Is Organic Food Healthier than Non-Organic Food?

Over the past decade, organic foods have become quite prevalent within Australian supermarkets. What was once a highly niche market is almost a necessity for all large supermarket chains. You’d be hard pressed to find a Woolworths, Coles or Aldi without some organic food offerings.

There does however seem to be a bit of confusion as to what “organic” foods are and why they may be healthier than other foods.

Organic foods, by definition, are those that are produced free from inorganic chemical pesticides. Australia has quite stringent laws to ensure that anything labelled “organic” is grown in a highly “natural” environment. This ensures that any man-made chemicals are not consumed when ingesting the product.

There seems to be a very common misconception with organic food, being that it is healthier in regards to it’s fat content, or cooking process. For example, Aldi sell “organic chips”. Whilst it may be easy to assume that these organic chips are low in fat and therefore healthier, this is a completely incorrect assumption to make. Upon investigating the nutritional composition of this snack, they were 20.2% fat. In comparison to a package of Arnott’s Shapes at 14.5% fat, these organic chips were therefore 39% higher in fat than an alternative non-organic snack.

As you can see, organic does not refer to the macronutrient (fats, carbohydrates, proteins) contained within a food. Organic only refers to the elimination of inorganic chemicals used.

Whether or not organic food is healthier than non-organic food is a raging debate among nutritionists. Although it makes sense to eliminate all unnatural chemicals from our diet, there is no consensus among professionals either way due to the lack of evidence in this field. It really comes down to personal choice; do you wish to consume inorganic substances in your diet? If you do not, you also need to consider that organic foods cost more to produce, therefore this may weigh heavily on your budget.

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How to Win the BodyBlitz 12 Week Transformation Challenge

So, you’ve made the decision to enter BodyBlitz? Are you looking to win the monthly prize…or even the yearly grand prize? If so, you’ve come to the right place.

In 2005, I won the male Australian BodyBlitz competition, run by Australian Ironman. Australian Women’s Health & Fitness run the female version of this competition (both magazines are owned by the same company, Blitz Publications). To give you an idea of my change over 12 weeks, here are the before and after photo’s:

Jay's Winning 2005 BodyBlitz Transformation Photos

Yes, these photo’s are legitimate and were good enough to play a role in winning the 2005 title. So how do you obtain a similar result to give yourself every chance at being crowned winner?

First things first – if you are serious about winning Bodyblitz, you need to give this 12 week period one-hundred percent effort. As a fitness professional, I do not recommend this approach for just anyone. If you have struggled with your weight for years and cannot adhere to a basic exercise/dietary routine, it may be wise to opt for a less demanding and sustainable approach. By all means, you can still enter the BodyBlitz challenge as a powerful motivational tool. However actually winning the competition means that you need to put in that little bit more to surpass the transformations of everyone else.

One hundred percent effort requires dedication to both an effective exercise and nutritional programme. It requires you to remain accountable to yourself and give every workout everything that you have. It means intensity, dedication and consistency. This is very important to understand before you begin the BodyBlitz challenge. If you enjoy a challenge, then this approach is for you!

In addition to this, you must also understand that there is no particular “way” to win BodyBlitz. The prior winners (myself included) have all followed an approach that is optimal for their own body’s. This article is not about what exercises you should perform, nor what foods you should eat; as this will vary from individual to individual based on your goals, preferences, genetics, training experience etc.

Now that we have established the premise of this article, we can discuss how you are actually going to win the competition. I would strongly recommend that you obtain at least some training experience prior to embarking upon this challenge. It is important that you understand how your body works, how to exercise safely and effectively. This is not a necessity – many winners have had no training experience in the past. I do however feel that this personal experience will only aid you in your endeavours.

It is also important to determine your specific goals. It is not sufficient to think that you want to lose some weight. You need to be specific and measurable when developing your goals. Furthermore, you need to write them down and set a deadline. You may be interested in reading an article that I published on goal setting.

Next, a plan is necessary. How are you going to accomplish these goals? Over a 12 week period, you have a very limited amount of time. You cannot afford to waste a single workout, so you need to ensure that every cardiovascular and resistance based workout is fine-tuned for maximum effect. You also need to plan out your dietary approach to ensure maximum results. Also, how are these plans going to change over the 12 week period? Of course you cannot plan every little detail out before you begin the challenge (plans change and you need to be flexible), though it is important to have some idea of how your training and nutritional plans will be adapted over the course of the BodyBlitz challenge.

Part of planning is planning your supplementation strategy. For maximum results, you may consider the basics; protein powder, creatine, dextrose and vitamins. Glutamine and weight loss supplements may also assist you in accomplishing your goals. Ensure that you purchase all of your supplements prior to beginning the challenge – there is nothing worse than running out and minimising your results! Of course, these are very general recommendations and your supplementation strategy will vary greatly depending upon your goals.

As you progress through your challenge, you need to measure your progress objectively. Measure and weigh yourself weekly. To compliment your measurements, take fortnightly photographs and assess your physique visually as objectively as possible. If the figures are not changing in the desired manner, you need to make some changes to your approach. You must also analyse your progress with your resistance and cardiovascular results. If you are stuck in a plateau, there may be something wrong with your training and/or nutritional approach.

Ultimately with the BodyBlitz challenge, it comes down to your photo’s and your essay. If you do push yourself during this period of time, I promise that you will learn A LOT about yourself. The changes that your body undergoes will be a physical manifestation of how you matured on the inside. This will show through in both the photo’s and the essay.

If, after reading this post, you feel that you are ready to give the BodyBlitz challenge a real serious go, then I would strongly recommend that you read my book, written as a “how-to” guide for the BodyBlitz. The paperback book spans over 200 pages and discusses every aspect to this challenge. For more information, please check out How to Transform the Average Joe in 12 Weeks.

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Why Don’t People Put Their Weights Back in the Gym?

And now for the beef of the week! It’s not often I blog with a beef, but I feel that this is a very important topic for discussion from both a safety and a general consideration point.

Why don’t people put their weights back in the gym?

Today I was training in my usual gym, performing a weights session. I walked into the weights area and there were dumbbells spread all over the ground. The EZ bar had been left unattended on the ground with 20 kg on it. The squat bar was left with 80kg on it. The smith machine had 60kg left on it. The 25kg dumbbells were in the 17.5kg dumbbell position, the 35kg dumbbells were in the 20kg dumbbell position and the 7.5kg dumbbells were no where to be found (all four of them). And this isn’t even a big gym!

For years I have pondered upon the ultimate question, why people do not put their weights back in their correct position in the gym. Wouldn’t our weight lifting sessions be a blessing if we didn’t have to dodge obstacles, send out search parties for missing equipment and perform inter-set sets when unloading someone else’s weights?

From a safety point of view, it is critical. All it takes is for one person to trip over a dumbbell to hurt themselves. Further, they could trip over something and fall into someone performing an exercise, causing a severe injury. Further, it is very dangerous leaving very heavy weights around for someone else to put away. It’s not uncommon to see someone leave hundreds of kilograms on a piece of equipment for the next person to unload. This is a major safety issue when the next person is quite weak and cannot handle a 20kg plate in a safe manner.

It also should come as common sense that this is common courtesy for fellow gym patrons. Be bothered to put the weights back in their correct place, it really isn’t that hard.

Ultimately it is the gym’s responsibility to ensure that the weights are in their correct place for OH&S. Some gyms are better than others (my regular gym isn’t all that great, yet the gym where we train clients is excellent). I really think that whilst we should be diligent in returning our weights to their correct places, so too should the gyms that we train at.

If you have any thoughts on this matter, please post it up in the comments section below!

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Is the Food at Subway Healthy and Good for Weight Loss? A Review.

There are so many food choices available on the market nowadays that it can be excruciatingly painful trying to ascertain what is “healthy” and what is “garbage”. There are low-fat, low-joule, high protein, sugar-free, lite, fat-free and plethora of other marketing terms used to communicate that a particular product is healthy.

So, I have decided to use Subway as a case study in this blog post. Subway’s catch phrase is “Eat Fresh” and a few years ago they began marketing within Australia quite heavily as a fast food chain that was highly appropriate for people seeking to lose weight. Do you remember Jared? Jared Fogle was somewhat of the “Subway mascot”, who lost a phenomenal amount of weight, as shown in Subway’s advertising campaign.

But the question at hand here is not whether or not Jared lost weight on the Subway diet, rather, whether or not the food at Subway is healthy and if the food at Subway is good for weight loss. In other words, is Subway’s marketing campaign accurate with the message that they seem to be implying?

As with any marketing in the nutritional field, it is not wise to rely on what the marketing campaign purports. Just because something may be low in fat, doesn’t mean that it’s necessarily “healthy”. After all, jelly beans are low in fat, but they are high in sugar and have a high glycemic index (or have very fast absorbing carbohydrates). Milk chocolate may have a low glycemic index, yet it is full of sugar and very high in fat. Low-fat butter may be lower in fat than regular butter, but it may still be 40% fat (and not the good fats either). So a good understanding of nutrition is vital when ascertaining whether or not food is actually “healthy” for you.

Coming back to Subway and whether or not it is healthy (or good for weight loss), it really depends on the actual food that you consider. Subway have a variety of foods available, all with completely different nutritional compositions. I have downloaded the nutritional information off the Subway website and am using this as my point of reference in writing this Subway review.

Let’s begin with the Subway cookies. The choc-chip cookie is 215 calories having a total of 10.5g of fat. It’s loaded with 18.2g of sugar. Other cookies from Subway are comparable and it really is a bit of a no-brainer that these cookies should generally not be consumed if you’re looking to follow a healthy approach to nutrition.

The salads, wraps and subs at Subway generally depend on the foods that you choose to add into the salad. The meat and sauces that you choose to add on can have a profound impact on the healthiness of the meal you consume. So rather than considering each item individually, let’s look at some of the fillings instead.

To begin with, all the vegetables are great at Subway! They are all fresh and packed full of nutrients. Plus, most of them are practically neutral in regards to net calorie intake. Go for your life with the veggies!

The ham, roast beef, roast chicken and turkey options are quite good, being minimally processed, relatively low in fat and good protein sources. These are all options on the “6 grams of fat or less”. Placed in a salad, you’re eating a very low calorie and high nutrient density meal. For example, a turkey salad without sauce equates to 107 calories (less than half of a choc chip cookie!). Yes, this is quite a healthy meal.

A low-fat 6-inch sub isn’t too much of a concern, assuming that you choose the correct bread and filling. Subway have just introduced a multi-grain sub, which would be a much better option than most of the breads that have available (being white breads). Multigrain will generally not only have a lower glycemic index, but also be more nutrient dense due to the wholegrains contained within the bread. A “6 grams of fat or less” sub will generally set you back around 200-300 calories. The exception is with the sweet onion chicken teriyaki 6-inch, being 352 calories; not a good option for weight loss. The high calorie content is due to the high sugar content in the sweet onion sauce.

Now, onto the Subway no-no’s for weight loss in this review.

There are a variety of add-ons that can really boost up the calorie content. For example, cheddar cheese adds in 42 calories to a 6-inch (double for a footlong). Bacon adds in 45 calories. Chipotle Southwest sauce adds in a whopping 98 calories from a very high fat content of 10.3g on a 6 inch sub! Thousand island dressing adds in 82 calories on a 6 inch – again, definitely one to avoid. The sauces at Subway can really boost up your calorie intake – so if you’re seeking to lose weight, be aware of the effect that this will have on your dietary program.

This is where it really pays to do your nutritional research. Something that is often conceived as low-fat is actually quite the opposite at Subway. Consider this – a tin of tuna in springwater found in your supermarket is typically around 80 calories. Meanwhile, a 6 inch sub at Subway with tuna contains 393 calories! Total fat content (with no add-ons) is a whopping 16.5g primarily from the tuna!

What may come as a surprise (I know it did for me) are some of the non-low-fat subs and how calorie dense they actually are. You may be shocked (and appalled) at how high in fat (and calories) a footlong meatball marinara with a couple of additives has. Let’s consider the following recipe:

1. Footlong Meatball Marinara
2. Cheddar Cheese
3. Bacon
4. Ranch Dressing

I chose these because I know someone who likes to order a footlong with this recipe! Let’s consider the calorie content of each of the above ingredients:

1. 956 calories
2. 84 calories
3. 90 calories
4. 120 calories

Total equates to 1250 calories. To put this into perspective, a Big Mac from McDonalds is 540 calories (according to the American McDonalds website). This footlong sub would be the equivalent of consuming 2.3 Big Macs (in calorie consumption terms)!! Alternatively, 1250 calories is possibly more than a female seeking to lose weight would consume in an entire day! I feel that this is fairly obviously not appropriate for anyone seeking to lose weight, let alone eat in a healthy manner.

So the lesson here is to do your research. Yes, there are certainly very healthy options at Subway, yet there are also very unhealthy options too. The same reigns true for nearly all food outlets and restaurants. It is most important to familiarise yourself with the foods that you consume from a nutritional point of view and to never (ever) rely on the marketing that is fed to you through advertising campaigns.

If you don’t feel confident in analysing the nutritional composition of foods, I highly recommend that you sign up to our free weight loss course where we discuss food in detail and interpreting this information for your own personal use.

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Drinking a Protein Shake After a Cardio Workout

It is very common to question whether or not you should consume a protein shake after a cardio workout. Protein shakes are typically associated with a post-weights workout drink to enhance muscle growth. But what about a cardio session?

Rather than dealing with whether or not you should have a protein shake after your cardio workout, let’s actually consider what a protein shake is. A typical post-workout protein shake (whey based protein powder – for example, whey protein concentrate and/or isolate), if highly refined source of dietary protein extracted from cows milk. The benefits include:

1. A higher quality source of protein
2. A purer source of protein
3. A faster absorbing source of protein

Whilst it is common to assume that a protein shake is necessarily designed to build muscle (after all, protein shakes and bodybuilders tend to go hand-in-hand), you may be missing out on many benefits by not consuming a protein shake because of this assumption. These high quality, fast absorbing proteins are highly effective in:

1. Boosting the immune system
2. Enhancing recovery
3. Enhancing your fitness
4. Enhancing fat oxidation (or fat breakdown)
5. Obviously, enhancing muscle development

Of course, your training needs to be specific to your goals – a protein shake will not aid in you accomplishing your goals if your training is not appropriate.

Following an intense bout of cardiovascular exercise, your body will be in a state of recovery. A protein shake will encourage the recovery process by providing your body with the appropriate nutrients needed to repair damaged cells. A faster recovery will encourage a greater fitness improvement response. It will also facilitate fat loss and minimise muscular breakdown after your workout.

Of course, protein powder in isolation may not have the greatest benefit in a post-workout shake (be it cardio or weights). By combining this with a fast-acting carbohydrate source, insulin release is encouraged which enhances protein uptake into cells. Examples could be dextrose or waxy maize (including BSN Volumaize).

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Training for a Specific Event – Why Strength or Fitness is only a Minor Factor

If you want to be exceptional at a specific event, you need to train your body specifically for that event. Some examples could be sprinting, bike riding, discus, long-jump or boxing. The exercises that you perform as part of your training need to be specifically targeted to the type of event so your body can exert maximal force in the most efficient manner possible.

When you undertake a completely foreign task – for example, throw a javelin as far as possible, you are going to be very inefficient at that particular movement. You may be extremely strong, but this is by no means a determinant as to how far you will be able to throw a javelin. Here are three primary considerations that will determine how far you could throw:

1. Your technique. Obviously technique is crucial. Someone with half the strength of someone else may be able to throw the javelin twice as far, just because that are able to generate force in that specific motion four times more efficiently. This covers everything from body positioning, to how you breathe.
2. How your muscles have been conditioned. If you have been training specifically for power, then you will be able to generate much more force in a short period of time, as is required for a javelin throw. Someone with good endurance capacity would not be able to accomplish this, as their muscles are more effective at lasting for long periods of time with a continual and relatively lower force output.
3. How your brain has been conditioned. Your brains forms neurological connections as you learn a new technique. If this technique is foreign, your brain will be unable to communicate with your muscles effectively. Thus, force generation will be minimal. With a mathematics equation, the more often you perform it, the more efficient you become at solving the problem. The same would reign true for any physical movement.

Other considerations such as fitness, mindset, nutrition etc. would also affect the end result of your javelin throw. However let’s focus on these three aspects listed above in this discussion.

So, how do you become extremely efficient at all three of the above aspects; technique, muscle conditioning and brain conditioning?

1. Technique will improve from practice, practice and more practice. If you wish to throw a javelin far, you need to throw a javelin. You need to be taught correct and efficient technique too.
2. Muscle conditioning will partially come from actually throwing the javelin. More importantly will be the resistance based training work that you perform in a gym. In this particular example, you would want to focus on heavy weighted, power based exercises. Many of these exercises would be compound in nature (recruiting multiple muscle groups simultaneously). You would also perform exercises that mimic the general motion of throwing a javelin, to enhance your strength in this motion.
3. Brain conditioning will come from the combination of actually throwing the javelin and the resistance based work that you do. Both of these activities will teach the brain how to interact efficiently with the muscles being worked.

Depending upon your chosen activity, the exercise prescriptions will vary widely for peak performance. Hence why it is important to hire a personal trainer to guide you to success.

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Now that I have covered the basics, I would like to provide a real-world example of this conditioning. I am personally the subject of this experiment which will conclude at the end of this month.

I’ll begin with the background. On new years eve, I was at an amusement park where there was an old fashioned “Test of Strength” stall. Basically you are given a rubber-coated sledge hammer and you have to hit the base as hard as possible. An electronic light moves up the tall display to show how hard you have hit the target. I decided to give it a go.

I had never had a go on one of these before, nor had I ever used a sledge hammer. Picking up the sledge hammer was a surprise enough as I did not realise how heavy they were!

Hitting the target proved a challenge. It was not that the sledge hammer was too heavy, but rather the movement felt foreign and awkward. I had no idea how to hit this target effectively, so I just tried to bring the sledgehammer over my head and down onto the target, in a similar manner to how other people were hitting it. I also did not feel confident that I was going to actually hit the target, so upon coming down onto the target, I backed off the force somewhat just to ensure that I was actually going to make the target.

The results were poor. Whilst other males with a fraction of my training experience were able to obtain over 100 on the score board, my scores were 79 and 83 respectively. Suffice to say these scores did not even warrant a slinky prize!

This does not come as a surprise though. Apart from having never used a sledgehammer before and having poor technique, my training prior to this had been hypertrophy (muscle building) based and not strength based.

A side note on the scores, the 4 point improvement is a prime example of the “brain conditioning” explained above. Of course, there is only minimal improvement in a single hit, but that is a 5% improvement in a more fatigued state.

So, I decided that I’d set myself a challenge over the next month. Over the next four weeks, I will train specifically for this event. I will do this by:

1. Learning correct technique and practicing this using a sledgehammer and a tyre.
2. Training specifically for explosive strength in the gym, with some specific movements that mimic those when using a sledgehammer.

In late January, I will be at a music festival where they typically have this game available. There, I will give it another shot with improved technique/confidence and more specifically conditioned muscles and mind. I will be sure to post an update on my results!

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Reviewing the Latest Exercise, Fitness & Health Science Research

Last year, our website introduced a brand new Exercise & Fitness Research Reviews section in which we regularly discuss new and exciting studies that have been carried out within the scientific community. We feel that it is very important to consider the latest fitness research, as all our training principles that we teach are based on results obtained objectively through the scientific community.

What I would like to discuss in this blog post is how to sift through the latest scientific research for your benefit in your health and fitness endeavours. There is often conflicting research that comes out of a lab, so how do you know what is accurate and what isn’t? For example, one day you may hear that margarine is better than butter. The next day, a new study will conclude the complete opposite!

At university I studied advanced science with a major in biotechnology. There were obviously a large number of studies that we needed to review and in doing so, it enlightened me as to the importance of taking one study at a time and never making any assumptions, such as any one particular study being correct over all others with conflicting conclusions.

You don’t need a science degree to understand the general concept of most scientific studies. However you do need to entertain each study with a fair degree of scepticism. Scientific studies are not perfect, especially those that deal with biology. Biology is such a complex topic; there so many simultaneous chemical reactions occurring with an organism that a scientist cannot possibly accommodate for every single variable. So, whilst one study may conclude that a particular training method may be the best approach for one particular goal, another study may conclude something different. This may be due to different testing environments, procedures, attention to detail, recording methodologies etc.

I’m fairly confident that you probably don’t wish to subscribe to a scientific journal and read through all the latest results from the lab. So the point of this article is to read abroad and look at multiple reports, rather than any one in isolation. If you hear something on the news that scientists have determined that “such and such” is the best way to lose weight – do your research before implementing this into your lifestyle. Yes, one study may have come to this conclusion, but there may be 100 others that disagree. Almost without exception, the media will portray scientific studies in a news bulletin in a highly biased manner without the reporter having done substantial research.

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The 20m Shuttle Run Fitness Test

Have you ever performed a fitness test in physical education class at school? If you have, chances are you have performed the 20m shuttle run fitness test (AKA the beep test!).

The 20m shuttle run test is a very vigorous cardiovascular fitness test. This examination is used by schools, emergency services and the defence forces. It requires you to perform maximally (ie. until you cannot continue any further). You are assigned a score from which you can determine your VO2max. Your VO2max indicates the maximum rate at which your body can process oxygen, which is how your aerobic fitness is measured. To determine your VO2max, visit our beep test calculator to input your score if you have already completed a 20 metre shuttle run fitness test.

So, how does the 20 metre shuttle run fitness test work? You set up a 20 metre running track (on a flat, hard surface such as asphalt). You are required to run back and fourth, reaching each end of your running track as each beep (or bleep) sounds.

You begin at level one, where the beeps are relatively slow. For the typical person, you would be required to perform a slightly faster than average walking pace on level one. However after each minute, you progress a level where the bleeps become faster and faster. You eventually move from a slow jog, into a faster jog, into a run.

The 20 metre shuttle run fitness test is not only a very accurate test to determine your VO2max, it is also a very effective cardiovascular workout. This is because it is a maximal test, so it will stress your cardiovascular system very effectively. Because you are chasing after an objective goal, you remain accountable during the entire cardiovascular session.

People who should not perform the 20 metre shuttle run fitness test include those at higher risk, particularly the elderly or those who have a pre-existing medical condition preventing them from exercising vigorously. If you have joint problems, this fitness test may not be suitable due to the high impact nature of running.

This week, we have just added the beep test CD into our online store! For under $20, this is a highly valuable tool to have in order to assess your fitness level and prepare for an upcoming event.

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Preventing Injury When Losing Control Performing Weight Lifting

When lifting weights, particularly heavy weights, it is easy to lose control of the weights that you are moving. This is especially true if the weights do move into an awkward position. No matter how controlled your movement, you run the risk of causing a major injury to yourself in such an instance. So, let’s discuss this topic and identify exactly what to do when such a situation arises to prevent the onset of injury.

To begin with, I was inspired to write on this particular topics today following my abdominals workout at the gym. I was performing some cable ball curls in a particularly low rep range (4-6 reps to failure). The first set went okay and I then attempted a heavier weight. Attempting to get into position for the set, I lost my balance and rolled onto the floor. Now I know what I have put some of my personal training clients through who have had exactly the same experience!!

I wouldn’t classify such an exercise as dangerous. Sure, it is quite easy to lose your balance, but the risk of injuring yourself is quite low – you’re only going to roll over onto the ground. But what about higher risk movements such as a flat dumbbell chest press, barbell bench press or shoulder presses with heavy weights? If you were to lose control of the weights you could cause some serious injury by dropping a heavy load on your head! Alternatively, what if you are performing heavy barbell squats and you lose your balance? This is a back injury waiting to happen.

Of course, you must take all necessary precautions such as ensuring that the weight isn’t “too” heavy, controlling the weight, having a spotter etc. But what I really want to talk about is, assuming you have taken these steps, what do you do in the 3 or so seconds that you have prior to potentially causing a serious injury.

Let’s begin with all of the pressing movements. Particularly in my earlier stages of training, I had some run-ins on these exercises. I distinctly remember performing an incline dumbbell chest press with very heavy weights (about 4 reps to failure). As I neared muscular fatigue, I pressed up, but moved the dumbbells backwards a little; enough to the point where I began to lose control of the dumbbells. At this point, I had a choice:

1. Try to push the dumbbells forward again
2. Let go of the dumbbells

Option 1 could have resulted in serious injury. The shoulders are in a highly compromised position and trying to move the dumbbells from behind your head is extremely risky. Option 2 really is the only viable option. In such a circumstance, you need to get rid of those dumbbells before they induce serious damage to your shoulder joint, which is extremely prone to injury. It is far safer to push the dumbbells away from your body (and thus avoiding them from dropping on your head) than trying to bring them back forward and either hurting your shoulder or dropping the dumbbells on your head.

Of course, let anyone in the close vicinity know to get out of the way of the falling dumbbells! (You should always ensure that there is no one within your immediate vicinity just in case of such an emergency).

The same approach would reign true for any dumbbell press work. Get those dumbbells out of the way. You need to ensure your own safety before you worry about a big “bang” on the floor.

With barbell presses, this is a tougher scenario. You cannot just drop the bar. This is where you absolutely must get a spotter if you are training to (or close to) failure. A spotter is also essential just in case you lose control of the barbell by pressing forwards or backwards too much. If you do get stuck down the bottom of your rep and cannot push the bar up, yell out for help. This can be a potentially dangerous situation if you are resting an excessive amount of weight on your chest.

Barbell squats are another problem area when it comes to injury. It is quite easy to lose your balance on this exercise, particularly if you are new to it as it is a very complex movement. Although this has never happened to me, I have witnessed some squatters lose their balance. Fortunately I have never seen anyone sustain a major back injury from this, but considering how susceptible the spine is to injury, it is not difficult to accomplish. So if you do find yourself losing your balance on the squats, what do you do?

If you have a spotter, have the spotter assist you in regaining your balance by hooking their arms underneath your armpits. This is usually most practical if you are only slightly off balance. If you are using a squat rack or a cage (and so you should be), you may need to just lower your body down (if safe) or drop the bar down onto the rack. If, for some reason, you are performing squats with no squat rack and find yourself falling over – just let go and drop the bar. Your goal when you are losing control of the weight is to get that bar off your back so it doesn’t seriously hurt you.

Because you only have a limited amount of time if something does go wrong when weight lifting, you are heavily reliant on your reflexes. Never try to move a weight if you are in an awkward position – if all else fails, get that weight away from you as quickly and safely as possible. Prior to initiating your exercise, ensure that your exercise space is well clear so you don’t present any risk to surrounding people just in case something does go wrong.

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Weight Loss and Good Intentions to Exercise

If you’ve been struggling to lose weight because you don’t ever get around to exercising, then this article is for you. Do you feel like you always have good intentions to exercise, yet everything just seems to get in the way so you don’t have the time to exercise?

This is a common scenario for many people. Our lives are so jam packed with activities that exercise can eat up some crucial minutes of your day!

Whilst you may have the best of intentions, it is an all too common scenario for other tasks to be more urgent/important than your exercise session and therefore take precedence. Typical examples could include work deadlines, meetings and sudden unforeseen circumstances like a car or computer breakdown. These are all very important events in your life, but they do get in the way of your plans to exercise.

It doesn’t take a genius to identify that good intentions will not do anything for your weight loss goals. You may intend on completing daily workouts for the next week – but if no exercise sessions actually get completed, you’re not going to make any progress whatsoever. It’s also easy to justify the lack of exercise during a week by blaming certain urgent circumstances that arose and reminding yourself that you did have good intentions to exercise.

Ultimately if you find yourself in this situation, you (and only you) need to do something about it. If your weight loss goals are important enough, you are going to have to sit down and figure out a way in which to organise your week so you do get your exercise sessions completed. More often than not, it all comes down to developing a plan. Introduce some structure into your week so you have some foundation from which to work from.

If you are going through the week and reacting to all the events that come your way, you are never going to be able to follow a consistent approach to exercise. Reacting to your environment, whilst instinctual, is an impulsive and unstructured approach to weight loss. By doing this, you are effectively putting the exercise on the back-burner and leaving it up to fate to decide whether or not you will get time to exercise. You may have good intentions to exercise, yet you are not being pro-active about exercise. In this situation, it is important to identify that the reason you are unable to exercise is not due to external circumstances – it is because you have failed to plan effectively.

Your plan is going to be completely different from anyone else’s depending upon your lifestyle. Maybe you need to get up a little earlier and exercise first thing in the morning. You may need to exercise on your lunch break, or maybe on weekends. You could try performing shorter workouts, changing gyms, exercising at home or taking up a sport. Whatever it is – you need to work out the most appropriate plan for you and your lifestyle.

Further, you need to keep yourself accountable. If you feel that you need an external source of accountability, try exercising with a friend or hiring a fitness professional such as a personal trainer. You need to be pro-active about your weight loss goals and take the necessary steps to get into an effective exercise routine.

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