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February 2018

Good Fats - Fish, Oil, Nuts, Olives

Don’t go to extremes with fats in your diet

Leave a Comment / Fitness Blog, Nutrition / By dannilou03

No one macro-nutrient (carbs, protein or fat) is the villain when it come to body composition. Ultimately energy balance (energy in vs energy out) is still key. We’ve seen a switch away from fats being bad to fats being good, which is great as having fats in the diet is important. It is also valuable …

Don’t go to extremes with fats in your diet Read More »

Watch as I show you how to Warm Up your Lower Body

Watch as I show you how to Warm Up your Lower Body in 5 to 7 minutes to get ready for any gym session. Let me know in the comments if you found this helpful and if you want to see an Upper Body Warm Up plan.

#StrengthTraining
#SmartTraining
#ProgressiveOverload
#WorkoutWisdom
#WarmUpRoutine
#FitnessGoals
#StrengthCoachTips
#WarmUp
#buildstrength

In this week's episode of The Smart Strength Train

In this week's episode of The Smart Strength Training Podcast, I am answering: Does Cardio Affect Your Ability To Gain Muscle?

Listen to a snippet where I talk about how all cardio is not created equal.

🎧 Subscribe and Listen wherever you get your podcasts
📺 Or watch the episode on my YouTube Channel

#AndyVincentPT #SmarterStrengthTraining #trainsmart #podcast #fitnesspodcast #strengthtrainingpodcast #avpt #onlinepersonaltraining #Cardio #fitnessmyths

Your ability to recover from training, specificall

Your ability to recover from training, specifically hard/progressive training, is crucial.

When we train we push the body beyond its current physical capability, then we adapt to that training bout. We adapt through recovery. So without sufficient recovery, training only gets you 50% of the way there.

How to recognize the signs:

1. Persistent Fatigue: Feeling unusually tired all the time, despite getting adequate sleep, can be a sign of under-recovery.

2. Elevated Resting Heart Rate: An increased resting heart rate in the mornings can indicate that the body is stressed and struggling to recover.

3. Poor Sleep Quality: Difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep, despite feeling tired, can be a symptom of being under-recovered.

4. Mood Changes: Increased irritability, depression, or lack of motivation can all be signs of insufficient recovery.

5. Decreased Performance: A noticeable decline in performance during workouts, such as reduced strength, slower reaction times, or decreased endurance. It’s key to log and know your metrics so you can measure this.

6. Increased Muscle Soreness: Prolonged muscle soreness that lasts for several days post-exercise may indicate inadequate recovery.

7. Frequent Illnesses: If you’re getting sick more often, it might be due to a compromised immune system from not recovering properly.

8. Appetite Changes: Under-recovery can also lead to changes in appetite, either increased or decreased, which can affect nutritional intake and further impact recovery.

One of the challenges is some of these issues will overlap with life as a whole, being a parent, work stress, etc. So trying to recognize these signs can be tricky, but it’s important to pay attention to how you feel and not to try and mask fatigue with caffeine, soreness with ice baths and therapy guns, etc.

The world of 2024 fitness often promotes tech and recovery aids instead of focussing on adjusting training and sufficient nutrition - too often people are under-fueling with the aim to lose weight while training hard. Which is why it’s so important to focus on training for performance so you can see the signs that you might be under recovered

😱 CARBS 😱 The big scary carbohydrate, here t

😱 CARBS 😱 The big scary carbohydrate, here to ruin your diet and make you gain weight.

It's time to separate the facts from the fiction, such as why you should not be cutting a whole food group out of your diet and why we need carbs. Swipe through and let me know your thoughts in the comments.

#trainsmart #strengthtraining #womenthatlift #AVPT #StrengthTraining #FitnessGoals #carbs #nutrition

Guilt 🤝 Dieting Why do these things keep getti

Guilt 🤝 Dieting

Why do these things keep getting put together?

My latest episode of the Smarter Strength Training Podcast discusses how to lose weight without tracking, how to maintain weight loss, and, more importantly, how good habits with low-hanging fruit could be the key to starting to make impactful changes.

🎧 Subscribe and Listen wherever you get your podcasts
📺 Or watch the episode on my YouTube Channel

#AndyVincentPT #SmarterStrengthTraining #trainsmart #podcast #fitnesspodcast #strengthtrainingpodcast #avpt #onlinepersonaltraining #dietculture #diets

When you encounter a workout prescription of 4 set

When you encounter a workout prescription of 4 sets of 4 reps, how do you load each set?

A common misconception is to interpret this as 4 sets at your 4-rep maximum. While not inherently incorrect, this approach is exceptionally demanding and, from a strategic standpoint, questionable.

If your goal is to enhance strength, it’s unnecessary—and arguably unwise—to lift your maximum weight across all four sets. Such an approach limits your potential for progression, leading primarily to excessive fatigue rather than the desired outcome: progressive overload.

A more intelligent strategy involves gradually increasing your load. Begin with lighter weights in sets 1 to 3, ramping the weight up a bit each set while reserving the final set for your maximal effort. This methodology not only safeguards your technique but also increases the likelihood of consistently lifting heavier weights.

Alternatively, as in the example here: I perform two sets at approximately 75% of my max, concentrating on speed. Then, I proceed with two “heavy working sets,” incrementally increasing the weight so that only the final set reaches the peak load.

To complement this, I include a single “back off” set performed at a lighter weight for higher reps. This serves to build endurance and capacity, offering the dual benefits of mental challenge and physical “pump.”

Over a decade of discussions with fellow coaches has yet to reveal a compelling argument for performing all sets at maximum load for improved strength. Therefore, this post aims to broaden your perspective on low-rep training, providing alternatives that balance intensity with smart, sustainable progress.

#StrengthTraining
#SmartTraining
#ProgressiveOverload
#WorkoutWisdom
#MaxEffort
#LiftingStrategy
#FitnessGoals
#StrengthCoachTips
#GymScience
#buildstrength

Are You Lifting Heavy Enough? 💪🏋️ When pe

Are You Lifting Heavy Enough? 💪🏋️

When performing unilateral or split stance lower body exercises, people are often, and quite rightly, cautious not to push themselves too hard. However, as you apply the rule of progressive overload over time and consistently practice the exercise, you should become more skilled at the task and more capable of managing the force. 📈

This progression will naturally lead to a point where you can push the movement extremely hard.

Exercises like:

1️⃣Split Squat
2️⃣Bulgarian Split Squat
3️⃣Split Stance RDLs
4️⃣Split Stance Hip Thrust

are the ones I specifically expect people to be able to handle heavy loads with. They are much more stable than unilateral movements. And because of this stability, you’ll likely physically and mentally need a break before switching legs. 🦵🔄

Of course, if you’ve had a specific injury at a joint the movement loads through, I’m not advocating for reckless loading. ⚠️

But, on average, I don’t see nearly enough people in the gym pushing these types of movements hard enough.

I expect some comments about how "if you're super fit, you won't need to rest" - but that wont be enough, if you can automatically switch, you're still not pushing hard enough for the goal of strength or increasing muscle. Certainly, a fit person can manage their heart rate better, but that’s not the only thing you’re trying to recover from between sets. Split squats are notoriously taxing because the neuromuscular demands are huge. When taken to the point you don’t have a single rep left in the tank, it won’t matter how fit you are. You will need a moment to psych yourself up to go again. 💥

Takeaway: If you have good experience with split stance and unilateral exercises, don’t be afraid to go a bit heavier and embrace the challenge of taking these close to failure. 💯

#FitnessJourney
#StrengthTraining
#ProgressiveOverload
#SplitSquats
#HeavyLifting
#GymMotivation
#LegDay
#PersonalTraining
#FitnessGoals
#WorkoutTips
#StrengthAndConditioning
#MuscleBuilding
#GymLife
#HealthAndFitness

I had a direct message about this topic, specifica

I had a direct message about this topic, specifically asking whether they should reduce rest periods, increase their reps or sets, or do more exercises in a session.

The answer is a resounding “No!”

It’s essential to understand that some cardio sessions, like VO2 Max, Sprint Intervals, and Met-Cons, will inherently feel very different from strength training sessions.

Do not fall into the trap of believing that ending a session in a puddle of sweat signifies a successful workout. Yes, some sessions per week can focus on conditioning and capacity, but this should differ from the goal of your strength sessions.

What’s Your Goal With Lifting Weights?

The objective is to build muscle and get stronger, right? For this, leaving the gym utterly exhausted isn’t the objective.

During weightlifting, your focus should be on progression with load or volume. This means having sufficient rest to maintain or even improve your output level for the next set. If you can’t match or exceed your previous set’s performance, you likely need to recover adequately between sets, which can impede your progress.

Turning weight training into cardio sessions has been popular for a while but needs to be revised. While Weight Training Intervals (WTI) can benefit those already strong and muscular, they are ineffective at building strength or muscle mass.

However, integrating WTIs at the end of your sessions is an option, provided most of your lifting is gradual, methodical, and progressive.

Consider structuring your week like this:

Day 1️⃣: 5k run - a timed, hard run. #sweatymess

Day 2️⃣: Full-body lifting, leaving you feeling fantastic and pumped after hitting some personal bests.

Day 3️⃣: 60-minute Zone 2 cycle - slightly sweaty but overall energised.

Day 4️⃣: Full-body lifting with a 10-minute WTI - your session is primarily gradual and structured, with the WTI added for that hard training feeling.

Day 5️⃣: Yoga and mobility.

Incorporating different modalities throughout the week ensures a well-rounded program that avoids burnout and facilitates consistent progress.

A lot of people need this mindset shift within their training.

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