top five tech gadgets for your outdoor exercises

With the boxing day sales now on, it’s the perfect time to take your exercises to the next level with technology for your exercises outdoors, cycling, running, climbing or whatever else….

Advancements in technology and the development of much smaller electronics are allowing people to take a lot more processor power out on the road with them, I made a post about how technology is finding it’s way more and more into fitness, check it out here

1 – Portable MP3

This is of course a no brainer, we’ve had iPod’s or whatever MP3 devices for some time now, but if your out on the road exercising, an mp3 player is great for motivation and just relieving boredom because no matter where your exercising, the scenery can become pretty boring after a while. Also if exercising in an urban area it’s a great way to block out the noise of general traffic, go for high tempo songs from 140bpm upwards. Generally house, dance and trance music are all up there in terms of tempo but there are many more genres with fast tempo songs, check out my post on the best music for exercising here

Recommendation:
iPod is what most people know as the MP3 player and for good reason, very reliable and decent sound quality, the shuffle would probably be the best choice for exercising due to it’s size and lack of a screen to break!

2 – GPS devices

This product is very important if you are exercising anywhere remote or somewhere new, it’s very easy to get lost, especially if out in the bush or country in hot countries where becoming lost can actually be deadly! GPS has been around for a while now but recently many devices have had GPS chips put in them to allow you to not only track current position but also calculate distance travelled, speed and much more. This makes it invaluable for distance events, the best thing about GPS is it’s actually free to send the signal up to the satellite so there are no subscription fee’s

Recommendation:

The Garmin Forerunner has a very sensitive GPS chip inside, speed and distance trackers, heart rate monitor and more – all inside a stylish sports watch….

3-Heart rate monitors

You can use your heart rate to keep a track of your intensity, to make sure you are in the fat burning zone and keeping towards your fitness goals, of course if you don’t want to shell out for one you can use the PRE method to keep track of how hard you are working but no where near as accurate as a good heart rate monitor. Try to avoid cheap ones as you’ll probably find a lot of variance in the reading of your HR. The best type of heart rate monitors are of course the chest mounted devices, however watches on the radial artery are nearly as good.

Recommendation:

The Garmin Forerunner – as before has a heart rate monitor which is programmable as well as the plethora of other features

4 – Pedometer’s and Nike+ running shoes

Pedometer’s are great for calculating how many calories you have burned although this is a very rough estimation at best, the Nike+ shoes get their own category – they are great, the trainers have a small chip inside which calculate distance, running cadence and more and they look great!User’s can post their distances, times and more automatically when plugging their shoes into the computer and have competition’s with thousands of people around the world, giving you more motivation to put your running shoes on! If you bought an iPod like the first recommendation, these shoes were designed specifically with them in mind, adjusting song tempo, etc. as you run, pretty clever!

Recommendation:

The Nike+ iPod kit starts as low as $29!

5 – Action camera’s

If your into extreme sports such as rock climbing, off road biking, water sports, etc. then you may at some point want to video your heroics, this previously has been impossible without the use of someone else to video you but with the processor chip getting smaller and smaller it’s allowed for the use of camera’s in more and more previously inaccessible places. There are many head mounted camera’s around and some are even waterproof, most are very shockproof and as such perfect for extreme sports.

Recommendation

LaunchHelmetCams.com are the leading suppliers of head mounted cameras in Australia.

gym etiquette

Stumbled across a funny video today whilst procrastinating on YouTube made by some guys in the military about gym etiquette and the types of people no one likes to see in the gym. Personally I hate the grunters the most, I don’t mind a bit of noise but sometimes it just gets stupid…..You may come across some very strong guys in a gym so if you want to be friend, not foe then try not to be ‘one of those guys’

The annoying seven

The show off
You know the type – ‘curling’ 30 kg dumbbells with an action that looks like the back is gonna go any second, form, technique and everything goes out of the window with this guy, all that matters is that everyone can see how strong this guy is even if it means they will pick up an injury any second that will keep them out of gym for a long time.

The grunters
A lot of women complain that they simply don’t want to enter a weight training area because of this guy, who needs everyone to know just what he’s going through and what he’s going to be doing with his missus later on in the night…..

The sightseers
Don’t stand directly behind people in the gym and keep your line of sight out of the direction of other people, it can cause health and safety problems and it just downright weird…..much like on the train look somewhere else and give people their own personal space.

The machine lurker
Sometimes the gym can feel like your defending a killing on the African savannah from a pack of scavengers (I don’t know if that’s a good analogy, but oh well!), it’s a free for all as to who gets the equipment next and you don’t want to leave your equipment for fear of the next scavenger coming in to take the machine. The ‘machine lurker’ is an expert at spotting the perfect opportunity to grab your machine whilst you head to the water cooler.

The mirror flexer
The majority of people work out to make themselves look better, there’s nothing wrong with that and the confidence it brings but leave the posing and flexing for a less public place, it blocks the view of others trying to spot themselves in the mirror and can be intimidating for new gym goers too.

The obnoxious spotter
Spotter’s are there to help you push yourself more with the knowledge that your safe if you can’t get out that last rep, so your spotter isn’t much use if he’s chatting to his mate whilst you have a barbell around your neck.

The no towel guy
I’m all for wet t-shirt competition’s, but leave it at the beach, I like to use my towel to keep my body odours off the equipment, not to wipe away the sweat from the previous user’s back.

General gym etiquette

Gym etiquette makes sure that the gym is used safely, everyone gives respect to others and people can use the gym to maximum efficiency, it just makes the place a better place to be and considering your may be spending a good amount of your week there it helps to actually enjoy being there!When entering the gym environment you should always keep in mind some written and unwritten rules which are pretty much universal…..

Hygiene

Keep your sweat off the equipment with a towel!

This is usually a written rule in most gym’s that you wear appropriate clothing, good footwear and most importantly bring a towel with you to wipe away the sweat on machines and equipment, not doing so will get you a telling off from management and a reputation as a smelly gym rat. Many gym’s have a spray nearby along with towels to allow patron’s to keep the area clean, also USE DEODORANT!, everyone sweats, it’s no crime but doing nothing to hide it stinks!

Personal space
This comes down to respect again and is a touchy subject, for example in regards to helping others – you may think it necessary to help someone along who’s struggling on a bench press for example but he/she may not be too happy for you to do without asking, always err on the side of caution and ask, regard that machine/area as their personal space before entering it.

‘Hogging’
Certain gym’s get very busy at specific times and may also have rules regarding as to how much time you can stay on one piece of equipment, my gym for example doesn’t allow you to stay on the treadmill for more than 20 minutes if during peak times. Therefore use time on equipment efficiently and maybe even ‘work in’ with others in the gym between sets to allow everyone their turn.

Spotting/Helping
The fitness industry is friendly and people will mostly try to help others if they are in need, like I said previously you must be careful not to come across as arrogant or ‘elitest’ when trying to help others, if someone genuinely needs help or has a major form problem then very politely point it out or tell an instructor who can pass on your message, better to be safe than sorry.

Replace/put back equipment!
This is one of my personal pet hates, when you use equipment, have the courtesy to put it back where you found it!People who leave equipment lying on the floor especially are a major health and safety hazard and I really can’t be bothered chasing weight plates all around the gym after a set of 10×10 bicep curls, this again comes back to having respect for others!

Chatting on the phone
Many gym’s have a no mobile phones policy and as such only bring your device into the gym if you’re expecting an important call, besides the gym is a place to escape your worries and leave stress behind for an hour, why would you or anyone else in the gym want to hear about your next appointment?

Blocking the mirror
Obviously the most guilty party for this is the poser/flexer as stated up top, but in general, never block someone’s view in the mirror, it is considered extremely rude and will block them from seeing their form, very important on certain exercises like squats.

keep fit and work on your tan at the same time!summer is here!

It’s really heating up here now for another hot summer and that means it’s time to take your workout’s outdoors! I like to combine two of my favourite things – hitting the beach and working out into one thing – windsurfing and there’s not many better places to do it than here in WA. Managed to finally get some time out in the ocean this week, spotted a few dolphins too – the first of many session’s this summer I hope…

Check out my very first post on windsurfing here in West Australia -Windsurfing in WA

If your near the beach, here are some other great ideas for keeping fit in the sun:

• Swimming
• Wind sports – windsurfing, kite-surfing
• Surfing
• Canoing, kayaking
• Jet skiing
• Aqua aerobics
• Volleyball
• Beach soccer
• Beach running (not so bad for your joints)

Another good reason to workout at the beach or in the sun is that some studies have shown that being exposed to UV light can significantly increase your testosterone levels as well as of course increasing your vitamin D levels, I personally think there is some truth to a ‘healthy tan’ obviously in moderation, or maybe it’s just wishful thinking!……..

spend less time at the gym! German volume training

People’s lives are getting busier and the old saying ‘there’s not enough time in the day’ is truer now than ever, this, obviously leaves less time for people to enjoy their hobbies, the gym being one of them. So how can you spend less time at the gym yet still get the intensity that you feel from a longer 45 minute to one hour workout your used to?German volume training is a way of cramming lots of volume into your workout in a much shorter space of time, but be warned, it will hurt!

‘GVT’ or 10×10 as it is commonly referred to is very simply doing ten sets of ten repetitions of an exercise, there are other, more advanced variations of this which I will cover at some point soon, it is a great way of ‘shocking’ your body and many fitness experts will tell you that the best program for you is the one your not currently on – i.e, keep your body guessing. This technique will smash your muscle in a ten minute time period and force you to recruit every last muscle fibre to shift the weight. Another perceived advantage of GVT is that you are going to be hitting a lot of slow twitch muscle fibers, instead of just fast twitch as you would be when using longer rest periods between sets.

Strictly speaking a proper 10×10 workout should last around ten minutes and be VERY hard!You will get pretty crazy muscle pumps the first few times you undertake this type of training and on certain body parts, such as the legs – you will be in a lot of pain for a few days after!It has been used by many bodybuilders throughout the years to shock their body, coming from Germany rather unsurprisingly and you will need to be in taking a LOT of calories for this type of training to be of benefit for you.

So here are the German volume training rules:

• Ten sets of ten reps

• 30 seconds rest between sets

• Same exercise

Simple, huh?If done correctly, you should only be able to push out about 7-8 reps by the time you reach the seventh set, the first 1-4 sets will probably feel too easy but don’t worry the pain will start to hit in around the 6th set!If your still going strong and hitting out ten reps at this point then the weight is too low and you should jot down what weight you will use next time. This is all about intensity so you be the judge of how hard you are working, by the last few sets you should be on your knee’s!

The good

• GVT will smash your muscles!it’s all about intensity and you will be cramming a lot of work into a short amount of time, remember your muscles don’t know how much weight they’re lifting, they just respond to intensity and stress, so there is no reason to be sat in a gym for more than an hour in front of a mirror, you’ll probably be doing more harm than good.
• Avoids stress related injuries and aggravations, you will be lifting relatively low weight compared to your one repetition maximum so there is minimal risk of injuring yourself or tearing your damaged shoulder, etc. However you are still managing to cram just as much intensity and muscle fiber ‘damage’ as you would by doing a standard training program

The bad

• These programs should only be run for a short amount of time, I would say two months max, your body will quickly adapt to this sort of training and gains will plateau quickly, it’s great for just shocking your body after a long period of training
• BOREDOM!ten sets of ten reps is just plain boring, if your someone who likes a good pump or in the ‘no pain no gain crowd’ then you’ll have no problem with this sort of training, but it can get extremely boring very quickly, and when you are bored, you don’t work out to your full potential.

The ugly

Sorry Ian!I’ll be posting an example GVT program this week for you to try out, stay tuned….

getting muddy is good for you and could prevent allergies!

I’ve always believed that being exposed to the element’s and getting muddy is good for you and your bodily systems, it’s what our immune system has been designed to cope with over the the course of our evolution and a recent BBC article here also agrees with this.

I also believe that the reason there are so many allergy sufferer’s and a general immune system over reaction to much of the environment around us is a direct result of not being exposed to these at a young age when our body is developing it’s immune system. We know clearly for example that when we inject a small amount of a virus into the body, the immune system will respond with antibodies in sufficient amount that we can become much better at attacking the virus the next time. For this same reason I believe it is a good idea to be exposed to the environment at a young age and throughout life in order to build a good immune system and perhaps prevent the onset of allergy conditions.

Of course some of the rise in allergy’s seen across the world, especially in developed countries can be attributed to the rise in pollution, but the general more ‘pampered’ way in which people live in modern times looks like it could be a major reason for these rises.

The article goes on to say “By studying mice and human cells, they found the harmless bacteria did this by making a molecule called lipoteichoic acid or LTA, which acted on keratinocytes – the main cell types found in the outer layer of the skin.

The LTA keeps the keratinocytes in check, stopping them from mounting an aggressive inflammatory response. “

So get out in the cold, rain and dirt unless you didn’t have enough reasons to already, have a shower when you get back though because smelling of BO hasn’t yet been linked with a healthy immune system, nor helping your chances with the opposite sex!

good songs to exercise to on your ipod

Sometimes we all struggle to get motivated for a workout and could all do with a little inspirational kick every now and then, aside from caffeine, which usually works pretty well, music can really put a kick into your workout. Here I’ll list some good songs for you to exercise to on your iPod or any other mp3 device. Obviously you’ve all got different music tastes, some people could think of nothing more unbearable or non motivating than pulling up a Tiesto classic on their iPod, whereas I would much rather listen to that than some Slipknot headbanger, here’s a list of tunes I listen to and then some I’ve found using playlists.com.au, starting with my very own play-list, be warned, they are mostly dance tunes, so skip to the bottom if they don’t interest you!…….

My playlist
Darude – Feel the beat, Kernkraft – Zombie nation, Storm – Time to burn, Tenshi – Goureyella, Encore une Fois – Blunt edit, Spiller – Groovejet, Chicane – Offshore, You’re not alone, Riverside, Darude – Rush, Art of trance – Madagascar, 4 Sttrings – Diving, DJ Tiesto – Solarcoast, DJ Tiesto – Tranceport, Energy 52 – Cafe Del Mar, Scooter – No Fate, Paul Van Dyk – For an Angel, Faithless – God is a DJ, DJ Tiesto – Adagio For Strings.

Rock

All along the watchtower	Jimi Hendrix
Black betty	Ran Jam
Black Dog	Led Zeppelin
Bohemian Rhapsody	Queen
Break on Through	The Doors
Eye of the Tiger	Survivor
Epic	Faith no More
Fire Woman	Cult
Hey joe	Jimi Hendrix
Hurt so Good	John Cougar Mellencamp
In Bloom	Nirvana
Jack and Dianne	John Cougar Mellancamp
Little Green Bag	George Baker Sellection
Low Rider	War
Paint it Black	Rolling Stones
Smoke on the Water	Deep Purple
Somebody Told Me	The Killers
Under the Bridge	Red Hot Chilli Peppers
Welcome to the Jungle	Guns and Roses
Woman	Wolfmother

Dance, Trance, House

Around the World	Daft Punk
Better off Alone	Alice Deejay
Black Tarantula	Pendulum
Blue	Eiffel 65
Blue Monday	New Order
Born Slippy	Underworld
Call on Me	Eric Prydz
Firestarter	Prodigy
Freestyler	Bomfunk MC’s
Harder Better Faster Stronger	Daft Punk
Hey Boy Hey Girl	Chemical Brothers
I see you Baby	Groove Armada
Nasty Girl	Inaya Day
Played-A-Live	Safri Duo
Push the Feeling On	Nightcrawlers
Right Here Right Now	Fatboy Slim
Sandstorm	Darude
Smack my Bitch Up	Prodigy
Superstylin	Groove Armada
Till I Come (9PM)	ATB
The Creeps	Camille vs Fed le Grand
Uprockin beats	Bomfunk MCs

Rap, RnB

Bump	Spank Rock
Bring the Noise	Public Enemy
California Love	2 Pac and Dr Dre
Dare	Gorillaz
Get Low	Lil Jon and the Eastside B
Get Ure Freak On	Missy Elliot
Gold Digger	Kayne West
Hit em Up	2 Pac
In Da Club	50 Cent
Let me Clear my Throat	DJ Kool
Lose Yourself	Eminem
Pain is Love	Ja Rule
Party up in Here	DMX
Pump It	Black Eyed peas
Push it	Salt N Pepa
Maneater	Nelly Furtado
Work It	Missy Elliot
My Humps	Black Eyed Peas
Numb Encore	Jay Z Linken Park
Real Slim Shady	Eminem
Stronger	Kayne West
Temperature	Sean Paul
Work it Out	Jurassic 5 and D Mathews
When the s**t goes Down	Cypress Hill
You can do it	Ice Cube

 

Other Popular Workout Songs

Title	Artist	Year	Time	Bpm
Buffalo Soldier	Bob Marley	1980	4:17	124
Crazy in Love	Beyonce	2003	3:56	99
Gotta Get Through This	Daniel Bedingfield	2001	2:38	134
Final Countdown	Europe	1986	5:09	117
Harder to Breathe	Maroon 5	2003	2:55	150
Jump	Van Halen	1984	4:04	130
Like a Prayer	Madonna	1989	5:51	111
Give it to Me	Timbaland	2007	3:54	111
Gonna Make You Sweat	C&C Music Factory	1990	4:06	114
Mickey	Toni Basil	1982	4:08	149
Naked Eye	Luscious Jackson	1997	4:11	131
Rock Your Body	Justin Timberlake	2003	4:26	101
Since U Been Gone	Kelly Clarkson	2004	3:10	131
Rehab	Amy Winehouse	2006	3:33	145
Rendez Vu	Basement Jaxx	1999	3:44	125
Sexyback	Justin Timberlake	2007	4:03	117
Survivor	Destiny’s Child	2001	4:01	161
Times Like These	Foo Fighters	2003	4:27	144
U Can’t Touch This	MC Hammer	1990	4:17	133
Under Pressure	David Bowie / Queen	1981	3:56	113
You Sexy MF	Prince	1992	5:26	106

Technorati Tags: good, songs, to, exercise, to, on, your, ipod, mp3, workout, tunes, dance, house, rap, rnb, tiesto

treadmill face plants!

Treadmill face plans!
Treadmill’s are great for losing weight but can be extremely boring, for this reason if you ever catch me on one i’ll be doing intervals, but don’t ever use it to train for speed or show off your sprinting skills, you may end up face down on it!Check out this vid!I’ve only ever seen this happen once, something about seeing it happen just never gets old……

 

struggling to gain weight?

There are all sorts of exscuses for not being able to gain weight – not on the right program, not enough sleep, haven’t got the latest supplement, etc. some are legitimate but most of the time, your just not eating enough!

Sometimes it helps to really see just how much you need to eat to get bigger, I don’t care how hard your working out, or what amazing new program your on, fact is if your workout like an animal but eat like a sissy you just don’t have the building blocks required to build that muscle you work so hard for.

Check out this great post from Nate Green and look at what this guys eating every day to build muscle and, more importantly keep what he already has – at 180lbs and 8% bodyfat I think he’s getting the right amount!

cheat your way to a leaner you!

There is a little known hormone in your body that heavily dictates your body composition and metabolism, only discovered in the last ten years and extremely anabolic.

We all know the big two: testosterone and estrogen, steroid users have taken advantage of testosterone’s anabolic effects for years now, but what if I was to tell you there is a hormone within you that is also very anabolic and you can effect it by as much as 50% within the space of a week?Interested?

The hormone is leptin and it was discovered just over ten years ago, think of it as a messenger – it tells your brain what your diet is like, if your eating enough calories and then your brain will act on this either by raising your metabolism or lowering it, just as a bear completely slows down it’s metabolism when it hibernates, your brain will tell your various systems to slow down when it realies your not giving it enough fuel!This is yet another reason why crash dieting doesn’t work….The other factor in how high your leptin levels are is your current bodyfat, this is perhaps one of the reason’s people seem to gain lean muscle so much easier when they start off from an already lean level.

don't let your body slow down to a crawl!

Well i’m sure that you can see if we can control the amount of this stuff in our bloodstream there is great potential for fat loss and also a much higher chance of holding onto your muscle whilst doing so. This is what happens when you start dieting – your leptin levels drop very quickly, by as much as half in one week!Thus your brain gets the message and starts storing everything you give it, hormones are released which make you hungrier and all of a sudden your body is working against you!

What we need is a way of keeping leptin high whilst cutting calories……..supplementing is out of the question unless you are very, very rich, a months supply can run into the thousands.

The answer?

Cheat meals

Remember I said leptin levels drop by as much as 50% in one week of dieting?well that’s quick but not as quick as they rise!In fact they can rise back to normal levels in as little as 2 days, so the answer to the problem is high-calorie, high carbohydrate foods. Diet for the first week and let the leptin levels drop, once you get to the weekend stuff your face! for the next two days allow your leptin levels to rise back to normal. This means that for the next week you can continue on your low calorie diet whilst maintaining normal leptin levels and a high metabolism, simple!

For those in the know this dietary advice may sound very familiar to the ‘anabolic diet’ bodybuilders have sworn by for years, which advises your typical low carb diet but with a ‘loading’ stage on the weekend, and you’d be right, it is exactly like that, it turns out leptin levels may be one of the key reasons why they work so well.

Want to find out more?Check out this fantastic ebook going free for the next day!It utilises leptin as well as other new concepts within weight loss for maximum effect, get it before the price goes up!

free Ebook

Hey guys,

For the next few days my good friend and fat loss “guru” Joel Marion is giving away his brand new “Holiday Fat Loss Black Book” exclusive report for FREE.

Yes, LOSE weight during the holidays.

No catch. No credit card info. Just flat out awesome fat loss information.

Download it for freee at:

http://stallardpt.jmfitness.hop.clickbank.net/?w=10

The page will be coming down in just a couple of days, so if you want to get your hands on this information for FREE, make sure you visit the site right now. The link again is:

http://stallardpt.jmfitness.hop.clickbank.net/?w=10 <——- FREE Download

You’ll definitely thank me for this one

Talk to you soon,

Craig Stallard