“It takes 21 days to form a new habit.” This is a bit of an urban myth. Research has shown that it can take more than 2 months before a new behaviour becomes automatic – 66 days to be exact. This obviously can vary widely depending on the behaviour, the person and the circumstances.

Bit of a difference from 21 days though.

I know from my own lifestyle that getting back into a healthy routine can be challenging and getting back into training in the gym 3-4 times a week took me 3 months before I could say I wasn’t detesting it and making every excuse not to do it. It took even longer with my diet as I love to eat rubbish food choices like all of us do.

So what happens when you find yourself unable to continue with your routine? A holiday, a trip back home to see mum and dad or even a business trip?

For me, I struggle even if it’s 3 days. I’m straight back into bad habits thinking it’s ok. I’m training but I think it’s ok to eat pizza and ice-cream. Being totally honest, missing my training day – my mood levels drop massively! I end up going to bed later, sleeping in and if I’m going home to see my mum (who is a feeder) I have a home full of sugary foods to battle against.

I often go away travelling around the UK with my photography and while this can see me walking for miles carry my kit, it’s not the same as getting in the gym deadlifting, squatting and pressing. I need access to training facilities and often this is the last thing on my mind to sort out. I’m often too busy sorting out my photography kit and booking last minute trains.

I’ve tried fitness apps in the past that motivate you to train in your hotel room but they are just not my thing. I prefer being in a gym. So when I came across Gym Nomad, I was interested to find out how it could help people like me who travel but don’t want to break their training habits.

Gym Nomad has just launched in Amsterdam. It brilliantly solves the two biggest problems for anyone travelling that wants to maintain their training. First, finding the right place to train. Second, ensuring your visits don’t cost you a fortune.

Genuis

Finding your gym is really easy! The way the website operates reminds me of airbnb, which I use for most of my travels. I wasn’t overwhelmed trying to find a gym or even a class. You can even search for the a gym that has the right equipment for your needs! So no more hotel gyms without a squat rack and bar! All well within your budget too.

Then all you do is book your class or gym. During this stage you will find out about the specifics such as gym equipment on offer, the opening times and what you need to bring with you. Once you’re happy, you simply sign up for the short term membership by creating a Gym Nomad account so that you can pay for your booking. You then receive your booking code so you can quote the code when you first arrive at the venue.

It really is a great idea and I really hope this concept come over to the UK. The sooner the better as far as I am concerned.

Thanks for reading,

Best for agility: 123 back

Need to build split-second reactions and the ability to adapt on the fly? Agility training will help you learn quick-fire speed so you can make decisions on the pitch. Cone-based drills are a good way to build this kind of skill.

The 123 back is an agility training drill. You’ll need four cones and a training partner or a coach. Place the first cone where the halfway line meets the touchline. Place the next cone two strides along the half way line. The third cone should be three long strides away from the touchline. The fourth and final cone should be in the same position as the third but to the left of the first cone. See this video for a visual guide.

To perform the drill, stand at the first cone and sprint to a cone indicated by your partner. As you reach the cone, your partner should shout a new cone and you must sprint to that. This should happen ten times before you get a 60 second rest. Increase the next number of sprints to 15 cones and then rest again. The final set should be 20 cones.

Best for speed: Push up starts

Want to build sudden bursts of sprint speed like Theo Walcott and Christiano Ronaldo? Practice push up starts to really excel and learn how to blast off from rest. They’re great for emulating a player who takes an opportunity on the ball and rushes to the goal.

Push up starts are a good way of training your explosive acceleration. They’re also fairly easy to perform. Start by placing two cones on the ground 20 yards apart. Head to one cone and assume a box push up position. Jump up to your feet and sprint to the second cone. Jog back to starting position. Repeat for eight reps with a 30 second rest in between each.

Best for endurance: continuous training

Continuous training is pretty simple. It’s essentially a steady state cardio that builds aerobic endurance so you can withstand a full 90 minutes without running out of breath. There are a number of different levels of continuous training, but all equate to performing an activity at a set pace for a sustained amount of time. There are three different levels:

• Train your body to between 50 and 60 per cent of its maximal work rate in order to metabolise fat. This will see only the aerobic system being called upon, so the exercise can be performed for 60 minutes or more without issue.

• Train your body to between 70 and 80 per cent of its maximal work rate in order to improve your cardiovascular system. This will see only the aerobic system being called upon once again but, because it uses glycogen, you are likely to only be able to perform the exercise effectively for between 30 and 45 minutes.

• Train your body to between 80 and 90 per cent of its maximal work rate in order to improve your cardiovascular system and burn glycogen more effectively. Your lactate tolerance threshold will also be heightened. As the aerobic system is put under heavy strain, the activity should last from 10 minutes to a maximum of 20 minutes before resting.

Using these drills, you can really excel both on the pitch and off it, building strength and speed that will complement both your football and your physique. Read Maxinutrition’s football guides for more information.

Thanks,

There’s less than six weeks to go till the Unibet EuroHockey Championships in London and the question everyone is asking each other right now is can England upset the Deutsche and Dutch?

Since the 2012 Olympic games in London when the ladies won bronze our national hockey teams have been enjoying some great success with the ladies winning sliver in the 2014 commonwealth and the men winning bronze in the same competition.

So this years Euro Hockey Championship is sure to be worth watching, especially since there are still other countries such as Spain men and women, Ireland men and Belgium women trying to qualify for the upcoming Olympics in Rio for 2016.

So you can see just how important this Championship is.

Now I’ve been spending quite a bit of time in London of late and I’m actually going to back to London for a few days during the tournament which will give me the chance to watch England Ladies play Russia at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

COME ON GIRLS!

I’ll even get to cheer on my good friend and England Defender Sally Walton.

Now the last time I was in London I stayed at the HI Kensington Forum, which is located within South Kensington and just 2 minutes walk from Gloucester Road tube station. In fact it’s only a stone throw away from the Natural History Museum, Royal Albert Hall, Hyde Park and Kensington Palace, being totally honest it was great being located here as I was able to just jump on the tube and get to other main attractions within the city quick and very direct.

The EuroHockey 2015 will be a great family friendly environment and the perfect place to watch some world-class sport, so I’d recommend staying at the Holiday Inn Kensington Forum if you’re interested in watching it.

Naturally I’ll be supporting England but for the neutral amongst us here are the teams to watch out for;

The Netherlands women seem to be unstoppable right now but to be fair they are Olympic Champions and World Cup holders. Ellen Hoog is the FIH Player or the Year and their Goalkeeper Joyce Sombroek is Goalkeeper of the year!

The Spanish women are looking sharper and fitter than in pervious months and are more importantly looking to capitalise on recent matches after beating several higher ranked teams, as they are chasing that all important place for Rio in 2016.

On the men’s side the German men come into the tournament as current Olympic champions and winners of the Champions Trophy, however their neighbours Belgium are also strong contenders that could ruin the Germans party but don’t write off England Men either.

Interestingly enough Germany and the Netherlands have won the respective men’s and women’s events eight times apiece since 1970.

Other outside contenders in the men’s game are Ireland who after a fifth place finish at the Hockey World League Semi-Final would love to cause a major upset in London. Watch out for their goalkeeper Davey Harte who is their stand out world-class player.

So if you fancy watching some world-class sport over August get yourself and the family down to London to watch the 2015 EuroHockey Championships.

Every now and again it’s important to take some time out and relax! so I decided to take my own advice for a change and treated myself to an Indian Head Massage at Woven Heart in Solihull.

I’ve had Indian Head Massage before but it turns out I didn’t realise all the benefits you get from it – the massage can in actually fact assist with a lots of physical and emotional problems!

For the treatment I was took to a lovely room that was very relaxing and welcoming, Sarah (The Therapist) took me through the treatment and asked if I wanted to have the massage through my clothes or on my skin with oils. I selected through my clothes and in hindsight wish I selected oils now but will try that next time.

So lets have a look at four of the benefits:

• Prevention of migraines, headaches and back pain
• Detoxifies the body by stimulating lymphatic drainage
• Can relieve sleeplessness, restlessness and insomnia
• Can relieve symptoms of anxiety and depression

I’m not going to lie this last year has been a difficult year and the amount of tension in my upper back, neck and head has lead to severe migraines, headaches and back pain. If I’m honest crippling migraines where I have to remove myself from everyone and relax in a dark room.

When I had my massage Sarah applied pressure to points in the upper back, arms and shoulders so that my muscles become more relaxed and any knots would be released. At this point I could feel the warms of the massage on my skin even tho I had a t-shirt on, my muscles where become very relaxed as was I . After Sarah had worked on my back and arms so then moved up to my neck and head.

LUSH…I was in heaven, it was so relaxing having hands run through my hair and push my scalp and massage my neck, it turns out that this section of the massage reduces headache-causing blockages along with encouraging better circulation of the cerebral fluid.

I remember being at college when I was studying sport science and  the football team were treated to 6 weeks of Indian Head Massage treatments while we were in preseason training as the coach had us all on a new diet to get us fit. In the outline of the preseason we were told that the Indian head massage would also help expel waste products from the body.

I’m sure back then we were told anything but turn outs it was true is a MAJOR plus of the treatment. As Sarah’s hands were apply pressure it encourages the natural drainage of the lymph, which carries waste products away from the tissues back toward the heart.

One thing I’ve always struggled with is my sleep so much so that it even effects my partners sleep, this is normally down to stress and anxiety and after receiving my Indian Head Massage from Sarah I was experiencing a  deeper sense of well being and relaxation. I got a great nights sleep for the next four nights as I didn’t feel on edge all the time.

So I’ve mentioned a little about not sleeping due to stress and anxiety, stress is a killer and I would encourage people who are experience stress to reduce it which is often easier said than done but must be done for your health! Sarah explained to me that when she massages the head it encourages the supply of oxygen to the brain, when this happens it  help’s to improve your mood, think more clearer.

I can now see why companies employ therapist like Sarah to help their staff work better.

Over all the massage was amazing and I’m very sure Sarah has healing hands, she is ultra professional and her treatment room is very personal which I like rather than a big open salon.

This is something I am going to have again possible next week due to the benefits I got, I’d also encourage anyone within the Soilhull area to go Woven Heart for the treatment.

For more information on Indian Head Massage check out Woven Heart of Facebook.

Thanks,

Being one of the fastest growing and most popular sports, it is essential that you train properly if you want to pop your Triathlon racesuccessfully. In this regard, here are four training tips that will certainly make you a Triathlon superstar.

Start training early

Unless you are an experienced endurance athlete, you will need to train for all the three sporting activities involved as early as possible. If you haven’t been training regularly for swimming, running and bike riding for the past couple of weeks, you will need to train well and give your body some time to adapt. Remember that Triathlon makes you very vulnerable of suffering some injuries and you will need to be a seasoned sports person to finish the game successfully.

Pay for training if necessary

As far as learning new skills is concerned, it sometimes makes sense that you hire a coach for your training. Learning by yourself through trial and error can really cost you a lot especially if you are a beginner in this part of the world. As such, make a point of joining a club or have a coach working with you so that you have an upper hand in the game. Also, your coach will advise you on the best Triathlon wetsuit that you should buy to enhance your success.

Enjoy your training

People make a very serious mistake of taking their life very seriously. Training for a sport like Triathlon should be fun and while some sections could be daunting, you have to teach your mind to enjoy everything. In this regard, concentrate more on having some fun during your training sessions and avoid focusing more on the challenging aspect of the sport.

Select a good wetsuit

Selecting a good quality Triathlon wetsuitcan be very challenging especially if you are a first timer. However, it doesn’t have to come to this as you can still manage to make a great pick and participate in Triathlon successfully. According to experts, it is best that you opt for a wetsuit with the proper thickness as this determines your comfort while in underwater. Quality of construction matters a lot as it determines how long your wetsuit will last. Check the seams carefully and avoid those with a glued stitch as they are less strong and cheap. Select a wetsuit with a blind stitch as this will assure you that no water can leak through the seams.

Supplements

Supplements play a crucial role in promoting enhanced physical strength. There is a wide range available and you can improve your physical strength considerably. Taking the right supplement and at the right time is essential. CNP Professional offers a wide range of supplements that work for physical strength enhancement. The top supplements that you should really be keeping an eye on include the CNP Pro Energy and Rehydration Drink, High Protein Pro Flapjack Snack Bar, Instant Protein Dessert Mix, Post Workout Recovery Drink, Advanced Meal Replacement Drink and Low Fat Meal Replacement for women among others.

Taking these supplements will help you realise your objectives much sooner than you would really imagine. By taking these nutritional supplements both before and after workouts, you will be able to ensure that your body is able to absorb the necessary nutrients for muscle rebuilding and repair. The supplements will help your body metabolise everything efficiently and are a great way towards achieving your ideal health and fitness levels.

Exercises

Engaging in bodybuilding exercises is crucial if you want to enhance your physical strength. Experts advise that you need to perform various body weight exercises, which work your upper body and core. These are essentially referred to as the body weight exercises since no additional equipment is needed when performing them as it is just your body is required. In addition, these exercises are incredibly convenience since you can perform them virtually anywhere and at any time. For best results, it is advisable that you create a good daily regimen whereby you perform a couple of sit ups and push ups before embarking to your daily activities.

Also, to improve your physical strength, it is important that you perform various body weight exercises, which works the lower parts of your body like lunges and squats. The good thing about these exercises is that no extra equipment is needed and you can perform them at any location. In addition, make sure that you also incorporate free weights in your training regimen as well such as weight plates and dumbbells depending on how stronger you are. There are many other physical strength training exercises that you should also consider like flat bar bench presses to work out your arm and chest muscles.

In conclusion, it is possible to improve your physical strength considerably particularly if you pay more attention to supplements and exercises. CNP Professional offers a wide range of products that can help athletes achieve their goals fast and easily.

Weight loss doesn’t need to be a challenge and if you plan your course of action out correctly (just like in formula one mapping that course out), you’ll know what to expect and you’ll be able to handle your journey.

Many experts disagree on many different aspects of weight loss resulting in people getting confused. In the majority of these cases people end up being worse off than when they started, both financial and health wise.

The first important and critical aspect to know is that weight loss and fat loss are different!

Weight loss can be defined as “a reduction of the total body mass, due to a mean loss of fluid, body fat or adipose tissue and/or lean mass, namely bone mineral deposits, muscle, tendon, and other connective tissue.”

Where as fat loss is “lowering your body fat, in other words the amount of fat your body carries.”

For health reasons (and there are lots of them) I would always recommend fat loss rather than weight loss. I also believe it’s important to measure/assess what you are doing, rather than guessing. Invest in scales than measure your body fat % so you know you are burning fat rather than your muscle, tendons and connective tissue.

The next two steps in your fat loss reduction is MOVE, EAT & DRINK WATER. Moving can be strength training (bodyweight, yoga & weights), aerobic (both steady state and HIIT). You need to work with a good personal trainer who understands how your body will adapt and not just pull the latest 8-week body transformation regime from any of the health magazines and present this to you.

This is the same for you eating plan as well. The plan will be made for you and will be tailored for your goals.  Ensure that you have your amount of protein, fats and carbohydrates along with at least 2.5 litres of water!

Research also clearly shows that if you move/exercise and eat healthy you will have better results. Supplements can be helpful but don’t spend hundreds on them! Focus more time educating yourself on your diet.

Fat loss can be quicker for some than others so please be wary of miracle plans offering quick fixes, as the ultimate goal of fat loss is to improve health and quick fixes do not do this. They can actually damage your hormonal system and offset the bodies delicate balance of systems that work together to keep you functioning.

Ever wondered how actors like Tom Hanks, Russell Crowe and Chris Hemsworth under take their amazing body transformations for their new movie roles?

Simply by doing all of the above and not by buying a health magazine and following a bog standard plan from that! One size does not fit all.

Celebrities do have a luxury that we don’t with time, money and access to world-class trainers but it’s not undoable to make small changes to improve your health and build on that further.

It is worth spending to be assessed at the beginning of your journey rather than wasting money trying to do bit by bit. I’d also recommend doing a food intolerance test to help expel the foods that are hampering your health, this small quick test can make a massive difference.

It is important to remember that even though I’ve stated fat loss and weight loss are different, Chris Hemsworth would have lost muscle during his body transformation. You can clearly see Chris’ body shapes are different in both films. He would have maintained his shape by undertaking strength training as well as cardiovascular training during this stage of his body transformation.

The reason being is that each body type that he has will enable different skills to thrive and the body of THOR is not the body that a formula one racing driver requires and having the THOR body can actually hinder a drivers performance.

The endurance and fitness levels of formula one racing drivers are phenomenal from both a physical and mental aspect. Driver can perform up to 20 hours a week of endurance training and muscle training in order to perform at optimal level!

Chris Hemsworth shredded over 14kg of muscle to play the role of racing driver, James Hunt. To celebrate the release of ‘Rush’, Sky Store are offering an all-expenses-paid trip to the Silverstone Grand Prix and are throwing in exclusive pit lane access!

In conclusion, Fat loss rather than weight loss for maximum health benefits. Have an exercise and diet plan that is suited to you not everyone else. Ensure that you drink plenty of water and work with a great PT who has proven results and wants to improve your health, not just your body shape!

Thanks for reading,

I’ve been thinking about having laser eye surgery the last few weeks and have been looking into this and weighting it up. I’m still unsure if I’m honest but have decided to highlight in blog for you some information and guidance I have got of people and see what feedback I get.

Pros and Cons of Laser Eye Surgery

As the technology and techniques involved in correcting visual impairments with the use of lasers develops, an increasing number of people are exploring the possibilities of undergoing the procedure themselves. However, there is still a great deal of misunderstanding surrounding the treatment, despite companies such asOptimax offering free suitability assessments and information.

If you’re in two minds about the procedure, then this concise guide to the pros and cons of laser eye surgery aims give potential patients a better understanding of exactly what is involved.

Pro: improved eyesight

 The obvious benefit of laser eye surgery is the tremendous improvement it has on your quality of vision and the fact that glasses or contacts are no longer needed. Anyone who is forced to wear glasses or contacts on a regular basis understands how much they affect everyday life and place limitations on certain activities. The freedom afforded by laser eye surgery is the one advantage that really makes the difference. 

Pro: painless procedure

Laser eye surgery has come a long way since its early days in the 1990s and is now a largely painless procedure. No needles or injections are required for the operation as eye drops used to numb the eye. Eye drops may cause a slight stinging sensation for 10 to 20 seconds, but this quickly passes.

Pro: instantaneous results

Unlike previous types of laser eye surgery, most modern procedures have near instantaneous effects and a relatively short healing period. This means the surgery itself won’t impact your regular life and you’ll be able to enjoy the benefits almost immediately. Usually taking no more than an hour to complete, the procedure is one of the shortest and easiest you’ll ever experience.

Pro: high success rate

Studies by respected eye specialists, namely the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS) and the Joint LASIK Study Task Force, have revealed that an incredible 95.4 per cent of those that undergo the procedure are satisfied by its results. With such a high approval rate, it’s no wonder the procedure is becoming more popular.

Con: health risks

 While there seem to be few drawbacks to those that feel they require the treatment, it is always important to be aware of the risks. In a very small minority of cases, there can be complications and that can lead to a change in patients’ eyesight or even deterioration.

However, as long as a proper suitability assessment is made and patients understand the procedure, what it involves and its consequences, the risk of complications is very low.

So let me Know what you think?

Thanks,

Today I am able to highlight some key practices in regards to sports training from Aurélien Broussal Derval who was responsible for preparing Team GB Judo Players for the 2012 Olympics. Aurélien Q&A has agreed to answer 10 questions to help our readers fully understand sports training!

Q1) Can you tell the readers a little more about what you do?
Sure. I am a bit busy right now. I have been, after the successful Olympics in London on many other teams’ radar, and moved up to new projects after GB Judo. I am currently working for two teams at the same time: French Olympic Weightlifting, and Russian Judo. The way these people are training allows me to pop in and out programs easily. Plus they are developing systems, where I coach just as much as I teach and coordinate. This is a fantastic experience, very different from what I use to do in England, where I was 24/24 committed to players and program, coaching myself all the time. Of course I had Jean-Paul Bell (VI’s and Colin Oates coach) helping me out, but in France I have 3 coaches next to me, and in Russia 21 (!), coaching the way I do. Again, much more teaching, sharing, planing, and management than  I used to.

Q2) A lot of young people in colleges studying sports make the mistake of creating a training plan for a bodybuilder rather than a sports performer, what are the key differences?

I would go much further than this. I have been working in France (obviously), Spain, Great-Britain, Russia, and spent some time in Brazil. I now have a very clear view of who does what in the world of S&C. French are very influenced by athletics, Brazilian by gymnastics (they don’t do much weights), and Brits (as Americans) Power lifting. In all this countries, Body-building came along on top of these cultures. I think we need to remember what we do, what we are trying to achieve. We are not here to follow a concept, or demonstrate the superiority of the system on another. We are not here to apply the principles of another sport to ours. We are here to produce performance.
This means to me  extracting the best of every tool we’ve got, specifically to the sport. In France I try to push people to do more cleans and snatches to improve their programs. I try to make them run less, strengthen more (no joke). But in GB, I was doing exactly the same : NCSA or UKSCA made all the coaches Weight lifters. They might say they make it sport specific, but they don’t. Most of the time the weight sessions are very close to what we do with the lifters, very far from what we should do with a Judo player. Body-building is even a worth approach, killing functional and useful muscle development for a non-efficient massive muscle mass.
Please understand me well : I am not saying here Body-building isn’t good,  this is a way to improve body-weight or strength endurance. I am not saying lifts are not performant : they are powerful way to build functional strength and explosively. I am not saying cardio training and athletics should be removed from S&C, otherwise how would you go on with power all 5 minutes long in a Judo contest.
I consider the truth, if there is one, somewhere at the connexion of all this. What makes our job so great is that there is not only one way, not a ultimate tool, but an infinite variety of combinations.

Q3) Can you give an example of a strength training routine for judo?
Again, we need to look at it form the right point of view. Try to think Judo,  Judo is a 5 minutes contest, very lactic, high power endurance dimension of performance. But more importantly, it is a very (much more than observers think), a technical sport where timing is crucial. First you need to impose your grip, then you create movement to misbalance your opponent in order to get an opportunity to attack. Once you have this you need to generate enough power to throw him.

Developing the strength of a judo player needs to take all this on board: you build strength for technique, not the other way around. You must develop maximums of course, but knowing in the end this is all about power endurance. It is compulsory to dissociate contents at one point (otherwise you never get to deep and stable improvements), but you have to mix them sometimes if you want to transfer it somehow. Last but crucial point is the energetic demand: it’s not only about strength and power Judo players needs to be strong, technical, with 13mmol of lactates in blood, increasing.

A typical mid prep session could be this :
After a proper warm-up, including cardio training, judo specific and core activation.

Neural strength and power development :
Cleans warm up.
2 cleans heavy – rest 30 seconds – 4 throws maximum power – rest 120 sec – 3 times through
3 back squats heavy – rest 30 seconds – 4 throws maximum power – rest 120 sec – 3 times through
3 heavy pulls – rest 30 seconds – 4 throws maximum power – rest 120 sec – 3 times through

- Active recovery balance and judo drills on swiss ball -

Strength endurance block :
(Clean – 3 squats – Jerk) x3 – no rest – 3 judo throws with move and moderate opposition – rest 120 sec- 3 times through.

- Active recovery balance and judo drills on swiss ball -

Grip circuit:
20 Forearms rolls – 1/2 rope climbs – Hold the judogi in static pull up position for 30 sec. Rest 1 min, 3 x through.

Q4) Can you give an example of a conditioning session and explain what it is doing for the sport performer?
Let me repeat that judo is a complex, and  technical sport. Making sets of 400m will improve the performer as a runner, not necessarily as a judo player. If players fancy running, I plan it. If they don’t, or if they are heavy weights, then we have enough tools more specific to judo to make it more relevant.

An example of a judo specific lactic tolerance training. The idea is to generate the lactic situation on the bike, then to express in this context maximum power within judo moves, and finally to regenerate power in a very advanced fatigue situation.

Warm up 15 minutes, including judo drills and max accelerations.

Pre-fatigue : As many meters as possible on a bike in 45 seconds.
Judo specific (max power) : 3 times 15 sec ichi-komis (judo movements) with 5 sec rest in between and a throw after each set.
Power endurance : 5 tuck jumps (as high as possible) – 2 throws – 5 sec rest – 5 Medicine ball slams -  2 throws – 5 sec rest – 5 burpees – 2 throws
Rest 5 minutes – 4 sets.

Q5) Other than judo what other sports have you trained people for?
I developed initially in football, doing my final placement as a student at Real de Madrid FC. Then I coached french boxing team, taekwondo, mma players.
Q6) How hard was designing the prep for the British judo Team GB athletes for the 2012 Olympics?
Very. First because people are very conservative in training, and the new way isn’t very welcomed. It took 2 years to build the confidence, and players who really benefited are the one who committed immediately, such as Gemma Gibbons, Ben Quilter or Colin Oates. Second because I was in charge of Juniors, seniors, visually impaired, men and women, and even now and then some cadets. Some players where full time, some did not relocate 100% at the institute, many did not relocate at all. I was therefore planing for different groups and individuals, that was very difficult.

Q7) Whats your favourite exercise to build strength?
Squats. I know what you think : “this guy just spent 30 min to tell me how specific strength training must me and to go easy on general weights”. But people who truly understand judo knows how important the legs are in throwing somebody and even… in griping somebody. Strong legs means strong grip and strong throw. The Squat is a very specific and efficient way to become strong at judo.

Q8) How important is testing when working with athletes?
When working with athletes, very. They love to be tested, re-assured, their progress to be measured and shown to them. But honestly, a lactic shuttle test, a beep test, or a jump test only shows you what it measures. The only judo test is how likely you are to throw the best players in the world. Only an expert reading of  judo gives you this. Strength and power are monitored daily  in the gym (I use tendo for power, and write every weight my players lift). Testing is a powerful communication tool, but a waste of training time.

Q9) Whats been your best experience working with elite athletes?
I guess I do this for two things : for the medal, and for the emotions of sharing such a hard and long time with somebody. There were plenty of them both all along, so many I can’t list them all here. Plus you don’t know most of foreigners I have been working with. One of the best, if not the best was when VI player Ben Quilter broke his knee 8 weeks before games. We decided to do it no matter what and the preparation was very challenging. Helping him winning his paralympic bronze was thrilling, and a great achievement.  This guy is one of the greatest champions I have ever work with, and will now be one of the best professional I will work with (he is know a physiologist, and a coach).

Q10) What four tips would you give our readers wanted to train more specific for a sport?
1) If you want to coach it, practice it. You don’t need to be an expert, but you can’t observe and measure everything. You need to feel to understand, to suffer to realize.
2) Use the sport itself as much as possible. It will save time, optimize transfers, develop specific conditioning. Use more simple stuff only to increase or measure precisely intensity
3) Understand it well. Many people think judo is strength of upper body, and aerobic. They are wrong, it is much more than this, and they prepare people aside of the full target. I can imagine this is the same in every sport.
4) Do not replicate, make it your way.

Bonus information:

Aurélien has also developed an app, which will soon be in English, for coaches. It is called eTester pro, and allows coaches to test (all Aerobic beep tests are there), and to calibrate training (evolved timer). As soon as it is on the English Store I will post a review on it for you all to read.

We are very grateful for Aurélien taking time out to answer the questions in such depth and hope you enjoy reading this as much as me! I would strongly recommending Following Aurélien on his twitter feed @Twittorel and on his Facebook as there is loads of interesting posts and links that you will find useful.

Thanks,

I’m going to be updating my blog weekly every Saturday till June 30th due to signing up to Pedal for Parkinson’s – Durham where I get to Cycle through the beautiful Durham countryside and raise vital funds for the work done by Parkinson’s work in the North East.

I’m doing this as my mother suffers from Parkinsons and this is the 1st of two planned events that I’m doing this year for the charity the other being Tough Mudder in September with my brother Andy Pandy, I’m hoping to convince Stan to do this as well as he is doing Total Warrior in August while I am away in France.

When: 30 June 2013, 10am.
Where: Start at Lydgett’s Junction, Consett. Finish at Roker, Sunderland.
Distance: 26 miles.

Thank you’s

At this point I need to state what brilliant support I am getting from people who I have reached out to Claire at Rowhire has provided me a Keiser M3 spin bike to help me prepare for the event as well as do some reviews on their services and bikes.

Delivery was very quick and in two boxes as you can see in the pictures. The bike was put up in less than 5mins! and is an excellent bike! I will be doing a full review of the bike on Sunday so watch out for it!

The Plan

So what I thought I do is highlight what I’m doing in the next 10 weeks to get ready for this 26mile cycle! while setting myself up nicely for the Tough Mudder in September. Now since becoming a Lecturer at Solihull College has been one of the best choices I made in my life and I’m very blessed to work within a great sports department. Now my job role has changed within the college and being the workaholic that I am I have not been keeping up to speed with my fitness as much so my goals are simple.

• Build Health
• Drop my body fat%
• Build more muscle

So in order to do this I need to amend a few things such as:

• Diet/Supplements
• Water intake
• Sleeping pattern
• Periodisation of Training (resistance, cardio, yoga)

Now before I write up my plan I’ll be measuring where I am at currently by going into a Sports Lab and having an MOT done I will post the results next week hopefully along with a functional movement screening (FMS). Other tests and monitoring will include YorkTest food intolerance test, body fat % weekly via my Withings wifi scales . I’ll also be looking at my sleep patterns (deep/light sleep) for the data on my Jawbone up which I’m using at the minute (not 100% convinced on the accuracy of the data from the sleep with the jawbone but by monitoring it I have already seen an improvement already over the last few weeks).

Some snippets of what I am going to do and can expand on later in the next blog are:

1. Eat frequent, quality meals from real food (Vegetables will be organic and meat sourced from a local butcher) while drinking plenty of clean water. (no sugar, Limited dairy, no wheat, no processed food)
2. Supplements (Green drink by Udo, Male Multivitamins by Solgar, BCCA by Reflex, Natural Protein by Reflex, Coenzyme q-10 by Nutri)
3. Fasted steady state cardio in the morning at 6am-7am before work 3 times weekly
4. A Yoga session once a week
5. Resistance training twice a week (toying with joining the CrossFit in Coventry or Rigs Fitness)
6. Tempo and rest times when training
7. Skipping
8. Sleeping at 10.30am-6am & power naps.I’ll Update you all soon! and leave you all with a video from Parkinson’s UK