Two Jeans sizes lost in 8wks!

June 17, 2013 by · Leave a Comment

W10 member MB talks about her Jeans Challenge experience in Closer magazine.

“‘By the beginning of this year I was really fed up with my weight. I’d just come back from a winter sun holiday and had felt horrible in a bikini. I just wanted to cover up the whole time, especially my flabby bum and tummy. My size had yo-yo-ed up and down over the the previous year – mainly as I’d been so stressed at work – and months of overindulging on sugary junk food meant that half a stone had crept on. I couldn’t fit into my normal clothes, so I knew I had to take action decided to try my local gym, W10 Performance in West London, who helped Ashley Roberts – the former Pussycat Doll and I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here contestant – to shape up. They designed an 8-week diet and fitness programme for me.

The biggest surprise was being told by their nutrition expert that by trying to eat ‘healthily’ I’d actually been eating too few calories. This meant my blood sugar was dropping too much, which was why I was so hungry and tired all the time. I had been starting the day with porridge, eating sandwiches for lunch, scavenging biscuits and chocolate mid-afternoon, then having a carb-free dinner – only to need a bowl of cereal to fill me up later…..”

Read the full story here>>

Filed Under: Exercise, Nutrition, Weight Loss · Tagged: , , ,

The ultimate healthy dessert?

May 22, 2013 by ·

I’m not big into traditional, sugar-riddled, processed desserts, but I do – like most people – have a penchant for the odd something sweet.  Here’s one of my current favourites that I think you’ll like.

Whilst not something most people would want to wade into everyday, all of the ingredients are all ‘good for you’ and and there’s no absolutely no processed crap included.  In fact, there’s probably more reason to eat these than not to.

Note: I pinched these from a guy called Scott Jurek.  Scott has written a couple of books on Ultramarathon running that I would recommend.  You won’t find me competing across 135miles, nor eating a strict vegan diet, but there’s plenty in these about mindset in particular, and indeed nutrition, that is worth reading.

I imaginatively call these ‘Chocolate Balls’.

Put to following into a blender (preferably a small, good quality one):

  • 1/2 cup raw cacao nibs
  • 10 or so medium dates (get decent ones)
  • 1/2 a cup of raw cashews
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon of chilli flakes (a pinch)
  • 1/8 teaspoon of sea salt (a small pinch)
  • 2 teaspoons of coconut oil (in liquid state)

Blend thoroughly.  The blending can be a bind with the dates sticking if your blender is not great but persevere – scoop it from the sides and blend again.  You might need to do this a couple of times.

Roll the blended mix into balls and stick them in the fridge for 15mins or so.  Will make 12-15 balls.  Note: I use two tablespoons to make quenelles – I’m a bit OCD about cleanliness.

Simple, healthy, ridiculously tasty and will last in the fridge for a couple of weeks.  Enjoy.

 

Filed Under: Motivation · Tagged: ,

10 Body Myths Debunked

April 8, 2013 by ·

Check out our feature in today’s Telegraph on ’10 Body Myths Debunked’.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE>>

We got a say on seven of the ten…..

“Fat makes you fat”

Not so. “Good quality fats are essential for health and should always make up part of your diet,” explains top trainer and founder of W10 Performance , Jean Claude Vacassin. “Fats have been vilified because they are calorie dense, at nine calories for every gram, but they are essential if you want a better diet, and a better body.”

“You have to do cardio to lose weight”

“It’s lean muscle mass that’s critical for getting and staying lean and excessive cardio neither helps build or maintain muscle mass. A better alternative for many people who are trying to get into shape would be resistance training coupled with a good diet,” explains Vacassin.

“Women shouldn’t lift weights”

Don’t let body builder’s bodies put your off weight training, “when done in extreme amounts and combined with a diet that provides a significant excess of calories (something women very rarely, or never, do!) it does of course trigger muscle gain,” says Vacassin.
“But doing two sets of twelve reps and following it up with healthy eating won’t bulk you up,” advises Vacassin. “You need to train and eat with the specific purpose of gaining muscle for it to happen. Burn fat as you build muscle and you’ll never feel ‘heavy’ or ‘bulky’.”

“Carbs are the enemy”

“Carbs are an important part of the diet and a major player in cognitive function, mood, energy levels and overall wellbeing,” warns Vacassin. “Following a diet that is low in carbs for too long not only negatively impacts your mood, sleep and mental clarity but also your ability to lose weight, and fat. Low carb diets are also often very low in fibre which have massive implications for long term health.”

“I need supplements to be healthy”

“Putting supplements of any kind before a good diet is not going to work. Besides, most people only need take the basics (a multivitamin, probiotic, vitamin D and omega 3 fish oil) anyway,” explains Vacassin, who also recommends getting tested before taking on any extra supplementation

“I can eat as many ‘clean’ foods as I want”

“Watch it. Just because a food is ‘good’ or ‘clean’ doesn’t mean that you should, or can, eat it in unlimited quantities – more is not better. Too much of anything will make you gain weight. Typical offenders here are nuts, avocados and fruit,” explains Vacassin.

“Protein is good, so more must be better”

Getting your RDA of protein is key to health, “but as will all things, we don’t need to consume it in excessive quantities,” explains Vacassin. “Diets very high in protein are a by product of the new carb-phobia trend (we have to replace the calories with something right?). But we reallly shouldn’t consume it in quantities that exceed our requirements if we are following a balanced nutritional programme.”

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My 8wk Transformation

March 20, 2013 by ·

My 8 Week Transformation

I’ve always been someone who has eaten healthily (whilst enjoying a night out!), but I have never previously followed a set nutritional plan that has been specifically counted and laid out. I’ve always eaten ‘well’ and whilst playing rugby I was a lean 106kg and could probably  get away with eating a bit of rubbish on weekends due to the rigours of training.

photo-1

 Photographs taken 6wks apart

That being said I’ve never really had that elusive 6 pack.  You could see the outline of the top but never anymore. During Monday to Friday my nutrition was always on point, but come the weekend I was a bit more lax with a few glasses of wine and the odd dessert. I was happy, but before January I made the decision to start the year with a purpose and abstain from all gastronomy gluttony for 8 weeks.

It really hasn’t been that hard as I took all the guess work out of it. I had my program and nutritional plan written for me by JC and all I had to do was follow it to the letter. 8 weeks later I’m here still around 105kg but I’ve lost over 5.5kg of fat and added roughly 2kg of lean mass. My waistline has come in and my 34′ jeans are loose, wow!

You can see my abs and I’m a lot more vascular. I haven’t really put myself through calorie restriction and I’ve enjoyed every moment of it. Even the 20 rep squats!  I weight trained 3 times a week and did a 20 minute EDT session on a Saturday morning. That was it – a far from extreme training schedule.

photo
Final pictures taken 12th March

What I’ve learned throughout all of this is that eating ‘clean’ will only get you so far.  It’s like telling someone to ‘train hard’.  This basic advice will take someone a long way, but there’s a lot of leeway either side.  If you want fast results and progress, you need to have things tailored for your individual needs.  Yes, measuring your food can become tiresome (I actually didn’t mind this), but if you aimlessly train without an end goal, then you will always do the bare minimum. On the training side I found I pushed myself far harder than I have done previously, and even had to have a little word with myself at the end of leg day!

RowSmall

The reason I did this was to prove to myself for one that I could, plus I needed to after stuffing my face WAY too much over Christmas!  I love food, I always have, and always will.  I don’t really have a sweet tooth but once in a while ill have a little treat. That being said, I was standing testament to the masses out there that train their bollocks off only to see little or no change in body composition. As I’m quite a big man, 6ft 4in and around 105kg I carried my frame well, but on my post Christmas return I felt bloated and wasn’t comfortable.

ShoulderPressSmall

You can overeat on good food, hence why telling someone to eat ‘clean’ won’t really cut it in the long-term.  Initially people will reap the benefits of so called ‘clean’ eating, but further on down the line things will need to be tailored and individual macros worked out. You need to see what works best for you, that is why enlisting the help of a Personal Trainer (who knows what they are doing) will help massively.  It takes all of the guess work out of it for you, and all you need to be is disciplined and focused on the task ahead.

My 8-week transformation worked for me as it had an end date. I had a photographer lined up to come and take the final pictures and there was no chance that I was going to look awful come photoshoot day. I was putting myself out there for all to see that is why I stayed on track. As you can see from the pictures I’ve made massive inroads in a short space of time. March was always going to be the end date for the initial push as I had tickets for Wales v England so there was no chance of me not drinking that day!

You need little goals to hit in your training, otherwise you will stagnate and begin to wonder what the point of it all is. Being someone who has weight trained for a long period of time I need things to be kept fresh. This is what I’m doing and I’m extremely happy and pleased the way things are going!

Hopefully you all found this honest account helpful.  And my apologies for some of the pouts in the photos, I always wanted to be a model!

A thank you mention also to Toby Peyton-Harrison for taking the final pictures, I would thoroughly recommend him.

Filed Under: Motivation · Tagged: , , , ,

The Pros and Cons of Intermittent Fasting

February 11, 2013 by ·

Fasting has become a hot topic recently.  Overall we’re not advocates of fasting for most people when it comes to aesthetic goals but we do recognise that it has a place with some people.

There’s been plenty of pro-fasting press recently so we thought we’d share an alternative view by posting a guest post by Charles Poliquin.

“Intermittent fasting is super trendy. Like any diet trend, it’s no surprise that there are drawbacks to the practice that will likely make it a passing fancy in both the fitness and general population. The use of sporadic eating patterns to lose fat can be effective, but that does NOT mean it is healthy, sustainable for the long term, or beneficial for athletes.

Experts and nonexperts in the field of nutrition and fitness recommend a variety of meal frequency or fasting methods—fasting every 16 hours, every 20 hours, all day, every other day, every third day, twice a week, once a week, once every other week, or just when you’re not hungry. The definition of “fasting” varies: In some cases it means eating green vegetables and berries when fasting, in others protein-carb drinks and oatmeal are suggested.

Now, many cultures/religions use fasting as a spiritual practice, however in the animal kingdom, no animal is known to fast voluntarily unless it is ill. In most cases, the same animal will consume plants to induce vomiting…..”

Read the full article>> 

Filed Under: Motivation · Tagged: , , ,

Think Outside of the (Cereal) Box

February 6, 2013 by ·

Despite the growing popularity in fasting and other ‘detox’ programmes we’re still advocates (in the main) of regular meals with the inclusion of breakfast.  Why?  For no other reason than we’ve seen better results with both ourselves and our members in terms of fat loss, muscle building and most importantly sustainable eating habits.

The reality for most people is that if they get breakfast right, and thus get their day off to a ‘healthy’ start, they are likely to make better choices throughout the day.  This is something to do with blood sugar management and appetite regulation, but perhaps more to do with starting the day with mindful and positive choices about certain goals and overall health.  Start the day with that mindset and it will more likely filter through to the rest of your day.

Breakfast is the most challenging meal of the day to get ‘right’ for most people, no doubt.  Partly because we’re time poor (don’t have or don’t make time?), and partly because we have preconceived ideas about what is and is not a ‘breakfast food’.  Kudos to Mr Kellogg on that front, but we need to shift our thinking and listed below are a few ideas that might help.

It’s worth noting that these examples are not intended as personal recommendations.  What constitutes ‘good’ for you and ‘bad’ for you can only be viewed in the context of your overall diet (is it even possible to pigeonhole foods in these two camps?).  Nuts might be considered ‘good’ for you for example, but if you’re nut consumption is excessive and is over and above your nutritional requirements – a mistake many of us nut gluttons make – this excessive nut consumption might deem them ‘bad’ for you.  Same goes for all foods, ‘good’ and ‘bad’ (might a little bit of something ‘bad’ be ‘good’ for you occasionally).  I digress.

1. Meat and nuts

All things being equal this combo, made famous by Charles Poliquin, might be the best choice for most people, especially who’s primary goal is fat loss.  The concept is pretty self explanatory but check out full details in the infamous article ‘The Meat & Nuts Breakfast’ by Charles Poliquin.

I recognise not everyone is going to make the leap from toast to steak first thing, but perhaps bacon on a bed of spinach and rocket and a handful of cashews would be appealing?  Or a decent quality sausage or two?  Smoked fish….?

Nuts should be raw preferably.  Worth remembering also that peanuts are not actually nuts.

2. Eggs

Where would we be without eggs?  A great source of protein fats and other nutrients eggs would have a place in almost any diet.  Poached and boiled might be a more cholesterol friendly way to prepare them (oxidisation) but scrambled taste good also.

Served boiled with asparagus soldiers, scrambled atop of a slice of wheat free rye, or perhaps served with grated vegetables as an omelette (where coconut oil and/or butter come into their own).

3. W10 Shake

In the words of many a chef, you will need:

- circa 200ml liquid (water, raw milk, rice milk and coconut water work)

- raw eggs or protein powder

- a handful of spinach

- a handful of berries, and

- a teaspoon of nut butter

- some flax seeds

Throw all of this in a blender and whizz until a light green, slightly sweet tasting breakfast treat.  A good one for the ‘I don’t have time for breakfast, but could eat at my desk’ crowd – all keeps in the fridge easily and involves minimal prep time.

4. Smoked salmon and rice cakes

Does exactly what it says on the tin.  Squeeze some lemon juice and grind some pepper atop and you’re in breakfast wonderland.

Fantastic choice for kids.  Mine enthusiastically go for nut butter on rice cakes with smoked salmon (or a rasher of decent quality bacon) on the side.

5. Yoghurt cup

Get 150-200g of natural Greek yoghurt (we recommend Fage Total, who also rather conveniently do 175g pots) and scoop or two of good quality protein powder and stir.  Perhaps add some raw nuts and berries if it fits your nutritional requirements.  Another one which is deal for the ‘eat at my desk’ crowd.

6. Porridge

Before the meat and nuts zealots get their knickers in a twist about neurotransmitters and the like, porridge works well for some people.  Wheat free, fibrous and filling.  Accompany with eggs or stir in some protein powder and you’re away.  Stir some cinnamon, maybe even add some nut butter.

Get your day off to a good start by thinking outside of the (cereal) box.

Filed Under: Motivation · Tagged: , , ,

Weekly reads

December 10, 2012 by ·

A handful of posts, blogs and articles from the last week or so….

  • Sample body composition resistance programme for women

http://www.charlespoliquin.com/Lifestyle/BodyMind/376/German_Body_Comp_for_the_Ladies.aspx

  • Front squat technique – how to
  • 101 Tips for a better body

http://www.predatornutrition.com/content/101-tips-better-body

  • Useful nutritional tips for rugby players (applies to most sports)

http://jhfitness-nutrition.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/nutrition-performance-nutrition-for.html

  • Improving your bench press

http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/most_recent/the_virtual_bench_press_seminar

  • 10 steps to improved sleep
  • Coffee consumption and health
  • 10 reasons you’re not adding muscle

http://www.musclespro.com/2011/03/ten-reasons-why-you-arent-growing.html

  • 4 best ways to incorporate core training into your programme

http://www.dieselsc.com/4-best-ways-to-incorporate-core-exercises-into-your-workout/

  • Programe design for multiple qualities at the same time (blocking)

http://themanimalsguide.wordpress.com/2012/11/29/program-design-blocking-2/

  • Adding lean mass during your week off (Christmas idea)
Filed Under: Motivation · Tagged: , , , , , , , ,

The Benefits of Vitamin D Supplementation

December 5, 2012 by ·

With winter in full swing and with it the short days, dark evenings and lack of sunshine, we thought we’d post a reminder about the benefits of using Vitamin D supplementation.  We recommend that almost everyone supplement with Vitamin D throughout the winter months, especially if they live in the UK.

It’s always worth getting tested beforehand to ascertain what your current Vitamin D status is and help you decide what is an appropriate dosage.  We recommend people who take Vitamin D supplementation get retested at least bi-annually.

Here’s guest post from Canadian Strength Coach Charles Poliquin on the benefits of Viatmin D supplementation:

“Take vitamin D to lose fat and gain muscle. Over and over again, research shows that if you have low vitamin D, you will be more likely to be overweight, have less muscle mass, and higher risk of injury. Vitamin D deficiency is SO easy to solve—don’t let it keep you from getting and staying lean!”

Read the full article here==>>


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W10 Member Success Story

November 11, 2012 by ·

We’re not big on ‘before & after’ shots here at W10.  Why?  Well, they’re a bit naff frankly.  However, we have come to understand (eventually) that we are missing a trick in terms of our website, marketing and the commercial aspect of running a training business, so we’ve decided to start sharing some of our members’ success stories.

Most of our members are regular folk who, whilst they have definitely come to us because they want to look better, it’s actually about more than just aesthetics.  Most are not prepared to give up everything in pursuit of aesthetic perfection (although there are some who are!), rather they want to move better, be injury free, feel better, be healthier…. you know, all the things that are important to most grown ups looking to lead physically fulfilling lives!

Here’s an example of one such case with W10 member AP’s story in pictures and in his own words:

“I’m in my late 30′s and I thought I hated exercise and by extension, all gyms. I decided to join W10 Performance with a certain amount of determination following a blood test that showed elevated cholesterol and liver function enzymes. But to be honest at the back of my mind I thought I wouldn’t stick it out in the same way I had joined and cancelled memberships at Holmes Place / Virgin Active five times over 15 years.

However almost ten months on, and training at W10 is now firmly part of my routine. I think the reason I’ve managed to stick with it for the first time in my life is down to JC and his team’s unique approach to running a gym. Having a personal training session every week isn’t in itself unusual (although it goes without saying that the quality of the training and advice at W10 is far better than anything I’ve experienced before) however, always having someone on hand to ask questions to and occasionally check on you whilst you are training on your own really makes all the difference. Actually caring about their clients and their progress creates an atmosphere that is the complete opposite of a faceless corporate gym. That sense of support is invaluable when it comes to giving you the motivation to try and achieve your goals.

Combining the training sessions with sound nutritional advice and small group metabolic classes, the results I have achieved since joining W10 performance speak for themselves. I lost over 20 kilos in the first 5 months, and am stronger, fitter and healthier than I have ever been in my entire life. I’ve gone from a 36/38″ waist to 32/34″. Before joining my blood test results of concern were (with the recommended ranges in brackets);

Total Cholesterol – 5.3 mmol/L (2.5 – 5.0)
Triglycerides – 2.2 mmol/L (0.5 – 2.0)
HDL – 0.90 mmol/L (1.0 – 4.0)
LDL – 3.4 mmol/L (0.1 – 3.0)
ALT (Liver function) – 44 u/L (5 – 40)

Seven months on, my last test now showed me within the target ranges;
Total Cholesterol – 4.2 mmol/L
Triglycerides – 0.78 mmol/L
HDL – 1.3 mmol/L
LDL – 2.5 mmol/L
ALT (Liver function) – 23 u/L

JC, Adam & Rob always strike the right balance of pushing you hard whilst also providing the right level of support to achieve your goals. They understand that most people can’t live, train and eat like a machine 24/7 – but that most people can also do these things a lot better than they currently are if they are shown how to. If you can embrace that philosophy and are dedicated, then it’s a great place to train. Adam just needs to lay off the 80′s soft rock playlists…”

Good work AP.  And agreed on the 80’s soft rock front!

 

Filed Under: Motivation · Tagged: , , , , , ,

Does Eating Carbs at Night Make us Fat?

August 31, 2012 by ·

This week Blog Post is a guest post from Dr Layne Norton.  Layne is a guy with a scientific approach to training and nutrition and is someone we can all learn a great deal from.

Layne’s latest blog post addresses the myth that eating carbohyrdates at night will make you fat:

“There are quite a few things that everyone in the fitness industry KNOWS.  You have to eat 8 meals per day, consume 400g+ protein per day, do fasted cardio, use heavy weights to bulk up, and light weights wit high reps to tone up… oh wait, those are all BROSCIENCE!

Don’t get me wrong, bodybuilding and fitness have been on the cutting edge of many dietary and training interventions that mainstream science is only now catching up.  Unfortunately, the vetting process for many of these protocols isn’t exactly stringent.  Thus, many things become accepted as ‘fact’, when in reality they are based in little actual research data.

The debate about whether or not it’s ok to have carbs at night has been all but settled in the fitness industry.  You simply can’t consume a shred of carbohydrates at night or you will store fat faster than vampire rises after the sun sets!  That is, according to many fitness ‘experts’ out there.  So I decided to examine this fitness factoid to determine if eating carbs at night was actually detrimental to your body composition or if it was all fallacy.”

Read the full article here>>

 

Filed Under: Motivation · Tagged: , , , ,
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