Core Strength

When it comes to the core people simply think of the abdominals, forgetting the back and other stabilising muscles around the shoulder girdle and pelvic girdle, being the foundation of trunk strength but they are only a small part of what makes up the core. It is weak and unbalanced core muscles that can be linked to low back pain. Weak core muscles result in a loss of the appropriate lumbar curve and a swayback posture. Stronger, balanced core muscles help maintain appropriate posture and reduce strain on the spine. Because the muscles of the trunk and torso stabilize the spine from the pelvis to the neck and shoulder, they allow the transfer of power to the arms and legs. All powerful movements originate from the center of the body and never from the limbs alone. Before any powerful, rapid muscle contractions can occur in the extremities the spine must be solid and stable and the more stable the core, the more powerful the extremities can contract. Training the muscles of the core helps correct postural imbalances that can lead to injuries. The biggest benefit of core training is to develop functional fitness; the type of fitness that is essential to daily living and regular activities like lifting and moving objects. Core exercises to include in your workout are; The plank – take up the press up position with feet together and lower onto elbows with hands flat on floor and elbows under shoulders, keep body in line from ankles through the hips to shoulders for twenty seconds plus. Yoga Plank – take up the press up position again but bring hands in directly below shoulders and feet together and maintain this position with ankles, hips and shoulders all in line. Side Plank – lie on side with feet on top of each other and elbow directly under shoulder, bring hips up so spine is in a neutral position and hold with ankles, hips and shoulders in line. Daniel- PT

Top five bodyweight exercises

The ultimate in workouts has to be your own body weight; you can go to any gym and see everyone doing resistance workouts, dumbbells, barbells, Power plates and studio classes.
Occasionally you see the odd person doing standard press ups at the end of a chest workout or a few variations on there abdominals.
You never really see anyone doing a complete bodyweight no holds barred workout, why is bodyweight training so good

Benefits of bodyweight training:

It's free
Variations are endless
Minimum amount of space required
Can be conducted anywhere
Strength is relative
Body worked functionally
Speed, plyometrics, strength, endurance, stamina, flexibility, movement, are all incorporated

Top five exercises include

PRESS UPS
This is the original bodyweight move and is a great exercise for hitting the chest, shoulders, back and arms, there are many variations and by adding a bit of elevation the range of movement and motion can be increased<strong>.

Variations include

Military Press Up
Toblerone's
Marine press up
Bouncing bomb
Exploding bomb
Bronson press up

BURPEES
This has to be the bad boy of the all over bodyweight exercise; this is a favourite with the British Military and martial artists. Once the subject of unfounded bad press most people ignored this exercise but having never left the top five it has made a dramatic come back.

Variations include

Stand Up burpee
Jump Burpee
Bastardo
Rolling squat burpee
Bouncing burpee
Half burpee

SQUATS
Squats are a great exercise, many people owing to western culture only squat at right ankles, ignoring the Posterior kinetic chain and the elastic energy of the hamstrings and glutes when firing correctly. The squat is also a great indicator regarding hip and ankle mobility or lack of.

Variations include

Jump Squats
Gun Drills
Squat Thrusts
Knuckle squats
Split Squats
Pistol Squats

PULL UPS
Versatile and a mass builder for the back and arms, different variations will allow you to progress quickly, often seen as a test of strength most people find them difficult.

Variations include

Chin up
Side to side
Around the world
One handed
L sit
Parallel
Add a rope, towel, suspension system for variety

ABDOMINALS
The holy grail of exercises, in that we want them, but can't seem to find them. Fear not the six pack is there but don't fall into the "I must do 200 crunches everyday" as the abdominals need to rest like every other muscle group.

Variations include

Ab Roll outs
Super crunches
Double V sits
Jesus Curls
Side plank/oblique twists
Bicycle
Crunches

I need your opinion!  Leave a comment with your favourite bodyweight exercises

Brian Fernie
MMA CSCC
Master Personal Trainer

Pull Up's the action man exercise

The ultimate upper body workout, you will have seen it the action movies the hero gets ready for the fight and pushes out a quick set of pull ups.

Pull ups build and strengthen your back, shoulders and arms and help you achieve the perfect V shape.

The pull up and all of its variations are not easy to perform and do require a certain amount of strength and technique. If performed correctly and integrated into a training programme significant gains can be seen quickly.

By pulling your body weight upwards from an action of pulling the hands downwards from above your head does involve a big range of motion and places a lot of pressure on your muscles; however the gains out way the cons.

Many people and trainers abdicate the lat pull down machine and seated overhead press in order to progress your pull ups, This won’t aid you in anyway only by executing pull ups and the variations will you progress.

In order to get started and if you are a gym member try using the weight assisted pull up machines which can be found in all gyms, be wary though as you may be lulled into a false sense of security.

If your outside or not a gym member find a bar or tree that can easily be grasped by yourself and execute jump pull ups as follows

Stand below the bar

Use a box step if you have to

Use overhand or underhand grasp andgrip the bar and jump up slowly lower yourself to the ground

as soon as your feet touch the ground jump again repeat

One great piece of advice comes from Pavel Tsatsouline a former Russian spetnatz trainer which he terms as "greasing the pole" which in layman's terms means do a pull up every chance you get.

Pull/Chin up Variations

Here is a list of some types of variations in order to progress your pull/chin ups

Jump up's

Assisted pull up's

Weighted Pull ups (attach a weight belt or dumbbell)

Kipping Pull Up's – use the legs in a swinging motion to create hip thrust, this is a favourite with cross fit athletes

Side 2 Side- pull up taking left shoulder to left hand lower repeat to opposite side

Round the world- chin to one hand slide across to the other hand and return to start position

One arm pull up – Grab the bar with one hand place the other hand on the wrist for support

Clap pull up – standard chin up as you reach the top of the pull execute a clap return the hands to the bar and lower

Doris pull ups- execute a burpee below the bar, explode up from the down position and execute a pull up drop and repeat.

Other variations include the use of towels, ropes chains and partners.

I want your opinion, leave a comment on the ultimate pull up you use.</p>

Brian Fernie
MMA CSCC
Master Personal Trainer

Pull for Success

Hi I am Daniel O’Donnell, Personal Trainer at T.O.D Coaching, and I am going to tell you how to become stronger with one move.

Do you want a more powerful upper body, a better posture or just to look good and feel more athletic? Well then drop the weights and get pulling! The effective and universal pull up has been around for decades and is a real test of upper body strength and body balance but is often avoided due to it being too hard or because the knowledge of its effectiveness is not known. People often focus on the ‘mirror muscles’ or ‘beach muscles’ when it comes to getting fit and neglect the bigger and more important muscles of the back. These muscles stabilise the spine and shoulder girdle giving you a stronger base to perform other tasks for example a bench press, picking your child up or performing better in your chosen sport or hobby.

The pull up is a bodyweight exercise executed by an overhand grip and pulling the chest up towards the bar, the shoulder blades should be pinched together while keeping the lower body rigid then lower until the arms are fully extended . Breathe in while pulling then out on the lowering phase controlling the movement to prevent locking of the elbows.

The pull up will strengthen the often injured rotator cuff which is essential for stabilising the shoulder and if trained and maintained can help any novice gym goer or athlete push more weight or become more efficient at other exercises or day to day tasks. The pull up is a compound exercise and due to the number of muscles used with this exercise it is a great one for burning fat as it uses the arms, shoulders, chest, upper back and the core which all include the biggest muscle groups within the upper body. Also an added benefit of the pull up is the work out it provides for the shoulder girdle and core which are essential in fixating and stabilising the areas around the spine therefore improving posture.

To improve, increase or just do your first pull up follow these exercises twice a week and you will have success like never before:

Day 1     Chin Up                                3-5 sets                                6-12 reps

                Low Pulley          3-5 sets                                8-12 reps

Day2      Inverted Row    3-5 sets                                6-12 reps

                Dumbbell Row  3-5 sets                                8-12 reps

Perform these exercises with your current workout plan and when you can complete more than 8 chin ups and inverted rows try the next group:

Day1      Pull Up                  3-5 sets                                6-12 reps

                Prone Fly             3-5 sets                                8-12 reps

Day2      Alternate Grip- 3-5 sets                                6-12 reps

                Pull Up

                Single Arm-         3-5 sets                                8-12 reps

                Pulley

Daniel O Donell (much loved by old ladies)
Personal Trainer