nutrition and performance book

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About me
My name is Ben Wright and I am a fitness, nutrition and life coach.
I have been working in the fitness industry for some time now and my passion is to help others
achieve life changing results by making the healthiest and most proactive life choices they can.
I believe that all of us have the potential to live the healthiest and happiest lives possible, that age is
just a number and no matter how busy your lifestyle is, it should never hold you back. I also believe
that with my teachings, drive and passion I can help you to achieve your dreams!
Over the years, I have worked with some inspirational coaches myself, who have all taught me to
be able to achieve my dreams by remaining consistent and following certain protocols.
I was always the skinny kid at school, and whilst growing up I struggled to gain muscle and grow
effectively. However, I have always been into sports, but it wasn’t till 2006 when I seriously broke my
leg in a rock climbing accident that things changed. Through months of rehabilitation and ongoing
struggles physically, financially and in my relationships, I eventually got back on my feet and back to
work with most of my mobility intact. However, for the following year I ended up with serious back
pains and sleepless nights. More rehabilitation later and I was sent to see a specialist, ( he was also
the Scottish rugby team’s physio). I was advised to take up some weightlifting. I laughed at first as,
like many, I thought that this kind of training would be detrimental for the body’s mobility and long
term functionality.
How wrong I was.
I was introduced to compound weight lifting. Predominantly deadlifts and bench presses, and over
time I strengthened my back, realigned the bodies composition and became physically stronger,
happier and healthier. This however was just the start.
Over the years I’ve been surrounded by likeminded people who have helped guide my transition
into a personal trainer and coach. I believe that having experienced setbacks in my life and the inner
strength I found in order to rebuild my body and mind that I can now make others’ dreams and
inspirations easier to achieve.
The road ahead is a long one, but then so is life. Shortcuts don’t make for results. Consistency, as in
all aspects of life is what will help you achieve results over the long term.
This is not just a training plan. This is information and knowledge that will help you set up a new
foundation; a new look on life and the appropriate education you need in order to make progress.
When you combine all the information in this booklet with the right training plan, I promise you, you
will get results.
I have broken it down into sections that are easy to read and understand.
Training does not need to be complicated. For most of us it all about achieving the correct balance
of rest, nutrition and training. Combine this with doing the things in life you love and your results
will be never ending.
Let’s get started.
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Nutrition and performance guidance
This is my nutrition and performance guide in which I have listed some of the essential requirements
you will need when perusing your dream fitness goals.
It’s not just enough to just go to the gym and workout. If you want REAL results in performance,
aesthetics and energy balance we must get your nutrition and performance right.
This includes mindset and motivation.
In this plan, I will lay down as many key points as needed so that you will be able to manage your
training correctly to obtain the best results possible.
I’ve made this easy to read, and easy to understand. Something you can keep a hold of and use at
your perusal.
I will discuss the points below, helping you achieve an understanding of performance requirements.
My results below are the result of a few years of trial and error training. Once I figured out the key
to successfully creating balance and consistency I achieved the results I desired. You can too.
These top pictures were taken in 2016. I was around 7 percent bodyfat and weighed 130lbs
This picture was taken around 2012 and this had been my
consistent frame for many years; very skinny and predominantly
more fat than muscle. The term “skinny fat” is appropriate..
I weighed around 145lbs with around 13 percent body fat. So, as
you can see I have managed to increase in size considerably and
lose fat at the same time. My whole body composition has
changed and I have a much healthier and pleasing physique. I
was never gifted with excellent genetics or muscles, but I have
worked hard and followed these protocols to gain success.
THIS IS THE BEGINNING.
LET THIS BE YOUR BEGINNING.
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Content
1. Mindset
When goals become dreams
Willpower
2. Thermodynamics
What is Thermodynamics?
3. Macros and micros
What is a macro?
Fibre
What is a micro?
Why are macros so important?
4. Calorie counting, calorie intake and food diaries
Why track your calories?
Food logging using my fitness pal food diary
Use of a BMR calculator
Just be healthy
5. Reverse dieting
What is reverse dieting?
What is the endocrine system?
Who should reverse diet?
How to reverse diet
6. Be aware of restricted dieting
7. Carb cycling and refeeds
8. Choosing your macros based on your specific body type
Choose your macros based on your specific body type!
9. Rest, recovery and stress balance
Why do I mention stress? What is stress?
overtraining
10. Hydration and alcohol
Why drink water?
Sodium
How does alcohol affect your results?
11. Stretching and mobilising
Why should you stretch and mobilise?
12. Understanding energy balance
13. Supplement use
What’s good and what’s not
14. Measuring your progress
Why should I record progress?
Measuring your fitness
Measuring body composition
Photos and the mirror
Scales
callipers
15. Form and the mind muscle connection
Correct form and how to perform the back squat, bench press, overhead press and deadlift
The mind muscle connection
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16. How the muscle grows
How to stimulate muscle growth
17. The gut
18. Diabetes
Type 1 diabetes
Type 2 diabetes
How to cure type 2 diabetes
leptin
19. A few Myths debunked
20. Final thoughts
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1. Mindset
“I think, therefore I am.” Quote: Rene Descartes
Most successful people generally become successful because they consistently think about the goal
at hand and how to achieve it whether consciously or subconsciously. They have an image of the
person they want to be and the lifestyle they want to lead.. More importantly though, is that they
believe. Therefore, the more you believe in yourself and your goals, the more it will happen and
start to manifest itself. To reach your goals, big and small, you need to start believing you can do it.
Self-belief drives success. Implementing all the other steps which will lead you to the goal at hand.
Before you start out on any venture or goal, make sure you have the right mindset to achieve the
outcome you want.
The mind is your most powerful weapon. Use it wisely.
When goals become dreams
The first day is always the easiest for most people! Looking in the mirror and seeing the body you
have grown to dislike! And realizing you need to change. So, you take the first steps towards the big
change and you feel full of excitement! You feel the drive because you NEED to make the change.
Also, because at that point it’s all very real!
What happens is you start to make some consistent changes in your life and you start to see
progress…. Quickly. However, many people think it is the changes that are providing progress when
in fact it’s mostly just the consistency of change! So, what happens…
The progress becomes a lifestyle then it becomes the norm and then a lot of the time we reach
plateaus.
What happens next (in my opinion) is what separates those who will continue to achieve and those
who slowly revert back to the person they were.
Let me explain.
When the progression begins to slow down and becomes normal many people then start reintroducing
the old habits back into their lives, because they no longer see FAST results. They no
longer respect the hard work that is now needed in order to continue through the plateaus and
eventually they end up back at square one wondering just how they got there. Unfortunately, it
happened before they had a chance to stop it. All the excuses come out of the woodwork. In my
experience, around about the 3-month mark!
You must realise that you need to stay strong. That you need to push harder and that you need to
remain consistent. Understand that plateaus are normal and that allowing small bad habits back into
your life could lead to detrimental results. Remain strong and remain patient.
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Much of this will boil down to willpower. Also, the understanding between what you want and
what you need.
You might want to sit and eat pizza every night or drink beer with your pals every night. However,
what you need will be much different. So, making the right decision is essential. I’m not saying to be
a bore and not enjoy life, I’m simply saying to think about making the correct choices based on
what your current goals are.
So, what is a goal?
Footballers run up and down a field with a ball trying to put that ball into the back of a net. When
they succeed they celebrate, return to the start and do it again. This is a consistent thing. This is
what we do in life. We set a goal. Then Chase it. Once we have achieved it we celebrate it and then
start a new goal.
The key here is all about how to achieve that goal. It’s about understanding that to achieve your
goals there will be barriers involved…like defenders in football. There is always something (or
someone) trying to stop us from achieving them. So, ask yourself now, has there been a goal that
you wanted to achieve but never managed because a barrier came into play and stopped you? It
doesn’t matter how big or how small. I bet honestly …there was!
You must prepare yourself when setting out new goals. You need to prepare yourself for all the
barriers that will appear in front of you and all the reoccurring temptations that once ruled your life.
Goals become dreams when consistency slips and when mentally you give up on that goal and that
goal goes back to becoming the dream you once had.
As I said, it’s easy to want to make a change because you must…. It’s much harder to maintain that
vision to obtain the dream when things become tough or routine.
Don’t be that person. Be patient and hard working.
Or else all your goals become dreams.
An easy way to adhere to your goals is to make them SMART and write them down!
S - What is your specific goal?
M – How do you measure your goals how meaningful or motivational are they?
A – How achievable are your goals and attainable?
R – How realistic are your goals?
T – Time based and trackable. How will you track this?
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Make your goals visible. There’s nothing stronger or more profound than visual inspiration. Aids
such as a visual board help, where you place pictures and written testaments to look at each day to
remind you of your goals and aspirations.
Also, break them down into short, medium and long term. Remember Rome wasn’t built in a day. All
the small goals achieved will certainly help to build the foundations of the long-term goal!
I know you can do it.
Willpower
Willpower isn’t just a word. It’s a state of mind. An effort that plays a part in everyday living. How
often do you walk past a bakery, fast food joint or bar for example and tell yourself you “need” the
treat inside? When really, this is more of a want. You subconsciously start to give yourself reasons to
“cheat” the system you have set up for yourself. Chemicals start fluctuating through the body, like
dopamine, leaving you in a state of complete belief that you deserve it and therefore will indulge.
The next thing you know you’re stood in line, waiting to collect the deserving treat that you know
will set you back, because at this point this is an ongoing issue.
So how do we stop feeling the overpowering urge to eat rubbish? First, we need to understand why
it happens.
*Dopamine is a brain chemical involved in many different functions including movement, motivation,
reward — and addiction. Nearly all drugs of abuse directly or indirectly increase dopamine in the
pleasure and motivation pathways and in so doing alter the normal communication between
neurons. - Wikipedia
When you see a treat,( and not just food. Clothes, cigarettes, sex or perfume to name a few)
dopamine is released into your system. Dopamine is a chemical compound that basically triggers the
want, the desire and the motivation to have the treat in front of you. It will send signals to the body
that basically shut down rational thinking. So, for instance, if it’s junk/comfort food you want, the
body will suddenly be convinced that an insulin spike is about to occur from the carbohydrates that
are about to be consumed. What then happens is sugar levels get lowered in the sheer anticipation.
When sugar levels drop… the cravings start. See the problem here? And see where the vicious cycle
can occur?
Another issue is that when we constantly eat unhealthy food we “spike” our energy and then we
“crash”, (this is discussed later in “energy balance”). The crash part of the energy drop is where
willpower is effected the most. When we are tired and emotionally drained for instance, rational
thinking and willpower is thrown by the wayside for another quick fix. Almost like giving up.
Maintaining a healthy energy balance is essential.
So how do we fix this?
It’s simple. The healthier food choices we make and the effort to exercise keeps energy levels
balanced. It maintains an optimistic and healthy mindset and the ability to understand how to
control your willpower by reminding yourself about your long-term goals. This way you can enjoy a
treat without it getting out of control. Remember that comfort food is also used during stressful
situations (just like alcohol, erratic shopping and sexual stimulation etc.) however, if used in an
unnecessary manner, all this will do is produce negative results as stated above. That is to crash your
energy system and leave you wanting more comfort food. So, making sure that you spend time to
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elax, de-stress and get adequate sleep will help to increase your willpower strength and stop you
from making bad health decisions.
Essentially, being run down, tired, stressed out, lethargic, hungry, imbalanced and fed up will always
lead to bad decision making, leading to unhealthy lifestyle choices and decreasing your willpower
levels thus raising the inevitability of bad decision making.
Fact.
*research has shown that when blood sugar levels are low (the crash) we are more likely going to
give up on difficult tasks….
So, to encourage willpower simply:
Exercise
Eat well
De-stress and relax
Stay motivated with your short to long term goals
Understand more about the chemical and physiological occurrences that happen internally
that lead to unhealthy psychological decisions
Spend time doing enjoyable activates away from work
Plan properly
Stay consistent but not perfect
Chose a training regime that you can enjoy and excel at
Choose a diet that works well for your lifestyle and fills you with energy
Daily accountability – ask yourself whether your achieving the goals you set out to achieve
It has always amazed me that in life we have been given this gift. The human body and the way it
allows us to do such amazing things. I’ve always believed that the more we know about how the
human body works, the more we can live a healthier lifestyle.
The next few sections will start to consider the basics of how to manage your diet and achieve
results.
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2. Thermodynamics
What is thermodynamics?
Simply put, the way the human body converts food and liquid to energy.
Calories in v’s calories out.
People think low fat; low carb diets are the success to fat loss. Or smoothie diets or the Aitkens diet
for example. However, the truth is all you need to do is maintain a calorie deficit. Exert more energy
output that the energy you put into your mouth.
A calorie in dietary terms is a unit of energy, found in the food and drink we consume daily.
The number of calories we consume vs. the number of calories we burn will determine how much fat
we will lose or gain. It’s that simple, in most cases.
So, to gain muscle and fat, we must stay in a constant state of caloric surplus, more calories in than
what we burn. Providing you are training for this purpose.
To lose fat and muscle we must be in a constant state of caloric deficit, more calories burnt than
what we consume daily. Providing you are training for this purpose.
It doesn’t matter which program you decide to take on, its more about how you manage your diet
that will determine whether you’re going to be in a deficit or surplus of calories. However, different
programs will have different physical effects on the body. I have written up two great training
programs to show this.
WB Strength and size
WB Re shape and re-build
Also, depending on how you manage your calories and diet will determine how much fat you lose as
opposed to muscle. This works the same for how the amount of muscle you gain instead of fat. The
section on macros will cover this.
To do this safely we must ensure however that we do not increase or decrease the calories too much
at one time as this will have negative effects on the body’s metabolism. Slow and steady increases
and decreases of no more than 250-500 Kcals a day is plenty and in some cases even less is better.
This will be dependent on a few factors, such as your current bodyweight and calorific intake.
If you increase calories too much too soon then the trade off will be fat gains. This isn’t necessarily
bad; however, we must try to keep it to a minimum for health and compositional purposes.
Remember, we want to build muscle. Similarly, dropping calories too much too soon will raise stress
levels in the body, and lead to detrimental results hormonally and physically.
Whilst training the body needs sufficient fuel. If you are new to training, or simply getting back into it
then you may need to increase your calories to start with to ensure the body is getting what it needs
in order to remain energised. In fact, a lot of people notice considerable fat loss when they increase
calories and start training from the outset. This positive consistency is enough to achieve great
results.
How to decide your calorie intake will be discussed further on.
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A calorie is not just a calorie. The calories you eat need to be made up of healthy and nutrient dense
elements to provide healthy results. It’s especially not just a calorie when we look at obesity, heart
disease and all the other issues that come with unhealthy eating.
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3. Macronutrients and Micronutrients
What is a macronutrient?
Macros are nutrients that provide calories for energy. Macros means large, so we need sufficiently
large amounts to maintain a healthy balance and improve body composition.
There are three macros, these are:
Fats (fat)
Proteins (pro)
Carbs (cho)
You need sufficient amounts of each to get quality success from your nutrition and training.
Fats will ensure your body receives enough essential fatty acids. Essential because your body cannot
make them itself. Fats do not make you fat. Calorie excess with a lack of exercise will make you fat.
Fats will help brain development, inflammation control, blood clotting and multiple other health
benefits. Fats are your friend and a vital macro needed in supporting a healthy body and hormones.
Proteins are essential as they are made up of vital amino acids, all of which are the building block to
maintaining and building new muscle. The brain also needs proteins; insufficient amounts can have
many negative health effects. When you train, and lift weights the body breaks down muscle tissue
and it’s essentially becomes damaged. Protein from the correct food source will help to build new
muscle tissue. Protein is vital for muscle maintenance and should not be overlooked in your diet.
Carbs are the body’s go- to energy source. Carbs are digested and sent into the body as glucose. The
pancreas then sends insulin into the body to shuttle the glucose into the necessary cells for energy.
Once the carbs have depleted the body will convert stored fats and proteins into energy through a
process called glycogenesis. When trying to build muscle, the body must be in a state of anabolism
(regeneration). The body needs insulin to do this. So, as you can see sufficient carbs will help in the
process of building new muscle and fuel your body with energy.
Fibre is not a macro but is highly important for our bodies as it helps the dietary tract function. It can
play a significant role in gaining muscle and weight loss. Fibre comes in food types such as fruit and
veg, brans and legumes etc. So please make sure you obtain sufficient amounts in your diet.
What is a micronutrient?
Micros are a chemical element or substance required in trace amounts for the normal growth and
development of living organisms. Basically, all the food you eat will contain micronutrients. So, the
healthier the food, the healthier number of micros are going to be present. Which is essential for the
body’s health and development.
So, make sure the food you eat is healthy and single source. What I mean by single source is that it
is created naturally and not processed.
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Why are macros so important?
If you are eating to lose weight and purely see the numbers go up or down on the scale, then it’s
probably not that important what you eat. As discussed in thermodynamics, surplus or deficit you
will gain or lose weight when compared to the total daily energy expenditure (TDEE).
However, in terms of overall body composition utilising your macros correctly is essential. If you
don’t eat enough protein you will not be able to maintain or gain muscle mass efficiently, let alone
feed the brain and other vital organs with essential amino acids and energy. Not enough carbs and
you won’t be able to train to your full potential; muscle repair will be impaired and your hormone
profile will become profoundly catabolic (degenerative) insulin sensitivity will also be impaired. Not
enough fats and your hormones will suffer, especially testosterone and oestrogen. Let alone all the
other side effects improper nutrition protocols lead to.
So, understanding and getting used to sticking to your macros is evidently important. Now you don’t
necessarily need to calorie count or food log, although it does help. However, simply making sure
that with each meal you eat you are taking in sufficient food types that help to promote a healthy
lifestyle whilst creating a healthy body composition is essential.
Simply understanding the purpose of a macro and what it does will help you to understand how to
get results with nutrition.
Note* Body composition re. physical fitness, is used to describe the percentages of fat, bone, water
and muscle in human bodies. Because muscular tissue takes up less space in our body than fat tissue,
our body composition, as well as our weight, determines leanness.
Example:
Organic steamed salmon fillet with sea salt, spinach with cherry tomatoes and sticky rice.
Cooking time 25 minutes: Calories: 571Kcal
Macros: Carbs 69.8g Fats 15.4g Protein 38.4g
This is a well-balanced meal with sufficient carbs, fats
and protein, ensuring greens are available for essential
vitamins.
Healthy fats from the fish combined with quality protein
and the carbs coming from the rice and veg.
It is essential that when you cook a meal you make sure
the food comes from healthy single source products,
that they contain the correct number of macros needed
for your goals and general wellbeing.
It’s not hard to see the difference between a healthy
meal and an unhealthy one. So, try not to complicate
things. Keep it simple and keep it clean!
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When it comes to prioritising the diet this is the hierarchy to follow:
supplements
meal timing/ frequency
micro nutrition
macros and fibre
calories
Start from the bottom as this is the foundation of the basis:
Set a calorie base and stick to it
Make sure your macros are set for the results you’re aiming for and ensure you get enough
fibre
Ensure your micro nutrients are in place. To do this whole food is essential
Eat when the body needs it, and eat the right foods to fuel the body in and around training
Supplements are there to help your daily diet, not to be used as a food supplement. Choose
them wisely as discussed later in the book
Is can become very confusing for people when it comes to prioritising their diets. Simply following
this structure should help you to slowly build on all the elements required to maintain a healthy
lifestyle, thus enabling you to prioritise what’s more important. Work from the bottom up and you
will start to notice positive changes in your eating habits and routines.
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4. Calorie counting, calorie intake and food diaries
In this section, I’ll explain the two best methods for tracking and logging food and if this isn’t your
cup of tea, then I have added a section called “just be healthy” that will help you to make
progress.
Why track your calories?
To achieve excellent results in body composition, health and performance calorie counting and food
logging is a great way to make sure you are eating the right amount of food and nutrients daily. It
will also help to ensure you are taking in the correct number of calories for the results you desire.
Following macros and micronutrient variables to help in the body’s composition.
The application you can use is called My fitness pal
You simply input all the food you eat daily. It will show you how many calories you have eaten and
what macro they come from, plus numerous other information results including micro nutrients and
essential vitamins and minerals.
To help achieve the results you are working for I suggest you keep using this application after you
have determined how many calories a day you will be consuming.
Over time this will become a habit that you can always come back to when you want to rein in your
diet and see results.
It’s also a great way to maintain accountability throughout the training phase, ensuring that you are
as consistent as possible.
There are two options for deciding calorie intakes during the training phase and I have listed them
on the following two pages.
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Food logging using my fitness pal food diary
Download the free application “My fitness pal” onto your smart phone or computer and sign
up. It’s straight forward
Log your food intake for 5-7 days initially so you can see what your calorie intake is during a
normal week
During this period, don’t change your eating habits. Keep them completely normal
Then add up each individual day and divide them by the amount of days logged. This will give
you a daily average. From this then subtract or add on the calories needed for cutting/bulking
based on your current weight, size and goals
Basically, if it goes into your mouth log it!! (apart from water). All items usually come with a
bar code and my fitness pal has a bar code reader. It also automatically saves the food for you
for next time. You can record your weight and other progressions too. The options are endless
and can you sync it with your smartwatch, friends and coaches
For example;
You eat 15456 calories over a 7-day period.
Simply:
15456/7 = 2208 calories daily average. This will be the starting base.
Now depending on your caloric intake will depend on how many calories you should take off or put
on.
NOTE* - there are 3500 Kcals in 1lb of fat. Therefore, if you divide this by 7 you get 500 Kcals. So, if
you take 500 Kcals of your daily calorie intake, providing you have a healthy metabolism, you can
lose 1 lb. of fat per week. If you are mass gaining, then you simply add this value on. 0.5 of one lb.
would be 250 Kcals daily and so on.
As you can see if you have a low calorific intake then taking off too many calories too soon will be
detrimental towards your health and goals. So be smart with how many calories you shed or gain.
If you have recorded your food honestly and find your calories are very low and the main purpose is
to lose excess weight, then reverse dieting may be more beneficial, as lowering the calorie intake
will be hugely detrimental towards your goals and you may end up suffering from hormonal issues.
*Reverse dieting is covered in the next section.
Please be aware that you need to be very careful about how many calories a day you wish to drop or
add on. Too much and you may see some unwanted fat come on too quickly. Too little and you may
end up losing muscle tissue instead of fat and start to feel the negative effects of hormonal
imbalances and so on.
Alternatively, …
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Use of a BMR calculator and the following equation:
You can work out your BMR.
Basal metabolic rate (BMR) is the amount of energy expended while at rest in a neutrally temperate
environment). You can use a calculator. However, this is an average and not 100 percent. There are
many apps that do this for you. The number it gives you is the calories per day you will burn to
maintain the physique you currently have in a rested state, plus your BMI (body mass index).
The app calculator will ask for your height, age, weight and sex.
Once you have imputed the data into the app calculator it will give you your BMR
You will then multiply the answer by how active you intend on being, as follows:
Little to no exercise – Daily calories needed = BMR x 1.2
Light exercise (1–3 days per week) - Daily calories needed = BMR x 1.375
Moderate exercise (3–5 days per week) - Daily calories needed = BMR x 1.55
Heavy exercise (6–7 days per week) – Daily calories needed = BMR x 1.725
Very heavy exercise (twice per day, extra heavy workouts) – Daily calories needed = BMR x
1.9
The answer given is the number of calories you will require daily to maintain your weight in relation
to the amount of exercise you are adhering to, or your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) as it’s
called.
From this, just like option one, you can start to add or subtract calories dependant on your program.
Also, depending on how much leeway you have with calories will depend on how you will determine
your deficit or surplus. It’s very important to establish a baseline that’s as accurate as possible.
It’s very important that you NEVER bring your calorie intake down below your BMR as this can lead
to disastrous hormonal and physical problems.
Should the options above be something you’re not wanting to adhere to then simply make sure
you are eating healthily throughout the training phase and make sure you stay hydrated. Make
sure your energy balance is kept optimal through correct food choices and rest protocols.
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Just be healthy
If you’re just wanting to make some lifestyle changes to get healthier, simply try moderating your
intake, eating healthy wholefoods and down- regulating such things like desserts, alcohol and
sweets etc. will help. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea to take on these options discussed in this
section.
If you know where you are going wrong, then simply make some small changes over time to the way
you live. Not too many though, as discussed in the next section. Then monitor things like weight,
energy balance and sleeping patterns etc.
Simply by starting to exercise and eating healthier foods you will inevitably feel healthier and look
healthier as a byproduct.
Most people understand the bad habits which have led them to a point where improving their
health becomes more of a priority. However, it is usually a lack of drive and motivation that gets
them to change.
I’ve always said though that if you want something badly enough then you will do it. Think of it like
this, if you want a cake you will have one. If you want a glass of wine, you will have one. New clothes
you buy some. Why? Because it feels good. So simply try to incorporate that way of thinking into a
heather lifestyle. Believe it or not the healthier you feel the easier it becomes.
Many people say “I know I need to lose weight” or “I know I need to be healthier”. Start saying “I
want to lose weight” or “I want to be healthier” and act upon it.
By making the decision to eat more fruit instead of treats, drink more water instead of fizzy juice or
by adding fresh veg to each meal you are going to make internal changes that can swing the mindset
round. You don’t need to give up on treats! Just start moderating the amount you have. Be smart.
Take a long walk each day and do some stretching. Try incorporating one thing a day that will benefit
the body and results will come. Over time you can make the transitions more effectively.
So, just be healthy. Eat sensibly, move more and simply make small manageable changes to your
lifestyle until you feel like the person you deserve to be.
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5. Reverse dieting
What is reverse dieting?
There are predominantly two reasons to reverse diet;
1. When the human body has been in a calorie deficit for too long, or has been in and out of
unhealthy diets repeatedly, leaving metabolic damage and hormonal imbalances
2. When someone has reached the end of a fat loss program (cut) and they need to reverse
diet back to a healthy calorie intake avoiding to much fat increase i.e. stage prep
(competing)
What reverse dieting means is that we need to start to slowly increase the calorie intake using
healthy and nutrient dense food to help the metabolism regain full health. When this happens, we
can expect to see a faster working and more efficient metabolism and the endocrine system
functioning correctly.
Why slowly? Because we want to make sure the metabolism can keep up and keep utilising the extra
calories as energy and not store too much as fat.
Remember the body does not want to be in a huge calorie deficit or surplus. Its unhealthy and too
challenging. The body will down- regulate and begin to shut down. It needs to be in a healthy state
of energy balance (as we discuss later). Yoyo dieting has and always will be inefficient. So, when
you embark on a fat loss program we still need to remember to fuel the body as best we can. As I
described earlier, when you increase or decrease calories it must be at an efficient amount. Small
steps are going to give the best results.
If you have been on a seriously low calorie diet for some time the metabolism and the hormones will
down regulate to store the fat it needs to survive. However eventually the body will give up and
binge eating inevitably takes place. What happens? More fat is stored because the influx in food is
too much for your slow metabolism to take on and convert to energy, resulting in more fat than you
had when you started the diet. Repeat this time and time again and the results become catastrophic.
Your goal was to get thin. By using a restrictive diet the results you have achieved means you are
fatter than when you started. Simply because you haven’t been allowing the metabolism to keep up!
What is the endocrine system?
Endocrine system: This is a network of glands in the human body that secrete hormones directly
into the circulatory system to be sent to the target organs. These glands are the pituitary gland,
pineal gland, thyroid gland, adrenal glands, pancreas, ovaries and testes.
Hormones: A chemical that is made in the body that gets transported by the blood or other bodily
fluids to cells and organs to cause some action or to have a specific effect.
Simply put, when the metabolism slows down due to being in a state of starvation, this directly
affects the hormones in your body, damaging them and making them work inefficiently. All these
glands need to be functioning to send the correct hormones to the correct bodily organs. If it can’t
do so, then the body will run inefficiently. Hence why some people, despite being in a low calorific
state, still can’t move fat stores.
19

How many time have I heard someone say they can’t keep the weight off? Or the weight keeps
coming back? Then we look at the past dieting phases and see that the starvation diets they used
only led to damaged metabolisms and damaged endocrine systems and when they started to eat
properly again the body stores more fat because they were overeating and not allowing the
metabolism catch up.
Far too many to number!
Imagine you’re at the supermarket and you’re the metabolism, standing waiting to load up the bags
with the shopping you just bought, in this case the shopping is the energy (calories). Now the till
attendant is the mouth and the shopping is…the food! At some point the till attendant will send the
food down to you too quickly! you can’t keep up with all the shopping and the bags get full too
quickly but the till attendant is still throwing food down at you. This is like the metabolism. You
cannot keep up. Imagine the food that’s not making it into the bags is now turning to fat. Imagine
this happening all day, every day.
Had the till attendant taken the time to wait for the bag to fill (the metabolism catching up) ….no fat
would have been stored.
So, the point of a reverse diet is to allow a slow progressive calorie intake whilst enabling the
metabolism to catch up and the endocrine system to function correctly. This will lead to better
health and …fat loss.
Who should reverse diet?
You've been dieting (or crash dieting) on very low calories for a very long time, and fat loss
results have stalled.
Your metabolism is damaged to the point where no amount of calorie-cutting and exercising
will elicit a response from your body.
You train hard, but still feel low energy and fatigue during the day.
You’re unhappy with your diet, your motivation is at an all-time low, and training sessions
lack improvement and are physically too draining.
If you tick any of these boxes, then reverse dieting may be the way forward for you. You may at first
see some weight go on…however don’t be dismayed, it will start to come off as the metabolism
speeds up and starts to turn into an energy burning engine!
How to reverse diet
If you decide to reverse diet then I expect the calorie intake you currently are on is moderatel to
very low, or you have come off the back end of a fat loss program/cut.
Likewise, you may find that you are starving yourself for days on end then gorging for a day or two
before the guilt kicks in and you go back to the “diet”.
Either way a reverse diet may be the best step for you to take.
20

Below I have bullet pointed how you shall start to calculate your reverse diet:
Calculate your current calorie intake by tracking food on your app – my fitness pal – for a
few days.
I recommend that you get 1g of protein per 1lb of body weight. So, if you weigh 160lbs then
you will start with 160g of protein.
To gauge the fat intake simply multiply the daily calories by 0.3 for example if you’re on
1600Kcal a day then the answer would be 1600 x 0.3 = 480. Now because there is 9 Kcals in
1g of fat we divide the answer by nine so, 480/9 = 53. Therefore, your fats will be set at 53g
per day.
Carbs will make up the remaining Kcals. 4 calories to 1g of carbs.
In my fitness pal, you have the option to adjust all these settings. If you have any issues, then
contact myself and we can do it together.
Increase calories daily by small amount of no more than 50 – 100 Kcal a week to start with,
until you’re up to your maintenance level.
Weigh yourself each week to track the weight. When it plateaus then increase those calories
some more, by very small amounts within that 50 – 100 kcal range.
Training should be weight and resistance based whilst reverse dieting because weight
training helps to speed up the metabolism. Also, helping to significantly benefit body
composition.
So, we have a set calorie target base and we have figured out what our macros are. Now we just
need to start to slowly increase the calories weekly by no more than 50 - 100Kcals a week to start
with. As the metabolism catches up we can start to increase the calories again.
I know I have stated above to weigh yourself, but don’t get overly fixated on the scales. Daily stress
levels, water retention, the gut etc. can play a part in weight each day by a pound here and there.
Simply use the scales to observe your weight throughout the process. One way I find useful is to
weigh yourself each day. At the end of the week add up the seven days’ weight then divide by seven
for an average. Do this each week and compare to the previous week. Also, recording in my fitness
pal will show you a scale of weight and the progress. Also, remember what you see in the mirror is a
great way to record progress.
How do you know when to stop the reverse diet?
When you have achieved a manageable calorie intake without putting on more unwanted fat and
you can maintain a desired weight and body composition.
If you were overweight at the start, simply by training and doing the reverse diet correctly you would
have lost weight whilst increasing your calories….
The human body is an amazing thing!!
By the end of reverse dieting you should have a working metabolism and a functioning hormonal
system. You should be feeling great. And no more Yo-Yo dieting will be necessary.
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Here are some benefits of a reverse diet:
Helps reignite the metabolism
Helps to fix the endocrine system producing a healthy hormonal balance
Helps to increase self-discipline and self-control with nutrition
Will help to bring a healthier and happier outlook towards nutrition
Will improve the body’s overall composition
It will allow you to eat more and maintain a healthier energy balance
Will help to avoid fad diets and yo-yo dieting
I’d like to point out that reverse dieting isn’t as easy as it sounds. You need to remain consistent
and motivated throughout. Record all your food intake and make sure you are sticking to a
healthy regime. Help from a qualified coach will be hugely beneficial. So, please feel free to get in
touch for guidance if you need it.
www.benwrightwellbeing.com
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6. Be aware of restricted dieting
Generally, when most people think about dieting they suddenly think it’s all or nothing. Over the
years, I have seen many cases where people get great results for the first few months but then
suddenly it’s back to square one. By looking at the chain of events it becomes apparent that
restrictive dieting plays a massive role in this factor.
What people do is they cut out all their alcohol, cakes, sweets and treats etc. in one go, then
exercise repeatedly every day on a very low calorie diet, which also doesn’t follow specific macros,
and in turn burn themselves into the ground.
Diet over. Body crashes. Back to square one as a byproduct of too much too soon!
If you tell a child they can’t have something, the human brain has this autopilot response to want it
more. This doesn’t change. The subconscious mind will always want what you tell it you can’t have.
Companies that offer smoothie diets for weight loss for example, will almost never have a continual
program to help their consumers once they have simply had enough of the restricted diet. They
market it well by saying you will favour “rapid results” and “have the body of your dreams”. Why do
people love this? … fast results. The fact is it takes more than a few weeks or months to get the body
you’ve ever dreamed of. People want things now…. not in a years time. Their turnover must be
huge with people coming and going every time they fail in their diet. They may blame the food they
started to eat again, which in return caused more weight gain. They may say that the smoothie diet
gave them results, hence why they do it again and again. The fact is that it is the restrictive dieting
that failed them and the immoral standards of the companies that give them false hope.
So, if you plan to lose some weight and generally become healthier you must make sure you can
sustain a life that consists of things that you enjoy but primarily made up of lifestyle choices that will
keep you healthy.
I always say an 80/20 split works well. Eat and be healthy 80 percent of the time but the 20 percent
that’s left…. enjoy it.
If you normally have four bars of chocolate a day, try just having one. One bottle of wine a day, make
it one glass. It’s far easier to manage. Plus, over time you can slowly restrict this more and more
through free will because you will begin to slowly feel healthier and the urge to eat and drink junk
will disappear.
The same goes for training. If you want to train five to six days a week straight off the bat, try doing
two to three days. Don’t over shoot the mark. Be sensible and give yourself room to breathe. I’ve
seen the pattern and I assure you, the people who take these routes generally achieve longer lasting
results. Generally increasing frequency and enjoying their healthier lifestyle more naturally.
So, to summarise this quick section, if you want to even begin to feel healthier then look at what is
possible and achievable in a specific time frame. Don’t look at getting healthy as a quick fix. Look at
it as something you can maintain every week all year round. Something you can build on and enjoy.
Do this by making sure you are happy and able to maintain a quality way of life.
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7. Carb cycling and refeeds
There are a few reasons why people may start to choose refeed days or carb cycling. The principle
however is to lose more fat at a time where body fat percentages are abnormally low.
How does this work?
You can’t force the body to lose fat; you must coax it. In most cases simply staying in a calorific
deficit will work fine. But what happens when fat levels become low and the body starts to panic? It
will hold onto fat and look to other sources of mass to use as energy. Remember we weren’t
designed to have extremely low body fat percentages. Fat is there for survival and to regulate
hormones etc. for women it also helps to protect the reproductive organs. So, at some point the
body will fight back and adapt.
What we then do is start to carb cycle or refeed.
What we need to do is influx the system with carbohydrates. This tricks the body into thinking it has
a new energy supply. It switches back over to fat for energy. So, you may have 3-4 low carb days
which will give the body a limited supply of glucose then suddenly increase the carbs on the fifth so
the body has a new energy supply. It no longer panics about low body fat and energy reserve and
starts to use the carbs and fat as energy for your workouts. A refeed day works on the same
principles. A five-day cycle may look like this:
Determine how many carbs to eat by figuring out the highest day. So, 1 – 1.5g carbs per lb of body
weight is sufficient. So, for myself I weigh 170lbs therefore I’d start off with 1.5 x 170 = 255g so…
Day 1 - 175g
Day 2 – 125g
Day 3 – 75g
Day 4 – 125g
Day 5 – 225g
Then repeat. Monitoring your weight and body composition as you go along.
As you can see I’m manipulating my carbs by 50g at a time.
I would advise that the high carb days would be placed on heavy training days not on days of your
training for example.
Some people may like to increase fats on a low carb day and lower them during a high carb day.
However, depending on your calorie intake will depend on whether you wish to do this.
One problem I’ve found though is that a lot of people use the system too early in a fat loss phase.
When you start a cut a simple calorie deficit as discussed earlier is more than sufficient. Only use
these systems when the deficit ceases to work anymore.
Essentially these little tricks should be kept in the back pocket until you really need them.
If you want more info about how to go about this style of programming, please feel free to get in
touch.
24

8. Choosing your macros based on your specific body type
Choose your macros based on your specific body type!
By this stage, you should have filled in the questionnaire about your body type. Giving you one of
the following answers. Or this may be something you already know. If not, then please feel free to
get in touch.
Ectomorph
Endomorph
Mesomorph
Each body type has a specific macro divide that will help to produce better results in wellbeing and
training. Optimizing your energy levels and generally ensuring you are performing correctly.
Whether you are looking to lose weight, gain muscle or simply maintain your composition these
charts can help you starting off. I must add though as time goes on you will find your own rule of
thumb. However, these are great starting blocks for anyone who wants to get results.
Ectomorph
Endomorph
20%
25%
40%
35%
55%
25%
protein carbs fats
protein carbs fats
Mesomorph
30%
30%
40%
protein carbs fats
25

9. Rest, recovery and stress balance
To achieve the best results possible, we must make sure that we look at certain aspects of our daily
lives before we decide how many days we should spend training. For example;
How many days a week do you work?
What kind of job is it? Intensive labour or maybe a desk job etc.
Do you have children and families you need to support or spend time with etc.?
How stressful is your life? Do you have things happening in your life that need immediate
attention that may affect your stress levels?
Do you have any illnesses or injuries that leave you stressed?
Do you drink, smoke or take recreational drugs etc.?
The list goes on! So, it’s up to you to decide how many days a week you feel you should spend
training. There is no right or wrong. Just a sensible and achievable goal that you will be able to
manage.
Set achievable goals based on the time frame you have given yourself.
Maybe your life will need some organising before you venture into a new program.
This is where I can help with life coaching to help you achieve these goals with as little stress as
possible.
Why do I mention stress? What is stress?
When the body is under stress the adrenal glands that are attached to the kidneys will release a
stress hormone cortisol. Cortisol influences, regulates or modulates things such as blood sugar
levels, metabolises fats, proteins and carbs (gluconeogenesis), helps immune response, antiinflammatory
actions, regulates blood pressure, increases central nervous system activation etc.
During training the body will raise cortisol levels because you’re putting the body under stress
creating a fight or flight response. However, daily stress levels will also increase cortisol along with
poorly managed diets including things like caffeine and energy drinks for example. Increased cortisol
levels for prolonged periods can have damaging effects on the human body. Things such as impaired
cognitive performance, dampened thyroid function, blood sugar imbalances, sleep disruption,
decreased muscle mass and elevated blood pressure are to name a few.
So, over time heightened stress levels will lead to detrimental results on the human body.
The focus is to make sure that stress is kept at a reasonable level, allowing quality progress with the
results you want from the program.
Remember, the body does not build muscle in the gym. The body builds new muscle when it repairs
itself through proper rest and nutrition protocols. So, the less stress during this time, the better your
results. This also works with losing fat, getting lean and gaining muscle.
Take care in deciding how many days you wish to spend training. Be honest with yourself and set
yourself goals that are achievable and enjoyable.
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Overtraining
Below I’ve listed some of the effects of overtraining:
Persistent muscle soreness (DOMS – delayed onset muscle soreness) beyond 72 hrs.
Persistent fatigue
Elevated rested heart rate
Reduced heart rate variability
Increased susceptibility to illnesses and infections (a lowered immune system)
Irritability
Depression
Burnout
Make sure to train hard! But train smart. Listen to the body and make sure your training is
complemented by adequate rest and nutrition.
Training
Minimize
stress
Results
Nutrition
and
hydration
Recovery
Sleep and
relaxation
Hydration
Minimize
stress
Balanced
diet
Breathing
and
meditation
27

10. Hydration and alcohol
Why drink water?
Up to 60 – 70 % of the human body is made up of water. It’s no wonder we need to stay hydrated.
There are countless benefits of drinking water (H20). Below I’ve listed just a few:
Increases energy and relieves fatigue
Promotes weight loss
Flushed out toxins
Improves skin complexion
Maintains regularity
Boosts immune system
Relieves headaches
Prevents cramps and sprains
Improves your mood and general wellbeing
Saves you money
Water helps to pass vital nutrients and vitamins around the body, improving performance and all
aspects of your health.
Day to day try to drink at least 0.5 - 1 gallon of water. During training phases, you will undoubtedly
be far thirstier. So, listen to the body and make sure you stay hydrated. Recovery also increases
thirst.
A good sign is clear urine.
Sodium (salt)
Ensure you take in enough unrefined sea salt. UK regulations state approximately 2300mg a day is
sufficient. This will help to regulate the body.
Due to sodium being the primary ION in the body it will help blood regulation.
It regulates bodily fluids and transmits electrical impulses in the body.
It also helps regulate muscle contractions and stop cramping.
There are many great electrolyte drink supplements on the market. Please feel free to ask me
which ones are the best and I will advise accordingly.
How does alcohol affect your results?
We all like a drink now and again, including myself, but we must make sure that it is moderated to
get the best results possible. Preferably don’t drink at all…. However, I know this is not something
that can be easily avoided in most people’s lives, and why should it! So below are some key points to
think about when consuming alcohol during your training phase and in general.
Hydration - Alcohol consumption can be quite stressful on the kidneys; drinking will therefore have a
negative impact on the body’s hydration. When you drink water after drinking alcohol the water will
go straight to the kidneys to metabolize the alcohol when it should be getting used to help process
other substances that will be beneficial to the body. Drinking water in and around drinking alcohol
will help in the hydration process.
28

The mind – Alcohol can have negative effects on the mind through various processes. It affects many
of the hormonal functions in the brain. It also slows down glycogen metabolism (energy conversion)
therefore the brain receives less glycogen (energy).
Protein synthesis – The body needs protein to build and maintain muscle. It also plays a vital role in
brain functioning. Alcohol can slow down the absorption of protein into the body. This means that
when you are trying to recover from training, your muscles are not getting sufficient amino acids
(protein) into them. This will slow down your progress.
Strength, performance and energy levels – If the body does not recover properly. If your mental
state is lagging and the body is generally tired from drinking alcohol, then the performance levels
will inevitably be minimised. Strength levels will decrease and all the hard work will have been in
vain.
Calories – Remember alcohol is generally high in calories, so if you’re looking to lose weight then this
will be affecting results if you are calorie counting. These calories DO count. Also, when you have a
hangover the body will crave sugar, so usually the diet takes a huge hit. Stay conscious of healthy
eating during this time.
Remember alcohol is a drug. It may be legal, but it’s still a drug due to its addictive nature.
As you can see there are plenty of negative effects of drinking around training phases, however
there are some ways to minimise the effects.
Ensure you are drinking plenty water when you are drinking alcohol. Always stay hydrated. A
product like milk thistle before bed after drinking will help the kidneys to recover. Stay
moderated! If you want results be conscious of the alcohol effects and stay consistent. You can
still have fun and get results, however moderation is the key here!
Recovery and progress
Affects metabolism,
protein synthesis and
hydtraion
Alcohol
Affects energy balance,
stress levels, mind set
and motivation
Nutrition
Calorie excess,
unhealthy food choices,
bad digestion and organ
disruption
29

11. Stretching and mobilizing
Why should you stretch and mobilize?
When we stretch, we learn to control our breathing whilst relaxing deeper into the position.
Similarly, when we mobilize we increase the heart rate and body temperature. This is great daily
practice. When we lift weights, swim, run or perform any other type of sport that requires effort we
must regulate breathing. Breathing correctly allows the body to maintain regularity, relax and pass
vital oxygen to all the body parts required during training. Stretching and mobilizing enhances the
breathing process pre-and post-workout, helping the muscles and all the adjoining body parts to
prep and cool down. When we meditate, we focus on breathing. There is the same principle to
training, stretching and mobilizing. Oxygen is also used to oxidise our food. Thus, the importance in
energy conversion through exercise. Taking on more oxygen will increase your red blood cell count
as they carry oxygen around the body and help in the efficiency of your muscles.
Mobilizing
Performed pre-workout during training, but is beneficial as part of a healthy lifestyle.
Mobilizing is simply a great way to warm up. It will open the muscles and joints and allow blood to
flow more effectively during exercise. It will help avoid injury and activate the muscles you are about
to use during exercise. Increasing the blood flow will also help increase the amount of oxygen in the
muscles during training. It will allow greater range of motion (ROM) and help stabilize muscles
during training.
Stretching
Performed post-workout during training, but is beneficial as part of a healthy lifestyle.
Listed below are some of the benefits of stretching:
Increased flexibility
Repair and recovery
Release of lactic build up
Improved circulation
Prevention of pain after training (DOMS- delayed onset muscle soreness)
Increased range of motion
Increases muscular coordination
Helps to relax and cool down post workout
Help in separating the muscles whilst increasing definition
Types of stretching that should be regularly performed are:
Dynamic stretching
Active stretching
Static stretching
PNF stretching – this is easier with a partner/coach
So, as you can see there are multiple reasons to take the time to mobilize and stretch pre-and
post-workout. So, make it part of your daily routine.
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12. Understanding energy balance
When I talk about energy balance I simply mean maintaining consistent energy levels throughout the
day by making the correct food and drink choices whilst prioritizing training and rest protocols.
A lot of modern food will give you a “rush” of energy that lasts a small insufficient amount of time
before it wears off and you “crash”. This food is what I call “fake”. Usually devoid of real nutrients
and inefficient at providing the body with sufficient energy balance.
Foods which are high in refined sugar or processed. Like “go to” foods when you can’t be bothered
cooking something healthy! On the road food and the food we buy because we use the excuse we
haven’t the time to eat healthily. Below is a chart showing how energy looks when we eat these
foods in comparison to healthy food choices:
6
5
4
3
2
1
Energy balance
0
0-2 2-4 4-6 6-8 8-10 10-12 12-14 14-16
Healthy
Unhealthy
As you can see in the above chart the horizontal axis depicts the hours of the day typically awake
and the vertical axis depicts the units 0-6 (0 being the lowest energy level and 6 being the highest)
It is simple to understand. Bad food choices will lead to fluctuating energy levels. What goes up
must come down….
Maintaining consistent healthy food choices will help to produce a balanced energy level all day,
every day, therefore increasing performance, lifestyle and general wellbeing.
If you feel tired day in and day out or your sleeping patterns are a mess, then look at your diet and
figure out whether it’s the food you eat that causes such issues.
Sugary fake foods are digested very quickly offering a quick spike of energy, however sugar in whole
foods have enzymes and molecules that take longer to break down and digest thus offering a much
more stable energy threshold.
31

13. Supplement use
What’s good and what’s not?
I could talk all day about supplementation, however I will try to make this as easy as possible for you.
I will also give you a list of brands and supplements I feel are worth the money and healthier for the
body.
Now don’t get me wrong, many supplements will play a huge role in staying healthy long term.
However, we must be aware that over the years marketing and supplement sales have become a
giant in the health industry. All the shiny tubs of pre-and post-workouts, test boosters, fat burners
etc. sell like hot cakes because they are marketed well and promise results, just like many other
supplements that promise to somehow magically build you the perfect physique. But the fact
is…much of the time it’s not worth the money.
Now just because your favourite bodybuilder or Mr universe swears by it, I promise you that they
certainly never got into that shape by taking these supplements. More likely it was the hard work
involved in training, rest and nutrition supplemented by (in somecases) steroids/performance
enhancing drugs. Not to say this is a bad thing, done correctly, but to sell a product to the public
with the illusion it will give them the same results is both unethical and improbable. The products on
the shelf would have played a very small role in the results they achieved..
No results will be more outstanding than maintaining a basic balance of correct training – correct
rest – correct nutrition. This is just fact and the bottom line.
However, taking the correct supplements from ethical companies who care about their customers
could help to get some results. They should not however be used as meal replacements or dietary
requirements. Think of restricted diets and how some companies use shakes to get results. It’s a bad
combination.
The supplement industry is completely stuffed to the hilt with all kinds of weird and wonderful
products with names that the normal Joe would never understand. Not only that but all these
supplements have a purpose based on specific intakes. It’s no use just cramming supplements down
your throat if you don’t understand what they do, how they work and when they should be taken.
But also, many of the products are just a waste of money and generally unhealthy. They are
marketed well and yes, they may have the correct ingredients, but they won’t provide the necessary
amount of nutrients.
Supplements have become a go- to for most gym users. The need for a pre-workout or the need for
a test booster. When in fact all they do is line the pockets of the people who run these companies.
No care and no thought. But luckily these days there are companies stepping up their game with
regards to supplement use. With honest answers. Honest products and realistic views. Using
healthier products that will help all of us to achieve better results.
I will now provide you with some information on products I feel will benefit you if taken correctly
and as…. A supplement.
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Whey protein - This is great if you need it to top up protein stores before or after workouts. Or if you
have a job that means you may not have access to whole foods all day long for example.
Supplements can benefit people with illnesses and intolerances or maybe for those who just need to
get the calories in each day to hit targets.
So, what is whey? Whey is protein which is made up of amino acids from dairy. The problem is,
some companies will try to save money by ramming all sorts on non-essential elements into it. The
term “amino spiking” or “nitrogen spiking “is being used. This means companies will spike the
protein with free form amino acids (low quality & inexpensive) to increase the overall dietary protein
content of the powder. They do this without disclosing it to the consumer. Highly illegal. So, when
purchasing whey, we must have some sort of idea about what essential amino acids are in the
powder. If the scoop is 100g and the whey content is 45g then ask yourself what else makes up the
remaining 55g? They may put things like Creatine, BCAA’s, Glutamine, bulkers, carbs for mass
gainers etc. etc. into the whey. So, all I can advise is that you take the time to read the ingredients
and make sure it is as healthy as possible. Also, make sure it is as natural as possible and contains
what you are specifically looking for.
The ingredients list on the back will have everything listed in order of product volume. What you’re
buying should be at the top with the rest of the ingredients in descending order of importance.
Whey is fast acting so works great just before/after a training session. Due to it being in and out of
the system quickly we cannot rely on it for consistent time consuming periods of amino distribution.
A serving of 35 – 40g works best in and around training.
There are three types of whey:
Concentrate: This contains lower levels of fat and carbohydrates (lactose). The percentage of
protein in a concentrate is dependent on how concentrated it is. This could be as low as 30%
to as high as 90% depending on the brand and the company. Concentrate is usually tastier
and if the amino profile is good then worth buying. Buy quality protein.
Isolate: Isolate is processed even further to remove even higher levels of fat and lactose. It’s
generally a little more expensive but usually healthier and more potent.
Hydrolysate: This type of protein is said to be pre-digested allowing the body to absorb it
more effectively. Its more expensive but not necessarily much more beneficial than the rest.
Here is a list of the essential amino acids you want to see on the profile list *Essential because the
body can’t make them freely.
Amino acid (makes up protein) Mg per body weight in KG
H histidine 10
I Isoleucine 20
L Leucine 39
K Lysine 30
M Methionine + cysteine 15
F Phenylalanine + tyrosine 25
T Threonine 15
W Tryptophan 4
V Valine 26
To figure out how much you would need daily just multiply your bodyweight in KG by the MG per
amino acid.
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You can also get various other non-dairy whey products like:
Pea protein
Rice protein
Ric & pea protein combined (excellent amino profile, recommended)
Soya protein (careful if you male as it contains higher levels of oestrogen)
Hemp
Egg white (recommended)
Faba bean protein
Please remember though, that whey is a byproduct of milk. So, if you have issues with dairy then
make sure that you are very careful when buying whey protein. I would personally opt for a raw
vegan whey instead. However wholefoods should always come first and foremost as they will
always provide the best results.
Creatine - Creatine is made up of three different amino acids; glycine, arginine and methionine.
Nothing fancy… that’s it! 95 percent of natural forming Creatine is found in the skeletal muscle
tissue. Creatine is made naturally in the body and it starts to get used when intensity levels during
training require it to. Put simply the body is full of energy. When we train, we use up that energy in
the form of ATP cells. What’s left is ADP. When we take Creatine we simply turn the ADP back into
ATP (energy) and we can train harder.
How I describe this to my clients is simple. Imagine you are a smart phone. You have been on idle all
night long, and when you wake up you are about 60 percent energised. Creatine would be like
putting the charger into the wall and bumping up the energy level. So, when you go training and
you’re lifting weights for example, when you get to the point of failure the Creatine will kick in and
that extra boost from the energy supply you gave yourself will suddenly kick in and help you push
through more reps. Simple.
Do I feel Creatine use during training is worthwhile? Definitely.
BCAA’s: Branched chain amino acids are another supplement commonly used. It will come in handy
if you’re training fasted (fasted being when your food is digested, not just in the mornings contrary
to popular belief). However, if you have already eaten before training, specifically some protein then
this product becomes pointless. This is since BCAA’s are simply three amino acids.
Leucine: Helps in the ability to stimulate protein synthesis. Build muscle. The most important
of the three
Isoleucine: the second most important of the three. This also helps in the recovery of muscle
tissue. Also, it helps to increase glucose and the usage of glucose during training.
Valine: This doesn’t have any major significance when compared to the other two.
So, if you eat protein in and around training and if you have a healthy diet supported by protein then
the need to take a load of BCAA’s into your system seems pointless and expensive. However, if you
decide to train in a fasted state (when food is completely digested) then a BCAA product can help.
Casein: Like whey but it has a longer lasting effect that isn’t as fast acting as normal whey protein. I
would generally advise to use a product like casein during the day as a snack or before bed. It can
help to top up protein levels, but then so can food….
34

Cyclic Dextrin – This is pure carbohydrates. Studies have proven this supplement is effective in
raising glucose in the blood and converting to energy very quickly. Personally, I’d advise that you use
it as either an intra workout, or if your carb intake is quite high during muscle building phases, and
you struggle to meet the daily requirements. It doesn’t bloat you and it is efficient just like a complex
carb. Great stuff. However not to be relied upon as a meal replacement.
Yohimbine HCL – This is a natural product help to burn fat. Science has proven it works well when
combined with coffee during fasted training. Accelerating fat loss. However, it may have little effect
when combined with food. This works well when on a cutting program and you train in a fasted
state. Yohimbine works by increasing adrenaline levels in the body, as well as inhibiting a regulatory
process in fat cells, which normally suppresses fat burning. It can also help with your sex drive. It can
however interact with neurological medication and in very rare cases bring on anxiety. So be careful
before taking it. I personally will not advise on non-natural fat burners as 99% of them are a waste of
money and can be dangerous.
Vitamins: Due to the problems in today’s food products it has been established that many of the
vitamins we need have become lessened by the way food is produced. So, , a nice arrangement of
vitamins can be highly beneficial towards a healthy lifestyle. Below is a chart of which will help your
body daily. You can research quite easily the daily requirements for individuals.
omega 3 essential fatty acids
Magnesium
Potassium
Vitamin C
Pro biotics for the gut
Nootropics
Vitamin D – very important
Zinc, iron and calcium
Vitamin K
Multivitamins
Milk thistle
Super greens
Niacin and thiamin
Turmeric
Pre-workout: A decent can come in handy but then so can a decent black coffee. But as I’ve just
discussed make sure you buy a decent brand. I’ve given listed companies on the next page to look at.
Electrolytes: I find that electrolytes can be beneficial for intra and post workouts. Helping to
recharge the body and assist in avoiding the crash. They help to balance the levels of salts and
minerals such as sodium, potassium, chloride and bicarbonate. Again, look at the list overleaf for
what I consider decent brands.
Nucleotides: A good supply of dietary nucleotides with specific B Vitamins are essential for the
natural proliferation of certain types of cells. These are white blood/immune blood cells, red
blood/oxygen cells, gut lining cells, good gut micro flora.
This product will help in all areas of
Health
Energy
Recovery
Performance
35

So, those are my choices of supplements I feel are worth taking to achieve sustainable and realistic
results.
However, there are just too many supplements to cover in this booklet. What I would advise is to
make sure you are getting the right vitamins into your diet. These days with the influx of processed
food this is the one area of most people diets that suffer. So, ensuring you are taking vitamins to
help with things like joints and bones, gut health and cell health can be hugely beneficial.
Also, vital nutrients like potassium and magnesium seem to go by the wayside these days. So, make
sure they are kept at a healthy intake. You can get all your vital vitamins in wholefoods, but let’s face
it sometimes we just need that extra helping hand. This is ok! Just make sure what you get is
adequate for your needs and most importantly the right dosage.
Remember that what you pay for generally is a what you get. If you buy cheap rubbish, then it’s not
going to be that beneficial. There are plenty affordable supplements out there that will give you
many health benefits.
So, when choosing ANY training supplement what do we look out for?
Make sure it is as healthy as possible with no artificial sweeteners and ideally non-GMO.
Read the label and make sure it contains only the key ingredients you want to buy.
Make sure it’s from an organisation that’s licensed to sell.
Irradiation - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) currently prohibits the use of
irradiation as a sterilizing protocol for dietary supplements. But this does not mean that
every raw ingredient used in dietary supplements is free of irradiation, as suppliers have
been caught in the past illegally selling irradiated raw materials. A European
Commission study from back in 2002, for instance, found that nearly half of all dietary
supplements tested in Europe contained ingredients that had been illegally irradiated.
Go natural where possible, for example raw vegan protein.
Make sure you’re buying it to aid performance, not because someone told you it will help or
you see it in a magazine etc. It needs to have its place, otherwise it’s a waste of money.
Be aware of amino/nitrogen spiking
So, if you decide to use supplements to aid your results then choose wisely. Don’t fall into the trap of
buying products because of the shiny bottles and the muscle bound “athletes” selling them. I hope
this section helped. Please feel free to get in touch for any more advice.
I hope all that wasn’t too longwinded. But where money is concerned it’s good to know what’s best
and what’s not.
On the following page is a list of all the companies and supplements that I feel will complement
training and general wellbeing.
36

Here are a few supplements that I feel could compliment your training, lifestyle and results, plus
the companies and where to buy:
Company
Awesome supplements
Company owner: Ben Coomber
www.awesomesupplements.co.uk
Legion supplements
Company owner: Mike Matthews
www.legionathletics.com
Kaged supplements
www.kagedmuscle.com
www.amazon.co.uk
Purium
www.platinumuk.biz
Sunwarrior
www.sunwarrior.com
www.amazon.co.uk
NNN.sport
www.nnnsport.com
USANA vitamins
www.buynutritionals.co.uk
Together
https://www.togetherhealth.co.uk/
Bulk powders
http://www.bulkpowders.co.uk/
Product
Whey protein
Awesome daily dose multivitamins
Electrolytes
Creatine
Magnesium spray
Electrolytes and carbs
Whey protein
Pre-and post-workout
Multivitamins
Natural fat burners
Male and female stacks
Fish oil
Greens superfoods
Joint support
Sleep aid
Electrolytes
Whey
Pre-post and intra workout
BCAA’s
Electrolytes
Powdered superfoods and supplements
Raw vegan whey
(combination of pea and rice)
Nucleotides: cell repair and gut health
products
Mega antioxidants
Body rox
Chelated minerals
USANA essentials
All products
Cyclic dextrin
Egg white protein
Note* some of these will be in US dollars but all are available to buy in the UK
37

14. Measuring your progress
Why should I record progress?
Measuring your progress can be done in many ways but essentially, it’s going to be the best way to
make sure you stay on track.
Below we will discuss ways in which you can measure your:
Fitness
Body composition
Lifestyle habits, goals and achievements
Measuring your fitness
When we train in weightlifting we will generally want to make strength gains and muscle gains.
Whether it be to lean out or get bigger. Although most people want to get bigger stronger and
leaner. One way of tracking this is to record our gym sessions and track our improvements week by
week. Simply write down or use an appropriate app. To record your results for every training
session. What we want to see over time is the weight you lift going up whilst working through
different rep ranges. For example;
If we were to train hypertrophy for a 4-week period, we will be using the rep range of 8-12 reps per
set. So, take the bench press for example. If you can bench press 60kg for a full 12 reps, then that’s
the body telling you that you can increase the weight. If you had 4 sets of 8-12 reps and you
managed 12 reps for all 4 sets then increase the weight on the bar. However, you do not need to
increase it by a huge amount. Small amounts are generally better, as it gives the body time to get
used to the new weight and avoid an injury. So, once you manage the full rep range for all the sets
simply increase the weight and you will probably find that you will get less reps in the following sets.
This is great and your new goal. To once again perform the full rep range for sets. Then repeat.
Similarly, if you don’t manage to hit the lower rep range, so 8, then you are using a weight to heavy.
So, decrease the weight. This is the same principle for any time of training. If your coach asks you to
use rep ranges of 4 – 6 then use the same method here to and so on.
This process is called progressive overload. A method that overloads the muscles over time.
Progressively adding weight to make the muscles stronger and larger. By recording your progress,
you will be able to push through plateaus and observe your progress over the years.
so, progressive overload can be measure by:
Adding weight to your lifts over time
Adding more reps to each set
Training till failure is also a good indication that you are training to your full capability. This means
when you work through a set you push through the reps until you can’t do any more reps, or to the
point the last rep feels like it’s almost impossible. However, you must still stick to the rep range
allocated to the training plan. I must say though in some cases pushing through the limits of the
body is where the reps can really make a change to muscle growth. Hitting failure.
The same goes for any kind of sport your trying to progress in. swimming, cycling, football, rugby etc.
if you want to keep making progress then write down what you did the previous session and try to
progress the next time you train.
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Don’t stress however if one week your unable to make progress. It’s highly unlikely you will never
get a week where you feel weaker and fatigue quicker. At this point evaluate whether it may be
down to adequate rest, nutrition or over training. Perhaps you didn’t eat enough before your session
or maybe your body needs some rest. In most cases just listen to your body and do what’s needed to
help progression.
Measuring body composition
There are many ways to measure the body’s composition but if you mix up the three I’m about to list
then you will be able to track things easily and effectively.
Photos and the mirror
Scales
Callipers
Photos and the mirror
In my opinion the best way to see results is to take photos and look in the mirror. The mirror doesn’t
lie!
There will be cases where fat loss occurs whilst experiencing muscle growth. Therefore, you may not
see specific changes on the scales. A simply change in body composition is what’s occurring. This
happens quite often in people who have just taken up training, or teenagers etc. To be fair the more
experienced lifters usually go for bulk and cut style training cycles as loosing fat and gaining muscle
can be a long and drawn out process. Most people want quick results. However, you can “lean Bulk”
by following a healthy diet and monitoring fat levels, making sure you don’t increase bodyfat to
much.
Taking pictures and looking in the mirror will allow you to take notice of your body and imagine how
you would like yourself to look. Then comparing the pictures over time. Small changes are hard to
notice. This can be frustrating. So, if you have taken pictures which you can compare six months
down the line, you may be shocked by the progress.
Scales
A lot of people are either terrified of the scales or they are obsessed with the numbers on it.
However, you can use them systematically without being dependant.
It’s not unusual to have your weight fluctuate up and down over the weeks. Things like water
retention and sodium levels can spike the scales a pound here and a pound there. If your stressed
and tired then your body may respond by bloating etc. so the best way to measure your weight, and
this works for gaining and losing weight, is to weigh yourself each morning and write down the
result. Do this for 1 week and add up the total and divide it by seven. Then the next week do the
same again. What you do next is take the two results and compare the difference by subtracting the
first week from the second. Hey presto that’s your weight loss approximate. Do this each week till
your cutting or bulking phase is finished.
You can also track your weight using my fitness pal. It will give you a chart showing the steady
increase or decrease of weight for up to one year. It’s a great tool.
Like I said your weight will fluctuate but if your sticking to your diet and training frequently then the
general trend will be up or down.
39

Callipers
Callipers come in all different types. They are a tool that measures body fat. A lot of companies will
tell you to measure over various parts of the body. However, I feel using it on the stomach on the
area called the suprailiac is more than effective. Let’s face it if your belly fat is decreasing then the
fat elsewhere will be to. Plus, it tends to stop over complicating things. However how you decide to
approach this is totally up to you.
How often? As and when you feel its required. Recording the results as you go along.
A company called Accu-measure make a great and affordable set of callipers.
40

15. Form and the mind muscle connection
Correct form
Lifting a weight from A-B is not as simple as it seems. How often do we stand in the gym shaking our
heads (not literally) at the bad form and lack of mechanics that surround us? All the time! Throwing
weights about that are clearly too heavy for the specific muscle group. All this will do is lead to
negative results, injuries and more than anything it’s just a waste of time. Ego lifting is rife and it’s
something we should avoid at all costs if we want to get results.
Everyone is an expert in the gym. A friend of a friend told a friend that you should do certain things
to build a strong physique. The fact is that compound lifts and full range of motion ROM has always
been the best starting block to building muscle. To name a few like mark Rippetoe etc. they have
always stood by full ROMs and compound lifts and the results have stood the test of time, with both
athletes and non- athletes. Remember you’re not Mr Olympia. If you are, you don’t need to read
this. What works for them doesn’t mean it needs to be your way of training. They, like you would
have started somewhere. Form plays a major role.
Certain aspects like muscle mass, technique, experience and body composition (just to name a few)
is what will dictatei how much weight you can lift. Genetics and body types will also play a factor in
this. So, when training a muscle to grow we must implement the correct form. Especially when doing
compound lifts like the squat, bench press, deadlift and overhead press. As multiple muscle groups
are being used in unison during these movements. If the form is not correct, then you can injure
yourself and results will be non-attainable. Use a weight that is going to be suitable for your current
capability, not a weight that will affect form and cause unwanted stress on the body in a negative
fashion. Then over time progressively overload the body to gain more muscle.
What happens when we recruit a muscle is it will work until fatigue if it stays recruited. Once it tires
the body will naturally start to use other muscles to help the weight get to its destination. What we
want to do is find the correct weight dependant on the rep range and then work the required muscle
or muscle groups to its max potential. If the form breaks down and the isolation of the muscle
becomes diminished before the rep range has been successfully achieved, then we need to look at
our form and its relation to the weight being used. Fix the form and find the correct weight that will
successfully work the muscle to fatigue without trading off the mechanics of the lift.
Contrary to popular belief, lifting heavy weights won’t harm the body. If it is carried out in a safe
manner whilst utilising correct form. The body’s mechanics allow you to lift weights that would
scare off most people in the gym. It compensates in many spectacular ways to perform lifts that
increase strength and muscle mass. The mechanics allow opposing muscle groups to compensate for
heavy lifts taking tension off areas like the kneecaps, elbows and lower back for example. Where
problems come into play is when lifting is done incorrectly.
I will now explain each individual compound lift. Explain the do’s and don’ts of the lift.
Back squat
Bench press
Overhead press
Deadlift
41

THE BACK SQUAT
When it comes to compound lifts the barbell should always move vertically through the range of
motion (ROM). This is one of the keystones to achieving the correct lift. . The bar remains vertical
whilst the body mechanically changes position through a full range of motion (ROM).
When you approach the bar make sure it is set at a height in the rack where you can unload it
safely. You don’t want it so high you end up on your tippy toes un-racking
Make sure your chest is centre to the bar and you have a solid base. Depending on how you
prefer to lift set the bar in a low/high bar set. But do not have the bar too high up on the neck
To maintain proper utilisation of the shoulder blades and scapulas have the hands narrower
than opposed to wide apart. This helps to stabilise the back muscles, engage the lats and keep
your chest up
Your feet want to be shoulder width apart and pointing outwards. The right foot at around 1
o’clock and your left foot at around 11 o’clock
Your head will be in a neutral position, not looking at your feet and not looking up at the
ceiling. Focus on one spot and keep it there during the set
Once you’re in position, pinch your shoulders back, engage the core by taking a deep breath
and keep your chest up. Make sure you keep hold of that breath through the full eccentric
and concentric phase of the lift. Breath out at the top. Do not breath out at the bottom
Whilst descending keep it controlled and make sure you drive your knees out in the same
direction of your feet. Lead with your hips not the knees. Your knees should not come any
further than an inch or so past your toes. Bring your self down to just below parallel before
you come back up
Do not arch the back or hunch over at the bottom, commonly known as the “butt wink”. Keep
your spine neutral throughout
Once you start to come up you will drive through the heels and make sure your glutes are fully
activated
Your shoulder blades are to stay pinched back, almost driving the elbows forward to get under
the bar
Your knees will keep pushing outwards making full use of your hip flexors
Do not lead with the hips forcing the barbell forwards over the centre of gravity. .Make sure
the shoulders and hips come up at the same time
Drive through with the hips to get past the sticking point
Makes sure the heels stay grounded throughout. One way to practice this is to keep the toes
pointing upwards throughout the full rep to get a feel for it
Once you come back to the starting point make sure you squeeze the glutes and realign the
hips before the next rep
Do not however push your hips forward too much forcing the bar backwards putting
unnecessary pressure on the lower (lumbar) spine. This is a common mistake. It may be ok
with light weights but when the weights go up this can cause unnecessary injury
Deep breath. Reset the body. Repeat.
Some common mistakes to avoid:
Raising the heels, hunching the back, incorrect breathing technique, non-neutral positioning of the
head, too much weight and half reps, not enough depth, knees buckling inwards (indication of weak
hip flexors), bouncing into the rep by dropping down uncontrollably relying on momentum to get you
through the full ROM, bar positioning, general improper utilization of muscle engagement. Wrong
shoe types with elevated heels for example.
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THE BARBELL BENCH PRESS
Despite being probably the easiest compound lift it seems that this lift causes most injuries.
Technically it still requires much thought and to perform it correctly you need to know the following
basics.
Lie down on the bench and make sure you un-rack it from just behind the head. Certain
machines will allow you to keep it racked whilst pulling it forward but most don’t. A spotter
can come in very handy when performing this specific lift for help racking and un-racking the
bar
Pinch your shoulder blades together and engage the lats. Drive the shoulders into the bench
and keep your feet flat on the floor with a wide stance. This helps to engage the chest and
stop you using predominantly anterior delt activation. Keeping your feet flat and based will
help you to drive through the rep
There should be a slight arch in the lower back. No more than a fist and your butt should stay
on the bench throughout the set. If it lifts, then chances are the weight is too much
Grip the bar about an inch or two out from shoulder width (generally, speaking). Hold it in the
palms and not the fingers and squeeze it nice and tight
Keep your arms locked in and make sure the rep starts directly above the chest and nipples
once you have manoeuvred the bar into place
Your arms should be around 45 degrees to your body, having the straight out will stop full
activation of the chest muscles, al lot closer to the body is generally used by powerlifters
Take a deep breath and keep the whole body nice and tight
At a steady controlled pace lower the bar directly down towards the chest until it almost
touches (or just touches) but do not bounce it off the chest for momentum
Then drive the bar back up towards the ceiling with everything you’ve got. Keeping the chest
up. Avoid rounding your shoulders to have the deltoids push it up
Keep the head flat on the bench. Don’t raise it up to look at the bar. Stay focused on the
ceiling. This will help to keep a vertical lift and avoid injury
The body should not have changed at all during the rep. The core would have been kept tight
throughout. Exhale as you reach the top of the rep
Deep breath. Reset the body. Repeat.
Some common mistakes to avoid:
Rounding of the shoulders forcing the anterior (front) deltoids to work more than the pectoral
muscles. Feet are sometimes placed on the bench as opposed to the floor. Hand positioning that
leaves the bar placing to much force on the wrist as opposed to the whole arm. Raising of the head
during reps. Improper functioning of the lats and shoulder girdle. Lifting the butt and twisting the
back to finish the rep. bouncing the bar of the chest and dropping the bar down uncontrollably.
Instability sometimes causes the bar to fail to travel in a vertical line.
43

THE OVERHEAD PRESS
You can perform this standing or sitting. However, if there is no specific rack for sitting on this can be
very awkward. So, I would opt for a standing OHP as a full compound lift.
Like a back squat make sure the bar is set at a decent height in relation to your body
Approach the bar and make sure it is central to your chest. Hold it with your hands slightly
wider than shoulder width apart
Whilst taking grip place the bar on the inside of the palms, start at the corner of the thumb
and index finger. And almost corkscrew the hand round it to get incredible grip
Try not to flare out your elbows. Keep everything tight and solid
Once you have un-racked keep the hips and knees neutral and locked in place, in a brace
position. Slight bend in knees like starting the back squat
Your grip will remain nice and tight almost like you are corkscrewing the bar with torque
From your upper chest, you lift the bar. Push the chest up as though you’re trying to touch
your chin with it. There will be a slight bend in the lower back but not so much that you cause
pain and tension. This usually indicates too much weight and a negative centre of gravity. Keep
the spine neutral
Breath in and keep the core tight
Drive through the whole foot in a straight line upwards
As you do you will force the scapulas and shoulder girdle together. This will allow you to move
under the bar. Your feet stay positioned firmly but the head will move forward and allow the
shoulders to lock in
Essentially lock out at the top and make sure the weight is balanced mid foot shrugging the
shoulders towards the ceiling
Lower the bar in a controlled manner back to the starting position.
Deep breath. Reset the body. Repeat.
A seated overhead press is entirely the same. However, it takes a lot of pressure off the lower back
and helps you to generally lift more weight. The compound side of it is in the standing OHP as the
full body needs to recruit more muscles to perform the lift.
Some common mistakes to avoid:
Too much weight means the lower back takes on too much weight compensating for a lack of
shoulder strength, the results can lead to back injury. Losing balance and leaning backwards. Looking
up at the bar and not straight forwards. Half reps, not lowering the bar to the chest. Griping the bar
to far apart. Bouncing into the rep (although this is correct during a push press, however this is a
strict press). Not performing a full ROM.
44

THE DEADLIFT
The deadlift is the “daddy” of lifts. You will attempt to pick up a dead weight directly off the floor.
That’s it. However, unlike some other compound lifts the dead lift is a do all or do nothing kind of
lift. It takes absolute sheer strength with a massive amount of muscle recruitment to do so. If it’s too
heavy, then bad form can be spotted a mile away. So, getting it right takes times and precision. This
lift will help to develop a strong and uniform body like no other.
The bar and plates will be directly at your feet
Make sure that the bar is mid foot, the whole foot, not the mid-instep, and not touching the
shins etc.
Your stance will be slightly closer than shoulder width apart, however due to different body
compositions and sizes this may be something you will need to play about with
Make sure your feet point slightly outwards
When you grip the bar make sure the hands are on the outside of the legs but touching them
Grips vary. Mainly use an overhand grip. However, as the weight goes up you can use an over
hand and underhand on opposite sides, or use wraps. This depends on your grip strength
When you grab the bar make sure you don’t move it. Bend the knees towards the bar till the
shins touch it
Do not sit into the deadlift. Keep tension in the hamstrings. Your body should be apx. 65
degrees as illustrated in the photo. Maintain tension.
Keep a neutral spine. Do not hunch and do not arch too much. The same applies for the head
and neck. Look directly forward
Keep the arms perfectly straight
Squeeze your chest up as hard as you can. DO NOT MOVE THE BAR. This establishes a "wave"
of extension that goes all the way down to the lumbar, and sets the back angle from the top
down. Do not lower your hips – lift the chest to set the back angle.
Engage the lats and take a deep breath to activate the core
Squeeze the bar off the floor and drag it up your legs in contact with your shins until it locks
out at the top. If you have done the above sequence precisely as described, the bar will come
off the ground in a perfectly vertical path. All the slack will have come out of the arms and
hamstrings, the bar will not jerk off the ground, and your back will be in good extension (do
not lean back). You may perceive that your hips are too high, but if you have completed the
steps correctly, the scapulas, bar, and mid-foot will be in vertical alignment and the pull will
be perfect. The pull will seem "shorter" this way.
Lower the bar down in the exact opposite motion
Exhale at the top of the lift
Deep breath. Reset the body. Repeat.
Some common mistakes to avoid:
Rolling the bar to your shins to lifts it. Leaning back to far at the extension (top). Shrugging at top of
deadlifts. Hitting your knees on the way down. Using a belt with bad deadlift form (get the technique
down before you wear add-on’s, preferably never use a belt). Watching your reps in the mirror
weather its side on or face on. Using bent elbows to lift jerking them into the lift, this causes injury to
them. Wrong shoe types with elevated heels for example. Squatting the deadlift (sitting into it) as
stated keep hamstring tension. Not touching the floor with the barbell on the way down.
45

Now we have gone over the compound lifts I hope this give you a better understanding of the lifts
and how to perform them correctly.
*Form (in lifting) is everything if you want to gain strength, increase the weights, avoid injury,
enhance performance and utilise the target muscle groups.
When we look at form we look at both:
Exercising the muscles through isolation
Training muscle groups though compound lifts
The difference here is when we isolate a muscle like the bicep during a dumbbell curl, it doesn’t take
that much work to understand the form. It’s quite easy. We are simply exercising that one muscle
whilst using various other muscles to stabilize, contracting the muscle through one range of motion
(ROM). When we look at training muscle groups, we look at compound lifts which are the exercises
that will take much more time to master. However, not just compounds, but lifts that use barbells
and free weights. Compounds are however the back bone to growth, development and
performance. Isolations are simply there to compliment the compounds and improve aesthetics,
very popular in bodybuilding. So, we must take our time to maintain the correct form with both.
There is no rush here. Just practice, and like most things in life practice makes perfect. Both training
and exercising muscles have huge benefits.
Compound lifts are also known as multi joint lifts.
*There are multiple tutorials online to show you how to correctly lifts weights and train effectively.
Hiring a personal trainer for one to one tuition will be massively beneficial providing you chose the
correct one. I would advise spending time on both to get better results from your training. There
are no short cuts. Training effectively requires practice, patience, will power and determination.
Getting your form right will take time and consideration. It will come quicker to others and slower to
some, but it’s all part of the process and the best way to achieve results.
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The mind muscle connection
*“As you know, movement is controlled by the brain. The first step towards muscular contraction is a
signal sent by the brain to your muscles telling them to contract. You might say that the Mind-Muscle
Connection (MMC) occurs at something called the "neuromuscular junction". This is where the mind
meets the body”
What this means is that when you recruit a muscle to lift a weight your brain will send signals to the
muscle groups needed to lift it. The peripheral nervous system (PNS) will detect the weight, send
signals to the central nervous system (CNS) and the brain. Then the body will then recruit the
required muscle fibres needed to lift the weight. The mind muscle connection simple means to
understand what muscle is going to be used and focus is presented solely on that muscle or muscle
group to make the lift effective. By doing this you will effectively train that muscle and become more
efficient in how your body moves. You will learn much about the human body and its capabilities.
Benefits of improving the mind muscle connection:
Improving your MMC increases the number of muscle fibres being recruited when lifting.
If you're worried about wasting energy on warm up sets, try it on an off day.
You're more aware of your muscles when fully pumped, making it easier to isolate them.
Better self-awareness, this could lead to better stability and improvement in body
composition and day to day form.
To understand it better we must understand the difference between the primary movers and the
secondary movers.
The bench press for instance. The primary mover will be the pectoral muscle and the secondary
movers will be the anterior deltoid and the triceps. The primary mover is the muscle you want to
isolate, the muscle you want to connect with the mind. So, in this case it’s the pectoral muscle, the
“peck”.
Think of it like you are trying to present the muscle. Present its form to someone, showing it off.
Some tips on how to activate muscles using the mind:
Stand on the spot and tell yourself what muscle you want to activate. Then squeeze that
muscle. So, for the bicep you would curl the arm up and squeeze the muscle on the
contraction. Then use the same implementation with a weight
In-between sets flex the target muscle. This forces additional blood into your muscles and
help to pump them up further. Why? Because the more the muscle is pumped then the
more aware you are of how to isolate it
Perform a set very slowly. Use a lighter weight and concentrate on the contraction phase of
the muscle
When lifting try to present the muscle, as if showing it off to someone when its flexed
So, as you can see if you want to increase your potential in the gym and with performance you must
get to grips with the understanding of muscle isolation, contraction and tension. I will delve further
into this in the next section.
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16. How a muscle grows
How to stimulate muscle growth
There are 3 proven ways to increase muscle mass:
Progressive overload and time under tension (TUT)
Damaging the muscle fibres
Cellular fatigue (metabolic stress)
Let’s go over each one individually
Progressive overload and time under tension (TUT)
Progressive overload and time under tension (TUT) will increase both size and growth in muscle
tissue. You want to be progressively increasing the weights you lift over time. Making sure that the
weights go up. For instance, the heavier you can lift the more muscle mass you probably have, so
this is a good indication of both size and strength. Recording your results each training session will
help to track this. If the body continually adapts to the weight you’re lifting, then you must push it to
lift heavier over time. This will help to stimulate both muscle growth and strength whilst imporving
body composition. Please note that research has shown that when performing mechanical tension, it
is significantly more responsive to a full range of motion. So, avoid half reps and incomplete rep
ranges, as this will hinder results, as stated in the “form” section. If you become strong, your body
will look strong. Progressive overload could be one more rep or adding 1.25kg to the bar. It’s all
progress and counts greatly. Keeping the muscles under tension will force them to adapt by
increasing the ammout of motor units needed to physically lift the weight.
Damaging the muscle fibres
Damaging muscle fibres is simply the process or by-product of lifting weights under tension
othewrwise known as myofibrillar damage. During a workout, intense lifting causes microscopic
tears to form in the fibre and connective tissue of muscles. The body then reacts by releasing what
we call cytokines, an antinflamitory process designed to help repair damaged muscle tissue. That
combined with protein and naturally occuruing growth factors like insulin and testosterone will help
to create new muscle. These tears fatigue the muscles and accumulate in large numbers. With
proper rest and sufficient nutrients, the muscles are slowly rebuilt over the following days, but full
repair can take a week or more. The more this happens the more muscle tissue is repaired forming
new muscle. This process is predominantly happening during sleep. Hense its importance.
Cellular fatigue (metabolic stress)
Cellular fatigue is when you push the muscles to failure through repetitive motions which in turn
pushes muscle fibres to their metabolic limit. Cellular damage or metabolic stress occurs when there
is cell swelling around the muscle. You may have heard the term the “pump” a common phrase used
in bodybuilding. Basically, through contracting the muscle repeatedly through repetitions you are
forcing blood into the muscles being worked and literally mutating the muscle cells forcing them to
enlargen. You pump blood into the muscle then once the set is finished the blood will start to flow
back out freely, the venous return. Now, if we use a rest time that doesn’t allow full relaxation of the
muscle, when we start the next set some of that blood will still be in the muscle from the first set,
and so on and so on. Through the sets the muscle will grow larger and larger due to more blood
being forced in creating cellular fatigue. If we combine these three elements into our training
programs, we will undoubtedly see positive results in muscle growth.
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So, if you want to gain muscle simply makes sure you are:
Increasing weight over time – progressive overload
Utilising time under tension (TUT) and cellular fatigue
Damaging and repairing muscle fibres through correct training – rest – nutrition variables
Periodization of training correctly – specific tailored training plans that suit your goals
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17. The gut
“all disease begins in the gut” - Hippocrates
The gut is one of the most important organs in the body. Its provides the body with all the vital
nutrients and minerals that you digest daily.
They refer to the gut like your second brain. An unhealthy gut can lead to negative effects in moods,
memory and energy levels for example. The foods we eat and the liquids we drink will determine
how well our body performs. The first place of contact is the gut. If you constantly eatunhealthy
food, and drink unhealthy liquids, then how do you think the gut will react? Bloating for instance is
one of the notable signs of an unhappy gut along with bad wind or a leaky gut.
A healthy gut will help to maintain a healthy immune system. How often do people with bad diets
become sick and ill? All the time, but those with healthy diets filled with nutrient dense food rarely
suffer illness or fatigue. It also helps to produce the right kind of bacteria that tells your brain that its
ok to feel good again.
Healthy bacteria have the capability to affect your body’s vitamin and mineral absorbency, hormone
regulation, digestion, vitamin production, immune response, toxin elimination and general mental
health. So, as you can see maintaining a healthy gut will contribute towards healthy wellbeing.
Some autoimmune diseases like depression and anxiety have been linked to an unhealthy gut in the
form of celiac disease, IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) and leaky gut syndrome.
Some symptoms related to bad gut health include:
Abdominal pain
Bloating after meals
Reflux
Flatulence, but also less obvious like
Headaches
Fatigue
Joint pain
Immune system weakness
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Gut health is determined by the levels of gut bacteria present. The healthier bacteria present the
better. When unhealthy bacteria start to unsettle, this result in gut dysbiosis.
This simply means that too much bad bacteria are present in the gut. It can include yeast and
parasites and will cause all the symptoms discussed above.
As you can see it is plainly obvious why conditions like depression and mental health issues are on
the rise. Western diets have become predominantly focused on processed foods and junk. The two
are scientifically linked and proven. This is just fact. Results showing improvement in mental health
by simply fixing people diets and fitness are profoundly strong and significantly accurate including
the reverse effects of type two diabetes.
Nowadays you can get professional help and testing carried out by labs all over the country.
However by starting to eat healthily, increasing fibre, nutrients and minerals in your diet you will
start to see profound results in general wellbeing, energy levels and mindset.
A great way to kick-start the gut is to spend a few days introducing smoothies made from organic
fruits and vegetables into your diet, reducing carbs from things like bread, pasta, rice, potatoes,
cakes, sweets and any other sugary treat and making sure your intake of water is sufficient. Eat
organic meats and keep away from all dairy products for 3 – 5 days. There are some great companies
out there, one being Revive in 5 by founder Adam Light that can guide you through a five-day
cleanse. This usually gives the digestive system a break, allowing it to start digesting and absorbing
food correctly. When you revert to normal dieting make sure you are eating healthily and efficiently
whilst following many of the steps outlined in this booklet and you will start to feel far healthier.
Also, including supplements like probiotics into your diet will ensure you are getting sufficient
healthy bacteria daily. However, there are many great supplements out there to help your gut.
So, be aware of the health dangers and the negative effects that processed foods can have on your
wellbeing. The gut, as I’ve stated, is like the second brain. It warns you when something is wrong.
Start listening to your body and begin adjusting your diet to keep it healthy.
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18. Diabetes
I thought I’d write a quick section on diabetes. Why? Well I find its quite often that I’ve been asked
about this topic and it amazes me that so few people know the reasons why it can occur. Especially
when so many people in the world suffer. Unfortunately, in most cases the suffering is self-inflicted.
It’s important to understand that diabetes is on the rise every year. This impacts the health care
services, financial implications and most importantly the lives of the ones suffering and the families
that surround them. It not uncommon to see amputee cases which are a by-product of the disease.
In 2014 there was an estimated 422 million cases of reported diabetes worldwide. In 2012 it caused
1.5 million deaths. There were 2.2 million deaths caused by higher than normal blood glucose levels
resulting in cardiovascular diseases. Out of these 3.7 million deaths 43 percent were occurred before
the age of 70. Scary right!?
The illness kills more and more each year.
So how did all this come about.
Well in my opinion it’s the probability that society has made a transition into an extensive era of
microwave meals, televisions, computers, junk food and trash diets. Kids become lazy. The internet
has people glued to their seats all day and all night. Advertisements and adverts which beg you to
believe that greasy food is what your body craves. Business giants tapping into our subconscious
day in and day out making us salivate at the prospect of refined sugars and the next TV series. When
the modern age took over things became massively dependant on technology. This seemed to take
away the natural desire to go play in the back garden or take a long walk with the family. Also, the
way humans are never really educated on these matters till it’s too late is a huge concern.
Over the last 100 years this transient has left the worlds western society’s completely sick and
financially battered.
However, it’s not all a total loss. Type two diabetes is reversible, and yes…. without medication.
Ill now explain a little about
Type 1 diabetes
Type 2 diabetes
How to cure type two diabetes
leptin
Type 1 diabetes
Type one diabetes is unfortunately an incurable and irreversible genetic defect. What’s happened is
the bodies immune system has attacked part of the pancreas. It sees the insulin producing cells as
foreign and goes on to destroy them. This is also called “autoimmune” disease. It leaves the
pancreas beta cells damaged and unresponsive.
So, when you eat carbohydrates your pancreas secretes insulin to help shuttle the digested
carbohydrates, now glucose, to the cells to be transported round the body as energy. However, due
to the damaged beta cells the pancreas can’t secrete enough insulin therefore leaving free roaming
glucose in the system.
How we manage this is to inject insulin as and when needed and prescribed by the right professional
to help shuttle this glucose to its required blood cells. Measuring your blood sugar levels each day
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and eating a healthy diet will also help. Regular exercise, medical check-ups and avoiding to much
alcohol and cigarettes will help to manage the illness.
What we do need to be careful for is if you take insulin or other diabetic medicines and you don’t
increase the amount to correspond with your diet and exercise then you can develop
hypoglycaemia. This is called a low blood sugar level. Its leads to hypoglycaemic shock.
How can this happen:
Not eating enough carbs
Skipping meals
Increasing exercise
Alcohol
Being ill
A few things to think about and consider if you have or no anyone with the illness.
Type 2 diabetes
Type two diabetes is self-inflicted. Unhealthy eating habits and a lack of exercise will cause it. it’s
that simple.
What’s happened is something called insulin resistance.
Due to excessive carbohydrate overloads your blood cells have now become resistant to insulin.
Remember insulin helps shuttle digested carbohydrates, glucose, to the blood cells. The blood cells
then take on the insulin and glucose. By exercising and being active we use the glucose as energy. If
you don’t then the glucose stays in the cells or gets converted to fat.
Here lies the vicious circle.
If your body has a raised level of insulin it will automatically think that it needs more carbohydrates
(glucose) to give the insulin a purpose. Ready - get set – food cravings. Then you eat more food.
However, the same results happen, you have no room in your cells for insulin. Uh-oh raised insulin
levels. Raised blood sugar levels.
You can see the what I’m trying to get at here.
Some noticeable effects of type 2 diabetes are:
Eye damage
Kidney damage
Nerve damage
Sexual and hormonal complications
It doubles the risk of heart attack and strokes
These are just a few issues that come with the disease.
Signs of diabetes could be:
Increased and constant thirst
Frequent need to urinate
Constant fatigue
Blurred vision
Tingling pain in the hand legs and feet
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What to do if you think you may have diabetes type 2? See a doctor.
As you can see the illness is horrific, yet affects so many people worldwide. However, I’m sorry to
say it’s usually down to sheer ignorance, laziness and our surrounding lifestyles that lead to type 2
diabetes.
How to cure type two diabetes
Believe it or not if you don’t take this illness to far then it’s completely reversible on a holistic nature.
You simply:
Reduce carbohydrate intake to a reasonable amount
Prioritize your calorie intake ensuring you’re not in a calorie surplus
Eat whole foods, cutting out any junk alcohol and fizzy juice for example
Start to be more active, walks, jogs, exercise, light weight training etc.
What this does it starts to give the blood cells room for excess insulin levels. Its will slowly start to
decrease the blood sugar levels and create a much more balanced energy level. It will help to burn
excess fat and generally give the body a much-needed break for all the negative effects of unhealthy
living.
Once the body is in a healed state then you can start to increase some carbohydrates etc. and enjoy
a treat here and there. You must however continue to live healthy. Exercise and take care of your
body.
All this can be achieved. Seeking a good coach to help you through the process is essential.
Leptin
Leptin is a very important hormone in the body that tells us when we are full or hungry. It’s the
satiety hormone and can be the obesity hormone. It does however play a huge role in the
importance of health.
It’s a hormone that’s made from the adipose cells in fat that help to regulate energy balance and
inhibits hunger.
The more fat you hold the more leptin you have. This means the body is telling you that you have
sufficient energy stores and there’s no need to over indulge. However, when you diet you lose fat
from fat cells and the leptin levels drop. This increases hunger.
Everyone has a leptin threshold. When the leptin levels go lower than this threshold the body says
“hey I’m starving” it then activates a nerve called the vagus nerve which runs between the brain and
the abdomen. The vagus nerve is like your energy storage nerve and it helps you to understand
when you’re hungry. It’s like an indicator. So, when you eat your body will store energy into your fat
cells to increase your leptin levels back to or above the threshold.
The problem is that overweight people have a large amount of leptin and this creates what we call,
leptin resistance. The brain no longer gets the signal to stop eating.it becomes resistant to the
signals being sent by the vagus nerve. This is due to the fact if you constantly over eat then chances
are you will create more fat. This means more leptin way above your threshold. Your body no longer
knows when your full. You can’t however create less fat below what the bodies base levels are. You
would die through starvation.
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We must keep out leptin levels in check. We must be able to signal when we are full. You don’t need
to finish all the food on your plate. No one has a gun to your head. Listen to your body. Eat slower
and be consciousness towards how much food you eat day in and day out.
So, make sure you eat a balanced diet. A healthy diet complemented by a healthy lifestyle and that
will keep leptin levels at their threshold. Stop you from becoming obese, avoiding diabetes.
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19. A few Myths debunked
Below are some of the myths around training that you should never listen to!
Eating carbs before bed will make you fat – no! eating too much food beyond your TDEE and
not exercising will make you fat (thermodynamics)
Girls who lift weights will gain too much muscle and become masculine – it takes years to
sculpt muscle for men and women when training naturally.
Fats make you fat – again…thermodynamics
If you don’t use it, you lose it – you can maintain muscle during non-active periods with
correct macro settings and protein intake
You can focus on losing fat from certain body parts – fat comes off equally. Depending on
what type of fat is being used will determine where it comes off first
Cardio is the best way to lose weight – any form of exercise will help to lose weight if you
remain in a calorie deficit
If you don’t feel sore after a workout, then you didn’t work out properly – If you follow the
programs and maintain consistent progressive overload and work till fatigue then you’re doing
it right.
If you sweat you are burning fat – Sweat is water loss created by increasing the body’s
temperature as the heart rate and blood pressure increases. This burns calories. Sweating is a
good indication of how hard your body is working. Depending on how hard you work will
depend on where the calories are being processed from
You need to crunch to create abs – performing compound lifts and working on things like
balance etc. will build a solid core. Crunches will help to give them some depth and definition.
Abs are like any other muscle and will grow using the same protocols
Your genetics determine the size of your calves – yes, but they grow like any other muscle.
As stated above about abs. Just because they are small does not mean you can’t make them
bigger. Train them.
You should workout everyday – if you want to build muscle, stay healthy and de-stressed
then the best place for you is your bed and correct nutrition
To build muscle you need all the protein available – if you eat enough protein dependant on
your body weight and depending on whether you’re in maintenance, bulk or cut mode then
you are fine. Overeating protein can also lead to fat gains due to calorific surplus.
Shakes are a good meal replacement – nothing is a good replacement for wholefoods. Refer
to the restricted diet section
You must stretch before exercising – it’s been proven time and time again that mobilising
before a workout and stretching after is the best way to avoid injury
Muscle turns into fat if you stop training – having muscle will help you burn more fat. It’s
impossible for two completely different compounds to turn into the next. Fact!
Heavy lifting is bad for the joints – incorrect lifting techniques and incorrect rest and nutrition
protocols can affect the body in negative ways. Muscles work together to take the load off
areas such as the knees and elbows etc. Lifting weights can a teach you to use the body
through its full range of motions, thus increasing flexibility around the joints
There you have some answers to statements commonly made. There are multiple reasons for weight
training. All effectively helping the body to stay healthy and fully functional if done correctly,
efficiently and in a safe manner.
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20. Final thoughts
So, you have come to the end of this EBook. Thank you greatly for reading.
The purpose of this book was to help outline some of the key elements I feel are required when
looking for realistic results in your health and wellbeing.
Depending on what your goals are will determine how much sacrifice and willingness is going to be
needed to achieve them. However, the word sacrifice usually means letting go of something you
don’t want to. But when your goals hold greater values than the things that hold you back, then is it
really sacrifice or just positive choice?
Building your dream physique will essentially mean years of dedication, hard work and training
sessions that push you to your limits. That’s just the bottom line. However, it doesn’t need to be a
burden. In fact, the process alone is a huge achievement and once you’re happy with your results
you can bask in your achievements.
If it’s fat loss and general wellbeing you seek then certainly the road ahead is less foreboding, but it
still requires dedication, planning and commitment. Usually the first step is self-acceptance and
honesty about what has happened and what needs changing.
Or if you’re simply trying to turn your personal life around and live a more peaceful and mindful life,
then key elements, planning and organisation will be essential.
See, there are many roads to take, in fact the options are endless. The principles we need to adhere
to however are much the same.
Health and fitness has a never-ending array of information available to anyone wanting to change
their way of life and achieve their goals. What I have discussed here is a condensed version of this
vast array of information.
No matter what you choose to do, may it be fat loss, muscle gain, stage prep or enhance
performance and cardiovascular capabilities, the effectiveness of simple consistency is what really
matters. This also matters greatly when it comes to nutrition and lifestyle choices. You don’t need to
be perfect in an imperfect world. You just need to be consistent, confident in your capabilities and
have willingness to push yourself outside of the norm.
Life doesn’t hand you results. Results are achieved by hard work and self-belief.
Not one of us is the same. Every one of us has a different path to follow and a separate journey to
take. We are all capable of harnessing our inner strengths and as a coach my passion is to help
people hone in on those strengths and put them to incredible uses.
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Remember:
Goal setting Planning Preparation Execution Results
Set your goal, plan how you will achieve it, make the necessary preparations for the journey ahead,
execute the plan and watch the results unfold.
If at any point one of these areas break down take a step back and look at what needs to change and
then push forward.
Your health shouldn’t be so complicated. Or certainly not as complicated as many companies would
want you to believe. Health doesn’t need to be expensive and overbearing. It’s all about simple
steps, simple changes, some hard but fulfilling work and massive results over time.
All I ask is that you enjoy your journey.
Thanks for reading
Ben Wright.
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