Sunday 23 December 2012

Not 1 gram...

I have not weighed myself since returning from Bali at the end of October but on Thursday Chris weighed me at the start of our session

I came back from Bali weighing 57.8kg and on Thursday I had not lost one single gram!
After nearly seven weeks of training hard and eating clean to see no change in my weight would normally see me completely disheartened, increasing my cardio training and/or cutting carbohydrates in a desperate attempt to get those numbers to go down.

What I now know is it is not what the numbers on the scales mean on their own. Using the BioSignature system, Chris determines the body fat and lean muscle.

Created by Charles Poliquin, BioSignature is a system based on scientific evidence that shows that an individual’s hormonal profile can be determined by the location of body fat stores. There are twelve BioSignature sites in total, with each one being a hormonal marker for what is occurring internally. Chris puts together my diet, exercise and supplementation programs based on my BioSignature measurements. This way of keeping track of my progress has worked for me so accurately over the last six months and I continue to see progress on a weekly basis!

So when you look at my measurements taken in October I weighed 57.8kg sitting at 15.1% body fat with a lean body mass of 48kgs. And last week I was sitting at 13% with lean body mass weighing 50kgs. So I lost 2.1% of my total weight made up of fat and put on 2kg of muscle. This is why I was smiling after having my measurements taken last week. Everything I have been doing over the last seven weeks has seen the correct changes in my body. My goal was to lose fat and gain muscle and this is exactly what has happened.


How do you monitor progress? How do you keep track of how you are progressing towards your goals? I think it is really important to keep track of your hard work. Seeing positive progress will keep you motivated and on track.

If you aren't seeing a trainer that can offer you BioSignature I would suggest taking your measurements; get a tape measure and measure your chest, waist and hips. You can even measure your thighs and bi-ceps. Measure these every four weeks to keep track of your progress.

Taking photos is another great way to monitor your progress. Have someone take a photo of you, in a bikini or your gym clothes, from the front, sides and back. Take the same photos again every four weeks to see how much progress you are making.

Even simpler, grab that pair of skinny jeans that you have not been able to fit in for three years. Try these on ever four weeks and see how much looser they get as you progress.

And please please stay off the scales unless someone is coming at you with skinfold calipers! ;)

Wednesday 19 December 2012

Baby got back...

So I am not going to lie, I love a good back! Backs and arms really do it for me and I appreciate a strong and toned back on both men and women! I'm happy with my back and I enjoy a massive back session and normally split my work-out with my chest.

my back :: courtesy of Chris Dufey

I think my obsession with amazing backs started when I watched Linda Hamilton in Terminator smash out pull ups like they were going out of fashion. Linda, in that movie, is bloody awesome and her body is incredible!

linda just being awesome

So 12 months ago I told myself I was going to train my body so that I could do pull ups. The other day I did two drop-sets of unassisted pull-ups; 7, 5, 3 reps. That day was a good day!

A pull up is a compound exercise meaning it works a number of muscle groups at the one time. The pull up works that many muscles it's not funny; the primary target muscles are the latissimus dorsi but also getting an awesome work out are your trapezius muscles, biceps, teres major and rhomboids which are part of your shoulder muscles, your abdominal muscles and your pelvic floor.

The best piece of advice I could give you when trying to progress your pull ups is to not give up! They are challenging, frustrating and at times you will feel like you aren't getting anywhere. Just commit to incorporating pull-ups into your work out schedule once a week and I promise you will see progress and feel stronger.

And the best way to get started is to jump on the assisted pull up machine. Looks scary, it's not! The assisted machine works on a bit of a pully system so that you have weight that counteracts your own body weight. The more weight you have above the pin the easier the pull up will be. This is a great way to progress your pull ups as the stronger you get the more weight you can take off from the weight stack.



Here is a really great piece of equipment to help you with your pull up progression; the resistance -band. Thank you to Phil and his client Tammy for being in my photo. Phil had Tammy do full pull-ups with the assistance of the band.


Another good way to progress your pull up is to jump on the pull up bar. Jump up so that your chin is above the bar and then slowly lower your body down until you arms are fully extended. This way you are working your back muscles through the eccentric (lengthening of the muscle) park of the exercise and missing the concentric (shortening on the muscle). Aim for real control throughout the half movement increasing the time it takes you to lower yourself to ensure progression.

Another awesome benefit of a pull up is that there are heaps of variations to really help you progress and get the most from each work out.

The reverse/supinated grip, where palms are facing your face, places more emphasis on your bi-ceps therefore making it the easiest variation of the pull up or chin-up, as they are also known.

The narrow/neutral grip for me is the middle of the road exercise. Palms facing inwards with the power being taken more evenly from your back muscles and your bi-ceps.


The most common and, what I think, popular pull up is the wide, overhand/pronate grip. This is also the hardest pull up as you aren't using the strength from your bi-cep to help you through the movement. I struggle with a wide grip and am still only sitting at about 2 reps. My new goal is to increase my number of reps with my wide grip pull ups.


What ever equipment you use and which ever grip you are doing on the day make sure when you are performing your pull-ups that you do not let your body sway back and forth to gain momentum. This can take work away the stress you are putting your muscles under and it can lead to injury. The best way to prevent this is by contracting your abs and keeping them tight throughout your whole set.

Don't give up...keep pulling!