Flatsnout
Fitness
Mr. Paul J Fiske
Copyright © Mr. Paul J Fiske, 2016 Published by I_AM Self-Publishing,
2016.
The right of Mr. Paul J Fiske to be identified as the Author of the Work has
been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents
Act 1988.
All rights reserved.
ISBN 10:1515399443 ISBN-13: 978-1-911079-85-9
This book is sold subject to the condition it shall not, by way of trade or
otherwise, be circulated in any form or by any means, electronic or
otherwise without the publisher’s prior consent.
@iamselfpub
www.iamselfpublishing.com
@Dedication
To all the fighters in the world, we struggle to train and to win…
Relentless in our goals; we are all brothers and sisters in arms…
God bless to each and every one of you. No matter which code you are in,
when you enter the arena, you are alleviated to our special club – Brothers
and Sisters in Arms.
Contents
Dedication ...................................................................................... 3
Acknowledgments ....................................................................... 7
Introduction .................................................................................... 9
1 The Flatsnout Set Up ..........................................................17
2 Flatsnout’s Training Principles ........................................21
3 Basic Tips For Nutrition .....................................................39
4 Basic Fitness Homework ...................................................45
5 Boxing Techniques ..............................................................63
6 Strength (Resistance Training) .......................................85
7 Weight Loss ...........................................................................91
8 Body Types ......................................................................... 104
9 Nutritional Information ................................................. 109
10 Exercise and Depression ............................................... 115
11 Depression and Sunlight .............................................. 118
12 Lack of Sleep ..................................................................... 121
13 Arthritis Sufferers .............................................................. 124
14 Abdominals ......................................................................... 188
15 Stress-Busting Yoga ........................................................ 194
16Circadian Rhythms .......................................................... 201
17Stretching ............................................................................ 208
18 Photo Gallery ...................................................................... 214
19 The ‘Power-Hour’ ............................................................ 230
20 What to Expect After Training ..................................... 234 21 My
Injuries Through a Lifetime of Training ............ 237
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I would like to acknowledge the following in my boxing career:
Dick Sadd, Graham Everret, Chris Scott, Herbie Hide – Norwich Lads Club
Martin Steel, Titch Mewton, Gerry Hanham - Owen Spensley, John Gosling
– RAF
Tommy Conroy, Dave Gregory, Paul Lister –
Professional
Terry French, Tommy Tote, Bernie O’Hagan,
Mark Greener, Gary Firby and Billy Saul – Felling Warriors.
And also my children: Benjamin Fiske, Thomas Fiske and Jayne Cherry and
Grandson Jack Cherry.
My name is Paul Fiske and I am the owner and coach of Flatsnout Fitness
Training. I have been involved in the fitness industry for over 25 years as an
ABA amateur boxer, representing the RAF and Combined Services as
champion, and then as a professional boxer, coach, corner man and ABA
judge.
I have also played rugby, both at school and in the early part of my RAF
career. I spent 22 years in the RAF and my military background has given
me the discipline and commitment I needed to take control of my own health
and fitness, as well as help others to achieve their own personal fitness goals.
During my RAF service, I was involved in triathlons, half marathons and
marathon marches, These included the ‘Cullen Ridge Yomp’ on the Isle of
Skye mountains and ‘Cullen Ridge Yomp’ on the Isle of Skye mountains and
mile ‘yomp’ in full combat kit over Falklands terrain, from Teal Inlet to
Mount Pleasant Base. My team completed it in 21 hours.
Flatsnout Fit Club was launched because my weight loss team wanted a
place they could call their own to share motivational tips, meal menu ideas
and motivational training videos, as well as interact with other members. As
a result, our Fit Club members, who also take part in regular, 1-2-1 personal
fitness sessions with me, achieved their desired goals much quicker.
I also generally wanted to give the guys a way to gain weight as I constantly
got asked ‘can you put some muscle on my shape’. This is easy to do, it just
needs consistent and disciplined work. With Flatsnout FitClub in your
corner, I can guide you through this 1-2-1 personal fitness sessions with me
to help you achieve your desired goals much quicker.
I started Flatsnout Boxing Fitness in 2014, after 28 years in my job as an
Aircraft Technician. I served 22 years in the RAF and served all over the
world with various squadrons, including in a few hot spots. After leaving the
RAF, I took over as a Propulsion Supervisor for BAE at RAF Leeming to
decommission the very Tornado’s that I had kept flying for the past 22 years
– a touching and fitting end to a worthy fighter aircraft.
Early Days
My boxing career started at Norwich Lads club, where I was coached by
Dick Sadd, the younger brother of Ginger Sadd, a prominent middleweight
of the war years, who had won a non-title (British professional) fight against
Freddy Mills.
We had a great team captained by the now prominent Norwich trainer and
manager, Graham Everett, which included my pal, Herbie Hide, who went
on to become WBO World Heavyweight Champion.
I joined the RAF and never looked back, in terms of boxing. I began boxing
there in 1989, winning the Lord Wakefield’s tournament for novices and
enjoyed a great RAF ABA career until turning professional in 1997 with
Dave Gregory and Paul Lister.
In my amateur career I had risen to Number 2 in the British ABA Super
Heavyweight ranks and had fought bouts with four different ABA
Champions. (Unfortunately, I never won lol).My time in RAF Boxing, as the
Super Heavyweight Champion and Combined Services Heavyweight
Champion, served me well and included my very first ABA coaching course
back in 1989 at ‘sunny’ RAF St. Athans in South Wales.
This proved to be a tremendous foundation for my coaching career, and I
also boxed at Ahlen Boxing Club in RAF Germany. The circuit out in
Germany (or West Germany, as it was in those days!) was the Bundesliga
and you were paid 300 Deutsche Marks per fight, every fortnight. The
opposition was fierce with many Turkish heavyweights, who knew only one
way, which was forward.
I was offered a professional contract in these early days with Olaf Schrader.
Unfortunately, the safety of an RAF career won the day and I stayed as an
amateur.
I returned to the UK on a promotion course and ended up back in Norfolk at
RAF Coltish all, fixing Jaguar ground attack fighters. This allowed me also
to return to the Norwich Lads club, which massively improved my boxing. I
would train under my old Norwich Lads club captain, Graham Everett and
learnt a lot from my old pal and then WBO champion Herbie Hide. It was
funny, as I helped him with his sparring, doing warmup rounds in
preparation for his fight versus Tony Tucker, who I later fought in an EBF
fight in Newcastle. As I recall, Herbie was at his fastest and lethal best that
night, dispatching Tucker in just two rounds.
I fought with the ABA top ten at super heavyweight in those days, fighting
quality name opponents and learnt masses about boxing. After sparring with
Herbie, I eventually decided to give professional boxing a go. I then was
posted up to RAF Leeming and lived in Newcastle. My uncle recommended
The Felling Warriors club to me, and I turned professional with Dave
Gregory and Paul Lister.
Author on military field run at catterick barracks.
Author in 1998, as a young professional boxer.
I had constant professional career setbacks, as it was difficult to be a parttime professional boxer and a fulltime RAF Aircraft Technician. Having to
serve around the world at short notice, did not really give me the fitness
levels required for the hardest of all games.
After retiring, I became a professional coach with Tommy Conroy and spent
a few years learning the professional side of the game. I helped Gary Firby
and John Jackson turn professional and cornered with Tommy Conroy in
their first few bouts.
Author winning the Combined services superheavyweight title 1991.
I was then posted away with the RAF and spent my nights coaching the RAF
Station ABA sides, a great crack and really enjoyable. Virtually the entire
boxing team at RAF Leuchars was from my Squadron, not that they were
pressured in any way.
I then continued with the RAF side of ABA coaching, while following my
RAF Technical career, until I became a Sergeant and was posted to RAF
Leuchars, where I had my final tour of duty with 56 Squadron at RAF
Leuchars – a great camp.
My dad died of cancer and I returned to fighting in order to deal with the
anger. I competed in over 40 European Boxing Federation (Unlicensed)
fights, winning the Northern area title and competing in bouts against the
likes of Mark Potter, Dominic Negus and the former World Champions Tim
Witherspoon and Tony Tucker. These bouts were the icing on the cake of my
career and I finally retired in 2012.
In total, I had 187 bouts – including ABA, pro and unlicensed (EBF) fights
with the Bundesliga.
I had an awesome journey while boxing and met some really amazing, hardworking guys and gals. It enabled me to both start my own Boxing Fitness
Company and succeed in teaching boxing, health and fitness.
My Qualifications
ABA Full Coach Level 2 Badge BBOC Professional Boxing Coach Rugby
RFU Level 1 Coach
NABBA Senior Weight Training Instructor Level 1 & 2 Active Health &
Gym Instructor
@Chapter 1 The Flatsnout Set Up
The idea behind the Flatsnout Fit Club is to allow clients to train with me in
a functional boxing gym, utilising the equipment and training techniques to
increase their self-defence their skill set and burn off a load of calories.
Using the Fit Club website, they utilise the diet and information section and
stick to the ‘Fitness homework’ I set them each day. This has resulted in
them greatly increasing their weight loss, improving their health and
developing their personal self-defence abilities.
This book is a training guide that covers my fitness training experience and
the knowledge that I have gained throughout my life and training. It draws
on my experience as an ABA, Professional and unlicensed fighter, and a 22year-old HM Forces veteran and rugby coach, which has given me a unique
blend of military endurance, competitive combat sports mentality, as well as
valuable insights into diet, training and fighting.
Many of the sessions are directly from my training diaries that I have kept
since I was 18 years old. I have included basic fitness, nutrition, boxing
basics, diets to lose weight and gain weight, basic resistance training and
many other aspects that I tell my Fit Club guys.
I have competed in 187 ABA/ Professional and unlicensed fights with one
Pro Cage fight at the end of my career.
I played rugby, my first passion, up until back surgery prevented me from
playing again. But fortunately for me, not boxing, this inspired me to train
and compete as hard as I always could. I would have loved to have been
given the opportunity to compete as a professional rugby player.
I have also been involved in triathlons, half marathons, marathon marches
and the ultimate – a military, triple marathon yomp, from Teal Inlet to Mount
Pleasant Base, 64 miles over the Falklands terrain in full combat kit. My
team completed it in 21 hours. The competing Gurkhas ran it and completed
the course in 9 hours…
I also took part in a fearsome yomp in Scotland, completing the ‘Cullen
Ridge’ yomp on the Isle of Skye Mountains, one of the most feared climbs
in northwest Europe.
THE FLATSNOUT SET UP
It’s great to finally be able to utilise all this information and experiences to
train, motivate and indeed help others.
I have continued my education in this field and now look to complete my GP
referral training this year and begin a Sports Physiotherapy degree.
In May 2014, I decided to start my own fitness training company and my
website has a Fit-Club section with access to updates, diets, cardio, weights
and boxing sessions that I have sought out and gained from many of my
contacts in boxing, rugby, military or endurance.
Back in 1999, I was on a 4-month detachment to the Falkland Islands
(providing air defence for the Islands against the Argentines) when a
volunteer reservist dubbed me Flatsnoutwhilst opening my email account,
and it has stuck with me ever since. I toyed with the idea of running my own
gym, but was never forced into it.
With the massive help of Billy Saul, the owner of Felling Warriors, I was
able to use the Felling Warriors gym as my base for Flatsnout, and I dubbed
the gym ‘HQ Felling Warriors’ on my website.
Last year, we moved up to White Hills Centre, a former Council testing
facility that Billy Saul took on under the assets exchange scheme. A team of
Felling Warrior stalwart parents and volunteers saved approximately
£100,000 in repairs.
In the initial year of business, it was my goal to achieve a successful website
and advertise to clients locally, nationally and globally.
So far this has been a success and the Flatsnout FitClub, set up for my Oil
Rigger trainees whilst offshore, has been a success.
It has been a great first year with an average of 10-15 Flatsnout Personal 12-1 clients. I have set up ABA school boxercise classes at a major Newcastle
school (With Felling Warriors), as well as Newcastle City Council Active
workplaces at two locations. There has been not much in the way of
financial payback yet, but the passion of teaching boxing and fitness keeps
me going.
Working with the new business office in Pink Lane has helped me to target
clients. I am also in contact with the police and uniformed services about
Bootcamp training at the Gym HQ Felling Warriors. I would like to also run
a #Flatsnout bad lads session, perhaps organised with youth offenders in the
near future, but it’s one step at a time…
Author at felling warriors
2016.
@Chapter 2 Flatsnout’s Training Principles
My Fit Club is aimed at the average guy or gal in the street who wants to
utilise boxing combat training and lose GENUINE pounds with a disciplined
and managed online diet.
A well-trained boxer is the most thoroughly conditioned human in the
sporting world, as there is no other sport that demands such a sustained level
of ruthless physicality from its participants.
It is for those who are sick of machines and dumbbells and seeking an actual
sport not merely a set of movements, as a path to fitness –and yes an
identity. Most exercise is boring; that’s why people spend a fortune on gyms
they don’t even use. If there is a key to getting in shape, it consists of finding
a way to workout that doesn’t feel as if you’re going to work. Western
boxing is this path...
The magic of the boxing workout is its sustained intensity. You go through
bursts of anaerobic activity, alternated with shorter rest periods. In
contemporary jargon, this is known as ‘high-intensity interval training’. It’s a
more efficient destroyer of fat, according to the latest party line from the
experts, than traditional ‘steady-state’ exercise, such as jogging.
If you’re disciplined enough to endure the torturous first stages of training,
you will find that your body, in being forced past its old limits, has acquired
new ones. You will also have found a useful skill. There’s far more to boxing
than self-defence, but it can come in handy outside the gym. For women, as
well as men. #FlatsnoutBoxingfitness apprentice Shona Stanton is a National
ABA finalist last year, after two years in the sport. Enough said...
If you fancy something new and are sick of paying £29.99 per month for a
gym full of prima donnas who spend more time looking in the mirror than
training, with Personal Fitness Instructors that look about 12, then come join
us at Flatsnout Fitness Training and try this method of training.
With more than 30 years of ABA, Professional and unlicensed and military
experience, I can give you the fitness homework, diet and boxing workouts
to deliver the health and physique that you wish for.
You will train with me, Paul Fiske, and our Boxercise ‘Power Hour’ will
help you to burn off 450-600 calories.
The website’s thread will give you online dietary and nutritional advice and
you will be given fitness homework, with sessions and advice on the
#Flatsnout website. In addition, I am available 24/7 if you want to contact
me for advice.
People are losing serious weight and becoming healthier. This is a simple
fact.
Check out my testimonial’s section at #FlatsnoutBoxing and Flatsnout
boxing on Facebook.
If you want to attain your fitness and physical goals, it is important to
understand the three principles of training fully – Training, Nutrition and
Rest.
I. Basic Nutrition
Nutrition is first and it can be a big problem area there’s so much
misinformation about it. In this age of the internet highway, where people
can Google everything, there are so many diets and so much information
available, it would confuse and misinform anybody.
You should try and focus on eating good quality food that is as fresh if
possible, and not laden with huge amounts of saturated fats.
Rather than counting calories, you will see from the meal plan that the daily
intake is split into 5 small meals. This is because small meals are more easily
digested and stop the bloated feeling three larger ones give. The ethos
behind weight loss is cutting out the wasted, empty carbohydrates that are
found in some of the food you may be eating, whilst increasing your output
and getting 6-8 hours of decent rest to recovery daily. The rest really does
make a MASSIVE difference. We will be increasing the amount of protein
you eat with the diet. This is responsible for the amino acid building blocks
in your bloodstream, which rebuilds the muscles that you break down whilst
training. Importantly, protein cannot be stored in the body as fat. If it is not
utilised by the protein receptors in your bloodstream, then it finds its way
down the toilet via the bowels and bladder, and is not stored as excess body
fat.
Hence, protein rich foods are utilised, such as eggs, milk, meat and fish.
Consequently, I want you to be careful and thoughtful about your
carbohydrate intake. This doesn’t mean cutting it out altogether, as your
body needs carbohydrates to sustain your energy levels in the body via
Glycogen supplies to the muscles. Use the basic rules and stick to them.
When eating carbohydrates, such as rice, pasta and noodles try and to stick
to a portion that is half your fist, which is a good guide to portion serving.
The rest of the meal should be salad, which is free of carbohydrates, and
make it HUGE.Trim the fat off the meat because if you do, it’s pure protein.
However, certain rules do apply:
• No white bread – brown or wholemeal granary only. Try Burgen soya and
linseed bread.
• Cut the butter and sugar – use margarine and sweeteners instead.
• Increase fruit and vegetables, as it’s an effective detox.
Flatsnout Fitness
• Cut empty carbs out, such as sweets, chocolate and biscuits.
NO Alcohol whilst on a weight loss plan – simple.
This isn’t forever, but if your mindset is to lose weight, you will not even
question this, so move on.
Stick to the plan.
Your water intake needs to be around 3 pints per day, as water flushes the
whole system and is top of the list for losing weight and maintaining a
healthy lifestyle. If you take a 1/2 pint glass of water before each meal, then
it hydrates you and makes you feel full. We are aiming at a high protein diet
to trim the bodies’ excess fat stores down whilst maintaining adequate carbs
to power us through the day.
Water
A speedier metabolism could mean a thinner you. To get one, some people
use risky and outrageous methods that may leave you wondering if
something as simple as sipping water could do the trick. In truth, drinking
cold water could help you lose weight, although employing additional
methods will ensure that you achieve even greater results.
Recommended Intake
Water makes up 60% of your body weight and is essential to a host of bodily
functions, including carrying nutrients to your cells and creating a moist
environment for nose, ear and throat tissues. Since your body neither makes,
nor stores water, drinking fluids everyday is necessary to restore what you
lose through sweat and urination. Cool water is the best fluid for hydration
during and after workouts.
Everyone should drink at least 8 cups daily (3 pints of cold water), although
athletes such as #FlatsnoutBoxing trainees need more. As mentioned
previously, try drinking half a pint before each meal (eat 5 smaller meals a
day, remember).
II. Training
I want you to attack the training aggressively and effectively. When you get
up in the morning, don’t saunter into the bathroom and think, ‘It’s OK, he
doesn’t know that I am not doing the exercises.”
• If you are hungry to get the lean look, do the abs and press-ups set each
day, and then do them at night.
The training that has been set by me utilises boxing’s excellent balanced
workout ethic by using the aerobic and stretching sessions I have learned and
utilised throughout my career, personally and with others. By using boxing
and Tabataprinciples to work you hard and increase the metabolic rate, you
will enhance your body’s burning of calories. If you stick with the
programme and decrease your calorific intake by cutting out the rubbish in
your diet and increase your output by exercising, you will have a calorific
deficit each day (500 calories in total – 250 from decent eating and at least
250 through increased exercise). This means you will lose weight.
It takes 2750 calories to lose one pound of bodily fat, so if you take each
day’s calories that you will save and times that by 7, you can calculate your
weekly, showing you mathematically how to lose weight. That is, until you
achieve a balanced weight you are comfortable with.
Example:
The number of calories burned each day from a week’s training(including
Flatsnout’s exercise homework and Power Hour) is 250 k/cals for 5 days and
750 k/cals for 2 days, giving 2750k/cals.
Saving 250k/cals daily with Flatsnout online diet 1750 k/cals.
So the total amount of calories for week’s diet and training is 4500 k/cals.
This is equal to the industry 2.2lbs weight loss, per week recommendation.
Add this together and you can see how the plan’s training works.
Physical and mental health benefits that can be achieved through resistance
training include:
• Improved muscle strength and tone – to protect your joints from injury.
• Weight management and increased muscle-tofat ratio – as you gain muscle,
your body burns more kilojoules when at rest.
Many clients have started training / dieting and lost huge amounts of weight
in the first week. This happens regularly and is the body’s response to a
regular, disciplined diet and training plan. In addition, the body’s glycogen
that is stored in the muscles and bladder/ bowels will be reduced as it flushes
through you, as a bowel can contain up to a stone of undigested waste. So
the increase in metabolic rate keeps this more regular and controlled.
III. Rest and Recovery
Third in the triangle is rest. The body needs this as it is a recuperation period
that enables the brain to rest and the body to recover. Although 8 hours sleep
is the amount always given, anything between 6-8 hours is fine.
Rest and recovery are both critical components of any successful training
programme. They are also the least planned and under-utilised ways to
enhance performance. You may not be aware that there is, in fact, a
difference between rest and recovery, or how you can properly implement
them. If you train for ten hours per week, you have 158 non-training hours or
95% of your time left for rest and recovery. Where is this entire “extra” time
going and why do you walk into your workout dragging?
Rest is most easily defined as a combination of sleep and the time you spend
not training. How you sleep and spend this time is critical.
Recovery, however, refers to the techniques and actions you take to
maximise your body’s repair. This includes hydration, nutrition, posture,
heat, ice, stretching, self myofascial release, stress management,
compression and time spent standing, versus sitting and lying down.
Recovery encompasses more than just muscle repair. It involves chemical
and hormonal balance, nervous system repair, your mental state, and more.
We have different systems that need to recover, including hormonal,
neurological and structural. Our structural system includes the muscles,
tendons, ligaments, and bones. Muscles recover the quickest because they
receive direct blood flow. Tendons, ligaments, and bones receive indirect
blood flow and therefore can take longer to recover and are more susceptible
to stress brought on by over training.
The goal for most people should not be perfection or hitting exactly correct
levels for each factor – that’s for professional athletes to strive for. Our goal
is to prioritise life and maximise our performance without personal sacrifice.
So kick back, relax and enjoy an evening out with friends. Order your
favourite beer and get the ribs in as this may mentally benefit you more,
allow you to unwind and put you in a better place to perform, as opposed to
another solitary night of broccoli and chicken. Life for an athlete who
sacrifices everything for the sake of performance can be very lonely and
tiresome.
A balanced combination of rest and recovery along with proper diet and
exercise should be a part of any fitness regime.
Unless you are competing at an elite level, you should follow the 80/20 rule.
This mean 80% of your time is spent focusing on diet and exercise and 20%
on enjoying life. In other words, don’t let yourself get too wrapped up in
perfection.
We will now break down the sub-components of rest and recovery to provide
you with a better insight into how to improve your performance and overall
quality of life.
A healthy and happy athlete not only performs better, but is able to give time
and energy to others as well.
Elements of Rest and Recovery
1. Sleep
Getting adequate levels of sleep is important because it helps to provide you
with mental health, hormonal balance and muscular recovery. You need to
get enough sleep, which is between 6-8 hours for most athletes. Everyone
has individual needs based on their lifestyle, workouts and genetic makeup.
It has been proven that the hours slept before twelve midnight are more
effective than those slept afterwards.
Sleep in the most natural setting possible, with minimal to no artificial lights
and wake up with the sun if possible. Fresh air and cooler temperatures will
help to improve the quality of sleep.
2. Hydration
Drinking adequate amounts of water is critical to health, energy, recovery
and performance. Athletes tend to be very attentive to hydration levels close
to and during competitions, but keeping that awareness during training and
recovery times can have just as large an impact, leading to more efficient
nutrient uptake, lower levels of stress on the heart, improved skin tone and
better hair quality.
The simplest way to check hydration is to look at your pee. If it is clear to
pale yellow you are hydrated. The darker coloured your pee is, the less
hydrated you are and the more water you will need to drink.
Water is the best way to hydrate. Sports drinks are only needed for before,
during and after strenuous training or completion. Don’t drink them simply
because they taste good. Flavourings and other additives simply give your
system more to process and cause it further strain.
Stick to adding a lemon or lime.
3. Nutrition
Everything you eat has the ability to heal your body or poison it. This may
sound strong, but alcohol and processed foods contain toxins that are
harmful to the body. I do not like to recommend a specific diet, but eating
clean and balanced meals in moderation has proven to be an effective way to
stay healthy and increase your performance. Dairy and wheat are processed
differently by everyone and so you need to educate yourself on these topics
and how they personally affect you. Some people process these food items
very well and have no side effects, while other people have slight to severe
autoimmune reactions. Start with a diet as your base template and add to it,
based on your own experiences, not what you read.
Food in our society goes far beyond fuelling the body, so it is not always a
simple choice. Not only do we go out to dinner, most other social events also
involve food. The key is achieving a balance so that you can achieve the
results you want, while also functioning as a normal person and enjoying
life.
Create a meal plan, shop ahead for the week and have healthy snacks readily
available that you enjoy.
Plan ahead for dinner out by helping to pick the place you’re eating and
looking at the menu ahead of time.
4. Posture
This is one of the least focused on areas in Western culture. We spend on
average spend more time sitting than any other country does in the world,
and as a general trend have bad posture. This is not a restful position, as
sitting or standing with bad posture is harmful. It can lead to back or neck
pain, especially if you have a desk job. Find a chair that is ergonomically
correct. If you struggle to sit upright, use a foam roller or ball in your back to
give you a tactile cue and help force good posture.
Don’t lean to one side or on an object for support while standing.
5. Stretching
You need enough flexibility to move well and remain pain-free. Include
dynamic stretching in your warm-ups while saving static stretching for after
your workouts. Attempt to self-identify tight areas and work on them. Don’t
get caught doing the exact same stretches you’ve always done. If you don’t
know any new ones, try to use one from the yoga positions in chapter 16.
Heat, ice and compression
Use these techniques to recover from injuries or a very stressful training.
Spending additional time focusing on rest and recovery can pay dividends,
beyond the benefits that you get from the additional training time. It’s
essentially legal performance enhancement, yet people don’t take advantage
of these techniques because they take time.
Dedicating additional time primarily to the three categories of sleep,
hydration, and nutrition will increase your output ability, decrease recovery
time and lower your risk of injury.
It’s not essential to have a cold or hot bath or shower after a workout, but if
you need to go back to work or go out for the day or evening it’s essential!
Over the past few years, you may have known that footballers and athletes
have cold or ice baths straight after a game. The reason behind this is to
prevent or reduce any inflammation from injuries that may have occurred
during the game. It can also help with a faster recovery, but it’s quite painful
and not recommended for the average person.
A warm bath or shower is a better option for you immediately after training,
as it will help you to feel cleansed and more relaxed. It’s a great idea to
stretch the hamstrings in the bath as the muscles are more relaxed and
pliable with warm water.
LEAVE THE COLD WATER AND ICE BATHS TO PROFESSIONALS.
In the bath the muscles are more relaxed and pliable with warm water.
Chapter 3 Basic Tips For Nutrition
What Fuel Does Your Body Need?
Protein, carbohydrates, fat, vitamins, minerals and water – your body needs
all of these, but what are they?
Protein
There are 20 chemicals called amino acids, which join together in different
ways to make thousands of different proteins.
Where do they come from?
11 of them are made by your body and are called ‘nonessential’ amino acids.
The other 9 ‘essential’ amino acids you have to get by eating the right foods.
What does protein do?
It is a very important nutrient because it builds up your muscles, organs and
glands. It helps repair and replace them too, so that your body can keep on
working.
Some of the things protein makes include:
• Haemoglobin – this carries oxygen around the body in your blood.
• Antibodies –these fight diseases, helping to heal cuts and grazes.
Where do you get it?
• If you eat meat, chicken, fish, eggs, nuts, dairy products and legumes, then
you’ve got it!
• Protein from animal foods has all the essential amino acids that you need.
Plant foods have each got some of them.
If you are a vegetarian [don’t eat animal foods] then you have to make sure
that you still get the right amount of amino acids.
How?
You need to eat a wide variety of plant foods. You could mix cereal with
milk, nuts and fruit or have a peanut butter sandwich and a piece of fruit.
Carbohydrates
There are two types of carbohydrates:
Sugars – these are simple carbohydrates (because your body digests them
quickly and easily),
Starches – called complex carbohydrates (because it takes your body longer
to digest them).
What do carbohydrates do?
They give energy to all the cells in your body by producing glucose. This
gives you quick energy, but your body cells can’t use heaps of it all at once,
so it saves some in your liver and muscles as glycogen. It’s a bit like having
two tanks of petrol, the one your car is using and a reserve tank in case you
run out of fuel.
So, if your body runs out of glucose it switches to the reserve tank,
glycogen. Once there is enough glycogen stored in your liver and muscles,
the rest turns to fat.
Some simple carbohydrates come from ‘sometimes’ foods like fizzy drinks
and lollies, which have lots of sugar but not the important vitamins your
body needs. Many come from foods, such as apples, bananas, grapes, raisins,
as well as low-fat ice cream and yummy frozen yoghurt. These give you
extras, such as vitamins and minerals.
Complex carbohydrates come from food like bread, cereals, pasta and
veggies like corn, potatoes and carrots. They give you energy more slowly,
so it lasts longer, and they contain heaps of vitamins and minerals, which
your body needs.
Fat
This is in your body. It is the way you store energy for later.
There are three types of fat that we eat:
• Saturated fatty acids, from animal foods, dairy foods and some oils that
come from plants.
• Unsaturated fatty acids, from plants, fish and most plant oils.
• Monounsaturated fatty acids, from some plant products, such as olive oil
and canola oil.
What does fat do?
Some good things about fat.
• It acts as the body’s reserve tank of energy
• Protects our organs, like a cushion
• Helps our bodies to stay warm in cold weather
• Helps hormones to keep blood pressure steady
• Helps to keep skin and hair healthy
• Gives some vitamins a place to stay and helps them get around the
bloodstream to where the body wants them.
How do you get it?
There is fat in lots of good foods, such as meat, eggs, cheese, but sometimes
there is too much in fast foods, like chips, biscuits and many of the
‘sometimes’ foods.
Remember, you only need to eat a little of these to get all the good things
from fat. If you eat too much, you will find out the bad things that can
happen as a result of too much fat.
Fat can:
• Lead to obesity (when a person weighs too much for their height and body
type).
• Leads to illnesses when you’re older (including heart disease).
• Makes you feel bad because you’re not getting enough of the good foods to
keep you healthy.
• Makes you feel bad about the way you look.
How to avoid too much fat:
• Choose low-fat milk, yoghurt, cheese etc.
• Cut fat off meat before cooking or eating it.
• Avoid fried food and pastries (make them ‘sometimes’ foods).
• Avoid chicken skin.
• When you use fat (margarine or cooking oil, for example), choose
unsaturated fat products because they are healthier for your body.
Water
Your body needs water to work well, as the water in the blood carries food to
all parts of your body.
Aim for balance in your food. Keep your body in the mood. Lots of water
and exercise will keep the sparkle in your eyes.
Chapter 4 Basic Fitness Homework
Types of training
There are two types of training: a steady state, which is referred to as lowintensity work, and high-intensity or interval training. Both are equally
important to the fighting trainer.
Interval training is one of the very best methods for speed, although it can
also be modified to enhance endurance. The training effect is controlled by
varying:
1. Speed
2. Distance covered
3. Number of repetitions
4. Rest periods between efforts
If we take running as the training medium for improving leg speed and highintensity fitness, a typical schedule leg speed and high-intensity fitness, a
typical schedule 100 seconds and resting during the time to steadily walk a
lap in say 5-7 minutes. Speed and recovery are obviously determined by the
trainee’s current level of fitness. A thorough warm-up and stretch are both
required before and after the work out to this intensity.
I personally used this fighting and training method as an ABA boxer and
also when I turned professional. As I said previously, I would also mix these
sessions up with 10 * 100 meters for pure speed, even on a very slight
incline.
It is a massive progression form of training and the beginner to intermediate
level trainee, who must be told to start of the day to use 50 % on the first
sprint and then work up and through the stages, before reducing back down
again, rather than giving a full-bodied 100% session. Training like this
requires a training partner. I’ve found a group is even better, as the rivalries
and camaraderie will inspire your training performances.
So to recap, I used 400m 8 * 400, 200m 6 * 200m and 10 * 100mm, and
then for all-out speed I used 50m, with virtually no recovery time at all.
Sprints were always made much harder with a slight incline, which made it a
huge battle, but that only made us fitter and stronger.
Another method I remember using was sprinting backwards. (Careful!) This
has an outrageous effect on the hamstrings and quads. Try it because once
you have mastered running backwards, it’s a massive change and will be a
great addition to your armoury.
Below I’ll show you some great types of training for all abilities.
1. Cardio
The cardio element of training is an immense subject. I don’t intend to cover
the whole subject, just the ones that affect boxing training. Although training
in a combat sport is a very good way to get fit in its own right, it is generally
a good idea to pre-condition yourself, prior to starting training.
This applies to older trainees returning to the sport after a lay-off, just as
much as it does to pure novices.
When I train Personal 1-2-1, I give the client a plan, weight graph, an eatwell plan and Fitness homework to be carried out on the days they aren’t
working with me. This, coupled with the nutrition and boxing workouts,
ensures a great calorie deficit at the end of the week, which (can) equal a
loss in bodyweight.
Beginners courses generally provide just the preconditioning you need to go
on the more demanding full sessions, but even these can be more enjoyable
if you get fit for them first. There are a number of basic exercises that can
promote and develop physical fitness, one of the most popular being
running. The beginner starts out walking and jogging, the marathon man
covers 26 miles at a 5-minute pace, while the sprint athlete performs an
incredibly gruelling 400m sprint that leaves them hardly able to walk, but
there are a host of routines and training methods between these two
extremes.
Great alternatives to running for the overweight person include the stationary
bike, cross trainer and rowing machine. They can be monotonous and some
trainees may become bored and uninspired. Skipping is another good basic
exercise for improving the cardio system.
Gym routine for the beginner – Aerobic Conditioning Phase.
Week 1 and 2
To be carried out 3 times per week, for week 1 and 2.
• 5 mins skipping (5 * 1 mins)
• 5 mins exercise bike
• 5 mins jogging machine
• 5 mins rowing machine
Then, in week 3 and 4, carry out 3 times per week.
• 9 mins skipping (3 * 3 mins)
• 10 mins exercise bike
• 10 mins jogging machine
• 10 mins rowing machine Note that each 5 or 10-minute blocks of work can
be followed by a 1-minute rest period in the first week, reduced to 45
seconds in the second week, then 30 in week three and 15 in week 4. The
progressive nature of this training / recovery means that by the end of week
4, the recovery of the trainee should be much improved.
With the addition of basic exercises (bodyweight), you have a great weight
loss plan, as it will burn off a lot of calories, effectively speeding up your
metabolism.
2. Bodyweight
Here we have a very simple bodyweight circuit. These circuits pay rich
dividends to cardio aerobic fitness and have the benefit of requiring nothing
equipment wise , just bags of effort.
The bodyweight circuit. (Complete 10 of each at a fast tempo, circuit
fashion.)
Complete after the aerobic conditioning phase. Ten of each exercise.
Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
1. Press-ups
2. Crunches
3. Squats
4. Press-ups
5. Twist Sit-ups
6. Tuck jumps 7. Press-ups
8. V-sits
9. Squat thrusts 10. Press-ups
The initial basic training is exactly what it says… BASIC. Novices need to
be able to build their strength and conditioning into a basic fitness that will
allow them to start effectively increasing their basic confidence in sparring
and other technical training.
Tim Witherspoon
Author competing in a charity boxing exhibition with former WBC heavyweight champion
Perhaps the best of thing of all is to just get out in the fresh air and simply
run yourself fitter. It has been said that boxing training does not matter
without the roadwork. This means you need to don your Nikes and hit the
road, building up massive reserves of stamina and energy.
I remember that as a top class amateur, training with professional
heavyweights like Herbie Hide and Cliff Elden, I used to sprint train 3 days
per week.
Monday – 4 times 400m
A 400m sprint is close to being the hardest instant anaerobic maximised
exercise load you can tolerate and is absolutely shattering. I trained this way
under Leo Toms at the Royal Navy Squad training session in 1997 at RN
Nelson. This was followed by an entire 400m walk to recover and then we
would go again, four times.
Wednesday – 6 * 200m
The second sprint session was a 200m distance on Wednesdays. This was
usually 6 * 200m with 200m recovery after each sprint phase.
Fridays – 10 * 100m
On Fridays, I would treat myself to 10 * 100 m sprints with 100m recovery
after each sprint. I was also boxing each day to different intensities, i.e. on
Mondays , Wednesdays and Fridays I would box train (using bags / pads /
cardio / core / skip) and Tuesday and Thursday were my sparring days, so I
would save all my energies for keeping out of the way of Cliff’s and
Herbie’s furious fists!
Saturday was my rest day.
On the Sunday, I would run a 5m steady state and after 3-4 weeks was
amazed at the benefits of the sprint training. Indeed, I felt as if I was hardly
breathing on the steady state run.
It is very true that you must do your cycle training to this intensity.
Indeed, at the RAF Boxing squad training sessions, we would train 4 times
daily. NOT even Herbie in his WBO heydays needed to do this. Twice a day
was sufficient; it’s the intensity that matters.
The old RAF Squad training was great and we were sparring most nights
too! Much damage and detriment was done to our fitness and conditioning,
however
When I trained with the Royal Navy and Marine squad, a much ‘Cleverer’
attitude was adopted. We did either sprints in the morning or a long steady
state run, conditioning or boxing training, with sparring just twice weekly
with the rest of the squad, adjudging a points winner / loser each time. This
was very effective at maintaining the boxers will to keep going, rather than
totally smashing them out of the water, as the daily RAF 4 sessions did.
This initial basic fitness is very important to the novice fighter / trainer and it
should be adopted and utilised throughout their fighting / training career.
Since retiring and coaching full-time, I believe a professional or top class
amateur should train three days and have one day off. So in an eight-day
cycle, you have two rest days when you eat well and rest up, treat yourself to
a sports massage, sauna, spa relax and switch off, so as to REVITALISE your
systems.
3. Swimming
Swimming is perhaps the best cardiovascular exercise. It also tones the
muscles. This is one of the most difficult exercises for setting times and
distances accurately. Swimming tends to be about best personal efforts in
terms of completing distances and it’s the training effects that we are really
after.
Two simple approaches that utilise swimming to get fit is to pick a stroke
and swim for a minimum of 20 minutes, 3 times a week. However, if you
don’t monitor your heart rate it’s far too easy to work below your optimum
training rates.
I prefer to use alternate strokes, like breaststroke and front crawl, and use
them to do simple interval swimming. Try two lengths of breaststroke and
one length of front crawl at a sprint pace. Your heart rate will fly through the
pool roof in the front crawl phase and you can then recover on the
breaststroke lengths.
Set yourself a pre-set time 10 or 20 minutes, depending on your fitness and
swimming level / ability.
Author in his prime
Using the amount of sprint lengths to recovery lengths is the best way to
gauge the intensity. One to one is very intense and even 2-1 is hard, whereas
3-1 is for beginners.
Effective results can be obtained by experimenting with the stroke rate. As
well as swimming flat out try, 90, 80 and 70% of your top speed.
Flatsnout Swimming Workout
In most cases swimming at a variety of speeds is the best type of swimming
workout. Once a swimmer reaches a certain general level of fitness, the
swimmer must do more to increase the challenge of the workout. Adding
more distance or duration is one way, but at some point that results in
diminishing returns and how much time do you really have in a day to
swim?
Mixing up the paces or speeds within a swim workout (similar effect to a
fart lekrun) helps to increase the challenge or stress of that workout without
increasing the duration. A swimmer can shorten the workout but increase the
total stress of that workout; more done in less time.
Swimmers may also find that doing some very short, very fast sprints with a
lot of rest on a regular basis very fast sprints with a lot of rest on a regular
basis 60 seconds rest between each swim) will develop increased strength
and power. These short sprints can be done almost every day.
To start, you should mix up your workouts a little. Try doing some of them
the way you are now and try doing some of them (one or two per week) with
some shorter intervals mixed into the workout.
What could you do to increase the stress or speeds within one of your
swimming workouts.
Here is one example:
1. 10-15 minutes warm-up with your regular swimming routine speed.
2. 4*50m swims with 10-20 seconds rest. Swim the first one with an easy
effort, then each subsequent repeat with more effort than the preceding one; I
call this descending and in this case with four repeats.
3. 1-5 minutes with your regular swimming routine speed.
4. 4*10*5 meter swims with 40-60 seconds rest between each swim. Do
these at the best possible effort. Start with four and increase the number you
swim each week by one or two until you reach 10, then go back to four and
they and do them faster.
5. 1-5 minutes with your regular swimming routine speed.
6. 1*400 meter swim at a fast pace but sustainable pace (as you will gas up).
Rest for 60 seconds after.
7. 1-5 minutes with your regular swimming routine speed.
8. Repeat the above 400m faster, 1-5 minute easier until your workout is
done.
Be sure to end with an easier swim to cool down.
Every third or fourth week, take a few extra days off for extra recovery, or
shorten the workouts for the recovery week by 25%.
4. Rowing
Have you ever thought about a rowing training programme with specific
rowing exercises to strengthen your lower back, legs and arms? Why not
check out ours with the help of a rower.
When you’re looking at a rowing training programme, first look at the body
areas that you will be working out. Specific exercises for rowing can help
with your rowing technique and strength, so why not read our detailed
information in the following pages.
Using the rower means that you will need some training tips and advice to
help you to get the best out of it. This ergo (rowing machine) will certainly
improve both your all-round fitness level, as well as improve your muscular
strength and endurance.
The Concept 2rowing machine is probably the most used piece of rower
equipment in gyms in the UK. It does not have all the bells and whistles that
some other rowing machines have, but it works every time!
So check out our simple training sessions below.
BEGINNERS TRAINING SESSIONS
SPM = strokes per minute.
L = resistance level
SESSION SPM LEVEL METRES EFFORT AIM
ONE 28/ 32 3 / 5 600 / 1000 EASY TeC TWO 28 /32 5 X 400 MeDiuM WO
SESSION SPM LEVEL METRES EFFORT AIM FOur 32+ 5 / 6 3 X 200 MeDiuM TeC FIVE 28 /
32 4 / 5 2 X 500 MeDiuM WO siX 26 / 30 4 / 5 1200 / 1500 EASY Dis SEVEN 32 + 5 / 6 3 X 300
MeDiuM TeC EIGHT 28 / 32 3 / 5 3 X 400 EASY Dis NINE 28 / 32 4 /5 3 X 500 MeDiuM WO
TEC = technique, concentrate on your technique, remember legs arms, then
arms and legs.
WO = workout, aims to raise the heart rate and work the body’s muscles to a
safe level.
DIS = distance. There is nothing wrong with stopping for a short rest, then
finishing off the required distance. Remember to work within your own
limits when doing any exercise programme.
Effort:
Easy – chill out, like it suggests. Talking should be easy. You need to get
used to the machine and allow your body to gradually adapt.
Medium – you will get out of breath. Talking is possible, but only for short
periods.
Hard – you will not want to talk as your body works out, and be glad when
the session is over.
5. Cross trainer
If you haven’t used this machine as part of your fitness routine, take a look
because there are few better allround exercise devices. You can get an entire
body workout from the cross trainer because it’s designed to tone various
body parts with a fluid, low-impact motion. Its health benefits include heart
healthy, cardiovascular conditioning, bone strengthening and increased lung
capacity.
People often believe mistakenly that the elliptical is an easy exercise that’s
inferior to running or rowing, but that’s not the case. It isolates certain
muscles, so they get a more focused workout. While running impacts on
your joints and not using a rowing machine properly can lead to back strain,
the cross trainer gives you a less stressful workout session.
The combined effect of working your lower body, arms, and shoulders on
the cross-trainer means that many other muscle groups are needed as well.
The elliptic movement and handles require effort from the calves, quads,
biceps, triceps and even your core. Cross training is a great toning exercise
that requires aerobic activity. As you get used to each programme, you can
increase the levels, much like the traditional treadmill.
I used the cross trainer repeatedly during the ‘unlicensed’ phase of my
boxing career. Do three to four 30-minute hill sessions with ten 20-second
bursters up to VO2 max (or as near as you can!)
Coupled with my work on the rowing machine, this kept me fit enough to
compete with my damaged knees, hip and back.
A typical personal fitness client would train with me 3 times per week, with
one day off for rest and recovery and Fitness Homeworkon the other days.
See a sample sheet below for guidance, usually one fitness session per day
Here is an example of a beginners’ training schedule. If a trainee cannot or
will not skip,run on the spot.
MON TUES WED THURS FRI SAT BIKE 5 BOX BIKE 5 BOXBIKE 5 MINS REST MINS
MINS
SKIP
5 MINS
ROWER 5M
SKIP
5 MINS
ROWER
SKIP
5 MINS ROWER 5M
5M
CROSS
TRAINER
5 Mins
aBs
3*10
STRETCH
CROSS
TRAINER
5 Mins
aBs
3*10
STRETCH
CROSS SUN TRAINER 5 Mins REST
aBs
3*10
STRETCH
BEGINNERS – WEEK 1 & 2 SCHEDULE.
MON TUES WED THURS FRI SAT BIKE 10 BOX BIKE 10 BOX BIKE 10 REST MINS
MINS MINS SKIP
3 MINS
ROWER
10M
CROSS
TRAINER
10 Mins
aBs
5*30
STRETCH
SKIP
3 MINS
ROWER
10M
CROSS
TRAINER
10 Mins
aBs
5*30
STRETCH
SKIP 3 MINS ROWER 10M CROSS SUN TRAINER 10 MinsREST
aBs
5*30 STRETCH
BEGINNERS – WEEK 1 & 2 SCHEDULE.
Author versus Tim Witherspoon
@Chapter 5 Boxing Techniques
The punches used in the boxing ring can be simply broken down into the
following. I have given a picture and description of how to throw a punch,
with some simple, basic mistakes and how to counter them.
1. Basic Stance
Before attempting some of these movements, it is important that one is
familiar with the boxer’s fighting stance, starting with the conventional (or
orthodox) stance:
• Stand with your feet a hip-width apart.
• Take a single, regular stride forward with the left foot.
• Keep the back foot at a 45-degree angle.
• Shift the weight onto the balls of your feet.
• Distribute the weight equally between the feet and keep the knees bent.
• Bend your elbows and tuck them into the sides (to protect the vital organs).
• As your arms are brought into the sides, place your fists at cheekbone level
with the left hand slightly out, poised to jab.
• Keep your chin down and look up. Roll your shoulders forward slightly.
• Position the body partially sideways with your left shoulder and hand
slightly closer to the opponent.
2. The Jab
The most simple of all punches, indeed the shortest point between you hands
and the opponent’s face and body is the jab. It’s simple and effective as a
point scorer, to start the combination flowing or as a hard single shot in
itself.
Your feet should be just over a shoulder-width apart if you’re orthodox (a
right hander), and stand with the left foot forward, like I am in pic 1. Your
hands should be up as in the pic to form a fortress of defence (Fortress
stance). Tuck the elbows smartly into the abdomen to protect yourself
against body shots. You should be light and on your toes with a slight bend
in the knees.
The punch starts with the left foot moving forward and exploding off the
rear foot. The jab hand (left for orthodox) extends straight until the elbow is
straight and the knuckles are rotated onto the target area with a sharp “ossss”
to focus the heart and mind.
Southpaws will stand with the right foot forward with the right hand up as
the jab and the left hand as the backhand cross punch. Assume the fortress
position.
Pic 1. Fortress defence – elbow in, hands up, chin down, side on.
Author in basic stance, fortress defence
Common Mistakes
There are a number of common problems that can occur when throwing a
jab:
1. Trying to hit too hard. The desire to throw the punch hard often results in
the boxer’s weight transferring to the front leg. This affects the balance and
makes you very open to a counterattack. Remember, the jab will often be
thrown as you move forward, so throwing the weight onto the front leg is a
very high risk!
2. The punch is ‘telegraphed’ with a tell-tale movement before the punch
begins its journey. These movements are often the elbow lifting to the side or
the fist dropping slightly, both of which are dead giveaways.
3. The boxer allows the punch to become an upper body movement, which
ensures the rotation of the upper-body is generated by the push from the
front leg.
A good quality jab is the basic tool of the trade for any half decent boxer.
You need to work on it and master the technique, as it can literally win you
the fight. Many years ago, I was competing for the RAF versus Norwich
Lads Club and pulled my trapezium muscle before entering the ring in the
warm-up. I persevered with only a jab but won the bout. I must have thrown
1000 jabs in the 3 * 3 rounds.
1. Jab
t ti
th
h
starting the punch.
2. Jab at full extension – note the right hand up in defence.
3. The Cross
Either the right hand from an orthodox ( right-handed) fighter or left hand
from a southpaw. This backhand is recognised as the power shot. It’s a very
difficult punch for beginners, as they tend to lift the back foot off the floor to
gain power. The rear foot is the very basis of the power, as you will have a
firm power triangle of the feet on the floor. This is transmitted via the snap
rotation of the hip – a significant rotation of the hips around the vertical,
central axis.
If you think of the stance being held on the face of a clock on the floor, the
left hip would be in the starting position at 11 o’clock, whilst the right hip
would be in the starting position at 5 o’clock. Following rotation, the right
hip will arrive at 2 o’clock and the left hip at 8 o’clock. Continuing up
through the shoulders and down along the arm, rotate onto the target with a
sharp ‘’osssss’’, to harness both your mind and body.
It’s this snap rotation of the hips that defines the power of the right (left)
cross and must be worked on and developed.
The ‘corkscrew’ effect is that one thing that fighters can add while
delivering a quality rear cross punch. By turning the fist over as it impacts
the target area, you will impart more turning torque-force and ultimately
damage on your opponent. (Note in pic, the knuckle is rotated over.)
Common Mistakes
Perhaps the most common mistake is that beginners lift the back foot off the
ground when throwing a right cross. As a result, they totally lose all the
power base.
I counter this with a dip in the back leg knee to load the power in the rear leg
and then the right cross. Make sure you power through the right back leg
with a sharp twist in the hip.
4. Telegraphing
Perhaps the most common problem is having your chin up and telegraphing
the right cross, so get your chin down, stalk the opponent and fire when
you’re ready for contact. Use the jab to tee up the backhand. Some Eastern
European boxers adopt jab out and paw with it, and when it hits the face they
swiftly fire over the rear cross, using this jab almost as a range finder.
Full extension of the right cross.
5. The Left and Right Hook
The left hook is easily one of the deadliest punches in boxing.
It comes from a side angle, making it tricky to defend against when an
opponent is expecting straight punches. It’s also common for knockouts
because the punch turns the head from outside of your vision and can easily
make opponents dizzy. You can throw left hooks to the head with your fist
horizontal or vertical. For a beginner, I recommend that you use the ones that
feel the most natural. Left hooks to the body are the most common way to
attack the body. The “liver shot” (located under your right ribs) is known to
be incredibly painful and has led to many body shot knockouts. Body shots
typically take the wind out of you and kill your legs, hampering the ability to
move. A well-placed body shot can momentarily paralyse your legs and keep
you from standing, even if you’re conscious and still willing to fight. I
personally call this the ‘’rib-tickler’’, the short sharp left hook cum uppercut
to the body that aims for the floating rib.
The hook around the other side is called the ‘back breaker’ and aims to
impact around the back of the elbow on the other side. Working these
together in close is a worthwhile attacking method, concentrating on the
technique and sharpness of the impact. It can leave the boxer under total
attack, utterly bewildered and out of breath, forcing a stoppage.
6. Hook Basic Technique
Pivot your feet clockwise (about 90 degrees) as you drop the right heel and
lift the left heel.
Your body rotates as one solid block when you pivot your feet.
The left arm tightens as you swing your left fist into the target.
Lift the elbow up and follow the punch through, so that if you miss with the
fist, you hit with the elbow. Simple but effective.
For a left hook to the body, leave your left hand down and throw with a
vertical fist.
Left hook to the head. Left leg on toes, knee
driven around, elbow up high and pivot around.
Left hook finish to the head. Note the elbow’s end position.
Left hook body shot – the ‘rib tickler’.
Right hook to the head.
Right hook to the body – the ‘Back Breaker’.
7. The Uppercut
The hardest thing to do when mastering the uppercut is to disregard the way
it looks.
You can throw the uppercut from any stance but for now, we’ll stick to a
neutral one. Position yourself for the uppercut, the same way that you would
for a right cross or left hook.
Common Mistake
To duck down or bend your knees or drop your hands low to “prepare” for
the uppercut.
The uppercut can be thrown from your basic boxing stance, no preparation
or modified positions are necessary.
The body mechanics of the uppercut will be the same as your other power
punches.
• For the left uppercut, rotate your body the same way you would for a left
hook.
• For the right uppercut, rotate your body the same way you would for a
right cross.
Your body moves the same way as for a cross or hook, even though your
arm comes with an upwards angle now. The shoulders, hips, leg, and feet
will all pivot in the same way.
Don’t change anything or visualise the body movement differently just
because your hand is going upwards instead of straight (cross) or around
(hooks).
Common Mistake
To lean back and “pop” upwards with your legs, or do weird things with
your body, because you’re visualising an upward momentum.
The only thing that changes for the uppercut is the angle of your arm, not
your body movement.
The arms make a sharp compact loop.
You don’t need to release the fist all the way out or drop the fist before the
punch. Remember that the uppercut is a short punch. If you have to reach,
you’re probably not in range. Simply relax the arm as you release the
uppercut and tighten the hand on impact.
Keep your elbows down and your palm facing you throughout the uppercut.
Keep your opponent in view. Your head should not be leaned over, leaned
back, or moving in a way that could make it hard for you to see your
opponent. If anything, keep a small distance between your head and
opponent’s head so that there’s a nice compact space for your arm to travel.
With your elbows down and palms facing you, release your arm in a fast
sharp compact loop.
I personally like to loop and twist the fist onto the target to impart the final
added venom / torque to the punch. Finished off, of course, with an “osss” to
focus and harness your mind and body.
Uppercut final position. Note: the rear hip is driven forward, the back foot rotated and knuckle
twisting into the target area.
8. Footwork
Boxing is the art of self-defence, hitting without being hit.
In all the boxing that I have competed in – be it ABA, Professional or EBF
Unlicensed – this one quote wins the day each time: “Hit without being
hit…”
This is controlled by both your footwork and ability to get in and out of
range effectively.
The first point, which may seem very basic, is your footwear. A boxing boot
is designed to let your feet slide, BUT THEY ALSO let your feet pivot
easily.
You need the non-sliding feature to keep your body anchored to the ground,
and then you need to pivot so that you can throw deadly punches with a full
body rotation.
The problem with NON-boxing shoes is that they have either too much or
too little grip. If they have TOO LITTLE GRIP, you will slide all over the
place and won’t be able to ground yourself. If they have TOO MUCH GRIP,
you won’t be able to slide or pivot. This decreases the weight on the pivoting
foot (which affects your punching power and ability to change directions).
Boxing boots should be worn, as they exert a much greater force on the
canvas. When in the ring, you need good movement control.
I. Skipping
Unlike running or squats or other similar exercises, the jump rope improves
your foot coordination. You have to pay attention to the rope and clear it
with your feet. You can’t just drop your feet all over the place, like a lazy
running step. You have to have sharp feet when you’re jumping rope. This
results in improved speed and footwork agility!
Skipping is a massive leg conditioner, as well as being immense for your coordination and motor skills.
There is also a plyometric phase to skipping during 2 or 3-minute rounds.
Dynamic bursts make deep inroads into you fitness, developing rich reserves
of aerobic core fitness. If you find yourself on the canvas, it is this fitness
that powers you to get up and battle onwards.
II. Basic Stance
The basic stance is feet a shoulder-width apart for the orthodox fighter with
the left foot forward. The foot is turned 45 degrees, with the rear leg below
the right shoulder, maybe a touch wider. Above all, make sure that you feel
comfortable and balanced. The boxer should be on the tips of his toes, ready
to power movement in any direction. The knees should be slightly bent to
help your movement and power the transmission of power.
III. Basic Movement Around The Ring
When you move around the ring, it needs to be a comfortable and slick
operation, even for the ‘novice’ boxer.
You must be relaxed and comfortable and this is something you need to
work on.
Basically, move the lead leg in the direction you want to move first. The lead
leg is pushed forward, so the power base is the rear foot while you drive the
front leg forward.
The rear leg then slides forward 6-7 cm.
You have now advanced forward and are in a balanced stance.
To move rearwards, the power driving leg is now the front foot. The rear leg
slides backwards into position, then the front foot slides the 6-7cm into a
balanced position.
When moving from side to side, the boxer moves the leg in the direction he
wishes to move first. When you move to the left, move the left leg first and
then slide the right leg back in a basic stance, and do the same thing moving
to the right.
Position One – Basic Stance.
Position two. The front foot slides forwards, driven by the rear power leg.
As the footwork balance progresses, the student will start to feel more at
home on the pads and in sparring. Footwork drills are an essential part of
training and must be carried out at all levels.
Relaxed and balanced footwork are both essential to enable you to get in and
out of punching distance, and ultimately danger.
As the boxer develops, they will start walking around the ring, not jumping
in a frenetic amateur styley (burning masses of energy),but in a stalking
style, using small considered steps and maintaining the balance between the
legs.
The ‘ spin off’is an advanced part of footwork where the boxer, usually up
close, will spin off the lead foot around 90 degrees to start a new attack.
Up close in contact.
Spin around on the tip of the balls of the lead foot and re-engage the target.
This is useful when you are engaged up close in close quarters combat. Let
two and three punch combinations go to the head and body, then spin off
around to either side and start again.
The ‘ Over-ride’is a technique where the boxer stays on the periphery of the
punch range and throws a jab, thrusting forward and then out of range. The
opponent counters, which our attacker avoids and then counters fast and
swiftly, before once again moving off the target.
This is essentially a two or even three phase attack, where the attacker is
thinking punches ahead. It is important to be reactive to the other boxer and
override with sharp counter punches.
1 Attacker jabs
into range.
2 He pulls back out of range to defeat the responsive counter punch.
3 He delivers a fast over-riding right hand, defeating the opponent’s defence and then gets back out of
punch range to maintain his defences.
These are also known as two and three phase attacks where the boxer puts
into play both action and reaction combinations, popping the jab whilst
keeping in/out of punch range, before delivering fast and ACCURATE
counters, hoping to wear down the opponent and defeat them by stoppage,
KO or points.
What is a southpaw?
A left-handed boxer is a southpaw. People who are left-handed are more
dexterous with their left hand than with their right. They probably also use
their left hand for tasks such as personal care, cooking, and so on. Writing is
not as good an indicator of handedness as it might seem, because many
people who write with their right hand, use their left for everything else.
Chapter 6 Strength (Resistance Training)
Put Some Power in Your Gloves – Weights Exercises for Boxing
The generating of maximum power through any punch will certainly tell
your opponent you mean business, and this will have a profound
psychological effect too.
Indeed, developing your power will also help to enhance speed and
anaerobic fitness.
Speed will improve as your muscles become used to pushing out heavier
weights (the cornerstone of any power routine), which translates into a faster
punch when the comparatively light, 10-14 ounce gloves are laced on.
Anaerobic fitness, which uses carbohydrates to generate short-term, highintensity work, will improve as muscles become adept at sustaining an allout effort, due to greater lactic acid handling abilities. (Lactic acid is a by
product of anaerobic metabolism and will prematurely curtail a sustained
effort if it cannot be processed efficiently.)
The muscles are conduits for all movement in the boxing ring and if they
cannot function optimally, meaning that they cannot generate speed and
power, and last the distance, your boxing success will be severely impeded.
Power, therefore, is a key ingredient in any boxing programme, so to
develop optimal, specific power, one needs to pick the right exercises and
execute them correctly.
In theory, any weight movement that is performed correctly with enough
resistance will enhance the power that is translatable to boxing. However,
greater success will come from using movements that lend themselves to the
generation of force (pushing type movements, for example) and replicate
either actual boxing techniques or motions that the arms will make during
the punch’s extension phase.
The following weight exercises will assist any boxing programme, and
provide the knockout punch you are looking for. It is important to complete
each of these movements with maximum force, as this will more effectively
develop your power.
Following a normal weight routine that encompasses all major movements
will assist one’s boxing programme. However, given that boxing training is
immensely taxing physically, a shorter and more specific weight routine is
probably the better option.
This routine, to be completed twice a week, will ensure that all major muscle
groups are targeted, while conserving much-needed energy and not
overburdening your capacity to recover.
Remember to warm up thoroughly before attempting this programme, and
do not undertake it if you don’t have at least a 6-month background in
weight training.
1. Full Body
Monday - Friday
MusCle eXerCise seTs rePs Chest Bench presses 3 10 Chest Press-ups 3 10
Back Pull-downs 3 10 Back Seated Rows 3 10 Shoulder Shoulder presses 3
10 Shoulder Upright rows 3 10 Punching Dumbell punching 3 25 Arms
Curls 3 10 Arms Dips 3 10 Legs Deadlifts 3 15 Legs Dumbbell lunges 3 15
This basic foundation strength power building circuit will leave the body in
hypertrophy for 72 hours after the session.
Use this session for 2-4 week blocks in order to build and increase strength
and power. To increase ballistic power, the exercises must be performed with
explosive motions.
2. Military Weights
Military or fitness weights have been used by the military for many years, as
the name suggests. My personal introduction was back in the 1980’s while in
basic training at RAF Swinderby. I was then reintroduced with the Royal
Navy training boxing team at HMS Nelson back in 1991, preparing for the
Combined Services with the RN squad.
After turning professional, I was detached to the Falklands, as I was still
serving in the RAF and met and trained with two Royal marine PTI’s. The
training was very severe – down there at the end of the Earth, you would
expect no less.
The weekly schedule involved:
Tractor tyre throwing and ‘sledging’(basically, pulling a huge tyre!) and
many, many bouts of sprints and marine weights (fitness weights).
When I returned ,I fought in Hartlepool and scored a 2ndround KO, knocking
the opponent unconscious for 45 minutes. (I was seriously terrified I’d killed
him.)
This fitness served me well all season and the depth and ferocity of this was
down to those two Royal Marine PTI’s who severely beasted me daily in the
gym, weights and pool.
I did the military weights session below twice weekly as a pro to maintain
my endurance, fitness and strength.
You can see the session is a giant super set, starting at ten reps of Military
Press to the front. Then, you repeat the same again and the rear also,
building up to a giant set of 100 reps on 10 body parts.
The whole process requires HUGE personal moral fibre to get through and
doing it alone is very hard!! But if do it with a training partner and stay with
it, you will reap the same rewards and benefits I have over the years. I still
carry out the session twice weekly at the age of 47, even in my state of
arthritic demise.
3. Marine Weights
Marine weights is an old favourite of mine and has kept me fit as an ABA,
professional and Unlicensed boxer.
Exercise Sets ShoulderPress 10 1 Front
Shoulder Press 10 10 2
rear
Up right row 10 10 10 3
Shrugs 10 10 10 10 4
Curls 10 10 10 10 10 5
Dips 10 10 10 10 10 10 6
Press up on the 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 7
bar
Neider Press 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 8
Power Clean 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 9
Press up on the 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 bar
Starting with set number read across at exercise required:
Shoulder Press Front. Carry out 10 reps and then start on Set 2. Shoulder
Press Front 10 reps then Shoulder Press Rear 10 reps and so on.
The effect is a massive on the body. It’s best to train with at least one other
person (and better if in a group) as you keep each other going.
Weights on each end of the bar are only 10-15kg. You will be amazed by the
effects. Enjoy!
Chapter 7 Weight Loss
The jeans don’t lie. You know you’ve let yourself go a little and after
throwing the stupid bathroom scales away because it said you were (insert
your red flag number here), you go for the true test – slipping on your
favourite jeans.
Not being able to pull your pants past your thighs sure does tell you
something. If you’re at a loss as to how to begin, here’s a no-fuss,
straightforward, 11-step guide to losing weight.
1. Paul Fiske at the start of the Flatsnout programme, weighing 19.5 stone, Jan 2015.
2. 18.5 stone, Feb 2015.
3. 17.5 stone, April 2015.
1. Calories per day
Losing weight is all about creating a calorie deficit. One pound equals 3,500
calories, which breaks down to 500 calories a day. Do a combo of exercise
and cutting calories to reach 500, and you’ll lose a pound a week. You can
meet with a nutritionist or your doctor to find a more specific daily calorie
count, but don’t dip below 1,200 as it will slow down your metabolism.
2. Keep track
Monitor your calories as accurately as you can. Look up the calorie amounts
and write them down in a food journal, or use a weight loss app. Everything
you put in your mouth gets written down — yes, even that handful of
M&Ms you’ve grabbed off your co-worker’s desk! It may not seem like
much, but at 70 calories, those little nibbles will add up. Then weigh
yourself once or twice a week to keep track of your progress.
3. Measure and repeat
Have measuring cups, spoons, and food scales on hand to measure correct
portions. Eyeballing a cup of cereal is not exactly accurate, and you’d be
surprised how easy it is to overestimate when you’re hungry. In the first few
months, you’ll need to measure everything from the milk you pour into that
bowl of cereal to the dressing you drizzle on your salad. After a while, you’ll
become familiar with what the correct portions look like.
4. Eat five times a day
In order to prevent that famished feeling that drives us to overeat, plan on
eating three meals and two snacks a day, timing them so that you eat every
two to three hours. Here’s a sample schedule:
7 am – Breakfast
9:30 am – Snack
12:30 pm – Lunch
3:30 pm – Snack
6:30 pm – Dinner
Don’t skip meals or snacks to save calories, since it’ll slow down your
metabolism and cause weight gain. If you’re up late, enjoy a snack after
dinner, but be sure to finish it at least an hour or two before bed so that
digestive issues don’t keep you up – getting enough sleep will help you to
lose weight.
5. What to eat
Every time you nosh, be sure to include some protein to satisfy your hunger,
fibre to fill you up, and healthy carbs to sustain your energy. Breakfast,
lunch and dinner can be between 300 and 500 calories each, and the two
snacks 150 each. Break them down to fit your needs, but you might want
your midday meal to be the highest to ensure that you have enough time to
burn off those calories.
6. Save calories
Find simple ways to cut calories, whether it’s swapping your daily Coke for
water, using one slice of cheese on your sandwich instead of two,
substituting spaghetti squash for pasta, or choosing a turkey patty instead of
beef.
7. Plan ahead
Dealing with hunger is the worst part about trying to lose weight. So, in
order to prevent those pangs from making you grab the nearest cookie, plan
your meals and snacks ahead of time. Write out what you’ll be eating for the
entire week and you’ll be even more successful if you pack and label the
foods for each day.
8. Get moving
Diet is one part of the weight-loss puzzle and the other part is exercise. In
order to burn calories to reduce your overall body fat, include 60 minutes of
heartpumping exercise five times a week. A leisurely walk around the block,
unfortunately, isn’t enough. We’re talking running, biking, swimming and
high-intensity classes for cardio, strength training to build fat-burning
muscles and stretching to keep those muscles supple and prevent injury.
9. Set small goals and celebrate them
Losing weight is a long journey, so it’s helpful to set smaller goals along the
way to your big goal. Find healthy ways to celebrate those milestones, such
as a pedicure after 10 workouts or a cute workout top after losing five
pounds.
10. Come to some tough realisations
The first one is that diets aren’t the answer. There is no quick-fix diet and no
one food has magical slimming powers. Anything that sounds too restrictive
or is not nutritionally sound is not the way to go. Find a way of eating that
can be sustained for the rest of your life, where you eat healthy most of the
time and allow for occasional splurges. The second realisation is that you
can’t go back to your old habits once the weight melts away. If you gained
weight chomping on half a dozen doughnuts each morning, you can bet your
sweet new buns that you’ll gain the weight back if you head to that bakery
shop once the scale says what you want it to.
11. Be patient and remember why you’re doing it
Just as those pounds slowly crept on, losing weight the right way takes time,
which means dropping about a pound or two a week. Practice patience and
revel in each pound that you lose, and when you feel like giving in to that
second cupcake at your friend’s birthday party, have one enormously
personal reason you want to lose weight, which resonates strongly and keeps
you motivated, no matter what. Thinking that “I want to be there for my
family” is sure to be more effective than “I want to look good in my jeans”.
Flat Snout Client Weight Loss Profiles.
Alistair
Alistair started training with us last year. We met at the Muscle Club meeting
at the Ramada Hotel, Gateshead.
He said he wanted to relight his former sporting fire and lose weight. No
problem...
Since then he had trained with me and the Flatsnout plan, he has stuck to the
online fit club diets and done his fitness homework and lost 3.2 stone weight
loss, at 53 that is no mean feat.
He has in summary:
1. Lost 3.2 stone in weight.
2. Completed the SAS, ‘Fan dance’hill climb in March, for charity.
3. Increased strength, muscle tone and fitness, as well as learning the noble
art of self-defence.
4. Continued his journey through physical transformation with three sessions
per week, soon moving to five.
Go Alistair...
Pictures before and after.
With over 25 genuine 2 stone weight lose clients in the last 18 months, the
Flatsnout system works.
Alex
I met Alex at the Mussel-Club, like Alistair. She is preparing for a charity
walk of the Grand Canyon later this year and has currently lost 5 stone in
weight.
Pictures before and after:
Impressive, I am sure anybody will agree…
Jennifer Michelson
Above is Jen.
Jen was impressed by Alex Purvis’ excellent results with the Flatsnout Fit
Cluband lost 1 stone in a 6-week period after joining us, and is continuing
with her fitness training and weight loss. Also, very importantly, Jen’s
statistics have changed dramatically and she has lost inches from the chest,
hip and waist area.
Tracy
Tracy has trained with us very recently and lost 25 lbs and 13 inches from
her chest/ hip/waist dimensions.
Her self-defence ability had dramatically improved, and she feels so much
better.
Claire
Claire started training recently and has achieved remarkable weight-loss and
increase in boxing ability. Currently she has lost 2.5st and 12 inches from
her chest/ hip/waist dimensions.
Chapter 8 Body Types
Are you an ectomorph, mesomorph or endomorph?
The body type you have influences how you respond to diet and training, so
it is important to understand your body type in order to plan your muscle
building training and diet programme. This will open your eyes to the reason
why you may not be making any gains or losses in the gym.
After you read the body type chapter, you will start to understand more
about how your body type works, your metabolism and gaining weight.
So it’s important to be able to identify and understand your body type.
Different body types require different training methods and diet plans.
Listed below are the 3 male body types: ectomorph, mesomorph and
endomorph, along with their characteristics.
1. Ectomorph
An ectomorph is a typically skinny person. Ectos have a light build with
small joints and lean muscle. They usually have long thin limbs with stringy
muscles. Their shoulders tend to be thin with little width.
Typical traits of an ectomorph:
• Small “delicate” frame and bone structure
• Classic “hard gainer”
• Flat chest
• Small shoulders
• Thin
• Lean muscle mass
• Finds it hard to gain weight
• Fast metabolism
Ectomorphs find it very hard to gain weight. They have a fast metabolism
that burns up calories very quickly. Ectos need a huge amount of calories in
order to gain weight. Workouts should be short and intense, focusing on big
muscle groups. Supplements are definitely recommended.
Ectomorphs should eat before bed to prevent muscle catabolism during the
night. Generally,
ectomorphs can lose fat very easily which makes cutting back to lean muscle
easier for them.
2. Mesomorph
A mesomorph has a large bone structure, large muscles and a naturally
athletic physique.
Mesomorphs are the best body type for bodybuilding. They find it quite easy
to gain and lose weight. They are naturally strong, which is the perfect
platform for building muscle.
Typical traits on a mesomorph:
• Athletic
• Generally hard body
• Well-defined muscles
• Rectangular shaped body
• Strong
• Gains muscle easily
• Gains fat more easily than ectomorphs
The mesomorph body type responds the best to weight training. Gains are
usually seen very quickly, especially for beginners. The downside to
mesomorphs is they gain fat more easily than ectomorphs. This means they
must watch their
calorie intake. Usually, a combination of weight training and cardio works
best for mesomorphs.
3. Endomorph
The endomorph body type is solid and generally soft. Endomorphs gain fat
very easily. Endos usually have a shorter build with thick arms and legs.
Their muscles are strong, especially the upper legs, and are naturally strong
in leg exercises like the squat.
Typical traits of an endomorph:
• Soft and round body
• Gains muscle and fat very easily
• Generally short
• “Stocky” build
• Round physique
• Finds it hard to lose fat
• Slow metabolism
• Muscles not so well defined
When it comes to training, endomorphs find it very easy to gain weight.
Unfortunately, a large portion of this weight is fat, not muscle. To keep fat
gain to a minimum, endomorphs must always train cardio, as well as
weights. Usually, supplements may not be needed as long as the person has a
high protein intake in their diet.
4. A Combination of Body Types
These body types aren’t set in stone. In fact, most guys have a combination
of two body types. These combinations are either ectomorph / mesomorph or
mesomorph / endomorph. It is not uncommon to find a pure mesomorph that
gains weight, like an endomorph for example.
So which body type are you? Given the information above, you should be
able to identify your body type. You may also want to optimise your diet and
training to suit your body type.
One final point, I want to mention that no matter what your body type is, you
can build a big, ripped, muscular physique or a sleek well-toned physique.
The choice is ultimately yours and yours alone. Even the skinniest of people
can bulk up. Yes, it’s harder, but if you’re willing to put in the hard work it
can be done.
It is also the same for gals wanting to lose weight. Even if you have an
endomorph type physique, you can lose the pounds that you may want to
with the correct diet and training / rest.
The message is clear. Despite your body type, it is down to you to train and
diet correctly to achieve the shape you want. It can be done…
Chapter 9 Nutritional Information
How can I speed up my metabolism?
It’s not unusual to hear people blame their weight gain on a slow
metabolism.
They’ve cut down on calories and are taking regular exercise yet they’re still
not losing weight. The only other possible diagnosis, they expertly conclude,
is a slow metabolism.
What is a slow metabolism? How does it affect your weight and can you do
anything to speed it up?
What is a metabolism?
Metabolism describes all the chemical processes that go on continuously
inside the body to keep you alive and your organs functioning normally, such
as breathing, repairing cells and digesting food.
These chemical processes require energy. The minimum amount of energy
your body requires to carry out these chemical processes is called the basal
metabolic rate (BMR).
Your BMR accounts for anything between 40% and 70% of your body’s
daily energy requirements, depending on your age and lifestyle. A ‘slow
metabolism’ is more accurately described as a low BMR.
Do some people have a faster metabolism than others?
Body size, age, gender and genes all play a role in determining your
metabolic rate.
Muscle cells require more energy to maintain than fat cells do, so people
with a higher muscle to fat ratio tend to have a higher BMR. As we get
older, we tend to gain fat and lose muscle. This explains why the BMR tends
to decrease with age.
In general, men tend to have a faster metabolism as they have more muscle
mass, heavier bones and less body fat than women, which is why their daily
calorie allowance is higher.
The calorie allowances an average man needs are around 2,500 kcal a day.
For an average woman, that figure is around 2,000 kcal a day. These values
can vary, depending on a person’s age, levels of physical activity and other
factors.
Your metabolism may be partly determined by your genes, although this is
not fully understood yet. Genes definitely play a role in muscle size and your
ability to grow muscles, both of which affect your metabolism.
Am I fat because of a slow metabolism?
In fact, the opposite appears true: overweight people may actually have a
higher metabolism than their leaner counterparts, reflecting the energy
requirements of maintaining a larger body size. When you account for
differences in body size and composition, there is a remarkable similarity in
energy expenditure between individuals.
Research has shown that people tend to eat more than they think they have.
When asked to write down everything they’ve consumed in a day, many
people reported eating far less than they actually do.
More often than not, the reason you’re putting on weight is because you’re
eating and drinking more calories than you’re burning. It may be hard to
accept, but staying on top of the number of calories is the key to losing
weight and keeping it off.
Can losing weight too fast slow down my metabolism?
Crash diets and other calorie-restricted diets can reduce your BMR. For
example, your body is forced to break down muscle to use for energy with
some diets. The lower your muscle mass, the slower your metabolism. With
less muscle and a slower metabolism, it then becomes a lot easier to put
body fat back on after coming off the diet.
What can I do to speed up my metabolism?
It is claimed that certain foods and drinks can boost your metabolism,
including green tea, black coffee, spices and energy drinks, but the evidence
behind these claims is flimsy and the effect on your metabolism is marginal
at best, as each person responds differently to each product.
While you don’t have much control over the speed of your metabolism, you
can control how many calories you burn through your level of physical
activity. The more active you are, the more calories you burn. In fact, some
people who are said to have a fast metabolism are probably just more active,
and maybe more fidgety, than others.
Here are the three most effective ways of burning calories:
1. Aerobic activity
Aerobic exercise is the most efficient way to burn calories. You should aim
to do 150 minutes of aerobic activity a week, such as walking, cycling and
swimming. You can achieve this target by doing 30 minutes a day, five days
a week and breaking down your activity sessions into chunks of 10 minutes.
To lose weight, you are likely to need to do more than 150 minutes a week
and make changes to your diet.
2. Strength training
Muscle tissue burns more calories than fat tissue, so increasing your muscle
mass will help you to lose weight. Don’t worry; you don’t need to turn into
Arnold Schwarzenegger!
Aim to do muscle-strengthening activities that work all the major muscle
groups (legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders and arms) two or more
days a week. Examples of muscle-strengthening activities include lifting
weights and high intensity bouts of exercise. Heavy gardening may also do
the job.
3. Being active
Being constantly on the move and reducing time spent sitting down will help
you to burn more calories. Any extra movement helps. Look for ways to
walk and move around a few minutes more each day, as the more you move,
the more calories you burn.
Being constantly on the move and reducing time spent sitting down will help you to burn more
calories.
Chapter 10 Exercise and Depression
What are the Psychological Benefits of Exercise for People With
Depression?
Improved self-esteem is a key psychological benefit of regular physical
activity. When you exercise, your body releases chemicals called
endorphins. These interact with the receptors in your brain and reduce your
perception of pain.
Endorphins also trigger a positive feeling in the body, similar to that of
morphine. For example, the feeling that follows a run or workout is often
described as “euphoric”. That feeling, known as a “runner’s high,” can be
accompanied by a positive and energising outlook on life.
Endorphins act as analgesics, which means they diminish the perception of
pain. They also act as sedatives. Endorphins are manufactured in your brain,
spinal cord and many other parts of your body, and are released in response
to brain chemicals called neurotransmitters. The neurone receptors that
endorphins bind to are the same ones that bind some pain medicines.
However, the activation of these receptors by the body’s endorphins does not
lead to the addiction or dependence people experience with morphine.
Regular exercise has been proven to:
• Reduce stress
• Ward off anxiety and feelings of depression
• Boost self-esteem
• Improve sleep
Exercise also has the added health benefits of:
• Strengthening your heart
• Increasing your energy levels
• Lowering your blood pressure
• Improving muscle tone and strength
• Strengthening and building bones
• Helping to reduce body fat
• Making you look fit and healthy
Research has shown that exercise is an effective but often underused
treatment for people with mild to moderate depression.
ExERCISE AND DEPRESSION
It appears that any form of exercise can help with depression, including:
• Biking
• Dancing
• Gardening
• Golf (walking instead of using the cart)
• Housework, especially sweeping, mopping or vacuuming
• Jogging at a moderate pace
• Low-impact aerobics
• Playing tennis
• Swimming
• Walking
• Yard work, especially mowing or raking
• Yoga
It is a good idea to join a group exercise class or personal fitness Training at
Flatsnout boxing because strong social support is important for those with
depression. In doing so, you will benefit from the physical activity and
emotional comfort that comes with knowing that others are supportive of
you.
Chapter 11 Depression and Sunlight
Learn the benefits of a little time in the sun. Stress is an inevitable fact of
life. However, you can fight it naturally by simply stepping outside on a
sunny day. Here’s a list of reasons to let the sunshine in.
Sunlight Boosts Serotonin
Researchers recently noted that levels of serotonin
– a neurotransmitter that regulates appetite, sleep, memory, and mood – are
lower during the winter than the summer.
The research teamnoted that the only factor that affected participants’ moods
was the amount of sunlight they were exposed to on any given day. More
sunlight meant better moods, while less sunlight led to the symptoms of
depression.
DEPRESSION AND SUNLIGHT
The study suggests that low levels of serotonin directly correlate with
seasonal affective disorder, which most often occurs during the winter
months.
Sunlight Can Reduce Surgery Pain and Stress
Researchers conducted a study to see if sunlight could affect the moods and
pain medication usage of patients undergoing surgery.
They found that patients who were placed in bright rooms reported less
perceived stress and took less medication per hour than patients in dim
rooms. This study also suggests that even indirect exposure to sunlight (i.e.
through a window) can improve one’s mood.
Sunlight Can Improve Help You to Sleep
Natural daylight can improve sleep as sunlight shuts off the body’s
production of melatonin, a hormone produced at night that makes you feel
drowsy. Constant exposure to sunlight can help also your body maintain its
circadian rhythm. This is a 24-hour cycle that regulates biochemical,
physiological, and behavioural processes and makes you feel tired when it’s
dark outside.
Going outside for 15 minutes at the same time every day, preferably in the
morning, tells your body that it’s no longer night time. Sunlight that’s
unhindered by sunglasses will reach the brain’s pineal gland more easily and
signal it to stop releasing melatonin.
Sunlight Can Reduce Cancer Risks
Studies have linked vitamin D, known as the “sunshine vitamin,” to
protection against colon, kidney and breast cancer, as well as improvements
in bone health and overall mortality. Neurological, cardiovascular and
immune diseases are associated with vitamin D deficiency, so by increasing
your exposure to sunlight, you can decrease your risk of these diseases.
Chapter 12 Lack of Sleep
Do you constantly wake up feeling like you could sleep for another three
hours? Not everyone’s a morning person, but if you wake up tired with a
pounding headache, start pouring orange juice into your cereal and almost
fall asleep while checking your morning emails, then it’s clear something’s
not right. So what is the cause of this and what might be preventing you
from waking up feeling energised?
Blocking out streetlights to make your room pitch black can help you to fall
asleep and stay asleep. But if daylight isn’t able to creep into your room by
morning, your body’s circadian rhythm won’t know it’s time to wake up. So
use blinds or curtains that block out the night time lights, but allow daylight
to shine through too.
Whether you’re putting in overtime at work or catching up on Game of
Thrones, staying up late means you’re not getting enough shut-eye. Most
people need around seven hours, give or take. So if you’re not getting that,
then you’ll wake up exhausted and cranky.
Sleep deprivation can lead to eating more and can also weaken your immune
system – hello, coughs and colds!
Set yourself a bedtime and stick to it (even at the weekends), and if you have
to stay up late, try to sleep in a little in the morning.
It’s hard not to be nervous about an early meeting with your boss or stressed
about pricey car repairs, but thinking about stressful situations will only keep
you from getting a solid night’s sleep.
If something’s bothering you, then figure out a way to settle your mind,
whether it’s jotting down your thoughts in a journal or talking to your loved
one.
If you’re one of those people who set your alarm early so that you can hit the
snooze button and feel like you’re getting more time in dreamland, then
you’re actually getting less.
That extra snooze time is constantly being interrupted by the startling sound
of your alarm, and the sleep you’re getting in between beeps isn’t quality
sleep.
Do yourself a favour and set your alarm later to sleep longer.
laCk OF sleeP
A glass of wine has many health benefits, such as a reduced risk of heart
attack and stroke, as well as increased bone strength.
But if you drink that glass of vino too close to bedtime
– or your one glass is really two or three – then it’ll prevent you from having
a restful night’s sleep (even if you pass out fast). A late night coffee is also a
bad idea, as the stimulating caffeine can make it almost impossible to fall
asleep. Whether you’re tossing and turning from alcohol or getting less sleep
because of caffeine, you’re sure to wake up weary. So limit the wine and
coffee before bed to ensure you get your z’s.
Chapter 13 Arthritis Sufferers
Exercise helps to ease arthritis pain and stiffness. As you consider starting an
arthritis exercise programme, understand what’s within your limits and what
level of exercise is likely to give you results.
Exercise is crucial for people with arthritis as it increases their strength and
flexibility, reduces joint pain and helps to combat fatigue. Of course, when
stiff and painful joints are already bogging you down, the thought of walking
around the block or swimming a few laps might seem overwhelming.
But you don’t need to run a marathon or swim as fast as an Olympic
competitor to help reduce the symptoms of arthritis.
Even moderate exercise can ease your pain and help you to maintain a
healthy weight. When arthritis threatens to immobilise you, exercise keeps
you moving. Not convinced? Read on.
Exercise can help you to improve your health and fitness without hurting
your joints. Along with your current treatment programme, it can:
• Strengthen the muscles around your joints
• Help to maintain your bone strength
• Give you more strength and energy to get through the day
• Make it easier to get a good night’s sleep
• Help you to control your weight
• Make you feel better about yourself and improve your sense of well-being
Though you might think exercise will aggravate your joint pain and stiffness,
that’s not the case.
Lack of exercise actually can make your joints even more painful and stiff.
That’s because keeping your muscles and surrounding tissue strong is crucial
to maintaining support for your bones. Not exercising weakens those
supporting muscles, creates more stress on your joints.
Talk to your doctor about how exercise can fit into your current treatment
plan. What types of exercises are best for you depends on your type of
arthritis and which joints are involved. Your doctor or a physical therapist
can work with you to find the best exercise plan to give you the most benefit
with the least aggravation of your joint pain.
Your doctor or physical therapist can recommend exercises that are best for
you, which might include range-of-motion exercises, strengthening
exercises, aerobic exercise and other activities.
Range-of-motion exercises
These exercises relieve stiffness and increase your ability to move your
joints through their full range of motion. Range-of-motion exercises involve
moving your joints through their normal range of movement, such as raising
your arms over your head or rolling your shoulders forwards and backwards.
These exercises can be done daily or at least every other day.
X-rays of the author’s back in 1987, and after he underwent back scoliosis correction.
Strengthening exercises
These exercises help you to build strong muscles that will help to support
and protect your joints. Weight training is an example of a strengthening
exercise that can help you to maintain your current muscle strength or
increase it.
Do strengthening exercises every other day, but take an extra day off if your
joints are painful or you notice any swelling.
Aerobic exercise
Aerobic or endurance exercises can help your overall fitness by improving
your cardiovascular health, controlling your weight and giving you more
stamina. That way, you’ll have more energy to get through your day.
Examples of low-impact aerobic exercises that are easier on your joints
include walking, riding a bike and swimming. Try to work your way up to
20-30 minutes of aerobic exercise three times a week. You can split up that
time into 10-minute blocks if that’s easier on your joints.
Other activities
Any movement, no matter how small, can help. If a particular workout or
activity appeals to you, don’t hesitate to ask your doctor whether it’s right
for you. Your doctor might give you the OK to try gentle forms of yoga and
Tai Chi that may improve your balance and help to prevent any falls. Be sure
to tell your instructor about your condition and avoid positions or
movements that can cause pain.
Tips to protect your joints
If you haven’t been active for a while, start slowly to ease your joints into
the exercise. If you push yourself too hard, you can overwork your muscles
and this can worsen your joint pain.
Consider these tips as you get started:
Apply heat as it can relax your joints and muscles, and relieve any pain you
have before you begin. Heat treatments – warm towels, hot packs or a
shower – should be warm, not painfully hot, and be applied for about 20
minutes.
• Move gently. Move your joints gently at first to warm up. You might begin
with range-of-motion exercises for five to 10 minutes before moving on to
strengthening or aerobic exercises.
• Go slowly. Exercise with slow and easy movements. If you start noticing
pain, take a break. Sharp pain that is stronger than your usual joint pain
might indicate something is wrong. Slow down if you notice inflammation
or redness in your joints.
Ice afterwards. Apply ice to your joints as needed after activity, especially
after activity that causes any joint swelling.
Trust your instincts and don’t exert more energy than you think your joints
can handle. Take it easy and slowly increase the length and intensity of your
exercise as you progress.
You might notice some pain after you exercise if you haven’t been active for
a while. If your pain lasts longer than two hours after you exercise, you are
probably exercising too strenuously. It’s a good idea to talk to your doctor
about what pain is normal and what pain is a sign of something more
serious.
If you have rheumatoid arthritis, ask your doctor if you should exercise
during general or local flares. One option is to work through your joint flares
by doing only range-of-motion exercises, just to keep your body moving.
Check with your doctor about exercise programmes in your area for people
with arthritis. Hospitals and clinics sometimes offer special programmes, as
do local health clubs.
Chapter 14 Diet Advice & Weight Gain
I. Breakfast And Mid-Morning Snack
Healthy breakfast
After waking up, taking your amino acid tablets and drinking a half pint of
water to get the metabolism working, you start your morning stretch to pump
the blood around the muscles and have your breakfast. Not only is it
delicious and full of so many of our favourite foods, but it can also be used
as a tool to lose weight. Here’s how.
Calories
Aim for between 300 - 400 calories. If you’re trying to lose weight, stick with
the 300 to 350 range. If you’re
DIET ADVICE & WEIGHT GAIN
trying to maintain weight, especially if you are working out, shoot closer to
350 - 400 calories.
Carbs
About 45 to 55% of your breakfast calories should be devoted to carbs,
which is about 40 to 55g. Skip sugary and overly processed foods or those
made with enriched white flour, and choose whole grains, fruits and veggies.
Protein
About 15 to 20% of your calorie amount should be protein, which works out
to about 13 -20 g. Getting enough protein at breakfast is important to keep
you satisfied throughout the morning. Studies have shown that getting at
least 20g of protein at breakfast may help you to lose weight as well. Eggs,
dairy products, soy milk, protein powder in smoothies, nuts, seed, and
wholegrains are all great sources of protein.
Fats
Shoot for 10-15g, which is about 30 to 35% of your total breakfast calories.
Instead of saturated fats, like bacon and cheese, go for monounsaturated fats
(muffs) like olive oil, nuts and seeds and butters made from them, as well as
avocado.
Fibre
Aim for about 25% of your recommended daily total of 25g per day. That
works out to about 6g, but it’s OK to go above that, as long as it doesn’t
bother your digestive system. Berries, pears, apples, greens and other
veggies, nuts, seeds, and whole grains can help you to reach that goal.
Sugars
If you follow the equation for carbs above, then you won’t have to worry
about going overboard on sugars, especially if you’re eating a combination
of foods like fruits, whole grain, and dairy products. But for a ballpark
number to keep in mind, stick to 36g or less. And when it comes to added
sugar, try not to exceed 6g – that’s about 1.5 teaspoons’ worth of any
sweetener (including white sugar, brown sugar, maple syrup, honey or
agave).
Timing
Ideally, you should eat breakfast within 30 to 60 minutes of waking up. If
you’re not keen on eating anything big first thing, split this meal up into two
parts. Have something light close to waking up and then the rest the other
half about 90 minutes later. This also works well if you’re a morning
exerciser and prefer not to have a full stomach while you work out. If you’re
exercising, you can aim to have the more carbohydrate-based portion of
your breakfast (fruit, toast, etc.) prior to working out and the more proteincentric portion afterwards.
Breakfasts
Monday
Steel Cut Oats with Fruit and Nuts.
Steel cut oats not only have more fibre than rolled oats, but also more
protein as you’re eating a larger amount of the original grain.
Ingredients
½ cup of steel cut oats
½ cup of water
½ cup of unsweetened soy milk
½ cup of blueberries
1tbsp of chopped walnuts
1tsp of maple syrup
Method
Mix one half cup of steel cut oats with a mixture of one half cup of water
and one half cup of unsweetened soy milk. Top with a half cup blueberries,
one tablespoon of chopped walnuts and drizzle it with one teaspoon of maple
syrup.
Nutrition
Calories: 328
Total fat: 9.7g
Saturated fat: 1.0g Carbs: 51.1g
Fibre: 7.2g
Sugars: 16.6g
Protein: 11.8g
Tuesday
Mexi-Egg Wrap
Scramble one egg with its egg white with two tablespoons of black beans,
one-quarter cup of chopped tomato, two tablespoons of onion until the eggs
are set. Stir in one cup spinach.
Ingredients
1 egg with egg white
2 tbsp of black beans
¼ cup of chopped tomatoes
2 tbsp of onions
1 cup of spinach
Method
Fill a nine-inch whole-wheat tortilla with the egg mixture and top with a
quarter of a cubed avocado, cubed, and one tablespoon of salsa. Add salt,
pepper, cumin, and chilli powder to taste.
Nutrition
Calories: 345.
Total fat: 15.7g Saturated fat: 3.5g Carbs: 36.8g
Fibre: 9.7g
Sugars: 3.2g
Protein: 17.4g
Wednesday
Smoothie and a Hard-Boiled Egg
Pair a carrot cake smoothie made with two medium carrots.
Ingredients
½ a frozen banana
Two cups of spinach
1cup of unsweetened soya milk (you can use almond) ½ a scoop plant-based
protein powder
1/8 of a cup of golden raisins
Cinnamon
Nutmeg and cloves
Method
Place ingredients into smoothies maker and pulse for 1-2 minutes.
This is easy to split. Have half of the smoothie before your workout and the
rest, plus the egg, after the workout.
Nutrition
Calories: 38
Total fat: 10 g
Saturated fat: 5.6g Carbs: 41.1g
Fibre: 9.4g
Sugars: 25.6g
Protein: 25.4g
Thursday
Sausage and Potato Baked Breakfast.
Ingredients
6 large eggs, beaten
2 packages of brown & serve sausage links (8oz)
1 1/2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese
3 1/2 cups frozen potatoes
1 1/4 cups of milk
1/4 tsp of salt
1 tsp of dry mustard
Method
Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 11x7 inch baking pan. Cut sausage links into
slices.
Stir all the ingredients together in a large bowl. Pour mixture into baking
dish.
Bake for 45-55 minutes or until a knife inserted into the centre comes out
clean. Let it stand for 10 minutes.
Nutrition
Calories: 421
Total fat: 29g
Saturated fat: 11.0g Carbs: 20g
Fibre: 2g
Sugars: 1.6g
Protein: 21g
Friday
Scrambled Eggs
Aways use a non-stick pan with a wooden spoon for the best results and easy
cleaning. Don’t over-stir; think of them as folded eggs, rather than
scrambled. The eggs should have the texture of soft curds. It’s best not to
cook more than three portions in one go, as the eggs won’t cook as well. For
larger numbers, cook in two pans rather than one.
Ingredients:
2 large free-range eggs
6 tbsp single cream or full cream Milk and a knob of butter
Method
Lightly whisk the eggs, cream and a pinch of salt together until all the
ingredients have just combined and the mixture has one consistency.
Heat a small non-stick frying pan for a minute or so, then add the butter and
let it melt. Don’t allow the butter to brown or it will discolour the eggs. Pour
in the egg mixture and let it sit for 20 seconds. Then stir with a wooden
spoon, lifting and folding it over from the bottom of the pan. Let it sit for
another 10 seconds, then stir and fold again.
Repeat until the eggs are softly set and slightly runny in places, then remove
from the heat and leave for a few seconds to finish cooking, before giving it
a final stir. Serve the velvety scramble without delay.
Nutrition
Calories: 199
Total fat: 15.2g Saturated fat: 5.8g Carbs: 21g
Fibre: 0g
Sugars: 10.6g
Protein: 13.8g
Saturday
Toast Hawaii
Toast Hawaii is a sandwich grilled from above. Produced in West Germany
in the 1950’s, by prominent and popular Clemens Wilmenrod
Ingredients
Per sandwich:
• Slice of wholemealsandwich bread
• Margarine
• 1-2 slices deli ham
• 1 slice canned or fresh pineapple, drained
• Dried marjoram (optional)
• Sliced cheese to cover bread –. Gruyere or Emmentaler are good choices
Method. Thinly spread margarine onto wholemeal bread.
Place ham, with pineapple on-top of it. Place cheese on top of the cheese.
Place bread on to sandwich and cut and serve.
Nutrition
Calories: 383.1 Total fat: 17.3g Saturated fat: 9.7g Carbs: 40.2g
Fibre: 3.3g
Sugars: 17.4g
Protein: 18.6g
Sunday
Croque-Madame
A croque-madame is a variation on the croquemonsieur, a French twist on
grilled ham and cheese. Instead of dipping the sandwich in egg before
sautéing in butter (as you would for a croquet-monsieur), grill the sandwich
first and top with homemade Mornay sauce, cheese, and sunnyside up egg.
Ingredients
2 tbsp of melted butter
4 slices sourdough or white sandwich bread
4 slices good-quality cooked ham
1 1/2 tbsp Dijon mustard (optional)
1 cup grated Gruyere or Emmentaler cheese Divided cup of Mornay sauce
1 egg, cooked sunny side up or over easy
Method
Pre-heat broiler. Heat a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat.
Butter bread on both sides and top 2 of the slices with ham and, if desired, a
smear of Dijon. Top with 1/2 cup of cheese and cover with the remaining
bread slices. Place sandwiches in a skillet, pressing gently with the back of a
spatula. Let cook about one to two minutes or until bottom is lightly golden.
Top sandwiches in skillet with Moray Sauce and remaining half a cup
cheese. Place skillet in oven and broil two to three minutes, or until golden
and bubbly, taking care not to burn. Top with egg and serve immediately.
Nutrition
Calories: 465
Total fat: 253g
Saturated fat: 9.7g Carbs: 44g
Fibre: 3g
Sugars: 10g
Protein: 44g
Breakfast Mistakes to Avoid
Skipping meals
When you sleep, your body slows down whilst you’re not eating. So when
you wake up, if you don’t break the fast (yes, that’s where the name comes
from), your body will burn calories slowly. To jump start your metabolism
and get your body burning calories, you need to eat. Not fuelling up also
deprives your brain of glucose, such as calcium,
iron and vitamin C
Not Eating Enough
You know skipping breakfast entirely is a no-no, but not eating enough will
also backfire. It’ll leave
you feeling hungry, which will cause you to need more food and that can
translate into more calories consumed over the course of the entire day. So
stick to the #Flatsnout diet plan, you’ll feel satisfied longer, you’ll have
more energy for the workouts that can make you drop pounds even faster.
Imbalanced Meals
Leaving out a key component of the breakfast formula, such as avoiding all
carbs or protein won’t work. High-protein doesn’t mean NO carbs, it means
more protein less carbs. (scrambled eggs on wholemeal toast is a perfect
breakfast, try one slice of toast more scrambled eggs). Following the formula
above will allow you a midmorning snack.
Mid-Morning Snack
This is an important link in the 5 meals a day we are giving you at Flatsnout.
The mid-morning break should be a 1/2 pint of water and up to two pieces of
fruit, the choice is yours.
Try fruit and yoghurt.
Cutting up salad sticks and fruit that can go into little bags is ideal. It’s all
about the meal prep the night before and using positivity to maintain your
momentum.
Lunches
Throw out the white bread and bring in nutritious, wholemeal bread as it is
high in fibre and helps the digestive process and speeding up your metabolic
process. High protein fillings, such as chicken, tuna and ham, make great
fillings.
Here are 5 sandwiches to fill your lunchbox with this week guys. All are 250
k/cals or below. LOADED WITH QUALITY PROTEIN, these meals are
simple, nutritious and easy to prepare the night before.
1. Rockin’ Roll: Low-Cal BLT Sandwich
Get your bacon fix (guilt-free!) with this remake of a lunchtime classic.
Ingredients
4 split-top whole wheat hot dog buns
1/4 cup of fat-free mayonnaise
2 tsps red wine vinegar
4 large romaine lettuce leaves, washed and chopped 2 medium red heirloom
tomatoes, diced
1 Hass avocado, pitted, peeled and diced
1/2 cup of real bacon bits, such as Hormel salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Method
Toast both sides of buns in a toaster oven.
In a large bowl, combine mayonnaise and red wine vinegar with a whisk.
Fold in lettuce, tomatoes, avocado and bacon. Season with salt and black
pepper to taste.
Divide the mixture among the buns and serve immediately.
Nutrition
Calories: 245
Total fat: 10g
Saturated fat: 2.0g Carbs: 29g
Fibre: 5g
Sugars: 8.6g
2. Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Shake
Ingredients
1 scoop of chocolate whey protein
1 tbsp natural peanut butter Water
Method
Place ingredients into blender/shaker-pulse/exercise for 1 min. Pour and
enjoy.
Nutrition
Calories: 475
Total fat: 21.5g
Saturated fat: 11.4g Carbs: 41.1g
Fibre: 7.g
Sugars: 1.6g
Protein: 28g
3. Scrambled Eggs on Toast with Salmon / Tuna
Ingredients
2 whole eggs
1 piece of wholewheat toast Salmon or tuna
Method
Melt the butter in a small saucepan over a moderate heat until it’s foaming.
Whisk the eggs in a bowl and add to the saucepan. Stir the eggs continuously
with something flexible like a spatula to get right into the corners, and cook
until little pieces of cooked egg are surrounded by soft, smooth and still
quite runny egg. The egg will continue to cook even when the heat is turned
off, so undercook them slightly and leave them in the pan while you butter
your toast.
Season the eggs to taste and pour over the toast.
Drape the salmon over the eggs and serve it with the lemon wedges. Add
plenty of black pepper and serve immediately.
Nutrition
Calories: 300
Total fat: 6.5g
Saturated fat: 1.0g Carbs: 51.1g
Fibre: 5.5g
Sugars: 13.6g
4. Avocado, Tomato and Egg White Omelette
High in protein, low in carbs and completely fatfree. An easy clean breakfast
that is filling, delicious and perfect to start your morning off with!
Ingredients
1 cup egg whites
1/2 medium avocado
1/2 tomato
Method
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a medium skillet with cooking
spray and saute your chopped onion for 3 to 4 minutes, until translucent.
Add your spinach and saute until just wilted.
Place spinach-onion mixture in a small glass dish (or you can use a small
skillet) and crack 3 egg whites over top. Season with a bit of salt and pepper,
add sliced tomatoes and bake in oven for 17 minutes. Serve with fresh fruit
and enjoy!
Nutrition
Calories: 230
Total fat: 8.7g
Saturated fat: 1.0g Carbs: 31.1g
Fibre: 6.2g
Sugars: 12.6g
Protein: 27g
5. Tomato, Spinach & Goat Cheese Omelette
More gorgeous omelettes, they really provide a huge power kick to the
metabolism.
Ingredients
1 large eggs
1 ounce goat cheese
1/2 tomato
Spinach
Method
Heat butter in a non-stick skillet over medium heat.
In a small mixing bow, whisk eggs until frothy.
Sprinkle salt and pepper into eggs, and whisk again to evenly combine the
egg and seasonings.
Pour eggs into skillet and allow to cook until almost set.
Place spinach and goat cheese over half of the omelet, and fold the opposite
side over top of the filling using a high heat rubber scraper.
Remove from heat, and carefully slide the omelet onto your plate,using a
high heat rubber scraper to loosen any egg that is stuck to the skillet.
Nutrition
Calories: 250
Total fat: 0.5g Saturated fat: 0g Carbs: 31.1g
Fibre: 2.5g
Sugars: 13.6g Protein: 19g
6. Egg White and Tomato Omelette with Hot Sauce
A standard protein filled omelette, with a wee kick !!
Ingredients
2 cups egg whites
1/2 tomato Hot sauce handful spinach/arugula Method
Heat butter in a non-stick skillet over medium heat.
In a small mixing bow, whisk eggs until frothy.
Sprinkle salt and pepper into eggs, and whisk again to evenly combine the
egg and seasonings.
Pour eggs into skillet and allow to cook until almost set.
Place spinach and arugula over half of the omelet, and fold the opposite side
over top of the filling using a high heat rubber scraper.
Add hot sauce, to taste.
Remove from heat, and carefully slide the omelet onto your plate, using a
high heat rubber scraper to loosen any egg that is stuck to the skillet.
Nutrition
Calories: 255
Total fat: 0.5g
Saturated fat: 0.5g Carbs: 31.1g
Fibre: 2.5g
Sugars: 13.6g
Protein: 19g
PERSONAL FAVOURITE
7. Tuna Salad with Hummus and Honey Mustard, Over Lettuce
This dish is a summer time lunch favourite of mine, tasty and crunchy, the
honey sets it off a treat ...
Ingredients
1 can of tuna
1/4 cup of hummus Honey mustard
Chopped celery
Lettuce
Method
Toss salad ingredients, lettuce, celery, add tuna from can. Stir in honey and
add hummus.
Nutrition
Calories: 230
Total fat: 2.5g
Saturated fat: 1.0g Carbs: 41.1g
Fibre: 3.5g
Sugars: 14.4g
Protein: 30g
8. Greek Omelette
Plain and simple, but packed full of hi quality protein nutrition.
Ingredients
1 cup of egg whites
1 ounce feta cheese
1/2 tomato
Spinach
Method
Heat butter in a non-stick skillet over medium heat.
In a small mixing bow, whisk eggs until frothy. Sprinkle salt and pepper into
eggs, and whisk again to evenly combine the egg and seasonings.
Pour eggs into skillet and allow to cook until almost set.
Place feta cheese and spinach over half of the omelet, and fold the opposite
side over top of the filling using a high heat rubber scraper.
Add hot sauce, to taste.
Remove from heat, and carefully slide the omelet onto your plate, using a
high heat rubber scraper to loosen any egg that is stuck to the skillet.
Nutrition
Calories: 206
Total fat: 0.5g Saturated fat: 0g Carbs: 37.1g
Fibre: 7.2g
Sugars: 13.1g
9. Balsamic Tuna Salad with Tomato
One of my favourites, the quenching tastiness of the crunchy tuna salad with
the addition of the exquisite balsamic glaze is gorgeous.
Ingredients:
1 can of tuna
1/2 tomato
Balmy balsamic glaze
Method
Toss salad in large bowl, add tuna after oil drained. Add tomato and mix in
the balsamic glaze.
Nutrition
Calories: 185
Total fat: 3g
Saturated fat: 1.0g Carbs: 41.1g
Fibre: 5.2g
Sugars: 13.1g
10. Balsamic, Tomato & Avocado Tuna Salad
With the simple addition of an avocado, you spice up the protein count and
reap the benfits.
Ingredients
1 can of tuna Balsamic vinegar ½ tomato
½ medium avocado
Method
Toss salad in large bowl, add tuna after oil drained. Add tomato and
avocado.
Nutrition
Calories: 275
Total fat: 0.5g Saturated fat: 0g Carbs: 41.7g
Fibre: 2.8g
Sugars: 13.6g
11. Curry Tuna Salad
To add an eastern twist to the salad, we add curry seasoning and a can of
tuna for protein.
Ingredients
1 can of tuna
¼ cup of hummus
Curry seasoning (garam-masala, turmeric,garlic and paprika)
Method
Toss salad in a mixing bowl add ingredients and serve.
Nutrition
Calories: 220
Total fat: 2.6g
Saturated fat: 1.0g Carbs: 47.1g
Fibre: 1.5g
Sugars: 12.1g
Afternoon Snacks
If you long for cake mid-afternoon, a toasted wholemeal breakfast muffin or
a crumpet with a scrape of honey is a cosy, sweet treat and less than 150
calories, without butter. A slice of malt loaf is another hearty alternative.
Which snacks burn fat?
Eating snacks with the right ratio of nutrients and right calories will help to
keep you body energised and help you to lose weight.
Protein (plus exercise) fuels the growth of lean muscle mass, which boosts
metabolic rate and increases calorie burn. Fibre, meanwhile, helps to
improve your digestion and keeps you from binging on fats and sugars. So
while there’s no food that will literally “burn fat” while you eat it, smart
choices with these ingredients will help your body to operate at maximum
efficiency. Flatsnout suggests snacks under 200 calories, with 10g of protein
and close to 5g of fibre. Here are a few of our favourite fat-burning snacks.
An apple and skimmed milk
“Almost any fruit is going to make a great snack, but you usually want to
pair it with a bit of protein to make it more satisfying,” “Unlike
carbohydrates, which get used up relatively quickly, protein will help sustain
your energy and hunger levels for a couple of hours.
Our pick for a protein-fruit pairing is one large apple and one cup of
skimmed milk.
Nutrition
Calories: 200
Total fat: 10g
Saturated fat: 0.5g Carbs: 21.1g
Fibre: 5g
Sugars: 10.6g
Protein: 10g
Cottage cheese-filled avocado
Here’s another fruit and diary combo. This is one for when you’re craving
something rich, creamy and a bit savoury. Remove the pit from one half of
an avocado and fill the space with 2 ounces of 1% cottage cheese.
Nutrition
Calories: 200
Total fat: 0.5g Saturated fat: 0g Carbs: 11.1g
Fibre: 7g
Sugars: 0.6g
Protein: 9g
Canned tuna on wholewheat crackers
If you don’t want to incorporate dairy into every snack, a can of tuna
(packaged in water) is another great source of lean protein plus healthy
Omega 3. For about 200 calories, you can enjoy 3oz of light tuna and 6
wholewheat crackers.
Nutrition
Calories: 200
Total fat: 1.5g
Saturated fat: 1.0g Carbs: 21.1g
Fibre: 3g
Sugars: 10.6g
Protein: 20g
Sunflower lentil spread with pita bread
Lentils are a good source of iron, a metabolism boosting nutrient that 20% of
us don’t get enough of. This savoury recipe makes four 180-calorie servings.
Sunflower Lentil Spread
Ingredients
1 (15-ounce) can of lentils, rinsed and drained
1 tbsp lemon juice
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
2 tbsp sunflower seeds
celery stalk, finely diced
1 scallion, finely diced
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
pitas, halved
Method
Combine lentils, lemon juice, salt and pepper in a blender; process until
smooth.
Stir in sunflower seeds, celery, scallions and parsley.
Microwave pita at HIGH for one minute. Serve with spread.
Nutrition
Calories: 180
Total fat: 1g
Saturated fat: 0.5g Carbs: 21.1g
Fibre: 4g
Sugars: 5.4g
Protein: 19g
Shrimp Stack
You may not think of shellfish as a grab-and-go snack food, but you can put
this tasty treat together in a flash if you keep pre-cooked shrimp on hand.
With Greek yoghurt and avocado, it’s a protein powerhouse. with 9g per
serving (and 4g fibre) for only 129 calories.
Ingredients
tbsp (tbsp) of fat-free plain Greek yoghurt
½ tsp (tsp) of fresh lime juice
¼ tsp of jalapeño sauce
¼ avocado, chopped
crisp rye flatbread
cooked large shrimp
Chopped fresh parsley and cracked black pepper (for garnish)
Method
Stir yogurt, lime juice, sauce and avocado. Spread on a cracker. Top with
shrimp, parsley and pepper.
Nutrition
Calories: 129
Total fat: 1.5g
Saturated fat: 1.0g Carbs: 11.1g
Fibre: 4g
Sugars: 16.6g
Protein: 9g
Main meals
Healthy doesn’t mean bland, as these dinner recipes show. They are all tasty
home cooked meals your family will enjoy.
The nutrient list at the beginning of each healthy recipe can help you to keep
your diet in check. Choosing healthy homemade foods, instead of over
processed supermarket or takeout food, is an easy way to begin or maintain a
healthy lifestyle for your whole family.
Monday
Rice & Bean Burritos Buttered Corn
Ingredients
cup of cooked brown rice
cup of cooked black beans, rinsed and drained if canned 1 ½ tsp minced
canned chipotle chillies in adobo sauce 2 red bell peppers, thinly sliced
carrot, thinly slice diagonally
tbsp olive oil
½ tsp salt
fat-free flour tortillas (10 ins).
Method
Combine the rice, beans and chipotles in a microwave safe bowl and mix
well. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave on high power until hot for
about four minutes and stir after 2 minutes, then set aside.
Combine the bell peppers, carrot and oil in another microwave safe bowl and
toss to coat. Add the chilli powder and salt, toss to mix. Cover with plastic
wrap and microwave on high power until softened for about four minutes,
stirring after two minutes.
Warm the tortillas as the package label directs and lay out on a work surface.
Spoon the rice mixture across the centre and top with the vegetable mixture.
Fold the bottom end upward, covering the filling by two inches. Tightly fold
both sides inward, overlapping slightly. Wrap the top side over.
Serve with lightly buttered corn.
Nutrition
Calories: 416
Total fat: 8g
Saturated fat: 1.0g Carbs: 76g
Fibre: 7.2g
Sugars: 10.6g
Protein: 12g
Tuesday
Grilled Chicken Sandwiches Makes 4 servings
Ingredients
2 large lemon, zested and juiced
1/3 cup of reduced fat mayonnaise
3 tbsp (tbsp) of chopped fresh basil
(4 oz) boneless, skinless chicken breast halves tbsp lemon pepper seasoning
mix
(2 oz) sandwich rolls, split
1 small bunch arugula or watercress, trimmed
2 medium tomatoes, sliced
Method
Combine the lemon zest and juice, mayonnaise and basil in a small bowl and
mix well.
Grease a ridged grill pan with non-stick cooking spray and heat over
medium-high heat until hot, but not smoking.
1. Cook the chicken until marked from the grill, about four minutes. Turn
over the chicken, sprinkle with the seasoning mix, and cook for about 3
minutes longer until no longer pink inside.
Cut the chicken into thin slices. Open the rolls on a work surface and spread
the cut sides with mayonnaise. Top with half of the arugula, the tomato and
chicken, and then the remaining arugula. Cover with the roll tops.
Serve with homemade coleslaw (bagged coleslaw mix with light dressing).
Nutrition
Calories: 231
Total fat: 10.7g Saturated fat: 1.0g Carbs: 30g
Fibre: 9.4g
Sugars: 16.6g
Wednesday
Baked Ziti With Mushrooms Garden Salad
Ingredients
3 tbsp olive oil
2 leeks, split, quartered lengthwise, rinsed and drained
1 celery rib, finely chopped
1 (8 oz) package sliced mushrooms
1 tsp marjoram
¼ cup all-purpose flour
2 cups of skimmed milk, warmed
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/8 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1lb of ziti, mostaccioli or elbow macaroni, cooked to al dente as package
label directs, omitting salt and oil, drained
1 ½ cups (6 oz) of shredded reduced fat cheddar cheese
1 cup of fresh bread crumbs
Method
Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Heat the oil in a large non-stick skillet
over a medium-high heat until hot.
Add the leeks, celery, mushrooms and marjoram and sauté until the
vegetables are softened for about five minutes. Stir in the flour until blended
and cook for one minute.
Gradually stir in the milk. Heat to boiling and simmer over medium heat for
15 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in the mustard, salt, pepper and nutmeg
Add the pasta and cheese and toss to coat.
Grease a 3-quart baking dish with non-stick cooking spray and add the pasta
mixture, spreading evenly. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs.
Bake until the top is browned and the juices bubbling for 25-30 minutes.
Nutrition
Calories: 477
Total fat: 16g
Saturated fat: 5.1g Carbs: 64
Fibre: 11.2g
Sugars: 16.6g
Thursday
Hearty Clam Chowder & Steamed Vegetables
Ingredients:
1 (6 ½ ounce) can of minced clams
½ cup of water
1 medium white potato, peeled and finely chopped
1 medium turnip, finely chopped
½ cup of chopped onion
1/8 tsp of freshly ground black pepper
5 cups of skimmed milk
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
½ tsp dried oregano, crushed
½ tsp dried thyme, crushed
Method
Drain the clams and pour the juice into a medium saucepan. Set the clams
aside.
Add the water, potato, turnip, onion and pepper to the saucepan and heat to
boiling over a medium-high heat. Cover and simmer over a medium-low
heat until the vegetables are tender for about ten minutes.
Combine a half cup of milk with the flour in a jar, seal with a tight fitting lid,
shake to blend and set aside. Add the remaining milk to the chowder and
heat to boiling over a medium-high heat.
Stir in the flour mixture and cook, over a medium heat, stirring, for about 5
minutes until the soup has thickened.
1. Stir in the clams, oregano and thyme and heat through for 1 minute (do
not boil).
Serve with steamed mixed vegetables.
Nutrition
Calories: 245
Total fat: 7g
Saturated fat: 2.1g Carbs: 29g
Fibre: 7.2g
Sugars: 11.6g
Protein: 18g\
Friday
Beefy Deep Dish Pizza
Ingredients
1 (10 oz) can of refrigerated pizza crust dough
1 lb ground beef
1 ½ cups of jarred low-sodium, sugar-free, spicy mushroom pasta sauce
1 ¼ cups (4 oz) of shredded part skimmed mozzarella cheese
Method
Pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees F and grease a 13 x 9 inch baking dish with
non-stick cooking spray.
Unroll the pizza dough, press it over the bottom and halfway up the sides of
the prepared dish. Bake for seven minutes.
While the crust bakes, sauté the beef in a large skillet until it is browned.
Break the meat up into small pieces, using a wooden spoon.
Drain the meat in a colander, rinse with hot water and shake the colander to
drain out as much water as possible.
Turn out the meat onto a paper towel-lined baking sheet and roll up the meat
in the towel to blot up any moisture.
Pour the meat into a bowl, add the sauce and toss to mix.
Spread the meat over the crust and sprinkle cheese on top. Bake until the
crust is browned and the cheese melts, about eight minutes longer.
Nutrition
Calories: 385
Total fat: 20g
Saturated fat: 9.1g Carbs: 22g
Fibre: 7.4g
Sugars: 11.6g Protein: 22g
Saturday
Turkey Burgers With Grilled Tomatoes & Roasted Potatoes
Ingredients
1 lb lean ground turkey
½ lb lean turkey sausage, casing removed and crumbled
3 green onions, finely chopped
1 celery rib, finely chopped
1 medium zucchini, finely grated
1 garlic clove, crushed through a press
1 tsp dried oregano leaves, crushed
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 tsp soy sauce
3 ripe tomatoes, cut crosswise into ½ inch slices
6 Boston lettuce leaves, washed and drained
Method
Combine the turkey, sausage, green onions, celery, zucchini, garlic, oregano,
½ tsp pepper and soy sauce in a bowl and mix gently. With wet hands, shape
into six (½ inch thick) patties.
Prepare a grill for barbecuing or preheat the broiler and place the burgers on
an aluminium foil-lined baking sheet. Grill or broil the burgers four inches
from the heat source until cooked through for eight minutes, turning after six
minutes. Remove from the heat and let stand, covered, for three minutes.
Place the tomatoes on the grill or baking sheet and grill or broil until charred
and hot for five minutes, turning once. Sprinkle with the remaining ½ tsp
pepper.
Place the lettuce leaves on dinner plates and top each with a burger. Top each
burger with a tomato slice.
Serve with roasted potato wedges.
Nutrition
Calories: 200
Total fat: 10g
Saturated fat: 2.1g Carbs: 46g
Fibre: 5.1g
Sugars: 7.6g
Protein: 22g
Sunday
Steak with Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients
Rosemary salt:
2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary from about 4 medium sprigs
2 tsp coarse salt
½ tsp coarsely ground black pepper
Mashed Potatoes:
½ large head cauliflower, broken into florets, about 8 cups
½ cup non-fat buttermilk
1 lb Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and quartered lengthwise, and sliced ½
inch thick
salt
½-¾ cup low-fat milk
1 tbsp butter
2 scallions, chopped
Steak:
1lb lean steak, preferably flank, about 1¼ inches thick
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
8 cups shredded romaine lettuce 1½ cups Halved cherry tomatoes
¼ cup chopped fresh mint
Method
For the rosemary salt, combine chopped rosemary and salt on a cutting board
and chop together. Stir in pepper; transfer to a small bowl and set aside.
For the mashed ‘potatoes’, place the cauliflower in a steamer basket and set
aside. Place the potatoes in a saucepan large enough to fit steamer basket,
add cold salted water to cover by about two inches, bring to the boil and
reduce the heat. Set steamer basket over boiling water, cover and steam for
15 minutes while simmering potatoes until tender.
Transfer cauliflower to a food processor, add the buttermilk and ¼ cup of the
milk. Puree until very smooth for about two minutes.
Meanwhile, drain the potatoes, return to the saucepan and heat over medium
heat for one to two minutes to dry. Mash with a potato masher. Add the
cauliflower puree, ¼ cup milk, 1 teaspoon salt and ¼ of teaspoon pepper.
Stir to blend and heat over medium-low heat, adding more milk as needed
for a creamy consistency. Stir in the butter and the scallions. Cover and set
aside to keep warm.
Heat a grill or grill pan. Sprinkle the steak generously on both sides with the
rosemary salt, pressing it into the meat. Grill the steak 4 minutes on one side.
Turn and grill for three to four more minutes. Remove to a plate and let
stand for five minutes. Thinly slice the beef against the grain. Add the
vinegar to the pan and stir to incorporate any pan juices.
To serve, make a bed of lettuce on each of four plates. Arrange one-quarter
of the steak slices on top of the lettuce. Spoon on some of the cauliflower
mashed potatoes. Scatter tomatoes all over, drizzle with the balsamic-meat
juices and garnish with chopped mint.
Nutrition
Calories: 245
Total fat: 11g
Saturated fat: 7.1g Carbs: 36g
Fibre: 7.2g
Sugars: 11.6g
Protein: 40g
Weight Gain
For those of you are just starting out, this is probably all new to you and you
really don’t understand the concept of cutting and bulking, and why things
happen during certain times of the year.
For most people, the fall and winter period is the time to bulk and put on
some slabs of meat. If they add a little fat during this
time, so be it. They will then be wearing a lot of longsleeved sweatshirts and
so can hide whatever fat they might gain.
Then comes spring and summer, which is the time to cut and drop any fat
you might have gained during the cold months so you can show off the new
lean mass you’ve added.
Not to mention that most people go to the beach or go on vacation during
these months, so it naturally makes sense to diet and hit some cardio during
this time of year to get in the best shape for this time of the year.
Bulking during this time will have you looking slightly heavier / bloated
than if you were cutting down. Not to mention that any fat gains with
bulking will be apparent, especially when you are in a bathing suit.
Now on to the good stuff! We all start from scratch. We aren’t placed on this
planet knowing everything without learning it. So here I am to the rescue!
The rest of this chapter is especially for the new guys who need some tips on
how to effectively bulk up. The following are ten tips (in no particular order)
to help you on your way to packing on some muscle.
1. Food
Here is a compilation of things that you should have on your grocery list.
You can pick and choose the foods you want to buy in the categories that
you like.
Proteins
Egg whites, fish, ground turkey, chicken, top round steaks, tuna, protein
powder.
Complex Carbs
Oatmeal, black beans, cereal, brown rice, potatoes, sweet potatoes, fibrous
carbs, broccoli,
asparagus, cauliflower, celery, lettuce (romaine),
bell peppers, spinach, other produce and fruits,
lemon, onion, tomatoes, bananas, zucchini, healthy fats, olive oil, almonds,
natural peanut butter, salmon, flaxseed oil, dairy and eggs, egg whites, lowfat cottage cheese, low-fat or non-fat milk.
2. Calories & Meals
While bulking, you need to eat more calories (more than maintenance), and
eat more often. So in essence, you will be eating smaller meals than you
would if you were only eating three each day (like normal humans). These
meals will consist of protein, carbs and fats.
It doesn’t have to be anything big, it could be something as simple as an
apple with peanut butter. But you should strive for at least 6-8 small meals
per day. By eating more often you will have a constant supply of fuel
throughout the day, which is a constant supply of nutrients to your muscles
to help them grow.
Not only will it do that, but it will also help to keep your metabolism up so
you don’t start adding body fat. You should also strive for 1-2g of protein per
pound of bodyweight you have. So if you weigh 150lbs, you want to get
between 150-300g of protein a day. Each of these meals can be spread out,
2-3 hours apart.
3. Supplements
Here is a list of supplements that are great during any time of the year,
including while bulking.
*Note: I do not recommend supplementation for anyone under the age of 18,
nor is it a replacement for a good diet.
4. Whey Protein (Concentrate Or Isolate)
Protein is the building block for muscle. Without it, you won’t make the
gains you are looking for. You can use whey protein at any time of the day
and it won’t hurt you. There are many different brands and flavours out
there, so find one that suits your taste buds and isn’t overpriced.
You can use it pre-workout, post-workout and as a snack, or add some fruit
and throw it into the blender to use as a meal replacement. It is a quick and
easy way to get your daily protein intake.
5. Casein Protein
Casein protein is the best you can get to keep you anabolic throughout the
night. It is a slow-digesting protein that slowly breaks down over a span of
around 6-8 hours. The last thing you want to do is go into a catabolic state
and lose your hard-earned gains. This protein comes in especially handy
before bed when compared to whey.
6. Multivitamins
It is a necessity to purchase a good multivitamin as you need to get proper
vitamins and minerals that you can’t get from food alone. A multivitamin is
essential to help with every day activities and gives you exactly what your
body needs to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
7. Creatine
Creatine will help you to not only recover better, but also help you to gain
some lean mass quicker. Creatine is one of the most widely studied
supplements out on the market today. It has no harmful effects and can be
used safely before and after workouts. Creatine can be safely used for both
pre- and post-workout. There is no need to do a loading phase or cycle
creatine.
8. Fish Oil
Fish oil gives you EFAs that are “good fats” we all need. Fatty acids are a
necessity that most people don’t understand. They are important for cellular,
heart and metabolic health. We do not get enough good fats in our diet each
day, so supplementing with fish oil is a must.
9. Amino Acids
Amino acids are the building blocks of protein. This is vital as without
protein, gains are minimised. Amino acids are also used to help the brain
function properly. Everyone needs Branched Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs)
to help build muscle and recover. Although protein powder has amino acids
in it, check the nutrition label first and if they are in low doses, it is best to
use BCAAs instead.
10. Cardio
This one isn’t rocket science. You don’t need a PhD to understand.
Obviously, when you do cardio, you use up fuel (calories) that you need to
grow. When you take away calories, you also take away gains. Now I’m not
saying to stop cardio altogether, because you don’t need to.
Cardio is actually a good way to stop you from putting on body fat during a
bulking phase and an excellent way to keep the heart healthy.
It also increases your appetite so you will be able to down some extra
calories to make up for the loss you experienced during your workout. You
can get away with doing some low-intensity cardio without losing lean mass
gains, so do not be afraid to do cardio while bulking.
11. Increase Your Calories
In order to gain weight (muscle), you must increase your calories. This does
not mean you can eat McDonald’s or Burger King every meal, since you
would be increasing your calories. You could do that, but I wouldn’t
recommend it, unless you want to look like a blimp. An easy way to do this
(especially if you are stuck at the same weight) is to track your calories.
When you find out how many calories you are eating to maintain your
weight, add 250-500 calories each day, and by the end of the week see if you
gained any weight.
Don’t forget that 3500 calories is equal to one pound. So theoretically, if you
increased your calories by 500 each day for a week you should gain a pound.
Now let me explain something to you; this isn’t as easy as you may think.
You can’t just eat some Twinkies or eat a cake. You still need to be eating
clean to ensure you don’t gain fat. Yes, during your bulking phase, you will
gain some fat. But do not get worried about this unless you are gaining a lot
of fat, in which case you need to look at your diet and clean it up more. It is
a smart idea to write down your weight once a week on the same day, at the
same time.
This will help with the accuracy of your results. You can also get your body
fat measured once a week to see how much fat you are gaining. As I
mentioned previously, if you are gaining a lot of fat, re-evaluate your diet.
12. Training
Most people have the mentality that more is better. This is not the case with
training. People with that mindset are overtraining most of the time and are,
in turn, minimising their gains. Depending on your exercise level, you could
train smartly with 36 days in the gym.
THE KEY IS TO EXPERIMENT AND FIND OUT WHAT TRAINING
STYLE WORKS BEST FOR YOUR BODY.
Keep your workouts short but intense. This means that you should ideally
keep your workouts to less than one hour. Anything more and you are
lowering your natural testosterone levels, which you don’t want to do. The
key is to experiment and find out what training style works best for your
body.
Some people respond well to lower rep sets, while others find higher reps
sets are the way to go. Some people can get away with a low number of sets,
while some need to complete many sets to get results. I would actually
recommend starting with lower sets, evaluating your progress and adjusting
it accordingly.
If you find that you aren’t growing with the number of sets you are doing,
gradually increase them and see how you respond to that. When it comes
down to it, there really is no one way to train as everyone is different. The
fun part is trying new things to see what works best for you.
If building the body of your dreams was easy, then everyone would look
good. It takes hard work and determination. Keep training hard and never be
afraid to switch things up. Hitting the muscle differently is what sparks new
growth, which is what I’m sure everyone is trying to accomplish.
13. Water
Water is key, no matter what you are trying to accomplish. By staying
hydrated will increase your protein synthesis, so you will make better use of
the protein that you ingest. It is also a good way to stay hydrated without
adding sugary drinks, like soda and tea.
Strive for at least a gallon of water per day. If you sweat a lot during your
workout, you should definitely be shooting for more than a gallon per day.
An easy way to track your water intake is to carry around a gallon jug
wherever you go.
When it’s empty, you know you have got your gallon in. At that point, you
can refill and start over again. Water also keeps your metabolism up due to
the oxygen content in the water. No one was ever killed by overdosing on
water, so drink up!
14. Post-workout meals
These are very important. You can think of it as an old coal train. You throw
a whole bunch of coal in to start the train and then you stop giving it coals.
What eventually happens? The train stops and the same goes with your body.
The food you eat pre-workout gets used as fuel for the body during exercise.
“ IF YOU DON’T FEED YOUR BODY, IT CAN’T GROW. AND IT IS
ESPECIALLY NEEDS POST-WORKOUT BECAUSE THIS IS WHEN
YOUR BODY ABSORBS NUTRIENTS BEST.”
Author in picture.
Then as your workout comes to an end, the fuel has surely run out and it will
be starving for more to grow. If you don’t feed your body, it can’t grow. And
it is especially needed post-workout because that is when your body absorbs
nutrients best.
Your body is literally starving for nutrients at the end of your workout. If
you don’t feed it, your body simply can’t repair itself and grow.
At the post-workout meal, you need to be taking in around 45-50g of
protein. Add in once or twice that amount of carbohydrates (90-100g). If you
are a hardgainer, make it closer to twice as much with most, or all of them,
coming from simple sources. If you gain weight easily, it’s better to stay
closer to the equivalent of the amount of protein and make it half simple,
half complex sources.
15. Rest
It’s a fact that you don’t grow while in the gym, you grow while you rest
outside the gym. Sure, when you have a nice hard pump in the gym and your
muscles are swollen and look larger, you think you’re getting bigger and
bigger with each set. You are incorrect, but that nice pump that we all long
for is only temporary.
But after an hour or so those effects start to diminish and you will be about
the same size as you were before you stepped into the gym that day. You
need to rest your muscles and get adequate sleep at night to help increase
growth hormones in your body, which in turn help you to gain lean muscle
mass. You should be getting no less than 8 hours of sleep per night.
Anything less and you will be cutting yourself short with your gains.
Chapter 15 Abdominals
Everybody’s favourite area – the Abs. We all yearn for the slim and
exclusive six pack, a strong core is now always in the media and rightly so.
Think of your core muscles as the sturdy central link in a chain connecting
your upper and lower body. Whether you’re hitting a tennis ball or mopping
the floor, the necessary motions either originate in your core, or move
through it.
No matter where motion starts, it ripples upward and downward to the
adjoining links of the chain. Thus, weak or inflexible core muscles can
impair how well your arms and legs function. And that saps power from
many of the moves you make. Properly building up your core cranks up the
power. A strong core also enhances balance and stability. Thus, it can help
prevent falls and injuries during sports or other activities.
In fact, a strong, flexible core underpins almost everything you do, including
everyday acts like bending to put your on shoes or scooping up a package,
turning to look behind you, sitting in a chair, or simply standing still. These
are just a few of the many mundane actions that rely on your core and you
might not notice until they become difficult or painful. Even basic activities
of daily living – bathing or dressing, for example – call on your core.
On-the-job tasks that involve lifting, twisting and standing all rely on core
muscles. But less obvious tasks, like sitting at your desk for hours, engage
your core as well. Phone calls, typing, computer use and similar work can
make your back muscles surprisingly stiff and sore, particularly if you’re not
strong enough to practice good posture and aren’t taking sufficient breaks.
Here are some key areas to consider:
• Maintaining a healthy back . Low back pain is a debilitating, sometimes
excruciating problem affecting four out of five Americans at some point in
their lives, may be prevented by exercises that promote well-balanced,
resilient core muscles. When back pain strikes, a regimen of core exercises is
often prescribed to relieve it, coupled with medications, physical therapy or
other treatments if necessary.
• Sports and other pleasurable activities. Golfing, tennis or other racquet
sports, biking, running, swimming, baseball, volleyball, kayaking, rowing
and many other athletic activities are powered by a strong core. Less often
mentioned are sexual activities, which call for core power and flexibility too.
• Housework, do-it-yourself work and gardening.Bending, lifting,
twisting, carrying, hammering, reaching overhead, even vacuuming,
mopping, and dusting, are acts that spring from, or pass through, the core.
• Balance and stability.Your core stabilises your body, allowing you to
move in any direction, even on the bumpiest terrain, and stand in one spot
without losing your balance. Viewed this way, core exercises can lessen your
risk of falling.
• Good posture.Weak core muscles contribute to slouching. Good posture
trims your silhouette and projects confidence. More importantly, it lessens
wear and tear on the spine and allows you to breathe deeply. Good posture
helps you to gain full benefits from the effort you put into exercising too.
• Weak, tight or unbalanced core musclescan undermine you in any of
these realms. And while it’s important to build a strong core, it’s unwise to
aim all of your efforts at developing rippling abs. Over training abdominal
muscles while snubbing muscles of the back and hip can set you up for
injuries and cut athletic prowess. If getting washboard abs is your holy grail,
it’s essential to trim body fat through diet and aerobic exercise and build
strong abdominal muscles through frequent core exercise sessions.
So try my Flatsnout ‘no bull abs’ routine below.
Stick it to the back of your bedroom door and do it in the morning and
before you go to bed. Start with 10 reps and work up to 50 of each.
When you’ve progressed to that, add planks in between each situp.
Visit
www.flatsnoutboxing.co.uk for more details.
Carry out above core work.
Choose 10/20/30/50 reps daily.
@Chapter 16 Stress-Busting Yoga
Five easy yoga poses that banish stress instantly
I’d like to say that I’m a Zen yogiwho always has a cool, calm mind, a
positive perspective and zero-tolerance policy for things that don’t serve my
highest good… but I’d be lying.
What yoga has given me, however, is the awareness to stop myself in the
moment, recognise what is happening, roll off my mat, breathe deep and feel
better sooner.
I may not always have the time or necessary gear for a full-length class when
things are feeling crazy, but I can always stop what I’m doing and relax into
the following five poses – no matter where I am or what I’m wearing. It may
not change what’s happening around me, but it always leaves me with a
refreshed point of view and a way better attitude.
Downward Facing Dog
1. Downward Facing Dog
Downward Facing Dog brings oxygenated blood to your whole body,
leaving you feeling energised and refreshed. Stay here for longer than usual
Today, let go of what is busying your mind and start realising how strong
you are! From Child’s Pose, keep your hands on the floor, sit up on your
knees and then press back into Downward Facing Dog.
Spread your fingers wide and create a straight line between your middle
fingers and elbows. Work on straightening your legs and lowering your heels
towards the ground. Relax your head between your arms and direct your
gaze through your legs or up toward your belly button. Hold for 10 breaths.
Standing Forward Bend
2. Standing Forward Bend
Let all the anxiety holding you back melt away in the Standing Forward
Bend.
When you’re in this pose, imagine that all your stressors are rolling off your
back and onto the floor. For an even deeper stretch, focus on letting go of
any tension in the back of your neck. Your spine and neck muscles will get a
huge release. From Downward Facing Dog, slowly step forward to the top of
your mat, let your feet meet your hands and grab your big toes.
On your inhale, gaze forward with a flat back. As you exhale, engage your
abs and fold forward. Tuck your chin in towards your chest, relax your
shoulders and extend the crown of your head toward the floor to create a
long spine. Shift your weight forward onto your toes, straightening your legs
as much as possible. Place your hands on the ground, fingertips lining up
with your toes, and hold here for five breaths.
Child’s Pose
3. Child’s Pose
Come to your knees, breathe deep and relax in a long and luxurious Child’s
Pose. Keep your arms out in front of you and rest your forehead on your mat
or if it feels good, try something new and stretch your arms back behind you
with your palms facing down, resting on the mat. This will offer a big stretch
to tense and woundup shoulders. From Standing Forward Bend, kneel on
your mat with your knees a hip-width distance apart and you’re your big toes
touching behind you. Take a deep breath in and lay your torso over your
thighs as you exhale.
Try to lengthen your neck and spine by drawing your ribs away from your
tailbone and the crown of your head away from your shoulders. Rest your
arms beside your legs, with your arms extended out in front of you. Stay
here for at least 10 deep breaths.
I hold all of my emotions in my hips and Head-to-Knee Pose gives my hips
and hamstrings what feels like a mini massage. Since I started practising,
this has been one of my favourite yoga poses.
Hurdlers’ Stretch
4. Hurdlers’ Stretch
From Child’s Pose, sit back on your bottom and bring both of your legs
straight out in front of you. Bend your right knee and place the sole of your
foot against your inner thigh, pulling your heel as close to your body as you
can.
Inhale to sit up tall and exhale as you fold your torso over your left leg. Rest
your hands on the floor on either side of your leg, place them on your shin or
wrap your hands around your left foot. Stay here for 10 breaths, sit up and
repeat this pose on the other side.
5. Legs up the Wall
If you only have time to do one yoga pose when you’re stressed and
overwhelmed, this gets my vote. Beyond showing your lower back and the
backs of your legs some love, you’ll be left with an instant sense of calm
after just a few breaths in this shape. Trust me on this one. Grab your mat
and move towards the closest wall. Sit sideways and position yourself a few
inches away from a wall. On your exhale, swing your hips 90 degrees to
bring your legs up the wall. Allow your shoulders and head to rest lightly on
the floor, relax your arms at your sides, and close your eyes.
Keep your legs firm against the wall, but don’t force anything in this pose. If
it feels uncomfortable on your lower back, then move a few more inches
away from the wall.
Legs
th W ll
up the Wall
Chapter 17 Circadian Rhythms
Circadian rhythms are physical, mental and behavioural changes that follow
a roughly 24-hour cycle, responding primarily to light and darkness in an
organism’s environment. They are found in most living things, including
animals, plants and many tiny microbes. The study of circadian rhythms is
called chronobiology.
What are circadian rhythms?
There’s a section of our brain that synchronises our body to a 24-hour cycle
and releases hormones to regulate regular bodily functions, like our appetite,
energy levels, mood and sleep.
These daily cycles for appetite, sleep, etc. are known as circadian rhythms
and are really important to our physical and emotional well-being. They help
us to keep a stable mood and good physical health.
Your body can usually tell when to prepare for certain events. For example,
when the sun comes up your body releases cortisol to give you energy so
you can be active during the day, and when the sun goes down, you produce
and release melatonin, a hormone that makes you sleepy.
Sometimes these cycles get messed up and that can wreak all sorts of havoc
on our physical and emotional health.
When our circadian rhythms are disrupted and our bodies produce hormones
at the wrong time of day, it can increase the chance of depression or make
existing depression worse. For example, producing melatonin in the daytime
can make us feel dull, unstable, irritable and moody.
Are circadian rhythms the same thing as our biological clock?
No, but they are related. Our biological clock drives our circadian rhythms.
What are biological clocks?
The biological clocks that control circadian rhythms are groupings of
interacting molecules in cells throughout the body. A “master clock” in the
brain coordinates all the body clocks, so that they are in synch.
What is the master clock?
This controls your circadian rhythms and consists of a group of nerve cells
in the brain called the suprachiasmatic nucleus, or SCN. The SCN contains
about 20,000 nerve cells and is located in the hypothalamus, an area of the
brain just above where the optic nerves from the eyes cross.
Do circadian rhythms have a genetic component?
Yes. Researchers have already identified genes that direct circadian rhythms
in people, fruit flies, mice, fungi and several other model organisms that
have been used for studying genetics.
Does the body make and keep its own circadian rhythms?
Circadian rhythms are produced by natural factors within the body, but they
are also affected by signals from the environment. Light is the main cue
influencing circadian rhythms, turning on or turning off genes that control an
organism’s internal clocks.
How do circadian rhythms affect body function and health?
Circadian rhythms can influence sleep-wake cycles, hormone release, body
temperature and other important bodily functions. They have been linked to
various sleep disorders, such as insomnia. Abnormal circadian rhythms have
also been associated with obesity, diabetes, depression, bipolar disorder and
seasonal affective disorder.
How are circadian rhythms related to sleep?
Circadian rhythms are important in determining our sleep patterns. The
body’s master clock, or SCN, controls the production of melatonin, a
hormone that makes you sleepy. Since it is located just above the optic
nerves, which relays information from the eyes to the brain, the SCN
receives information about incoming light. When there is less light –like at
night – the SCN tells the brain to make more melatonin so you get drowsy.
Circadian rhythms and depression
Your body regulates on a 24-hour cycle that can get messed up when you
don’t either get enough light or too much light. Find out about your circadian
rhythm and what happens when it is disrupted, including its link to several
mental health disorders. Get tips on how to overcome circadian disruption.
There are a number of signs that this might be a problem, such as a bad
sleeping pattern and feeling tired and depressed in winter when you don’t get
much light.
So what causes circadian systems to get messed up?
• Lack of sleep, stress and trauma
• Going to bed, waking up at strange hours, shift work
• Genetic factors
• Lack of light.
Signs and symptoms of circadian disruption When our circadian rhythms
have been disrupted, it can have a range of impacts on our physical and
mental health, such as:
Not being able to feel alert
Becoming easily agitated feeling slow Feeling run down and exhausted
Feeling grumpy and irritable
Experiencing symptoms of depression.
Other disorders impacted by circadian rhythms:
Seasonal Affective Disorder
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) affects people in the winter months
when it is darker and colder, particularly in areas of the world that don’t
receive much sunlight. When days become shorter and we don’t receive
enough light, our brains can miss the cues to produce the right hormones at
the right times. This can mean we might be sleepier or more energetic at the
wrong time of day.
Bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder is different to other types of depression in that it is marked
by episodes of unusually elevated mood or mania. These episodes can last
for hours, days or even months. In many cases of bipolar disorder,
depressive and manic episodes are seasonal.
What to do about circadian disruption?
There are a range of things people do to get their circadian schedule back in
working order. The first step is to recognise and correct bad habits that could
lead to problems. You can make corrections such as:
• Not taking naps during the day.
• Allow yourself time to wind down at the end of the day.
• Checking out some ways to relax.
• Getting exposure to sunlight in the mornings.
• Getting into regular sleeping routine – try to go to bed and wake up at the
same times each day and night.
• Eating and exercising regularly.
If this isn’t working…
Sometimes this isn’t quite enough and a doctor may need to help you with
different strategies to kick your cycle back into the right pattern. These
include:
• Light therapy – exposure to bright or blue light during the daytime can help
your cycle realign
• Medication – your doctor will be able to work with you to figure out an
approach that suits you and your lifestyle.
What can I do now?
Get tips on how to establish a good sleeping routine. Try and get up and go
to bed at the same time each day, allowing for 8-9 hours sleep each night.
Get outside and enjoy the morning sunshine.
Chapter 18 Stretching
Stretching is vitally important when warming up for exercise. After a warmup gets the blood pumping around the system, we stretch the major muscle
groups to loosen and prepare them for the dynamic stress exercise that we
will load onto them.
Well, one thing you probably didn’t realise is that properly integrated
stretching in a weight training programme can actually speed up your muscle
growth.
The connective tissues that surround the muscles are very tough and hug the
muscle fibres tight. This can actually constrict expansion and growth. For
muscle hypertrophy to occur the surrounding fascia needs to be stretched
and become more pliable in order to give the muscle fibres room enough to
expand grow bigger.
STRETCHING
Even if you haven’t seriously focused on stretching before, the muscle mass
that you have built up to this point came about from the stretching and
expanding of the muscles encasing tissue. During your workouts, when
blood is being pumped into the muscles, the surrounding connective tissues
are being stretched, that’s why you get that tight feeling we call “the pump”.
The ideal time to stretch for increasing muscle mass is right after you’ve
trained a particular body part and the muscles are “pumped up” and feeling
tight. At this stage, the connective tissues are already being stretched from
the blood volume in the muscles, and then by manually stretching the
muscles as well, you get a double whammy effect that really increases the
muscle fibres growth potential.
Another key benefit of stretching is it improves the shape of the muscles.
Expanding the fascia and connective tissue pulls the muscles apart and
enhances separation.
Below is a set of recommended stretches. Carry them out rhythmically and
steady load on and off, try not to force the muscles.
Flatsnout Fitness
Well, there you have it. Some simple stretches that you can incorporate into
your workouts. For example, after you train a particular body part, go
through the above list of stretches and perform the ones that stretch the
muscles you just worked.
You DO NOT have to do every stretch after every workout, just the muscles
that you have trained. And then as you go through your workout cycle,
you’ll train and stretch each and every muscle.
The actual time and commitment you’ll be doing these stretches is minimal.
We are only talking about 5-10
STRETCHING
minutes at most at the end of your weight training. But I can guarantee you
that if do these stretches on a regular basis you’ll see noticeable
improvements in your muscle fullness and separation within the next 6-8
weeks.
Chapter 19 Photo Gallery
Here are put some of my favourite pictures from my boxing/military career.
Fighting EBF at Blackpool in 2008.
Meeting big Tim Witherspoon before our exhibition in 2009. (Federation Brewery Newcastle)
I was an ABA trainer at ABA School boy champs in 2013. Pictured with losing finalist Billy Stevenson.
Working the corner in 2006 with Gary Firby at an EBF charity bout.
Versus Dave Falkner in 2002
Queensberry rules lol… (Sorry Dave F)
Happy Hooker versus Gary Williams 2001
With my grandson (Flatsnout ad).
Professional with Tommy Conroy.
Signed pic with Tim Witherspoon.
Before the Witherspoon fight (with Lee Rogan and Terry French).
At Felling Warriors gym, Sunderland Road.
Felling Warriors 2008, belt holders.
EBF Charity exhibition with Tony Tucker 2009.
Flatsnout junior Warriors 2014.
EBF vs Tim
Witherspoon 2009.
Catterick post-rehab gun run 2006.
Flatsnout advert.
RAF Leuchars 2006, postEBF bouts with Mark Potter.
Rugby Coach Gosforth, 2008.
EBF fight Sunderland 2006, versus Eric ‘The Viking’
Felling Warrior…
Circus Tavern 2006 versus Mrk Potter (EBF British heavyweight title)…
Calm before the storm…
EBF versus Tony Tucker 2009.
Versus Tony Tucker 2009.
ABA coaching outside HQ Felling Warriors, boot camp style,.2015.
Shona Stanton, ABA Novice finalist 2015.
Chapter 20 The ‘Power-Hour’
The ‘ Power Hour’ is an hour long workout that is the result of my
experience as an amateur, professional, unlicensed boxer, military man and
rugby coach / player.
In short, any level can be progressively trained for one hour. Technical,
aerobic, anaerobic and CP systems are worked hard.
Many of the exercises are taken from prior training camps at either RAF,
Combined Services or professional training camps with the former WBO
Heavyweight World Champion Herbie Hide, who I sparred with back in the
90s.
The warm up is taken from recent Active IQ fitness Instructor qualifications.
The ‘Pulse raiser’ exercises take you from zero or resting pulse up to RPE
level 6-7. A dynamic stretch is carried out on all the major muscle groups,
the trainee then skips four to one minute rounds. In fact all of the rounds are
one in duration, apart from the CP system burster sprints at the end.
I have found this still destroys cals, but leaves the trainee energised and
sharp and used this session for many years as a top ABA Super Heavyweight
and Professional Heavyweight.
It lifted the guys in ‘Early Birds’ sessions, rather than destroy their energy
levels, and they left the gym feeling ‘energised’.
The training ethic is a short burst of one-minute Tabata training, which is
proven to increase VO2 max and cardio-vascular fitness levels quicker than
conventional methods. My results and testimonials speak for themselves.
It is great to train competitive professional boxers. The ten rounds of one
minute round pads are not easy and yet my fitness 1-2-1 with Toni, who is 6
months from a ‘C-Section’ pregnancy, is able to complete them, as do
professional boxers. To a different intensity yes, but the ethic and calorie
consumption is massive.
The lactate phase rounds on the heavy bags, where the trainee is subjected to
one minute, 95% straight one-two combinations, is devastating to the fitness
and requires a full one-minute round recovery before going again.
Flatsnout Fitness
The Marine/Military weights phase is taken from my time in the Falkland’s
in 2000, and from a Royal Marine PTI. This works the muscles, aerobically
and anaerobically, forcing size and fitness gains through cell volumisation
and blood flow pump in the muscular cells. This session has been used all
over the world. I would give it to the guys and gals on exercise with the
RAF. From Saudia to the Falklands, I have used it with effect. This has been
backed up by my successful clients at Flatsnout Fitness Training.
Print off the power hour below, try it and let me know, either online at
www.flatsnoutboxing.co.uk or flatsnoutboxing on Facebook / Twitter and let
me know what you think.
THE #FLATSNOUT ‘POWER HOUR’
• PULSE-RAISER – 5 MINUTES (ROWER,
XTRAINER / RUNNING MACHINE)
• DYNAMIC STRETCH (STRETCH CHAPTER)
• SKIP 5* 1 MINS
• PADS 10* 1 MINS
• HEAVY BAGS LACTATE BURNERS (95%)
• POWER NON-STOP (1-2,1-2) *4
• MARINE WEIGHTS
20KG MAX
1. SHOULDER PRESS FRONT *10
2. SHOULDER PRESS REAR *10
3. UP RIGHT ROW *10
4. NEIDER PRESS 45 DEGREE UP *10 5. BENT OVER ROWS *10 6.
CULRS *10
7. PRESS-UPS *10
8. DIPS *10
9. SQAUTS *10
10. SQUAT THRUSTS *10
• HEAVY BAGS MAXIMUM 10 * 20 SECS (ON / OFF) ABS AS PER
ABS. CHAPTER STRETCH, AS PER STRETCH CHP. THIS SESSION
DELIVERS 500-750 K/CAL, DEPENDING ON YOUR INTENSITY.
Chapter 21 What to Expect After Training
The key to weight loss and healthy living with my Flatsnout Training
Principles is relentlessly sticking to the hi-protein diet, fitness homework
and my boxing training.
You will find the high protein diets feeds the work that you have done by
promoting muscle growth and conditioning. The extra pounds will simply be
burnt away in the calorie deficit that you are now creating daily and weekly.
This will burning off more calories than you are eating, and the fact that you
are eating a high protein diet means you are feeding the protein synthesis
into your muscles.
WHAT TO ExPECT AFTER TRAINING
Hopefully, the chapter on nutrition will show you the way forward in eating
good quality food by explaining how to feed your body with the correct
amounts of protein, carbohydrates and fats.
The chapter on Basic Fitness (fitness homework) show’s you the workouts to
select in between your boxing (Personal 121 sessions), so you can maintain
the momentum of workouts, improve fitness and increase weight loss.
I hope the chapter on basic boxing technique will help to guide you on your
journey and help you on your basic stance and technique.
The idea of this book is to give my personal 1-2-1 clients the additional
information that I already have online in a book. I hope you take this book
and use the website to fulfil your fitness, health and weight loss dreams
Good luck…
For anyone wishing to join me at HQ Flatsnout Boxing at Whitehills Centre,
Heworth, I can tell you it’s a great functional gym facility with outdoors
assault course and a kitchen inside. The boss and my main man there is Billy
Saul, a former World Champion kick boxer, who has been a massive help in
making my fitness training a success.
I also have training at Matthew Teasdale’s Team Phoenix gym, north of the
Tyne in Byker.This, again, is an excellent training facility.
Whatever your requirements, if you want a ‘no bull’, down to earth reality
check with your fitness and health, give me a shout.
Cheers…
Chapter 22 My Injuries Through a Lifetime of Training
I have absolutely and constantly challenged my body during a lifetime of
training in sports, as a cricketer, rugby player and boxer, and as an exserviceman who served 22 years in the HM Forces.
But now, at 47 years old, I have started to realise that I have pretty much
ruined my body, physically. The growing list of injuries has in the last 18
months grown massively.
On top of the arthritis in my spine as well as scoliosis and spondylosis
disease in the upper and lower spine, I had metal rods wired to my spine
back in 1987 and actually grew 5 inches in the process, straightening my
spine. It has always been my bionic back.
My knee, which finally gave up the ghost on basic Sgt training with the RAF
in 2006, has been responsible for a potential hip replacement that has been
diagnosed. I had operations on the knee back in 2006, which now also
requires a hip and knee replacement and now more spinal fusion work
With potential Motor Neurone Disease now added to my list of growing
injuries, it would appear the time to totally retire from active training is upon
me.
It is the training that has kept me going for so long and even with a reduced
performance in terms of sets / times, I am maintaining a very limited training
schedule.
It is this that mentality has kept me going daily through the chronic pain that
I now suffer from.
To give in now would be to totally give in and that is something I could
never do…