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Many would say that ability to complete a marathon makes a person fit. Yes and No.

Most would look at a super heavy weight powerlifter and fit is not a word that springs to mind. Hold judgement on that one there folks.

The Oxford dictionary defines fitness as;

“The quality of being suitable to fulfil a particular role or task”

Powerlfiting is a goal/task as is marathon running, basketball, hiking, gardening, sex, cooking, playing with your kids are all tasks too and if you can perform the task you are attempting then you ARE fit…for that task.

The human body adapts in a very energy saving manner which allows specificity of fitness. For example a long distance runner adapts specifically to that task and the body wont waste energy creating dense bones or stronger muscles if it isn’t required to. They become fit for long distance running but not strength needs.

The opposite end of the spectrum see’s powerlfiters building thicker bones, denser muscles but at the sacrifice of muscular endurance due to specific adaptations of the energy pathways needed. They become fit for strength work and not endurance work.

Confusing fitness with an ability to perform large amounts of cardiovascular work over a prolonged period of time is a common mistake but still a mistake.

We are fit for what we do and very little else, which in essence, makes us all fit to varying proficiencies and spectrum.

Take an elite level cyclists with powerful legs and a huge VO2 max and drop them in the sea and demand an equal level of “fitness” in swimming as they display on their bikes…in most cases you wont see anything other than an average performance due to the specificity of fitness.

So next time you think about “getting fit” try and decide on what you want to be fit at, it will define your training and thus, results.

Richard Ham Williams

Epsom Personal Trainer

I have spent time selecting, building and testing various pieces of equipment that will provide the greatest effect whilst providing us with fun and a challenge!

I have welded, sourced, bent and dreamt up a number of pieces of workout gear that are sure to make this bootcamp the most sought after one in the area. You will have access to an ever growing menu of awesome equipment not in use in any other local (Epsom) bootcamp.

The instruction is there already and now I can offer you something totally different, unique and fun that costs a fraction of Personal Training!

These workouts will be structured in such a was as to allow GPP (General Physical Preparedness), which means you’ll get a great base in strength, endurance, agility, stamina, flexibility, balance, coordination and mental toughness!

I have fabricated the equipment in a way that allows almost any level of current fitness to benefit so come along and enjoy the ride!

Start date will be announced soon but feel free to drop me a line before hand to sign up or get a sneak peak at the equipment……

The traditional theory is that if you eat too many calories you will gain weight. Eat a few less than you burn and you will lose weight. Simple. And true.

It seems that a lot of people are up in arms about the fact that a diet rich in protein has been seen to allow for greater weight loss when the same number of calories from carbohydrates are consumed. The calories in versus calories out theory thus comes under fire as being wrong. It’s not and doesn’t take a moment of understanding to see why.

Where this gets confusing is that not all calories demand the same amount of “attention” from the human body.

For example;

1000 calories from protein will not actually yield the same amount of usable energy as 1000 calories from carbohydrates. The reason is down to what is being called the thermic effect of food.

Protein requires more energy to break down and assimilate than carbohydrates do.

Out of those 1000 calories from protein your body may well use 250 calories of energy to digest it where as it may only need 100 calories of energy to digest the same 1000 calories of carbohydrates which obviously leaves less energy for you to use or store as fat from the protein rich diet.

The calories in versus out theory is still very much intact. All that happens is that by simply eating more protein you have increased your calories out side of the equation.

Nothing magical about that, we all knew that a little extra protein in your diet is a good thing for those in training.

Not all calories are equal but the calories in versus out theory is still solid;

Take two diets of equal calories, one with 2000 calories from protein and one with 2000 calories from carbohydrates and yes, over the long haul the thermic effect will show the protein rich diet as being more effective at weight loss by a small margin.

Thus to a casual observer it would appear that the calories in versus out model is wrong. Explain to them that it is not and it is due to calories out being increased by the extra energy needed to digest the protein and all is well again.

If you are interested in nutritional consultation to help you lose extra body fat I suggest clicking here.

I am a Personal Trainer working from Epsom in Surrey and specialise in fat loss and strength training for every day people.

Regards,

Richard “Peg Leg” Ham Williams

I have recently launched the Three Phase Fat Loss Nutrition Guidance service (which all full time Epsom Personal Training clients get FREE)and am frequently asked about the best diet for weight loss (read the programme in the link and you’ll understand why weight loss is not the goal) but in reality there is no one best diet.

Physiologically we know the most effective diet for any body recomposition goals but each person’s lifestyle dictates something different due work, family and personal circumstances so we must cater to each persons needs.

If however you want a basic plan that can only succeed in making you lean and healthy then this is it;

Eat meat, fish, vegetables, dairy and some fruit and drink water. Any deviation from this is a deviation in results.

A typical day may look like this;

Breakfast – 2- 4 eggs cooked how you prefer with a cup of tea or coffee (protein based meal with fat)

Snack – cup of tea or coffee (fat keeps you going)

Lunch – a serving of meat/fish/protein about the size of your hand and a plate of colourful vegetables (protein, fibre and carb)

Snack – A piece of fruit (carbs)

Dinner – Same as lunch

Simple and healthy with a side of effect of a lean body and vital energy levels. Expecting something more flashy? Sorry.

If you workout properly and feel you need more protein just double the portion size of the protein or add in protein shake with lunch and/or dinner.

If you carry too much fat and eat like this for one month I guarantee you’ll be happy with the results in body composition.

If your trainer still believes the only way to a healthier heart or better endurance is through long slow distance cardio work, perhaps ask them to look into the comparisons between traditional long slow distance work and different forms of interval training. If they use the term “Core” in reference to balance work or TVA as opposed to core exercises like squats, lifts, pulls and pushes then you may well be suspect.

Sure, some sports require long duration events but most do not and the vast majority of us that workout do so for health and looks and exercise protocols such as Crossfit and H.I.T. have at least shown us that short workouts of the correct intensity will produce both health and fitness beyond the levels of traditional cardio routines that consume more of our time than most can now days afford to sacrifice.

If you are told that you must eat breakfast to lose fat as it “stokes” the metabolism it may be time to look else where for a trainer. Naturally there is variation in the methods you can and will abide over the long haul but there certainly other “easier” options available to you.

Your health, weight, body fat levels and strength really needn’t take up hours of dedication each week and provided your Personal Trainer is on top of their reading they can help you achieve 99% of fat loss and general fitness goals within a very short period of actual training time.

I have been helping people lose body fat, gain strength and be better with thirty minutes per session with between 1 and 3 sessions per week for years now and if you live or work near to Epsom then I suggest that you give me a call. You deserve to know just how to go about looking better naked and being healthier without spending more than 90 minutes per week in the gym.

Richard “Peg Leg” Ham Williams

Epsom Personal Trainer

07742 952 208

If your trainer still believes the only way to a healthier heart or better endurance is through long slow distance cardio work, perhaps ask them to look into the comparisons between traditional long slow distance work and different forms of interval training. If they use the term “Core” in reference to balance work or TVA as opposed to core exercises like squats, lifts, pulls and pushes then you may well be suspect.

Sure, some sports require long duration events but most do not and the vast majority of us that workout do so for health and looks and exercise protocols such as Crossfit and H.I.T. have at least shown us that short workouts of the correct intensity will produce both health and fitness beyond the levels of traditional cardio routines that consume more of our time than most can now days afford to sacrifice.

If you are told that you must eat breakfast to lose fat as it “stokes” the metabolism it may be time to look else where for a trainer. Naturally there is variation in the methods you can and will abide over the long haul but there certainly other “easier” options available to you.

Your health, weight, body fat levels and strength really needn’t take up hours of dedication each week and provided your Personal Trainer is on top of their reading they can help you achieve 99% of fat loss and general fitness goals within a very short period of actual training time.

I have been helping people lose body fat, gain strength and be better with thirty minutes per session with between 1 and 3 sessions per week for years now and if you live or work near to Epsom then I suggest that you give me a call. You deserve to know just how to go about looking better naked and being healthier without spending more than 90 minutes per week in the gym.

Richard “Peg Leg” Ham Williams

Epsom Personal Trainer

07742 952 208

Haters gonna hate so the saying goes.

Of course I reference the recent video of the #TeamAwesome pseudo power lifting competition and the barrage of hate mail I have now received from around the globe (along with many of praise for the effort and willingness to subject myself to the haters) regurgitating every text book ever written on lifting technique and having no thought of their own or clue about actual real life experience and what happens to your view of safety when winning and pride is on the line. Technique and safety always lose to winning, at any costs. (Just ask the chap who recently asked a number of world class athletes if they could take a pill that would ensure a win but would cause health problems later in life would they take it…you’d be shocked how many said yes) Winning is winning Truckers.

I hate bad technique as much as the next but who are you to say what bad technique is, really, who are you and what are your qualifications and how many people have you studied? Did you know that a percentage of the population naturally have protruding vertebral discs without ever knowing about it because it never caused them any problems? How do you know that round back deadlifting or forward leaning in the squat will cause me any harm? DO you know my body better than I, have you lived for 16 years with a massive tibial implant and knee replacement and learnt how to work around it? Well shit kickers, have you? Do you have a scoliosis and one leg an inch shorter than the other and have to lift with one shoe on? Oh didn’t notice the one shoe part because you were too busy trying to find your grab ass reason to slate someone about something you know less than nothing about weren’t you you cottonheadedninnymuggin (yes I did just quote Elf).

At any point in any of our Tweets, blogs or videos did we say “Hey pencil necks listen up, this is how you should train with weights, our tech if spot on” did we?

OR did we in fact always say from the beginning that in competition and max lifts that safety and thus technique goes out the window when the desire to win outweighs the desire for your textbook form…oh sorry, you hadn’t bothered reading those parts but still felt the need to weigh in and spit your venom in our direction. Shame on you anal itches.

Some of the worlds greatest ever deadlifters are/were “roundbackers” and some of the worlds greatest strength coaches in varying disciplines freely state that without round back strength your back is not truly strong (Ask me how to get round back strength and I wont tell you, come and pay for my time and I’ll show you). Worthy of note here the study on Strongmen stone lifting events by Stuart McGill (spine health expert) and he noted that the muscles create a “protective stiffness” to keep the spine safe – who would have known that muscles create stiffness to protect joints?

 A strength coach by the way, should make people stronger and not better at dancing around doing stupid drills with pansy ass medicine balls and playing tug of war horse shit. Strength comes from heavy loads, not balancing on stuff or twanging over sized elastic bands.

And for those that have asked for references on my round back ideas, here’s one; pick up a text book on how muscles adapt to strength training, learn why isometrics don’t transfer over to full range strength in at least 80% of the population, read how the spine is supported by the surrounding musculature and how it handles loads with and without support, spend the next 14 years reading more, testing everything, throwing out the horse shit, learn for yourself and stop taking every authors word as gospel and get under the bar for yourself and earn the right to talk shit. You want me to hand you my adult life’s research you lazy jock, think again, put down your copy of Mens Health and start reading because dear boys, you have a lot ahead of you.

Your ever loving Personal Trainer, Epsom,

Richard “Peg Leg” Ham Williams

The festive time of Christmas and New Year always demands we eat more than usual, drink far too much and inevitably put on a few extra pounds in weight that we would rather be without but that is a GREAT thing, I promise.

It is great as it serves to bring our health, function and looks to the forefront of our minds when we usually ignore it or simply accept it as part of life but this really doesn’t have to be the case.

Many people have fallen into a comfortable acceptance of fat accumulation as part and parcel of being past 30, this is a very correctable imbalance and with the right guidance and knowledge can be reversed in short order.

Youth can be regained

As we age we tend to become less active and earn more money to indulge ourselves which leads to a situation where our bodies reduce the amount of lean tissue we carry causing a slowing of our metabolisms and increases our body fat percentages whilst reducing us to a less shapely and capable physique. There is a simple way to reverse this process that we all have access to in one way or another….exercise and smart eating.

The confusion now days lies in which foods constitute smart dieting, when to consume them and just which exercises are the most effective at regaining our youthful bodies and that’s what I am here for; to guide you.

Call me or mail me to find out how to get started and get access to the client area full of diet advice and fat loss guidance.

See you soon,

Richard “Peg Leg” Ham Williams

07742 952 208

PegLeg@PegLegPT.com

Epsom’s Personal Trainer