A quick bonus tip:

Originally coined by Chila, Peckham and Manheim, back in 1981 and used for the title of their course at Michigan State University: ‘‘Myofascial Release’’

What is fascia tissue?

Fascia is the body’s connective tissue. It's fibrous cobweb-like connective tissue found throughout the whole of the body runing from head to toe. Your fascia provides a framework that helps support and protect individual muscle groups, organs, and the entire body as a unit.

What is a strength curve?

A strength curve is a graphical representation of how a muscle generates and applies force in a specific direction. This force is then represented using three basic categories: ascending, descending and bell-shaped.

Eccentric contraction explained:

An eccentric contraction occurs when a muscle lengthens under load. An example of this would be when you're lowing yourself into a squatting position. Generally speaking, a muscle can be upto 150% stronger during an eccentric contraction than a concentric contraction. 

Concentric contraction explained:

A concentric contraction occurs when a muscle shortens. An example of this would be when you're coming up from a bottom of a squat.

What are muscle fascicles?

In anatomy, a muscle fascicle is a bundle of skeletal muscle fibers surrounded by perimysium, a type of connective tissue.

Who is Michael Goulden?

Michael Goulden is the founder of a training company and is a resistance training specialist in exercise mechanics. He has been integrating exercise mechanics with neuromuscular preparation to create a uniquely sustainable approach to health, fitness and performance.

Who is Charles Poliquin?

Charles Poliquin is recognised as one of the world’s most accomplished strength coaches, and has produced hundreds of medals, wins and personal bests for elite athletes in over 17 different sports, including athletes for both the summer and winter Olympics, the NHL, and NFL.

Who is Ben Pakulski?

Ben Pakulski, nicknamed the Pak-Man, holds an Honors Degree in Kinesiology and is an IFBB professional bodybuilder and winner of the 2008 Mr. Canada competition. In the IFBB, he finished 2nd twice in 2008.

What is a level 5 trainer?

Our level five trainers are our ‘elite’. They’re seriously experienced, and incredibly knowledgeable. They have all gone above and beyond, attending numerous industry events, clocking up multiple courses, and spending numerous hours learning through practical experience with clients. They have shown unparalleled dedication to becoming the best personal trainers possible, and have been recognised in the health and fitness industry for their level of excellence.

What is a level 4 trainer?

Our level four trainers have gone the extra mile. All of them have further industry qualifications, whether in nutrition, post-natal exercise, endurance or hypertrophy. They have attended workshops, webinars and courses to lift their learning above others in the area. They are likely to have been a personal trainer for several years, and be pushing to learn more about how they can offer the best possible advice to you.

What is a level 3 trainer?

Our level three trainers are fully qualified, with industry-recognised qualifications, but are relatively new to personal training. What they lack in experience, they will make up for in dedication and enthusiasm. All our level three trainers work closely with a more senior member of the team to ensure the Hall Training quality of service is maintained, and you make constant progress towards your goals.

Did you know?

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Dec 2016

Georgey's 12 week transformation - week 8

TAGS: 12 week transformation

 

I’ll be to the point: my weekend in Belgium didn’t go exactly as planned. Although my eating was okay (the calories lacking from my mussels were balanced out my all the steak and frites I ate, and my breakfasts were perfect), I drank far too much beer. Luckily this occurred only on the Saturday, and I was too tipsy to manage any dinner, so my calorie count was probably about right, even if my nutrition was miles off. I came back half a kilo heavier than I was before I left, and didn’t drop any body fat on Monday. Bear in mind this was doing 45 minutes of cardio per day when we were out there… this leaning up malarkey isn’t easy!

BUT since we got back, I have dropped two kilos. That stubborn scale weight finally seems to realise that my body is getting rid of fat and now it’s playing catch up. I arrived back in the UK to another de-load week, but as I was feeling strong I kept the intensity up a bit and also maintained my three hours of cardio. I’ll find out what the results are tomorrow but like last de-load week, it was lovely to take a small step back and have a bit of a rest.

I only have four weeks left (argh!) of the transformation programme. I can certainly see a difference from when I started, and because there is such a finite time period left my motivation is through the roof. Those of you who know me will know how much I used to hate cardio – suddenly I love it. It’s my best friend. I can happily do an hour on the cross trainer listening to my super-cheesy playlist. In fact, I went to do two cardio sessions today. That’s right, two. I don’t recognise myself. I need a new hole in my belt. What has this diet done with the real Georgey?

By the end of Week 9 I don’t think I will be quite so upbeat. We have just painstakingly calculated how many calories I will need per day if I want to get to my target, and the deficit is pretty big. Forget that, it’s actually massive. As well as creating the deficit through even less food and even more cardio, I will also have four weights sessions and one metabolic session to do. That means at least twelve trips to the gym each week, which is a lot, even if you want to do cardio twice per day. It’s only four weeks that I need to keep it up for though – the end is in sight and having put in so much hard work already I really hope I end up looking how I want to! There’s still a long way to go, hence the brutality of the regime.

No more beer or trips to Belgium for me! Just lots of chicken, turkey and green veg… Have a mince pie for me!

Until next week,
Georgey's signature