Hey guys I'm keeping this one short as there will be lot's of info coming up in the Lifters Club and the Q&A was a big one this time, which Is great!

Here's some cool articles for you though...

Q&A

“without doing a DEXA scan, how can you be sure you are losing body fat and not muscle when losing weight?”

You can't be 100% sure.

We mitigate muscle loss by dieting relatively slowly (no crash diets) and by monitoring your performance in the gym. If you're losing a lot of weight, but also a lot of strength - then there's a good chance you're dieting too fast and losing hard earned muscle.

As long as your lifts are staying relatively close to where they were before you started dieting and you're not losing crazy amounts of weight too quickly, you're on track! If some of you lose a little muscle by the time the next DEXA comes around - don't stress, whatever is lost is much more easily restored compared to trying to build it brand new in the first place!

“How do you tell whether you have a muscle imbalance? Are there any exercises for the smaller supporting muscles that can help with mobility and lifts?”

We mitigate the risk of imbalances by training you across plenty of multi-joint (compound) lifts and by monitor your movement patterns. We also incorporate plenty of single leg exercises to counteract any slight imbalances as they are more common in the lower body and also the trunk but we would introduce single arm exercises too if anyone has glaring issues there as well.

Your DEXA is also a great indicator if imbalances- if you have more muscle mass in one leg/arm than another then that's technically an imbalance. In terms of exercises for smaller supporting muscles, there are plenty, but our big movements target these muscles too so unless you've been diagnosed by a professional or Adam or I notice some real obvious problems then don't sweat this stuff too much. Come speak with us though if you're worried about it!

“Supplements, in your infinite wisdom are there certain things a person should be using if lifting on a regular basis i.e. glucosamine?”

The biggest and most trusted resource on supplements you'll find anywhere is Examine. Here you will find EVERYTHING you need to know about any particular supplement and you'll soon find most simply aren't worth it. Here's a list of things I take/think are worth the cost.

  • Creatine
  • Caffeine
  • Probiotics
  • Magnesium
  • Vitamin D (in winter)
  • Fish Oils (If you don't eat fish often)
  • Any other glaring individual deficiency

 

The last bullet point is important. Don't take supplements just for the sake of them! You can go get tested quite easily to find out if you have any particular deficiencies so I recommend going and doing that that long before you invest your hard earned $$$ into any supplements.

Multi Vitamins are a good "all rounder" but can vary quite a lot in terms of quality. They also might be providing you with not enough of the things you need and too much of the stuff you don't. I don't bother with one as my diet is very well balanced and I'm not deficient in across any of the main vitamin and mineral spectrum (apart from Vit D) 

Here's a pretty detailed list of supplements that work for lifters if you'd like to read more - but in all honesty, I wouldn't bother with much apart from what I've listed above unless you know your deficient in something!

“How to not have a breakdown and eat a whole packet of chips and chocolate?”

Don't let yourself get hungry. 

Hunger is the biggest problem you face in terms of dieting. Make sure you plan your meals in terms of timing, utilise low calorie but high volume foods (we spoke about this above) and drink plenty of water.

I've always found sleep to be really important too. The days I don't get a good sleep are the days I'm craving "comfort" foods the most. Which also brings me onto the next point - understand some of these "cravings" are to fix boredom and stress - not because your hungry. Recognise these moments and remember eating chocolate and packets of chips isn't going to fix your stress, or entertain you for very long. Get rid of unnecessary stressors in your life, drink lots of water and take the dog for a walk! Such a cliche answer I know, but it works.

“I seem to be struggling with balancing out my macros, any tips?”

Plan!

Either plan the next day before it begins, or maybe even plan out the next couple of days? Pick your main protein, carb and fat sources and then just alter the amounts until you hit the calories and macros you need! 

All of us get stuck if we try and fill out myfitnesspal as we go, especially if you're new to counting calories. Make life easy for yourself and plan ahead! If you struggle with any of this then come find Adam or I, we will help you put together some days!

“What’s the best way to get back into the swing of things after a long layoff?”

Being realistic.

You won't be as strong as you were when you left, technique will be a little rusty and cardiovascular fitness will be down as well. You just have to accept this and be patient. People tend to try and rush the process and/or get frustrated they aren't in the same place as they used to be - This is demotivating and also dangerous.

Just take your time, find your groove and it'll all be back before you know it!

“Mobility, how can you improve and does it help with our style of training/lift more?”

The more stable a joint, the more force it can produce so yes, it will definitely help with your training. 

It can take time for our nervous system to build up enough "trust" to allow our bodies to get into the right positions and I generally find this is more the case than structural limitations.

With this said - there are definitely ways to increase our mobility, and some of us have and still need to do more work on this. Adam is much more knowledgable than I am in this area so definitely ask him if you have any particular worries/interests but I highly recommend checking out Dr Quinn Henoch's work as he's the master of strength and mobility in my eyes - here's some of his work below...

“To achieve more fat loss and muscle definiton is it better to do 3 bootcamps and 3 lifting sessions or 2 bootcamps and 4 lifting sessions?”

The answer doesn't lie within your bootcamp to lifting sessions ratio, it lies within your nutrition.

Fat loss and muscle gain requires strong adherence to caloric and macronutrient targets and hitting them day in day out will result in a much more positive outcomes than switching bootcamps and lifting sessions. Adam and I incorporate a lot of "lifting" in our bootcamps anyway so it's far more beneficial you choose the ratio of bootcamp to lifting sessions you prefer as this will allow you to be much more consistent.

In the grand scheme of things, we can help you build muscle and lose fat with either option - but we can't do it if you don't enjoy your training and eat in a way that compliments this goal.

“I am lactose intolerant so can’t use whey protein, what other options do I have? ”

Protein shakes are a convenient supplement but by no means a "necessity" for any health and fitness goal - real food works just fine!

If however, you wanted to utilise a protein powder, this would be my list from most wanted to least...

  1. Whey Protein Powder
  2. Beef Protein Powder
  3. Egg Protein Powder
  4. Rice Protein Powder
  5. Pea Protein Powder
  6. Hemp Protein Powder
  7. Soy Protein Powder

In saying this, mixing Rice & Pea protein powders together is generally considered the next best option after whey as together they produce a very strong amino acid profile. It's also quite cheap compared to the other alternatives and you can get it from the same people that supply our protein as well!

“Stress... what is it and how does it effect my goals?”

There are plenty of different types of stress but lets stick with psychological stress and physiological stress.
 

  1. Psychological stress - Mental stress, the feeling of being overloaded, wound up tight, tense and worried.
  2. Physiological stress - Physical stress, our bodies response to an environmental stressor such as sitting down with heavy ass weights on our backs.

Stress, within certain parameters is good for us. The psychological stress of a looming due date makes us work harder/faster and the physiological stress of lifting heavy things makes our muscles grow. We start to run into problems though when we overload our mind and/or body with too much stress and this is something we have to try and mitigate as best as possible.

Stress will stop you from losing weight, gaining muscle, recovering, performing and most importantly, enjoying life. There's plenty and plenty and plenty of great articles that go into this in much more detail but I'd prefer to discuss some ways of mitigating stress...

 

1. Stop hanging around stressful environments.

Too often I see people becoming stressed by environments they choose to be a part of. This can come in a variety of different forms but if your partner(s), friends, family, jobs or local hang outs are causing you a life damaging amount of stress then maybe you should consider finding better people to hang out with in better places.

This might sound harsh but I constantly see people getting bogged down by their environments and never having the courage or insight to change it.

  • Hate your job?
  • Dickhead boyfriend?
  • Friends not actually being very friendly?

Fuck em off.

You have enough stressors (like your wanker personal trainers shouting at you to squat more) to deal with.

 

2. Partying

I know I know, Adam and I are basically male nuns/monks but some of you act like poor (wo)man rockstars and wonder why you're always tired, sick or stalling in the gym.

Hanging out with friends in social settings is a GREAT stress reliever but sculling litres of wine until 4am will eventually catch up with you. Maybe find a healthy middle ground?

 

3. Healthy Habits

Walking the dog, listening to music, drawing, meditating, learning, yoga, playing xbox - whatever you enjoy! Find some healthy, stress relieving activities that you can enjoy. 

 

 

You put all of these together and you'll be AMAZED at how much quicker the weight falls off and the muscle piles on.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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