Milk
Ground Cinamon
Fist Full of Frozen Berry Mix
tea spoon of seeds (we like chia)

Instructions:

  1. Place the oats in a glass kilner jar
  2. add the nuts
  3. add a fist full of berries
  4. add a teaspoon of seeds of your choice
  5. add cinnamon (flavour to taste)
  6. cover to the top of the oats with milk
  7. seal the jar and shake
  8. leave in the fridge over night
  9. take out the following morning, 5-10 mins before you want to eat
  10. Enjoy & full full for longer

Health Is Not My Priority

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Have you ever thought this way?

We know plenty of people that have/do.
In the stress & mayhem of daily life we often find ourselves consumed by commitments restricting both our finances and time…

This often results in us ultimately neglecting ourselves as we prioritise other things such as work, family & finance over our own health & well being…

Whilst this is common and not unexpected it often has the opposite effect, by focusing on our daily priorities we forget to question why they are so and what we truly need in order to accomplish them.

Our ‘Pyramid of Priorities’ has a familiar 1st Tier for most of us…
 STOP...and ask yourself why are these my commitments?
Untitled Diagram

The highest priority in life for every living thing is survival, this and how we feel will drive the majority of our behavior…Take it one step further and ask yourself ‘What Do I Need To Survive, NO…Flourish?’….

If your Body, Brain or Both are not functioning at optimum capacity how can you expect them to get you where you want or even NEED to be?  It’s no different to maintaining your vehicle to ensure that it transports you to where you need to be.

Today’s Top Tip: Start At The Top Of Your Pyramid.
Get this right and the rest will be considerably easier…

Happy Health,
Tom’s

Chicken Shish Kebabs

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Serves 2
Prep 10-15 Minutes
Marinate >1 Hour
Cook 15 Minutes

 

For the Marinade

  • 6 tablespoons natural Greek yogurt

  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

  • 1 teaspoon paprika

  • ¼ teaspoon cumin

  • 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

  • zest from half a lemon

  • 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon

  • 1 garlic clove

  • Black pepper

  • 1 teaspoon tomato purée

For the Salad and skewers

  • 2 chicken breasts cut into large pieces

  • ¼ red cabbage

  • ¼ iceburg lettuce

  • 2 tomatoes

  • ¼ cucumber

  • ½ red onion

  • 2 mushrooms

  • ½ yellow pepper

  • 2 pitta breads

Instructions

  • mix together the all of the marinade ingredients. Add the chicken pieces and cover in the marinade. Cover with foil and marinade in the fridge for at least an hour or overnight.

  • When ready to cook, heat the grill on a high heat and prepare the skewers.

  • Alternate chicken pieces with pieces of red onion, mushroom and yellow pepper.

  • Once assembled, place the skewers under the grill and cook for 15 mins until the chicken has browned and cooked through, turning a couple of times throughout cooking.

  • While the chicken is cooking, prepare the salad. Slice the red cabbage and iceburg lettuce into thin strips and chop the tomatoes and cucumber into large chunks.

  • In the last couple of mins of cooking the skewers place the pitta breads under the grill. Turn them over after 1 min.

  • Slice the pita breads along the side to make a pocket and remove the chicken and vegetables from the skewers inside the pitas.

  • Serve with the salad & Enjoy

Why Should I Drink Water?

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Given the recent spells of hot weather it’s no surprised that we were recently asked ‘why do I need to drink more water?’.

We all know that staying hydrated is important, here’s a simple guide to why:

– your body is ~60% water
– water is used in the cleansing of the blood and removal of waste (kidneys & liver)
– water aids digestion & helps metabolise fat
– you lose water through the production of energy, cooling, breathing & numerous other functions
– the warmer you are from exercise or climate the more you sweat in an attempt to cool down
– therefore if you don’t replace it you begin to dehydrate, disrupting your bodily functions
– dehyradation can have serious effects of your liver & kidney function and lead to
– water keeps the blood runny allowing it to circulate easily, thick, dehydated blood is harder to pump which increases blood pressure and places stress on the heart

…The UK government recommends: we drink 8 glasses a day which = 2litres…
>>> If you wait until you’re thirsty you’re already dehydrated….

TOP TIP
1) Fill 4x 500ml water bottles in the morning and make sure they’re empty by bed time…take them everywhere you go….Take small sips regularly rather than occasional , large gulps…
2) You can flavour your water with sliced fruit, mint, sugar free squash & herbal tea to make it more interesting