Optimum Body Performance in Newstead, Queensland | Alternative & holistic health service

Optimum Body Performance

Locality: Newstead, Queensland

Phone: +61 432 633 440

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25.01.2022 @heather7028 . Having a goal is one thing, actively engaging to pursuit it as another, and figuring out how to do it can be all sorts of tough. Thats where I come in. . Sometimes you try and work towards your goal but maybe mentally you werent ready, perhaps you lacked direction and accountability. Its like as a kid when someone breaks down a maths question youve been stuck on and then all of a sudden you understand to some extent how to do it.... . Heather has been working hard now for a while with developing consistent habits and a lifestyle that works for her towards her goal. Yes theres sacrifice in there, yes theres hard work to change and Im helping heather to plot a route for her that offers the least resistance mentally and still works for her goals. . Take nothing away from heather its her discipline, her actions, her conscious behaviours to work towards what she agreed to do, and the results are coming. . Choosing the right method for heather with regards to weight loss and mental stamina has been the real turning point. I believe heather now has a better grasp on what it take to create a caloric deficit and the fact is the scales are moving in the direction Heather wants. . Currently we can see that Heather efforts are meaning shes averaging around a 1 lbs a week weigh loss which is great! When you understand the science side youll realise that 1lbs equates to 3500kcals. Meaning heather has had to adopt a lifestyle that allows her to consistently reduce her weekly calories by roughly 3500, and weve done it so far without tracking calories! Also Heathers shape is changing and has been for some time now, and not necessarily in mirror with the weight loss (meaning sometimes not a big scale change but a noticeable difference in how she feels in her clothes). . I really enjoy working with Heather, Shes one of the nicest people you could have the pleasure to work with and shes now got this fire in the belly to hit her goals for real! Very happy coach . Lets goooooooo Heather @functionwell @ Function Well See more

25.01.2022 2020 , 2021 . . Whilst we cannot control everything in our lives and it’s pointless to try. I do believe that it’s common practice for most people to justify and excuse than to perceiver and find a solution. . Whether you’re a fan of New Years resolutions or not, we are at that time of year that seems to offer people that nostalgia to change and begin a new.... . Whatever it may be, action it. Take back control of your choices your ability to create opportunities and make 2021 the year that you can look back at with fond memories of your success. See more

25.01.2022 ? ? . Behavioural change is a difficult task. A necessary one if we are serious about changing habits though. So, In all seriousness your current behaviours are a reflection of your current identity and it sometimes can be difficult to resonate with the new identity you want. In order to believe in a new identity, you have to prove it to yourself. .... This will involve small goals centred around the new identity (person you believe you are). Sometimes learning to create habits around some already cemented habits is a good way to create reminders for the new ones! . If you want a healthy lifestyle, or perhaps you would like to lose a great deal of weight, you will be challenged initially as you wont identify as perhaps a gym goer or an individual who meal preps or even an individual who eats vegetables daily. Take small steps or speak to someone who can help you work through this process. . Dont underestimate the power of your identity. Not to others! To you. See more

25.01.2022 , . The two positions in this pic show my finished overhead position that I would aim for. The left side is for my overhead press, jerk and the right is my snatch and overhead squat. .... If when you stand up straight you can’t resemble anything close to this (excluding bodybuilders and their partial reps), and you can’t achieve this with a dowel rod (fancy stick); then you should not be attempting loaded variations! . Your priority should be to improve your range of motion and the strength associated with that end of range position. . Take an overhead squat for example if you’re compromised from the beginning of the movement as you press the weight above your head, unfortunately the rest of the movement is only going to make it harder if you can’t obtain a position whereby the bar is vertical of your centre of mass. . When you’re in a position to jerk the bar above head and you can’t achieve a position using a dowel rod whereby the weight feels stacked above the shoulders (almost vertical from where the bar would sit in a back squat) and hips then your lift and your body is compromised which may just end up in consistently missing the lift or your body will adjust elsewhere which under increasing loads may be problematic. . I would recommend obtaining the strength and mobility for overhead work before attempting to load or embrace the more complex movements like Olympic lifts. See more

24.01.2022 ! , ... . Have good spinal flexion and extension is great, but not in the birddog. Show some control.... . Let me show you how, if youd like See more

24.01.2022 . Avoidance orientated goals, or avoiding or eliminating undesired outcomes might seem like the right idea especially if we feel we have bad habits. . However observations have been made that when individuals pursue a GREATER number of these styles of goals that they end up relating to the following: ... . Less satisfaction with progress Decreased self esteem, personal control and vitality feeling less competent in relation to go pursuits . Its important that we learn to not just cut something or avoid something; and that we learn to sent more approach orientated goals where we learn to strive for a desirable outcome rather than avoiding undesirable habits. See more

24.01.2022 . , . . . Nutrition is very misunderstood, there is still much that we dont know and dont have data and research on about our bodies and nutrition. One thing I can tell you though is SALT isnt the bad guy in your diet.... . Often you hear people say salt is bad, its linked to heart attacks, or salt dehydrates you therefore its bad; Or you cant eat that its got too much salt in it. . Always remember that association does not mean causations and that some people will focus on one single mechanism (salt) and link it to a much more complex issue (cardiovascular disease). . The truth is salt intake affects a hormone system in our body that regulates blood pressure, fluid and electrolyte balance (the renina- angiotensin system). So remember our body is always trying to create balance as change isnt something it likes so its trying to work towards homeostasis. . So if you eat a low amount of salt (in a day for example) your body will retain what you give it, absorb it and not flush it out etc. If you eat a high amount in a day, you will probably sweat more salt and pee out more salt as your body removes it. . Salt isnt really a factor that should be a primary concern if we are looking to improve an individuals health, as regular exercise, maintaining a heathy weight, leading a healthy lifestyle has a much greater impact than concerning ourself with salt intake. . Having said that like most thing nutrition based we dont want to push extremes too much, having no salt has negative implications such as a potential increased resistance to insulin. Research does also suggest that low levels of sodium (Salt= sodium chloride 40/60 split roughly) and high levels are associated with and increased risk of mortality (death) image it a bit like a U shaped affect; too little not ideal, too much not great, find the middle. . All in all remember that salt isnt as bad as people make out so having some with food isnt the end of the world, just not if you serve it like this. See more

23.01.2022 The heavier you go the more likely you are to flare the ribs! Learn how to control the rib cage, brace efficiently and set up to improve your technique for overhead pressing.

23.01.2022 . Your warm up is your opportunity to prime your body for the task ahead. In my opinion it should consist of a generalised movement phase and a skill specific phase. . The general movement phase just means utilising simple movements that will improve blood flow, elevate the heart rate slightly and get your body moving through your range of motion. This might include some time on a bike erg, rower with some hip mobility and bw movements. ... . The skill specific phase might include priming exercises to prepare for your first major exercise. For example if your first exercise is a deadlift you might do some good morning, some birddogs and some banded glute walks and then some light weight sets before you crack on. . People often worry about being sore and starting a workout, and I understand this, but if by the end of the warm up your still feeling real sore, consider how youve warm up, consider how you should approach your session in terms of weight and intensity. . I often program a little bit of foam rolling into my own session and clients sessions, literally to improve localised blood flow through compression. Not because it does anything fancy or anything like that, its not essential but I havent seen any reason to completely remove it either. . Just remember if what Ive written sounds complex focus on literally warming your body up gradually and then attempting a few bodyweight reps of your first main exercise and then a few with the bar then gradually load up till your ready to go. See more

21.01.2022 . Deadbugs in my opinion are great. Great for individuals who struggle with core activation, pelvis stability, co-ordination and those that suffer from either chronic or acute lower back discomfort. Its a great priming exercise and warm up tool. . For some individuals though a standard deadbug doesnt offer enough feed back to if theyre managing to truly keep their lower back connected to the ground as they extend their arms and legs. So heres w...here the banded version can help. . Set up like you see In the video and the band will instantly give you feedback at all times during the movement. Loss of pressure to the band means a degree of arching happening. So with the band you can truly find out where you can go with a good flat back position. Its also a great exercise if you want to challenge someone a little more because the constant band tension and feedback tends to increase the effort level and degree of intensity the individual doing it is going through. Try it for yourself! See more

20.01.2022 (20) . This type of routine might only take you 20mins and is designed to improve your ankle mobility. . Our joint quality and movement could be regarded quite similar to the idea of move it or lose it. If we don’t often enable our joints to work within different ranges or we keep them so often fixed in sedentary patterns. Then over time we may find it becomes more difficult to work into different ranges with new activities. ... . Frequency tends to be more effective than time in a single effort so a short routine done often is an effective protocol. . This is a minimal equipment routine that requires very little other than you ,a foam roller/trigger ball and a step. See more

20.01.2022 . I actually include myself in this ‘most people’ category. Having spent the last 8/10 weeks working with my client @chantaleruttley on here recovery from quite an aggressive hamstring injury; It’s been a good reminder of the importance of strong hamstrings. . From time to time we all probably do our RDL’s or deadlifts from the ground and as coaches we all know that programming this stuff is effective for our posterior chain. But I persona...lly don’t think it’s enough for hamstrings. . Our hamstrings are knee flexors and hip extensors and they’re heavily involved in knee stabilization, so keeping them strong is important for avoiding injury, especially if your training consists of most big compound movements. These hamstring muscles also work to stabilize the hips and keep the spine properly aligned, to some degree, so we should really look to incorporate hamstring movements that improve recruitment at all ranges. . My recommendation would be to try training them at the start of your session, when your fresh. There is some evidence out there to suggest that hamstrings curls before a squat sessions helps with squat performance. See more

20.01.2022 , . . . Im on holiday, and Im also on a deload week. That doesnt mean I stop moving completely. Youll be surprised what level of resistance you can create with little equipment. . Try this and see. ... Foam roller hack squat- 4-5 seconds eccentric (way down), with 2-3 pauses (ideally one below parallel, one at parallel and one just above). 10 reps. Then 5 S/L hack squats (ideally just below parallel) each leg (dont alternate). Rest 60-90 seconds and repeat 3-5rounds. See more

19.01.2022 . How often do you program posterior chain exercises, Following that, how frequent are the hamstring focused exercises? .... The average person has trouble engaging their hamstrings due to their lifestyle choices. . What these two pictures demonstrate here are two ways in which you can build some isometric strength with your hamstrings the primary focus. These can be done as a warm up, main exercise or accessory work depending on your training level. They can also be done at home so if youre not able currently to make it to a gym you can still facilitate some hamstring exercises. . Notice my heels are planted not my toes; this is because I want you to drive your heels into the ground to improve hamstring activation. Aim for 30-60s per set , 3-5 sets and 30-60s rest. . These are just isomeric holds, meaning not change in limb length, no movement throughout just like a plank, however if youre looking for optimal hamstring performance you should be trying to increase both mobility and strength. This is where exercises that focus on range of motion will help, like RDLs, GHD glute ham raises, nordics etc. @ Function Well See more

19.01.2022 . Yes you maybe think its helpful, but its like telling someone to just eat in a calorie deficit... There is no guidance its just an ineffective approach to changing/ building habits. . My focus as a coach is to enable clients to go on a learning process themselves, whilst using me for some guidance. Some examples are:... - Giving clients a grasp on energy balance (the foundations of weight control) learning how to improve satiety levels learning how to create new behaviours off existing consistence habits Explaining different options on how to expended energy that would suit the individuals current fitness level (allowing the client to move often). . These are just a few that actually allow goals/steps to be set that offer some quantitative feedback and accountability, rather than move more, eat less See more

18.01.2022 ... . Im lying its to anyone, but the majority of people that I see incorporating single leg RDLs into their program are women. Im assuming someone has told them its a great booty exercise but didnt show them how to perform it . If you really want to get the most out of the glutes lets fix that twisty hip thingy that people do. Let learn to stabilise and secure the hip position so that you can perform a single leg in the same mano...r youd perform a normal double leg RDL. . Perhaps try the staggered position first. Using this you will learn to get some understanding of the movement in a single leg position without the hip twist. Once this is a exercise that you can do comfortably, then look to progress to the single leg if you want to change things up! Hopefully as a result youll show way more control and move in a more optimal way. See more

18.01.2022 . I know I know curls get the girls, or for the girls but if YOU want bigger arms ditch your long bicep orientated workout session and go full HAM on your triceps. . Not only does your tricep make up like 70% of your arm, theres tonnes of other cool benefits you get from better functioning triceps.... . Firstly ever single push exercise you do requires your triceps and so do most throwing, swinging and passing movements. Your triceps also play an important role as a stabilising muscle for your shoulder joints meaning better tricep function can help keep the shoulder joint healthy in certain positions. . And if you get proper shredded and wear a tight top people will see your hench defined triceps when your arms are by your side (or so im told thats what happens). . Now wheres that tricep emoji instead of the ??? See more

18.01.2022 , Q & . Crisps for popcorn, full coke for coke no sugar, full fat yoghurt for 0% fat yoghurt. These are all swaps that someone could implement into their diet to help reduce their caloric content without making aggressive restrictions. . Swapping Uber eats for home cooked meals is an option that may reduce junk food and increase intake in nutrient dense foods. Remember foods that are often views as ‘junk’ can be highly palatable, lack nutr...ients and calorie dense. . I’ve spoken before a condiments and how they can be a good area to look into when reducing calories with little effort. . The picture shows three different variations of mayo. Heinz OG. Heinz spicy. Nando’s peri peri version. The OG offers the most calories, followed by Heinz spicy, then way way down is Nando’s peri peri with 60cal per 25ml. . If we look a bit closer at the back. Heinz OG contains 17.1g of fat. Nando’s 4.75g. Fat content is the reason there’s such a difference in calories (1g of fat = 9cal). . Sometimes however people make food swaps based on labels suggesting the item to be a healthy swap! My advice, read the nutrition data. If doing so makes no sense then perhaps it maybe time to educate yourself what the back of a packet means! . Something marketed as ‘healthy’ doesn’t mean it actually is because health is different for all. A protein ball, gluten free, dairy free, other shit free isn’t necessarily a good protein choice especially when you read the back and see like 3g protein and 10g fat. It’s a FAT ball. Just because it’s infused with healthy fats doesn’t mean it should be your food choice for protein. See more

18.01.2022 ? % . . I probably sound like a broken record sometimes but ask yourself this question... how you do you lose a pound of weight. Not 2 not 3 just 1. When you start to understand the concept of calories youll realise that the answer to this question isnt Im just going to give up alcohol. That might sound obvious but I can tell you first hand that this is a frequent ...response I get. . Now the idea that you can drink alcohol and lose weight works when you can judge if over a weekly period youre creating a caloric deficit thus causing a reduction in your weight. If you have a good relationship with alcohol you might find you can have a beer or two or a glass of wine or two over the weekend and make the adjustments to calories by reducing food portion sizes. This issue maybe that youre the type of individual who has 6,7+ drinks and gets super hungry drunkenly eats everything, then eats a vast amount the next day for comfort food and hardly moves and packs on like 3-4 days worth of calories in 1-2 days. . If this is the case I would suggest working on the relationship aspect of by learning to manage it better. Often when you set a goal saying I cant have this its creating a negative mindset, and what happens when you get where you want to be are you giving alcohol completely or do you return to your familiar ways?? . My personal opinion is that a lovey class of red wine with your dinner when your out enjoying time with friends or your partner is fucking awesome. Being able to have a good relationship with alcohol where you can switch between disciplined and Im going to get blind and understand calories ultimately allows you to avoid the need to remove alcohol completely and if its a goal you can lose weight at the same time. See more

18.01.2022 , . . I look to try and incorporate barbell work into all of my clients programming, but its not a necessity unless its specific to a clients goals. . Sometimes barbell loading may increase symptoms your client is trying to reduce (lower back compression as an example). Sometimes the barbell forces people into a position that take the focus away from where you set out to actually work.... . Whether your coaching or doing your own thing, its important to remember the barbell doesnt have to be the holy grail. See more

18.01.2022 . Weighing in at about 107kg and not being the strongest at overhead work means strict handstand push-ups are my nemesis. But I will get better I will get stronger, why? Because its important to me to not shy away from my weaknesses and working through something challenging improves me and my character. . Putting in the work doesnt have to just relate to fitness it can be anything in which... you want to see a result in, sometimes people want results but expect that they wont have to do to much different to see those results. The reality is the bigger that change you want, the more time and effort you are probably going to have to dedicate to it. But if it means something to you go out and get it because youre only here once! . Ps. Specific to Handstand pushups, if youre weak like me try putting them into a EMOM for strength, yesterday I did 1 on the minute every minute for 20mins. Next week Ill be trying something like 1 every 50s for 20 rounds. See more

17.01.2022 . Try to keep your pelvis as close to neutral when performing posterior chain movements. Specifically look at your hamstring related movements.It’s fairly common to see the pelvis move into an anterior tilt. . For example, for most, prone hamstring curls end up with an increased lower back arch as the pelvis transfers from neutral an increased anterior angle.... . Check out the video as I explain how to use sliders and your hands to get a better focus on your neutral pelvis position during movement. See more

16.01.2022 . Work on finding a default split depth. One you can perform consistently at most weights. Often lifters will get away with shallower depths at light weights and then struggle when the load is increased as a result of inefficient proficiency within their foot placement. . Technically the split jerk position could allow you to drop your hips as low as a 90 degrees squat position although this isn’t usually what you manage in a practical sense.... . Not only should you consider finding a default depth but make sure when receiving in a split jerk you consider the following: . Keep the front foot flat with more weight towards the heel, not the toes. . Create a vertical shin angle. Knee aligned with ankle, and hips 20-40 degrees higher than the knee position. . Keep your back heel off the ground with the weight into the balls of the feet. . don’t attempt to lock out the back leg, keep a bent back knee. . The weight should feel stacked over the shoulders and hips, thus the weight is balanced evenly between feet. See more

16.01.2022 Wanna hear a joke? . Verbal commitment to something and then no follow through! Yeah, turns out that it isn’t that funny and yet we’ve all bloody well done it. . Whether it be as simple as I’m going to start getting up earlier, setting an alarm and then snoozing the hell out of it till you drag your ass out of bed... we have all failed our thoughts with a lack of action.... . You want to know why areas of your life may not be improving? Probably commitment to the cause. Most change that people want will not be created in a week. You have to truly commit to the cause. . As a coach I’m available to aid accountability and improve education so that you can climb up over the hurdle and not feel like your path is permanently blocked. But, so many people want to be perfect at what we do (ME INCLUDED!) and it’s just another mind game that we battle that stops us from moving forward and getting results. . You want to get stronger? Cool, commit to regular training 3/4 times per week. Now commit to this for 8weeks. You want to be more mobile or flexible? Awesome, do 4-5 stretches a day over 20mins. No be consistent for 12 weeks. . A coach can help you map out your structure, keep you on your path, give you the tools you need to not experience as many set backs as you might if you want alone, but they can’t do it for you. . Truly commit, because without doing so you run the risk of being in the same spot you are now, and you’re not getting that time back. See more

16.01.2022 ... . Yes its possible that you could have tight hips flexors and yes it could work to release them with some quad and hip related stretches. BUT... . Over the years Ive seen lots of individuals whos lifestyle basically revolves around sitting with limited movement, and Ive noticed that whether an individuals hip flexors are tight or not they are often we...ak (and you can have both tight and weak hip flexors). . This video is just to show you a few ways you can focus your attention specifically on hip flexor strength and maybe a little bit or core work included . Check it out See more

16.01.2022 Q ? . Some things I USED to think were true as a coach . You can eat too little and stall weight loss (metabolic adaptation)... Due to poor crop rotation means the food we eat now has such poor nutrient values that we should heavily supplement Hormones like insulin control our weight loss not calorie balance Hormone imbalances can be related to body fat distribution and measure via skin folds Mechanistic approach to nutrition ie. theory over real lift application... buzz words like bio hacking. Eating to suit your somatotype Bosu balls are useful Stretching at the end of a session is crucial Circuit training is the dogs bollocks, everyone should do it. . Years on I have a much better grasp on the principles of training, the foundations of nutrition and the difference between a belief and evidence based decision. . Its never too late to grow and learn. Its on you. See more

15.01.2022 ’ . . You’re trying to release tight/stiff muscles You don’t do any strength work It’s your major work for injury prevention or recovery... You’re chasing that feeling of reduced pain in a specific area. . Some of this might seem counterintuitive to what you know have heard and/or experienced. BUT times change and if you’re not aware the jury’s has been out on static stretching for some time. . There’s a always going to be a time and place where it may be an appropriate tool to use, but if your program consists more of static stretching than it does of movement and strength exercises, it’s a no from me. See more

15.01.2022 ? . As with most things the answer very simply is it depends. . If your goal is weight loss then an adequate amount of protein daily will suffice. Somewhere between 1.6-2.0g/kg/BW would be a potential range I would advise, but it would again come down to the individual.... . If my main focus was building muscle then I may choose to adopt meal specific amounts as the priority. This is because the objective is to stimulate muscle protein synthesis (MPS) and research suggest that the amino acid leucine is a primary signal for human MPS. An advisory protein per meal range would be 0.3-0.5g/kg/bw. So for me 0.3x107=32.1 and 0.5x107=53.5. Making my range 32.1-53.5g of protein per meal. Alternatively I could aim for 2.5-3.5g of leucine each time. . Another interesting factor is age. The elderly population actually would be best served trying to eat as if they were trying to build muscle. This is because as we get older we become more resistant to anabolic stimuli, meaning the amount of protein we used to have before is less likely to enable MPS. . Its estimated that 0.4-0.6g/kg or over 2.2g of leucine per meal, would help improve/maintain muscle mass thus improving quality of life. . This may sound easy but as we get older alterations in taste, increased satiation, delayed gastric emptying alongside many other issues can be reasons why we find it harder to eat bigger amounts. This is why its important to consider protein distribution as one big portion size of protein that aids the anabolic stimuli would be more beneficial than 4 different snacks with protein that doesnt aid MPS. See more

14.01.2022 ’ . . Hiring a coach to aid your journey in exercise or nutrition does not guarantee you results. Your readiness to change can actually be a really confronting question for some. . Some of the best break throughs I have with clients have been when this type of question causes discussion, emotion and more often than not frustration within the individual responding.... . I’ve had clients that are happy to throw money at the situation but won’t throw commitment at it, won’t action things. . Hiring a coach can really accelerate your success but only if you’re ready to trust in someone else. Telling a coach you know what you should be eating is one thing. Doing it is a completely different story! Trusting your coach and being open to learning new ways to approach habits is when you’ll start to unlock those results. . If you’re overwhelmed with the degree of change needed to achieve what you truly want. Start small. The All of nothing method often starts great and then leads to less and less compliance and reduction in adherence and ultimately a rejection in the new habits (of course not for everyone but I’m talking about the majority). . If you want change be ready to action it. You won’t find a quick fix. See more

13.01.2022 & . This loaded variation is one of my favourites for me when looking to free up stiff ankles or hips prior to a squat sesh. . This movement often targets a stretch through my calf, but not the belly of the muscle, lower down towards the Achilles (so possible soleus). Depending on how stiff I feel I can often get a stretch through my adductors and hip flexors on the back leg.... . I find this great as a warm up exercise to prime my body to feel comfortable at finding that bottom range squat position. I’m actually using a 45kg slam ball. This probably isn’t something I’d recommend for everyone. A lighter load my initially serve a better purpose as you get comfortable with the movement. See more

13.01.2022 = . Leave my calves out of it. The socks say it all. Another day another hike another few thousand steps (15,000+)

12.01.2022 ! , . . Single arm shoulder press (both arms) squats, lunges, carriers, floor presses, all these exercises can be used in conjunction with the bottoms up kettlebell hold. .... The increased instability causes you to recruit additional muscle fibres and motor units to control the unstable load. . This can be a great tool for rehab, especially shoulder health or for any individual that needs to reinforce proper lifting mechanics or learn how to improve full body tension. The technique also allows for instant feedback which is great as part of the learning process. . Check out the video to find out more. See more

12.01.2022 . I completely understand that the gym environment isnt for everyone. I mean the benefits associated with resistance training and improved quality of life makes me think it would be great for all, but its just not everyones cup of tea. . It might be sports, hiking adventures, climbing, cycling or just walking more and decreasing a sedentary lifestyle.... . The sedentary lifestyle has definitely become more prolific in our society. People drive to work, sit down for hrs, drive home and watch their favourite shows on the tele, then go to bed and repeat day after day. . To a moment and assess your lifestyle, do you have an enjoyable form of physical exercise in your life? I believe we should aim for both resistance and aerobic styles, this might be regular weight sessions, possible Pilates and then something that gets the body moving. So for some this might be a run, classes focused more towards heart rate or just consistently going for light walks, rather than sitting down in front of the tele. Lastly you might find yourself combining weight training and heart rate, using all our energy systems; ie. Crossfit . The most important point to take away is that you choose a form of exercise that youre going to repeat, that you identify with, that helps you maintain an active lifestyle; and lastly that improves your quality of life See more

12.01.2022 , . Good old delicious carbohydrates (CHO). The most palatable food you can eat, whats its connection to water and weight? . Well in laymans terms, when we look at stored CHO energy (glycogen) its important to note that glycogen requires water to be retained. Simply put for every 1g of glycogen there needs to be 3grams of water. Therefore we have a higher level of water retention with Carbs.... . This is just one reason why weight as an independent factor isnt telling the full story of your looking a body composition changes. . glycogen is stored in our muscles and liver and is a ready source of energy that can be easily used. Carbs may not be essential for life but its our primary fuel choice for our central nervous system and brain. . Our liver can store between 80-100g of glycogen and our muscle (very individualised) between 400-800g of glycogen. This means our liver could potentially have 240- 300g and our muscles 1200g-2400g of required water retention. When we combine the weight or the glycogen and the weight of the water thats a range of 1.92kg-3.6kg. . This hopefully paints a picture as to why when someone goes keto (very low CHO) not only does it probably put them in a caloric deficit but its lowers their stored CHO (assuming theyre doing some form of activity that isnt just lying in bed) and thus a drop in water retention leading to what seems like better initial results as the scale or weight drop seems more drastic. I say seems like because unless youre needing to make weight less water retention doesnt mean less fat loss. . Water retention with CHO can also lead to a stagnant weight reading sometimes maybe an increase if an individual isnt really aware of how many carbs they have and then one day has way more than usual. . This isnt to highlight the problem with Carbs its to educate the natural result and how they have a relationship with water and weight. Hopefully it can help someone who maybe looks as weight as an the only indicator of success and help them to realise theres more to it and not to panic or invoke a emotional response to weight. See more

12.01.2022 . . You might not associate your external rotators with exercises like the deadlift, overhead press and bench; But they definitely have a important role to play! . Prioritising strength work for them not only keeps the shoulders healthy and may help reduce the risk of injury through excessive internal rotation and sloppy technique, but may also improve your strength within these lifts and a few others ...for sure! . Often people skip isolation work, which is fine (IMO) if youre deciding to lunge or squat rather than leg extensions or use the leg press machine, but rotator work is one of those you dont want to neglect! See more

11.01.2022 ?... . The answer is it really doesnt matter, and really nor does yours. . For 95% of the population, what your body fat percentage number is, is irrelevant. A weight range that puts your at a healthier point is a good marker.... . Naturally if you were to focus on getting to a healthy weight range you would probably do it losing body fat whilst trying to maintain muscle mass. I legit dont know many people in my 10+ yr as a PT that have dropped weight but only water weight and muscle mass whilst maintaining the same body fat... . On the flip side having abs doesnt mean youre the pinnacle of health. If youre someone who will be stepping on stage as a physique competitor, then yes your body fat percentage would matter. But too often people put a value on the percentage, like your worth less because your body fat went up by 1%... . Having said all this, there is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING WRONG with having a physique goal! Wanting to look physically better shouldnt be frowned upon, you dont have to just get better at body acceptance because you are who you are. FUCK THAT, if you want to work at it, do it! On the journey maybe youll get a better idea of whats possible for you. An idea of how much your current lifestyle might have to change, how much energy you have to give to the goal etc. BUT dont think you should have to love yourself more or that your dont currently love yourself enough because you want change. See more

07.01.2022 ? . Highlighted in the video are two different exercises you can utilise to make your overhead positions a little bit more bearable if youre lacking the correct range. . This video isnt to highlight correct positioning of the bottom position in an overhead squat or a snatch but just to highlight some simple movements that may help you unlock that stiff upper body posture if you need it!

06.01.2022 ! ... .... ??? . Everybodys squat may look a little different depending on a few factors (as mentioned in the vid). If you have a large degree of leaning with your back squat, its worth noting that your front squat and back squat should not look the same. . One key element to a successful squat is the bath path and your centre of mass. ... Check it out See more

06.01.2022 . Researchers over the years have proposed that these pointers I’ve listed are recorded observations comparing the potential results of following a rigid diet vs. a flexible approach. . A Rigid approach would implement restrictions on food choices, strict calorie and macronutrient amounts. A rigid approach has no allowance for life events.... . A flexible approach allows you to have calorie and macronutrient ranges. You can work towards weekly calorie targets not just daily. You can be flexible with your calorie allowing for high calorie day and low calorie days. I’m other words it allows for life to happen! . If where possible choose to be flexible with your diet approach. Being flexible isn’t a glorified way to just eat whatever you want, it still requires thought and planning to your food choices. It still requires adherence to energy balance and calories. . For most people you’re improving your chances of long term success if you can learn the flexible approach. @ Newstead, Queensland See more

06.01.2022 . . Understanding your own current ability with these simple tests/benchmarks will help you figure out your weaknesses. . 1 Squat depth with thoracic and lumbar spinal extension... 2 Hip flexion with thoracic and lumbar spinal extension 3 L sit with overhead range 4 The straddle position with lumbar extension 5 Ankle range 6 Wrist extension . The demands for Olympic weightlifting requires a higher degree of flexibility than weightlifting in general, so quite often when as a coach when I see areas of inflexibility theres a correlation with a limiting effect on performance and it may expose the individual to compromising positions leading to an increase in injuries. . Numbers 1-3 are pretty essential for lifters. If your squat depth is lacking with full spinal extension, if your hip flexion with full spinal extension is poor, if you lack the ability to find a proper overhead position; Then you need to focus on your flexibility frequently. Increasing flexibility can suck, its not how long you do it for per sae but how often you do. . Any questions comment below or DM me . . . . @functionwell @ Function Well See more

05.01.2022 ! , . , ! . In my opinion one of the biggest issues on receiving information especially through social media, is this narrative of standing out, or association with the extremes. . People have lost their ability to critically think and not only that people have either got lazy or dont understand how to give out objective evidence, or see into research or personal bias, conflic...ts of interest, method validity and reliability etc. . Quite often their no one right way, but often you see certain right ways pushed more than others... keto is the best for weight loss and performance, Carbs are the reason youre overweight, artificial sweeteners are worse than sugar, regulate your hormones for fat loss, etc etc, the list is long! . Dont get me wrong is hard to look at something and be completely objective, its a skill, one Im continually working on to offer my clients the best information out there and now it can be of practical use to them. . Just be aware of the things you read and the information you hear, sometimes theres an agenda, sometimes there isnt (thats geared to all you conspiracy theory people, sorry not sorry ). . To finish with as another example, showing how difficult it can be... Theres a lot of evidence out their which states probiotics supplements have a positive effect on gut health, even some benefits to more clinical matters like inflammatory bowel disease; Yet a huge portion of the studies are funded by companies selling probiotics. As a result some people therefore will state for gut health you should be taking probiotic supplements, when potentially from an objective view they would be better off explain that the evidence is promising, but its too early to conclude, especially when broadening results to the general population knowing that more research is needed. Supplementation should be looked at on and individual basis and what is likely to produce and effective result for that client. See more

05.01.2022 . I coach them on how I feel they are best suited to execute movements according to their flexibility, mobility, body movement awareness. Based on what body parts we want to prioritise. Based on what style gets results and, last but not least, in a way that keeps their risk of injury low (granted naturally the heavy the weight then increased potential). . I try not to demonise movement but to enc...ourage a style, a pattern that suits the individual in question, its not always a general right or wrong, more a this is what suits you, this is currently more optimal. . For some reason social media always bring out the extremes, and granted I do believe that in some cases something might be more wrong than just sub optimal but theres levels to it. . BUT as coaches I think we also need to be careful not to make people afraid of movement whilst also showing enough due diligence so that we dont just let people move in a way that potentially carrys more risk. . Our bodies were designed with movement in mind, and perhaps movement can be looked at as optimal and sub optimal on a scale rather than right and wrong, especially if it increases fear of movement. On the other hand dont be a bellend and not address technique/movement issues, because in my experience itll come back to bite you. See more

05.01.2022 . . I just want to eat for my health this is a common statement Ive heard especially over say the last 5 years. From a little bit more discussion This concept usually means, I want more energy in my life, less joint aches and stiffness, I want to sleep better, eat foods that support a healthier body etc. . Unfortunately over the years the role of ones ability to sust...ain a healthy weight range has been overlooked and pushed down the priority ladder and replaced with the importance of clean nutrient dense foods, or foods that support the reduction in the bodys inflammation levels. . I am not saying these things are not a good focus point for people, as I truly think an individual should have habits that involve eating good nutrient dense food often and regular. I want people to understand the need to address weight gain or weight loss to achieve a healthy weight range and the benefits just doing this alone has on our health. . Of course if youre already in the right weight range then your priority and focus can change. But if your not then dont underestimate the power to your health that obtaining a good weight range would have. See more

05.01.2022 2020 . And that’s a wrap. Funny old year. Cheers to the future and whatever it holds.

04.01.2022 . . () . Too often I talk with individuals striving for the perfect week ratio, juggling friends, family and self time, work, exercise, income etc. . Often this can be very thought consuming meaning it encompasses a-lot of their time and its often superseded with negative thoughts and disappointment that they havent managed their time very well and didnt give areas of their life any attention this week.... . Personally Im a firm believe when I say this (but its still an opinion) you cannot create improvements or balance across all fields all the time and its a head fuck to assume this is balance. . For example sometimes in life your going to have to knuckle down and sacrifice potential areas of life that matter to you to allow you to get the job done (as so to speak) in another aspect. . Right now I have upcoming nutrition exams and Im prioritising my time outside of work to make sure Im ready. As a result time with my friends, time to myself, time with my fianc has been reduced to compensate. . Does that mean my life is out of whack? To me no. I feel Im doing then necessary to achieve another goal, its short term, hard work, (short term is important to note) I still feel I have control of my life decisions which is also probably an important factor to consider. . Sometimes you have to commit and accept the sacrifices you need to make, for the long term process. Sometimes you have to narrow the focus to achieve the desired outcome. So if for a week your work comes first! So be it! Maybe your own time is needed, Maybe its your kids that need your effort, your time (that may sound naive, I currently dont have kids) Maybe you need to prioritise for longer, even for a month or more. IMO as long as you remember to regain focus to other areas of your life and not neglect long term, you my friend have balance... IMO See more

04.01.2022 : Marian . Marian has finally achieved lifting face material . As a by product of such an achievement Marian has seen improvements in all of his lifts. . Just over 8 weeks ago we worked out potentially what Marians 1RM might be, using 5rm tests. For most of my clients attempting an actual 1-RM is absolutely pointless offering a higher risk than reward.... . If you flick over to the table you can see that Marian has improved on all of his movements and to be honest its not just that hes become stronger but his technique has improved! Marian has been consistent in training 2x/wk with me and 3 sessions of resistance training in total/wk. Plenty of progress still to come in the next training block we started today . Its worth noting that his strength has improved but our focus in the sessions has been to move correctly and try hard to avoid sloppy reps just for the sake of it. . All credit to Marian for putting in the work and showing great consistency. . . . @functionwell @ Function Well

04.01.2022 I love a good hike, playing with the go pro was also decent! Shame about the view at the top but shit happens Started the trek at 7am got back down at 4pm.

04.01.2022 ’ . . I absolutely love to learn and I really enjoy teaching. I’ve been working as a coach for over 10years and I still get a buzz for passing on knowledge to others. . Things I am not. Im not a rep counter, I’m not a cheerleader (not literally either), I’m not here to flog you, I’m not necessarily here to just motivate. Every coach has their own style and it’s important that you pick a coach you gel with in term of their ethos and... personality. . Things I believe I am to my clients. A teacher, a listener, a shoulder when necessary, someone who educates, holds people accountable, challenges mindsets, nurtures confidence through self belief (not just you go girl). . This page is here for all that feel they enjoy learning with regards to gym exercises, flexibility and mobility movements, health and nutrition. I hope my passion shows through my posts and it offers you all a chance to learn something new! See more

03.01.2022 . ... . In this day and age every man and his dog seems to have a watch that tracks steps or if you havent got a watch your phone does it to some extent (not really sure of the accuracy). . Steps can be a good measurement tool of your lifestyle. I often recommend that is an individual is wanting to drop some weight that they try to incorporate a daily step target into their lifestyle. Increased daily activity such as walking is something... that probably wont leave an Individual too sore (unless you walk way too far straight off the bat) meaning its something that can be done regularly and will help contribute to caloric expenditure. . For Individuals that dont have much of a fitness level they would actually probably expend more energy walking for an hour than they would lifting weights in the gym. BUT honestly I would look at the two options with different associations. By that I mean, weights- build/maintain muscle, bone strength, improve movement patterns. Daily steps improve my energy expenditure/ cardiovascular fitness. . Most peoples days involved driving to work or getting on transportation, sitting at work, getting home, having some sofa time and having dinner then bed. Rinse and repeat until something different at the weekend. . Having a daily step target allows you to try and break your regular routine, create new habits and give you a little mini challenge at the same time. Walking improves blood flow, Being outside and getting in fresh air comes with its own physiological and psychological benefits too. . Targets vary and should be individual tbh but a general guideline seems to be around 10,000- 12,000 steps daily for both physical fitness and a decent energy expenditure avenue. . Remember daily steps isnt a necessity but being more active in your lifestyle is something we should all strive for especially if we want a to improve our quality of life. Also it CAN BE a good supplement to help create a caloric deficit in your lifestyle, BUT if your serious about weight loss it starts when you get serious about understanding your food choice and the energy of the foods you eat. See more

03.01.2022 . On the left you have my setup for a clean (Olympic lifting) and on the right my positioning for the deadlift. For general strength a deadlift will undoubtedly help, but does it have much carry over to your Olympic lifts? . In my opinion I would say if your goals are to improve your strength in the clean or the snatch then making sure your program consists of snatch pulls and clean pulls would be a bet...ter option. Heres why... . Your first pull (from the ground to your knee) should allow you to maintain a very similar torso position through out. This torso position is the position you get into as youre about to lift the weight, ie. the left picture. The reason for this is as you enter in the second pull your you need to impose as much force in an upwards direction as physically possible. I have found from experience the more of a torso lean you have from the start the more likely you are to create a horizontal movement of the bar when you try to find full extension during the second pull, and this leads you into a situation where you find yourself shifting forwards to try and catch the bar. . If your program focused more on different variations of pulls which mimic the Olympic lifting movement then you would find there would be a better transfer over of the skill to your main lift making it a better option for your program and progress. See more

03.01.2022 1000 . Final day of family Easter break. . I read many years ago the importance of taking true time off work to improve your mindset, outlook and creativity.... . The last 5 days I’ve completed maybe 30mins of work related things and the rest of the time I’ve been in the moment. . As a individual whose business is currently dependent solely on what I do. It can be very easy to fall into the trap of being accessible and available to everyone all the time. However it’s a trap for a reason and stressing and feeling the need to be ever constant has in the past lead me to resent what I do and caused me to feel like I’m always working in the business! . I’m returning to Brissy tonight and the rest of the week I’ll be working ON my business not in it and then finishing the week off down in Sydney for some professional development and hopefully so fresh ideas to help I’m implement my road map for my business! . Big up to all those independent businesses out there See more

03.01.2022 . . Lets focus on balance for a second whether it be a squat, lunge, step up, Bulgarian split squat: An association I see with lack of balance is way way too much movement at the toes and ankle. Not everyone but a great deal of the general population who havent been exposed to much resistance training in their past severely lack the ability to create... strong arches in the feet. Learning to grip the ground is a great way to help improve balance and stability at the ankle. . More stability at the ankle will help guide the knee into a more stable position (remember the knee is best at stability not mobility), and as a result your quads, adductors and glutes will have to work together to drive up into extension at the top of your step up. Granted if youre particularly weak the knee will want to cave in a fair amount and you ass/side of hip will be on fire due to you trying to bring your body into the right positions. . Remember if you doing weighted step ups and your constantly collapsing then lower your weight, change the height of the box, learn to lower down slower with eccentric variations. Dont just grind out shitty form. @ Function Well See more

02.01.2022 , . Caught in the act, laughing at god knows what, but ones things for sure, I was enjoying myself. These memories are the best. Happy Friday people

01.01.2022 , x . They said death and taxes are two things that are inevitable in life. The same came can be said for DOMS if you’re new to weightlifting or have taken some time away from exercise or have changed up your routine. . DOMS stands for delayed onset of muscle soreness and if you’ve been in anything situations like I mentioned above you’ll know what I’m talking about.... . This last week has got all my muscles screaming at me again. Walking like ‘John Wayne’, old man noises to put on my socks and my favourite lat and shoulders soreness making my arms about as useful as that on a TRex. . The good news is as I adapt to the new stimulus the Doms will subside. That’s not to say progress won’t happen and that’s exactly why you don’t gauge a good workout by how sore you get! . If you’re constantly sore, assess your program, monitor your sleep and nutrition. Something is off. . Interestingly the best way to reduce DOMS from an exercise perspective is to improve blood flow. Doing nothing will most like prolong recovery, but of course going ‘ball to the walls’ again in your next session on the same body areas is fairly dumb. . That’s all folks, back to feeling like I’ve gone 10 rounds with Tyson. See more

01.01.2022 ? . Lets imagine were lengthening that neck and pulling those shoulders away from your ears! . The trapezius is more than just a narrow slab of muscle running from one shoulder to your neck and down to your other shoulder. The traps originate at the base of the skull, run down to the upper and mid-back area, and run width-wise covering both scapulas.... . Thats a lot of space covered! But for some reason some of you out there want to row making sure your shoulders are up near your ears and that your working the upper portion only, lets just assume its unintentional. . Your trapezius consists of the lower, mid and upper sections and in my opinion for most horizontal row exercises we should focus more on the mid to lower ranges meaning we should actively work hard to pull our shoulders and shoulder blades down and together! . The left side of the pictures show my position when I focus on optimising the technique, shoulders down and back along with shoulder blades squeezed down and together. The right side is what tends to happen if youre becoming upper trap dominant in the movement. . The first picture is under tension at the start of the pull. First thing I have focused on is the shoulder and blades down and back (not elbow movement), then the pull happens and we want to make sure during the pull we dont end up with our shoulders rising up! . This moves into the second picture which shows how it may look when youve pulled the bar to your body. . The third picture just shows the position from the side and what your shoulder position may look like. Hopefully you can see where you may be going a bit of track with your pulls. If the weight you use means you cant do this then try a lighter weight and see, everybody shoulder have functioning shoulders and shoulder blades that allow elevation and thus depression and protraction (shoulder movement forward) and retraction (moving backwards). . Ive tried to keep this fairly simple let me know if Ive lost you! @ Crossfit Newstead See more