Us Ageing Athletes

I have written several short articles as well as shared some good posts on training as we age. It is an important topic as we are living longer and learning more about how much we can still actually do as we age rather than follow old tradition and accept that as we age we become useless and decrepit.

This is quite a mindset change for those already in their later years, it’s not too late for this demographic but it is harder to make the necessary changes to mind and body. If those who are moving through their 40’s and 50’s now are not already active and training then it is time to get moving. It is not too late and changes can be made. Those who are even younger have more to lose and can also make greater gains. Any activity at any age is better than none, but the right activity for your age will be far more productive.

It is during our 40’s and 50’s that our lives tends to be the busiest in terms of work and family. Climbing the career ladder, running around after our children as glorified taxi drivers and supporting them as they move through their teenage years in growing up and studying hard.

Finding time for ourselves can be a challenge, and if we want to continue to be able to support our families and have the energy to progress our careers then we need to keep ourselves fit and healthy.

This can be different from the training we may have done in our 20’s when how we looked or how we performed in our chosen sport was the priority. Now we need to consider what we can still do as well as what our training and lifestyle goals are too. Keeping mobile, fit and healthy must come higher on the priority list than washboard abs and bulging biceps. That said, this is still possible too with the right training programme and determination.

As I’ve said before we lose muscle at an ever increasing rate as we age, our metabolism slows down and we take longer to recover during and from training sessions. With this in mind it is clear that there are certain training goals that should be part of the programme irrespective of the individual’s personal goals or preferences.

• Train to keep and gain muscle mass
• Take appropriate recovery and rest between exercises and training sessions
• Ensure appropriate nutrition for lifestyle goals and training aims
• Employ both steady state and high intensity conditioning training methods
• Listen to your body!

Training to maintain or gain muscle mass can be achieved by progressive overload of those muscles. That overload can be in the form of an increasing resistance or load, an increase in repetitions or a decrease in rest time. For high intensity conditioning Tabata or HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) would be most appropriate. This includes Les Mills Grit, Crossfit and Metafit type training.

Stretching and mobility work is essential as we age to maintain joint range of motion, Yoga and ensuring as full a range of movement as possible when exercising will help in this too.

There are some great Master’s programmes and groups out there, Crossfit does this well as do many bodybuilding and weightlifting clubs and organisations.

However, this may not be for you and you may wish a more flexible or bespoke approach. If you want more specific help and advice on any aspect of your training plan then please do not hesitate to contact me on tsilvester@getcoached.net or via my Facebook page Get Coached.

A Health & Fitness Rant!

This is going to be a bit of a rant!

I have been involved in the fitness industry in one way or another for over 30 years now and have seen many changes over those years, but also and disappointingly so, no changes in certain key areas as well.

Let me start by saying that this is a great industry to work in, and I wouldn't still be involved if I didn't love what I do. However, it is also very frustrating on many levels and this is my rant! I would like you to see it as also a question and obviously these are my own opinions. I acknowledge that I am not the most knowledgeable or experienced PT out there, but I do strive to be as good as I can be though, and I’m always looking to learn.

"Always looking to learn"

One of my biggest frustrations is the ongoing lack of coaching standards in the industry. Active IQ have gone a long way towards improving this area of concern and their courses are going a long way to upping the standard of coaching and quality of knowledge within the fitness industry.

That being said I still see really poor coaching practice, shabby programmes and inappropriate exercise choices. PT clients and gym members are being let down badly here, the image of the industry is getting damaged and we being seen as unprofessional and ill informed with a real lack of depth in our knowledge.

"PT Clients & gym members are being let down"

People are leaving college courses not knowing how to coach basic exercises, having no understanding of simple anatomy or exercise physiology or even being able to engage in a conversation with a potential client. University graduates with relevant industry degrees have the necessary theory but very little or no practical coaching experience.

People have been training since before Milo first lifted the calf, there is very little that is new in the Health and Fitness industry in terms of strength or fitness training. Yes we are able to monitor and record progress more accurately with modern technology. We are more informed with regards to nutrition and how it impacts our bodies. We can periodise training programmes and tailor them to our clients individual needs to be more effective and goal oriented. Essentially though, we haven't changed much as human beings in that we still have the same basic anatomy and physiology as Milo, yes some of the goals may have changed and the reasons for training may have changed too. So why are we  trying to write over complicated programmes, take nutrition and dietary plans to extreme and even dangerous levels? We need to stop trying to impress our customers and clients with complicated programmes and fancy design layouts, keep it simple and on task.

"We haven't changed much as human being"

Social media allows us to share a huge amount of great knowledge and communicate with people we may never actually speak to or meet. However, it also means that some of that shared information can be either misleading or wrong; whether this is done deliberately or unintentionally doesn't matter, someone will be affected by it.

Social media also allows people to promote themselves and their businesses which is great (I do), but to be honest there are some really shallow, self centred and narcissistic individuals out there who's only focus is themselves.

Fortunately the gym I am currently based at doesn't have any individuals fitting this description. Now this narcissistic self promotion may appeal to certain people and their need to be “that person”. However, for a large percentage of the population it will only be off putting and serve to further damage the industry's reputation as being full of self interested, and vacant but buff bodied individuals.

"Narcissistic self promotion"

Another major frustration of mine lies in the effort people put into their training versus the results they expect to get.

I know that everyone has different goals, different training abilities and varying levels of fitness but please don't turn up at the gym or class to train and then sit on your phone or chat, blocking kit from being used or taking up a class space that someone who does want to work could use.

Don't expect to get results if you are not going to put in the effort, don't blame someone else for your own lack of hard work.

Train as hard as you can, this might be more or less than the next person and that's fine. It's not a competition with them, it's about being the best you.

If you train to look good then train hard and get messed up in the gym and you will look better out of the gym.

If you want to physically change your body then you will need to be consistent in your training and work hard enough to elicit the changes you want.

"Be consistent in your training"

So, rant more or less over! This is a great industry and I have enjoyed and continue to learn my time as a gym instructor, gym manager, gym user and now personal trainer. We need to continue to improve ourselves and our industry and to educate our customers and clients so that we all benefit and achieve the goals we set ourselves.

You can reach me on Facebook via my page @getcoached.net and FB messenger, and via email on tsilvester@getcoached.net

Why Do HIIT Workouts?

High Intensity Interval Training has become a popular, mainstream training mode that offers many benefits both for fitness and health.

“Why should I do HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training)?”

I have written about HIIT workouts before, Olympic Lifts & HIIT and Train Less For More but here I want to go into a little more detail on what it will do for your body's fitness, strength and health.

Let’s start by defining what a HIIT workout is - High Intensity Interval Training involves short periods of hard work with short rest or recovery intervals in between.

HIIT has also been called HIIE (High Intensity Intermittent Exercise) or SIT (Sprint Interval Training) with this latter version associated more often with field sports conditioning or cardiovascular training.

HIIT is very anaerobic in nature and will certainly challenge you but it is a shorter workout in general than most set and rep type sessions.

“Can I build muscle doing HIIT workouts?”

Absolutely! Have you seen some of the Crossfit athletes? These guys are in good shape and the majority of their workouts are HIIT based. As long as your muscle is put under appropriate training stress to overload it with resistance of some kind then it will adapt and grow. HIIT will not elicit maximal hypertrophy, to achieve this you will need to follow a specific training programme with good appropriate nutrition as well.

Progressive Overload is a training principle that has been around and understood for a long time. Milo of Croton, a 6th century Greek wrestler lifted a newborn calf onto his shoulders and repeated this every day as the calf grew until some 4 years later Milo was lifting a bull!

This is a story that is often used as an anecdote to progressive loading and can be applied to traditional strength and hypertrophy training as well as HIIT and Crossfit type workouts.

“Can I get fitter as well as stronger doing HIIT workouts?”

Definitely! HIIT will place a huge demand on your cardiovascular system as well as generate large amounts of lactate. This will increase lactate tolerance and raise your lactate threshold too; both of which are important for improving anaerobic fitness.

Using resistance such as barbells, dumbells as part of your HIIT workout will help increase your strength endurance, boost your metabolism and increase your calorie burn!

"What are the health benefits?"

HIIT workouts have been shown to help reduce the risk of metabolic diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular and coronary artery disease as well as atherosclerosis. There is also evidence that HIIT can increase arterial elasticity which decreases with age.

“Should I only do HIIT workouts?”

Not necessarily, you can as there is enough variety in HIIT to ensure you don't get stale, bored or stop adapting to the training.

However, HIIT can also be incorporated into a strength or endurance workout plan as well and in fact will add considerably to both. It is an extremely versatile way to train as the equipment you use varies, there are body weight options if travelling for business or pleasure and you don't need a huge amount of space for most of the workouts!

“How will I stay motivated if they are so tough?”

The great thing about most of the HIIT workouts is that they have some sort of target. This is usually in the form of working out for a set time i.e. 40s work 20s rest for 10 sets so you know of you have to keep moving during the work efforts; another example would be having a set number of reps to complete as quickly as possible for the given exercises i.e. 15, 12, 10, 8, 5 of each exercise.

Seeing your times come down or your reps increase will keep you motivated as it shows you are definitely getting fitter and stronger!

So you can see that there are many options, variations and benefits from HIIT workouts and that you don't have to make many changes to your current workout plan in order to incorporate them.

To find out more about HIIT and how to plan your training Get in touch with me on tsilvester@getcoached.net or to get more HIIT workouts and challenges subscribe to my closed Facebook group The HIIT Works by Get Coached via my Facebook page Get Coached

It's Easier Than You Think.....

No seriously, it really is!

If you are not as fit as you would like to be then getting fit (fitter) can be a daunting challenge. Especially if you've had a quick look of Facebook or Instagram for some inspiration and come across pictures of unbelievably toned and muscled young men and women who are portraying the latest training routine, fitness trend or product!

However, rest assured that most of these guys and girls are models and do this for a living!

It is also important to understand that Rome wasn't built in a day, so take that first step of many and begin your fitness journey now. If not, then a year from now I guarantee that you’ll wish you had so do your future self a favour!

Regrets are no use to anyone

Doing a ten minute walk every day is way better than doing nothing, you are lapping those people sitting on the couch! Step by step literally, on the road, the treadmill or the stepper gradually build up the time and distance that you walk for.

I really can't emphasise this enough but it is really is easier than you think. If you are not sure what to do in the gym then speak to a gym instructor or a personal trainer to show you how to use the gym equipment and to get a programme developed for you.

It should be a simple programme to start with and should address any issues or needs highlighted during the initial consultation such as postural or movement deficits. For most people this means some specific exercises and gentle stretching.

Simple but thorough consultation and programming

Your programme will gradually evolve over the weeks and months ensuring you remain motivated and heading towards your goals and targets.

A good personal trainer will also look at other aspects of your life and advise on any changes that will improve your overall wellbeing. This may be to improve your nutrition & hydration, aid sleep, reduce stress or improve your skin quality.

Here are some simple guidelines below:

• Drink more water
• Reduce caffeine intake
• Eat less processed foods
• Eat more fruit, vegetables and salads
• Sleep consistently i.e. go to bed at a similar time every night
• Be more active as in move more often (take the stairs rather than the lifts, walk at lunchtimes, get up and walk a short distance between work breaks)

These are only some generic points, your personal trainer should devise a tailored individual plan for you based on your specific needs and goals.

If you don’t have access to a local personal trainer or are unsure what is involved then please feel free to get in touch with me  via email at tsilvester@getcoached.net for a FREE Lifestyle Consultation.

Visit my Facebook page @getcoached.net or Instagram tsilvester67

Olympic Lifts and HIIT Workouts

I’ll start by saying I know that I’m going to upset some purists on both sides of the fence!

Sorry guys but this is already out there in classes and workouts, I am just giving my views and opinions on how the Olympic Lifts can be used within HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) type workouts.

Grit by Les Mills, Crossfit and various other HIIT or circuit class's use variations of the Olympic lifts in their programmes to great effect. Crossfit in particular uses barbell exercises very well and has made the more traditional lifts popular again.

So let's put this in perspective here, for those of you that feel putting these lifts into a class is a disgrace then consider this; the majority of the people that attend these classes are not looking to lift seriously (in terms of loading up the Olympic lifts or competing) and just want a good whole body workout that leaves them feeling challenged and satisfied at the end of the class. Those that are lifting for sporting gains will seek out a qualified Strength & Conditioning coach and those looking to be competitive Olympic lifters will join a weight lifting club to get expert coaching.

So why are these lifts becoming more popular in mainstream health clubs and included in gym workouts and classes more frequently?

Well the various elements of the Olympic lifts and the full lifts themselves are whole body, multi-joint compound movements that engage a lot of fast twitch muscle thus having a high calorific expenditure, a big metabolic boost effect, high EPOC (Excess Post Exercise Oxygen Consumption) as well as various other health & fitness benefits. They are fast, explosive and energy sapping; ideal for a HIIT workout!

• Multi Joint - The movement uses more than one joint in the body i.e. the squat involves the ankle, knee and hip joints
• A Compound exercise is an exercise that elicits multi joint movement such as deadlifts or military press
• Fast twitch muscle fibres are our high energy muscle fibres that enable powerful, fast movement.
• Our metabolism is the rate at which our bodies use energy or calories. Our BMR (Base Metabolic Rate) is the energy we use to live, digestion, breathing, heart beats etc
• Activity increases our metabolic rate as does an increase in muscle mass. Our metabolism can remain elevated for several hours after intense activities
• This is also linked to EPOC where intense activity has increased our metabolic rate and as such the amount of oxygen required by the body post activity
• HIIT can reduce the risk of metabolic disease such as diabetes,  cardiopulmonary and cardiovascular diseases
• HIIT can decrease age related arterial stiffness
• HIIT can increase insulin sensitivity
• Correct technique is still crucial, this will ensure that the exercise is safe and effective. Even with a lighter load there is a risk of injury (as with any exercise) if executed poorly.

The benefits are fantastic though, having coached Grit, delivered S&C to various athletes up to Olympic and Paralympic level and used them in my HIIT Works programmes I can assure you of their effectiveness.

I hope you found this motivational?

There are several options for you to find out more/get more from your HIIT workouts;
You can you our HIIT Works closed Facebook group @TheHIITWorksbyGetCoached or email me at tsilvester@getcoached.net or go to www.getcoached.net/the-hiit-works
Well there you have it, enjoy and unleash your inner athlete!

Train less for more!

Eh? I hear you ask, what is this nonsense?

How can you get more change in your body from doing less training?

Imagine fitting your usual hour of training into half an hour, you might need to adjust the weights a little or your pace on the treadmill or bike but yes you can achieve amazing results training for less time but at a higher intensity. This is hard at first and challenging if you haven’t trained this way before.

The After Burn Effect basically means that your metabolism remains elevated for longer, that you continue to use calories at a higher rate for longer after a HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) type training session than you from a standard endurance or strength session.

High Intensity Interval Training

Basically you work hard for short periods of time with shorter rest intervals or active rest in some cases. It can be a shock to the system, a thorough warm up is essential and a good active cool down to flush the lactate out of your muscles too!  

Perseverance and determination will get you through and once you see the results that can be achieved you will be convinced that this is the way to train!

HIIT has been around for awhile in various different guises and is now a major player in the fitness industry as a way to train.

There are many fitness, lifestyle and health related reasons for including HIIT in your training regime. Listed below are just some of the benefits of HIIT

• Time efficient - approximately half an hour or so training
• Strength and cardiovascular gains
• Boosts metabolism
• Increases insulin sensitivity
• Reduces age related arterial stiffness
• Reduces risk of metabolic disease such as diabetes and arteriosclerosis
• Burns more calories during and after training
• After Burn

An increased metabolism for longer after training

HIIT has so many peripheral benefits too; it’s not about how heavy a weight you can lift but how much work you can achieve with a moderate weight. The emphasis is on whole body training so there is no pressure to stick to training certain body parts on set days etc. The variety of different workouts also means that you can adapt your training easily if you are travelling for work or pleasure and the local gym doesn’t have all your usual training equipment in it. You could even do bodyweight only workouts on the beach!

Challenge, Adaptation, Change, Progress

The variety of exercises available and the constant change in the workout structure keeps the body guessing as to what is coming next, this challenge will ensure that the adaptation to training process is always working thus limiting staleness, overtraining and driving progress.

Now this is all great if you know how to structure your workouts, choose what exercises to use and in what order to use them?

There are loads of great apps and groups available to help with this and one such is the Get Coached HIIT Works programme. This is a closed FaceBook group that gives you access to free programmes, coaching videos and the chance to get directly in touch with a coach (me) to ask any questions as well as reach out to the Pages training community for feedback, input and programme shares.

To find out more about the Get Coached HIIT Works programme please get in touch with me on tsilvester@getcoached.net or leave your email at www.getcoached.net/the-hiit-works to unleash your inner athlete and be a better you!

Thanks for reading and I hope this has inspired you to try a HIIT workout or two!

It's a two way thing!

The ability to communicate (eloquently in some cases) is what separates us from the animals. It is something we learn but it is also something that is innate.

Communication is essential if there is to be understanding, and it’s definitely a two way thing.

What I mean by this is that sometimes one just needs to shut up and listen! This applies more to us coaches than the athletes or clients we work with, in fact it can be tough getting them to talk at all sometimes!

It's a two way thing!

Learning to listen, I mean really listen to what is being said can be a real challenge for some and is very easy for others. I have been told I am a good listener, I certainly like to think I am. I am not sure if this is because I am hard of hearing and from a young age have had to concentrate on what people are saying or if I do actually just pay more attention to what is being said? Whichever one it is it certainly has helped me to understand what my athlete’s and client’s needs are and to use their input and feedback to help them achieve their targets and goals.

Learn to listen!

Getting people to talk, asking the right questions and knowing when to stay silent can really help in getting a better understanding of our clients and athletes. These are basic skills that any coach should have no matter their field of expertise. If we are to do our best for our athletes then we have to be able to listen to what they need, or sometimes ask the right questions so that they are clear on what they need which may not be the same as what they want. It is down to the coach to identify, to draw out from their client what it is they need to improve, goals, targets etc.

Likewise, our clients and athletes must be able to ask us questions, challenge us and demand a high standard of expertise and knowledge from us in helping them achieve their goals and targets.

Ask questions, search for answers!

I know this is a fairly basic article and I am sure there are many, many articles and blogs out there with far more content and detail on communication. However, the point I am making here is a simple one. Talk, listen, ask questions, search for answers, it is all about communicating with each other. As I said, it’s a two way thing!

Thanks for reading this far, I hope this helps and that you’ll communicate more.

Visit www.getcoached.net and leave your email to receive updates right into your inbox.

Spice up your cv workouts!

I recently asked a client of mine if they had any questions on their training and the discussion came round to cv workouts and how to make them less boring! And that is what my next blog should be on I thought, how to make cv workouts less boring. I'll need a better title though, just to spice it up a little!

Get more done in less time!

Cardiovascular work, endurance work, whatever you want to call it is traditionally thought of as steady state work, one pace. On the treadmill or cross trainer for half an hour or so at the same speed. Lots of cv equipment has interval or hill programmes included which are great and certainly help to make the training more varied and it's this type of variation that I want to talk more about.

Do your cv workouts feel like this?

There is more and more evidence showing that HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) or Tabata type training is not only good for international athletes but for the regular gym user as well. The health and fitness benefits are many and varied and we will be covering them later in this article.

L. Véronique Billat used interval training of varying interval lengths to train high level middle distance track athletes and has shown significant improvements in endurance and speed as well as specific physiological adaptations beyond just cardiovascular improvements. The links below are citations for two of her published works on this.

http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s004210050029

http://link.springer.com/article/10.2165/00007256-200131010-00002

Her studies also showed that this training also worked with untrained individuals as well.

Dr Izumi Tabata of Tabata training also looked at the training effects of short recovery interval training bouts, see the link below.

https://breakingmuscle.com/learn/the-tabata-revolution-explained-what-why-and-how-to-tabata

This study looked at the benefits of short maximum effort intervals with very short rest intervals. This became known as Tabata rounds, 20 seconds of work with 10 seconds rest for 8 efforts equalling a 4 minute round.

Tabata and Billat’s work were originally geared towards running but have both been used with body weight and weighted exercises to great effect.

This type of training has been shown to reduce body fat, increase muscle mass, increase strength and endurance, help to reduce the risks of heart disease and diabetes, high blood pressure and can increase elasticity in major arteries which can stiffen with age.

So how do I use this to make my cv workouts less boring I hear you ask?

Below is listed several workouts that should ease your boredom a little.

The first three are based on Billat’s timings and should be completed at 85% to 95% effort with active recovery at approximately  40% to 50% effort.

The last three session times are based on Tabata’s work where each bout is near maximal effort whilst recovery is minimal effort.

Work Time	Active Recovery	Effort Repetitions	No. of rounds
2 minutes	1 minute		5 to 10 rounds
4 minutes	2 minutes		3 to 5 rounds
5 minutes	3 minutes		2 to 5 rounds
20 seconds	10 seconds	8 efforts	3 to 5 rounds
40 seconds	20 seconds	4 efforts	3 to 5 rounds
30 seconds	30 seconds	4 efforts	3 to 5 rounds

These are only some of the many variations available and should be enough for most of you to be getting on with for a while.

Best advice is to continue to include some steady state recovery training in your programme approximately once every 10 to 14 days.

To find out more about HIIT Training and how it can help you please get in touch here on by email at 

tsilvester@getcoached.net 

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy the workouts.