Body Types

Welcome to 5.14 Fitness,


I have been set the task of answering the question: Is a mesomorph body type the most suitable for long distance running?

There are 3 different body types, each body type is an own optimum weight for different sports, but most people do not fit into the 3 categories perfectly and are more of a match for a mixture of body types.

An extreme endomorph is a person with: a lot of body fat, has wide hips and narrow shoulders, they also have significant amounts of fat stored in the upper arms and thighs.  This sort of body type would be useful for sports such as American Football, Rugby or Sumo Wrestling.

Extreme ectomorph body type characteristics include: long, thin arms; very little body fat or muscle; narrow hips and shoulders. Ectomorphs are the ideal body types for activities like high jump, long distance running and badminton.

Mesomorph body characteristics are: very little body fat; strong, developed muscles; broad shoulders and narrow hips. These types of people will be best suited for sports such like sprinting, boxing and swimming.

Endurance activities such as long distance running would not be ideal for someone with a mesomorph body type. This is because their bodies are largely made up of muscle, which is also very heavy therefore slowing them down as they attempt to repeatedly use their heavily built muscles over a long period of time. It is due to this reason that a person with a mesomorph body will become tired far too quickly and will either not be able to finish the run or finish at a much slower pace than other runners; they are more suitable to power activities as they have strong muscles, so they would not train for endurance as it would not be as necessary for their activities.

However, someone with an mesomorph body is more likely to be better at long distance running than someone with an endomorph body, as they are more likely to be lighter and more mobile so they can move easier and more freely which is crucial to this type of activity. In addition a person with a mesomorph body is likely to have some muscular endurance as they have heavily developed and strong muscles which will be strong enough to keep the body moving at speed for a reasonable amount of time.

The body type most suited to long distance running is an ectomorph as they are long, thin and have little fat or muscle to weigh them down which means they will be likely to be very light, so that they can continue to move at a constant speed with little resistance. People with this body type are also quite tall or mobile which means they will have longer strides as they have either longer or more mobile legs which can stretch further, this means they can cover the distance without using as much energy to take more steps.

In conclusion people with mesomorph body types are more suited to sports that depend more on power like sprinting to endurance tasks like long distance as they are too heavy due to their muscle mass to run long distances as there is too much resistance to move quickly for a long time. The ectomorph body type is most suited to this task as they are far lighter so there will be less resistance on their muscles to stop them from running.    

Thanks for reading, if your new or old please check out the older posts to see if there is anything you have missed or if something catches your eye. If you like what I am doing please drop a comment, plus one this post or the blog, add the blog to your reading this and follow me on google plus, if you have any suggestions or ideas do not hesitate to contact me or leave a comment.  More posts coming soon so please read again - work hard and peace!

Jason

 

 

Continue reading →

30 day workout program- Thursday workout

Welcome to 5.14 fitness,

Hi, today I am posting about the Thursday workout of the bodybuilding.com workout that I am currently doing. If you have no clue what I am talking about, then go check out my earlier posts explaining about it all.

Today's workout, on the website, trained the abs and the legs. Overall, the workout included mostly leg workout. However, all the workouts required machines, which I do not have. Because of this, I made my own workout up including previous exercises and some new leg ones.
I have been really, really busy lately, and so I did this in not much time at all, and only did three of the four exercises. Anyhow, remember to follow the instructions carefully, and make sure you check out each exercise so that  you are doing it correctly.
Just type the exercise into Google and click on a link to body-building.com- as they have great videos on every exercise.

Here is the workout:

Abdominals:
Long arm crunch
3 sets, 12 reps

Reverse crunch
3 sets, 12 reps

Janda sit up
3 sets, 12 reps

Jackknife
3 sets, 12 reps

Extended plank
3 sets 45 seconds

Rest of workout:

Bench press
3 sets, 20 reps, 1 minute rest

Dumbbell squats
3 sets , 15 reps,  60 second rest

Flat bench lying leg raise
3 sets, 15 reps, 60 second rest

Incline dumbbell press
3 sets, 20 reps, 60 second rest

Once again, for the abdominal workout, I perform one set of all the exercises in a row, then have 1 minute rest. I repeat this 3 times. I recommend doing this as it adds intensity to the workout, and makes you sweat a little bit more.

For the bench press, I used a 9kg dumbbell in each hand, so by the third set you can really feel the pressure and fatigue in your triceps and chest.  People say to tense your chest at the height of each rep, however I can't yet do this. This is probably because I do not have a strong enough mind to muscle connection. I am sure with more work, I will develop this, and I will definitely let everybody know, Remember, this bench press has no incline or decline. 

For the squats, I place a 9kg dumbbell in each hand and press them to my sides - I then do a regular squat. These are really quite painful, and it is by far the most painful exercise in the workout. 

The leg raise should be done on a flat bench, and I included it as it trains your abdominals as well as your legs. This add a little extra exercise for the abs, as on other days they are not used at all in th second half of the workout. 

The incline dumbbell press is just the same as the regular one, however is a little trickier, 

The workout  went well, and I am starting to see some results I think. I will let you know when I see clear ones. 

Thank for reading, please subscribe and like (we will like and subscribe back) . Thanks again and peace! 

Continue reading →

Aerobic and Anaerobic Exercise

Welcome to 5.14 Fitness,






This post will be again another from the Back To Basics series, in which I describe and explain basic ( as you could have guessed) must know factors on health and fitness. The foundation blocks of what fitness and health is, this post in particular will be based on aerobic and anaerobic exercise.

Aerobic

Aerobic essentially means exercising with oxygen




The scientific equation for this is :




Oxygen + Glucose --> (Energy) + Water + Carbon Dioxide




When you exercise over a long period of time and are constantly breathing you are exercising aerobically. Your muscles are performing an activity that requires stamina, therefore testing the targeted areas muscular endurance so they will require oxygen all the time to be able to respire in order to produce the energy they need to keep moving and to stop lactic acid from building.

Anaerobic

Anaerobic means the opposite of aerobic; exercising without oxygen


The scientific equation for this is :


Glucose --> (|Energy) + Lactic acid


It is only possible to perform exercises that last a short periods of time. If your body does not have enough oxygen to respire efficiently, the lactic acid formed begins to poison muscles causing them to become fatigued resulting in you having to slow down or stop exercising. Consequently anaerobic techniques are far more common in sports relying on power or muscular strength, as breathing is said to slow down the body and break up fluid motions.


Oxygen debt


Oxygen debt is the amount of extra oxygen that is owed to the body after you have finished exercising anaerobically. Restoring oxygen debts back to a normal amount after a shortage due to the high heart rate is completed by taking in heavy or deep breathes to ensure as much oxygen is inhaled as possible. By getting oxygen back into fatigued muscles will remove the poison in the muscles ( lactic acid) helping to stop them from aching whilst the body recovers.

Overview 

The vast majority of sports are a mixture of both types of exercise. You may use maximum effort in a sprint in a sport like football, to receive the ball (anaerobic) but then slow down again when you are tracking back or getting back into position (aerobic). It is necessary to study your sport to see what method of exercise is needed, so you can then adjust your training accordingly.

Thanks for reading, if your new or old please check out the older posts to see if there is anything you have missed or if something catches your eye. If you like what I am doing please drop a comment, plus one this post or the blog, add the blog to your reading this and follow me on google plus, if you have any suggestions or ideas do not hesitate to contact me or leave a comment.  More posts coming soon so please read again - work hard and peace!

Jason



Continue reading →

Abs 25 Challenge

Welcome to 5.14 Fitness,






This post is going out on as slightly different wave to previous posts, it is part of a new series that I am beginning full of challenges and workouts. This one is a workout challenge designed to improve ab power, six pack definition and muscular endurance.  It is essentially a test to see how many reps of standard sit-ups in multiples of 25; hence the name. 


So lets jump right into the work out.




1 set (25 seconds rest between each set of reps- each bullet point-)

• 100 sit ups
• 75 sit ups
• 50 sit ups
• 25 sit ups

According to how many full sets of each workout depends the participants level of ability:

• 1 set = novice
• 2 sets = beginner
• 3 sets = intermediate
• 5 sets = expert
• 5+ sets= bodybuilder

This workout is a great way to really work your abdominals generally in one big workout, I have been doing this for about 2 weeks now and I am already loving the results. My upper/middle abs in particular are where I have been feeling the most work happening, and I can physically feel a loss of belly fat in that region therefore an improvement in definition.




However, I would not advise to complete this workout more than twice a week, as it offers you little in variation, but it could accompany the general ab workout or the belly fat buster due to a deeper variety in exercises that tone and work different areas in a similar region or area. I would do it  simply for something different to ensure your abs stay worked and do not get used to or familiar with a certain routine that they do not adjust to find that workout easy or to stop them from getting weaker as they are not being challenged.



So guys thanks for a fantastic week, please share this with your friends, following is returned, if you have not already add it to your blogger reading list, any plus ones or comments are also welcomed, thanks for reading more posts coming soon, so please come again-work hard and peace!


Jason

Continue reading →

30 day workout plan- Wednesday workout

Welcome to 5.14 fitness,

Today I am posting about the Wednesday workout of the program I am currently doing almost everyday.
If you don't know what I'm talking about, then go check out the other posts about the 30 day workout.

Today's workout trains the abs, chest and arms. I found this workout to feel the same as yesterday, and once again I felt as though I didn't push myself enough. This was probably due to me getting distracted with certain things. Anyhow, remember to follow the instructions carefully, and make sure you check out each exercise so that  you are doing it correctly.
Just type the exercise into Google and click on a link to body-building.com- as they have great videos on every exercise.

Here is the workout:

Abdominals:
Long arm crunch
3 sets, 12 reps

Reverse crunch
3 sets, 12 reps

Janda sit up
3 sets, 12 reps

Jackknife
3 sets, 12 reps

Extended plank
3 sets 45 seconds

Rest of workout:

Bench press
3 sets, 20 reps, 1 minute rest

Bench dips
4 sets to failure, 60 second rest

Hammer curls
3 sets, 12 reps, 60 second rest

Preacher curls
3 sets, 12 reps, 60 second rest

Once again, for the abdominal workout, I perform one set of all the exercises in a row, then have 1 minute rest. I repeat this 3 times. I recommend doing this as it adds intensity to the workout, and makes you sweat a little bit more.

For the bench press, I used a 9kg dumbbell in each hand, so by the third set you can really feel the pressure and fatigue in your triceps and chest.  People say to tense your chest at the height of each rep, however I can't yet do this. This is probably because I do not have a strong enough mind to muscle connection. I am sure with more work, I will develop this, and I will definitely let everybody know, Remember, this bench press has no incline or decline. 
I'm finding the bench press is getting a little easier, and I have yet to see any visible result in the chest- that I know off. 

The bench dips, I rest my feet on a stall in front of me, yet I feel a little awkward performing the exercise, like I am doing it wrong. Plus my neck still hurts a little from the exercise, but not as much as on Monday. 

The hammer curls are just simple Hammer curls, no problems with them.

For the preacher curls I use my bench at an incline to support my arms like you are supposed to.

Overall, the workout was pretty successful, especially in the arms. Tomorrow, I will have the time to really push for my goals and feel good about it. 

Thank for reading, please subscribe and like (we will like and subscribe back) . Thanks again and peace! 

Continue reading →

30 day workout program- Tuesday workout

Welcome to 5.14 fitness,

Today I am posting about the Tuesday workout  of the 30 day workout program, and if you have not already seen the two other posts about the program, you should go check them out before you view this. Today's workout mainly trains the abs, chest, back and traps. I found it to be quite easy compared to Mondays workout, however this one lasted a bit longer. Remember to follow the instructions carefully, and make sure you check out each exercise so that  you are doing it correctly.
Just type the exercise into Google and click on a link to body-building.com- as they have great videos on every exercise.

Here is the workout-

Abdominals:
Long arm crunch
3 sets, 12 reps

Reverse crunch
3 sets, 12 reps

Janda sit up
3 sets, 12 reps

Jackknife
3 sets, 12 reps

Extended plank
3 sets 45 seconds

Rest of workout:

Dumbbell bent over row
4 sets, 12 reps, 1 minute rest

Bench press
3 sets, 20 reps, 1 minute rest

Straight arm dumbbell pullover
3 sets, 12 reps, 45 second rest

Dumbbell shrug
4 sets, 12 reps, 30 second rest

For the abdominal workout, I perform one set of all the exercises in a row, then have 1 minute rest. I repeat this 3 times. I recommend doing this as it adds intensity to the workout, and makes you sweat a little bit more.

The dumbbell bent over row I found to be quite strenuous on the fourth set, and you can really feel  the force on your biceps. Make sure to hold for a second at the top of each rep to really add strength to your back and biceps.

For the bench press, I used a 9kg dumbbell in each hand, so by the third set you can really feel the pressure and fatigue in your triceps and chest.  People say to tense your chest at the height of each rep, however I can't yet do this. This is probably because I do not have a strong enough mind to muscle connection. I am sure with more work, I will develop this, and I will definitely let everybody know, Remember, this bench press has no incline or decline.  

The dumbbell pullover hurt my right shoulder little bit, however I think this is because my bench is quite small, so could not support my neck fully. Make sure you can feel this exercise in the chest, as this s the part of the body it works on most.

The Dumbbell shrug is for your shoulders, so make sure you do not use your arms for this exercise. You can really feel it in your shoulders after a while. 

Overall, the workout was pretty successful, although I felt I did not push myself enough. I will make sure I do so next time. 

Thank for reading, please subscribe and like. Thanks again and peace. 

Continue reading →

Daily Diary: Gym Buddies and getting back what you lost

Welcome to 5.14 Fitness,




Sorry about the lack of posts recently and again for this one just being another catch up session, which I am aware is not as attractive as some of the workout or review posts. However I still do view it to be important to post this type of content to show my progress- what works, what does not and all that jazz.


Goals for the week


I normally set myself the challenge of trying to get bigger, stronger: arms, chest, legs etc; however, this last week as well as my normal gym routine to get all that stuff I mentioned about a line ago, I was also worried about my abs. See if you had asked me what my best feature was 5 months ago, I would had been straight in there with abs and core. They were my only really desirable or well formed part of my body and they are also probably one of the most popular and wanted areas to tone and define. Although I was dead proud of my core a few months ago, I was not the same about my arms- I had tried various workouts and pushed my self very hard towards a goal, but I did not seem to be getting anywhere- then I spoke to a few of my friends, did a bit of research before totally reconstructing my routine and diet in order to get bigger arms. The problem then occurred, that I was eating and doing what was needed for my arms, but this did not suit my core, resulting in an increase of fat and loss of definition in that area. Then all of a sudden my piece de la resistance had become an area that required much improvement. So my fresh goal for this week was to work back my abs (on top of all the usual stuff)!


What actually happened and results


Well as I intended I did not make any alterations to my diet as I was reaping the results in my arms, but I wanted to be able to get the abs I once had on the same body as these bigger arms. Surprisingly I think I might have achieved this! I worked abs everyday or more with a basic core work out and they belly buster workout, and I cannot fault the results. I mean progress if always slow in this business, so remember to keep what I say in moderation, but I am beginning to see some great results. I can physically feel less body fat, a V line has some how reappeared and I am starting to see them bottom to abs once more. I am more than satisfied with how my revamped ab routine is fitting together- a few more weeks and I cannot wait to see how they are going to look.


I am going to move back on to my arms now and I have to say, I have been really impressed with the speed of my progress. The new gym workout I have devised has been working a treat and I am absolutely loving it. I have been told many a time over the course of last week that people are impressed with my arms. I managed to hit the gym 3 times each to be a heavy session devoted entirely to arms and legs. Another technique that works well for me if having a gym buddy. I know it sounds a little primary school, but having someone hold your weights whilst you get in position, count your reps and gets you motivated to work really makes a difference, it also adds an element of competition which does nothing but helps your work harder. As a result my arms are feeling bigger and stronger than ever and I plan to continue this new plan over the weeks that follow.


Next week


As I may have mentioned earlier, I plan to continue from where I left off last week, I will keep working hard at the gym and developing my biceps, triceps and legs, as well as my ab workouts at home to keep my core toned and as fat free as possible. On top of this I will still participate in as much sport as I can, to test out my performance and to stay healthy (in all aspects of the word). MY diet will hopefully stay balanced and nutritious.


Lessons Learnt


There have been a couple this week, the first being not to give any muscle group too much time of as progress deteriorates much faster than you make it. You are then stuck with the tedious task of trying to get back to where you were, mean while other muscle groups are loosing out. Not fun believe me!
The second being: GET YOURSELF A GYM BUDDY! It makes going to the gym that much easier, more productive and far more enjoyable as you have some one to share your journey with. A potential post topic maybe?


So guys thanks for a fantastic week, please share this with your friends, following is returned, if you have not already add it to your blogger reading list, any plus ones or comments are also welcomed, thanks for reading more posts coming soon, so please come again-work hard and peace!


Jason

Continue reading →

Drugs in sport

Welcome to 5.14 Fitness,


Very quick introduction- this post will cover the effects of and problems with some of the drugs that are corrupting the sporting world and resulting people to cheat in order to claim the rewards that accompany success.

Anabolic Steroids

These are a performance enhancing drugs that replicate human sex hormones such as testosterone and estrogen. This helps increase: body weight, muscular strength and muscle size. They also make people more aggressive and competitive which will also improve the mental desire and performance of the user. By using these steroids you are likely to stunt growth if you are young or still developing. By over using the drug you can also shrink your testicles if you are male, raise your blood pressure, damage your lungs, kidneys and heart- which can all result in serious health conditions in later life and even premature death.  Steroids are most commonly used in long distance events such as cycling, as well as power events like baseball and the 100m sprint.

Diuretics

These help your body dispose of unnecessary water and salt through urine. By getting rid of excess salt and fluid helps lower blood pressure and allows your heart to pump easier- therefore getting more oxygen get to muscles quickly and move effectively. Diuretics can be prescribed to treat several heart-related conditions; these include high blood pressure, heart failure, kidney and liver problems, and glaucoma. However, side effects include losses of sodium, potassium and magnesium, which can result in fits, increased tiredness after exercise, increased risk of heart issues and abnormal heart beats.  It is most used for sports like boxing, wrestling and cage fighting, despite being banned.

Beta Blockers

Beta-blockers are a type of medications prescribed to prevent the effects of adrenaline, a hormone produced inside the body. They help the heart work more efficiently, by reducing: blood pressure, heart rate, muscle tremors and anxiety. The problems that beta blockers can cause include: dizziness, tiredness, blurred vision, cold hands and feet, slow heartbeat, diarrhoea and sickness. They have been found to have been used in sports like archery, gymnastics and athletics.

Narcotic analgesics

Hide or reduce the pain caused by an injury or muscle tiredness which can make the injury worse as it allows the user to continue to do what they are doing without knowing damage is being down and that they need to stop. These can then become addictive, so if they are taken frequently the user will not know what is hurting the body and what damage things are doing to it and when they need to stop doing something. Their body will over work. These are likely to be used in long distance anaerobic sports like, cross country running, long distance cycling and the 1000m.

Anabolic Agents

These help athletes to train harder and build more muscle, which helps them increase strength and endurance in their sports. Side effects include increased aggression and kidney damage. They are found in many sports such as weight lifting, javelin and shot put.

Peptides and hormones

These drugs contain EPO (Erythropoietin) which increase the red blood cells in the body which gives more energy to the muscles and HGH (Human Growth Hormone) which builds and strengthens the muscles. AS the drug has two chemicals it has two sets of side effects, EPO increases risks of strokes or heart problems whereas the HGH causes abnormal growth, heart disease, diabetes and arthritis. This drug can be used in most sports such as athletics, skiing high jump.

Hope you guys found the post interesting and informative- I thought I would try something new. It took me absolutely ages to research and write so if you did not enjoy it please comment why. As per usual all comments, following, adding the blog to wish list etc is much appreciated and will be returned. If I do not return it in a week, please contact me and ask me, I will probably just have not read the notification. All posts and series will continue to next week, pl;ease tell me what you want ot hear more of and what you do not-Work hard and Peace!

Jason

 

Continue reading →

30 day workout plan: Monday workout

Welcome to 5.14 fitness,

Today I started the 30 day workout plan, and I am posting to say what I did and how it went. The workout lasted about 55 minutes, but could be done in about 45 . Personally, I found it  effective, especially in my arms and chest. The first day trains the  abs, chest , shoulders & triceps, and remember you need a bench and dumbbells for this workout . If you have not read about it, look back at my previous post.

Here is what you have to do:

Jackknife sit ups:

3 sets to failure, 60 second rest

lying leg raises:

3 sets to failure, 60 second rest

Dumbbell bench press:

3 sets, 20 reps , 60 second rest

Incline Dumbbell press:

3 sets, 20 reps, 60 seconds rest

Bench dip:

4 sets to failure, 60 second rest

Seated Bent-Over Rear Delt Raise:

4 sets, 15 reps, 90 second rest

Starting with the sit ups, I found it can be quite hard to balance when doing Jackknifes. To counter this, I gave it my all and tried to speed up each rep. If you find this not challenging enough, then hold a weighted object ( preferably a plate ) at your chest to increase the difficulty.

The leg raises should be done on a bench, and make sure to hold at the bottom to really feel the resistance in your abdominals. Try not to launch yourself up and down, instead control your movement at a steady rate. Once again, if you found this too easy, then add weight to the legs or find an alternative abdominal exercise- for example hanging leg lifts. 

For the first bench press, I used a 9kg dumbbell in each hand, so by the third set you can really feel the pressure and fatigue in your triceps and chest.  People say to tense your chest at the height of each rep, however I can't yet do this. This is probably because I do not have a strong enough mind to muscle connection. I am sure with more work, I will develop this, and I will definitely let everybody know, Remember, this bench press has no incline or decline.  

The Incline dumbbell press should be done at a relativity steep incline. I tend to push the dumbbells out more instead of lifting them above my head.  This is all similar to the last exercise.

For the bench dip, I put a chair in front of me and use that to put my legs on. I found this hurts my neck a lot , however I still feel it in my triceps and chest so it should be ok. 

The delt raise I did with a lighter dumbbell than in the other exercises.as I struggled to do 15 reps, especially due to this being the last exercise. in the workout. This one can be hard, and be careful to complete it safely. 

Overall, the workout was pretty successful, and I recommend doing it, To find out more about how to execute each exercise properly , then just type one in to your search engine and click on the a link to body-buiilding.com , as they have all exercises in detail and videos to go with each of them. 

Thank for reading, please subscribe and like. Thanks again and peace. 

Continue reading →

The 30 day workout plan

Welcome to 5.14 fitness,

Tomorrow I am going to start a brand new workout,modelled on a bodybuilding.com workout. This workout plan  is for those looking to develop all parts of the body. The workout plan is a 7-day one, with one rest day. I have tweaked and changed parts of the plan to suit my needs, as I do not have some equipment that is needed. 

For this workout plan,  all you need is dumbbells and a bench. I have recently bought a bench for 30 pounds on ebay, and I am very pleased with it.  It has incline and decline and did not take long to put together, plus was relatively easy to assemble.  If you want to look into the bench, here is the link to find it-
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Dumbbell-Barbell-Weight-Bench-Flat-Incline-Decline-Fitness-Workout-Home-Exercise-/111137015311?pt=UK_Strength_Training&hash=item19e048460f 

Anyway, the bench and dumbbells is all you need- and of course motivation to keep you going, The plan is akin to what a body-builder would do in the last few weeks before a contest. It covers the entire body but gives special priority to your abs—you'll work them first in every session. It says to train 5 times a week- with a day just for cardio and one for complete rest. I myself am going to do the plan on six days, as don't have much time and space to do cardio. Despite this, I recommend doing some sort of cardio for around 45 minutes a day, so you keep in shape.

The plan will have six different workouts for the six different days, but the same exercises will appear on lots of days, On the plan on the website, it states to do certain exercises that I can not do- for example, a cable crunch. I do not have the machine to do such a thing, therefore I will replace the exercise with one that trains the same parts of the body.  
As for the first day, I will be doing that Tomorrow and I have almost decided on what exercises and workouts to do.
It will train abs, chest, shoulders and triceps and should last about 50 minutes to an hour. I will post to say how it has gone and will include what exactly to do for day 1...

Oh yeah, remember to follow a clean diet along the way to preserve all your muscle—and possibly gain a bit—as you reduce calories and peel away body fat.

Thank you for reading, please subscribe and check out our other posts. Thanks again and  Peace! 

Continue reading →

Warm Ups & Cool Downs

Welcome to 5.14 Fitness,




To start off with I am going to put some rumours to rest; people have been wondering why I did not post a Daily Diary post yesterday as it is a Sunday. Well the answer to that is, I am going to post a Daily Diary every other week and at the end of a month. So why is it called Daily Diary? It is because it is a diary styled piece that informs you of how things went over the days since the last Daily Diary.


This post will be on warm ups and cool downs- the importance of each and how it helps us.

Warm Ups  

There are 3 stages  of a warm up, each consists of doing something different, and each has its own reasons and purpose. Most people think going for a quick run consists of an ample warm up. Wrong! This is only part of what makes a proper warm up. Other ideas include five minutes of stretching or some a practise of skills; again these are only parts of what your warm up should consist of.


Pulse Raising Activity


This is the phase that normally consists of running up and down for a few moments, it is a basic  activity that helps prepare muscles by getting them active. Here are the benefits of a pulse raising activity.

1. Increases heart rate, which makes your blood pump faster and gets your body prepared for heavy movement.
2. Increases oxygen supply to muscles, they are getting more oxygen which is what they need to be able to produce energy and move.
3. Increases muscle temperature, muscles are warm and more flexible, ready to move and easier to use than colder more rigid muscles

Stretching


This phase is designed to get muscles moving and ready to go. A variety of static and dynamic are best as it helps muscles get used to moving you are not constantly staying still, which allows your heart rate to drop back down.

1. Increases flexibility of muscles and tendons, allows you to gain further movement and reach which is likely to help in the activity.
2. Increases muscle mobility and elasticity which reduces chance of an injury, as muscles are warmer more flexible and more pliable it is less likely that they are going to get injured.

Mental Preparation Through Skill


This is the final phase and the one that gets you in the correct frame of mind and focus for the task ahead you are able to do what you need to do straight away.

1. Prepare psychologically, you are able to know what needs to be done and you are in the zone and focused on achieving it
2. Practise skills to be used, you are able to get straight on with the activity without taking as much time to practise or adjust to the situation to find your best form.

Cool Downs

Similar to the warm up the cool down has many benefits, a cool down is performed after an activity whereas a warm up is down before. The cool down, consists of basic and gentle exercise that helps the body return to its previous sate and helps reduce the risk of damage. Here are the benefits:

1. Pays back oxygen debt, helps you catch your breath and allows muscles to regain all the oxygen that they need,
2. Decreased heart rate naturally, your heart rate will gradually slow as you work down and recover, reduces strain on heart and any chance of having a heart related problem.
3. Removes lactic acid from the muscles , a poison that is produced in the body when muscles make energy with a lack of oxygen, the muscles are damaged by lactic acid but it is removed by the presence of oxygen in the muscles.
4. Decreased muscle stiffness, muscles are less likely to ache as lactic acid has been removed so less damage has been done to the muscles

Hope this helps, more back to basics to be released soon. Please read again, check out other posts, some comments plus ones etc., would be nice and any following is returned (you can also add the blog to your reading list and follow that way so please do so it is much appreciated)- work hard and peace!












Jason

Continue reading →

Skill Related Fitness

Welcome to 5.14 Fitness,




This post will identify and hopefully explain the 6 key areas of skill related fitness. These are skills that contribute to a sporting performance. Apologizes for not posting yesterday, myself and will were both really busy. I had just had a tough week of sporting fixtures and a really difficult game of football that morning, so I totally crashed out the rest of the day and only did one ab workout, where as Will was on his way to Wembley in order to watch the England-Slovenia Euro 2016 Qualifier.


Without further a due; skill related fitness:


Power


Power is the ability to do strength performances quickly. The mathematical equation for power is strength x speed. You need power in sports like javelin to be able to throw (propel forwards) the javelin as far as possible. You generate the strength and speed are generated from muscles in the arm.
Ways you can test your power are the Hand Grip Test and the Sargent Jump Test. Other sports that rely heavily on power are shot-putt, tennis (when you hit a shot) and high jump.


Balance


Balance is ability to retain the body's centre of mass above the base of support with reference to static or dynamic conditions of movement, shape or orientation. This means being able to stay in the position you need to be in whilst you move or when you stand still. You need balance in climbing to be able to prevent your self from falling as you move. You can test your balance with the Standing Stork Test.  Other sports that rely heavily on balance are dance, gymnastics and darts (to reach out to get closer to the board and be able to throw accurately.) 


Co-ordination


Co-ordination is the ability to use 2 or more body parts effectively at the same time. You need good co-ordination to be able to catch the ball in baseball so that you can field efficiently, you require your hand and eyes to work at the same time to follow the ball and to catch it.  You can test your co-ordination with the Alternate Wall Toss Test. Other sports you require good co-ordination in are tennis, dance ( to move arms and legs together ) and cricket.


Agility


Agility is the ability to change position of the body quickly and control the entire movement of the body. You need agility in hockey to be able to dribble the ball quickly and change body position to avoid other players without falling over and having control of the ball. You can test your agility with the Illinious Test. Other sports that rely heavily on agility include football (soccer), American football and rugby.


Speed


Speed is the differential rate at which an individual is able to perform a movement or cover a distance in a period of time. This means the ability to move or do things quickly. You need speed to be able to move quickly in a 100m sprint so you can run faster than the others. You can test speed by doing a 30m sprint. Other sports that rely on speed are hurdles, 200m sprint and cycling pursuit.


Reaction Time


Reaction time is the time between the presentation of a stimulus and the on set of a movement. This means the time taken to move from when it is that you have to start. You need good reaction time in netball to be able to catch the ball when it is thrown at you with pace, you have to be able to react to the sight of seeing the ball coming your way then get yourself in the correct position to catch the ball. You can test your reaction time with the Ruler Drop Test. Other sports that rely heavily on reaction time are tennis, boxing (to move out of the way ) and football -soccer- (as a goal keeper to be able to react to a player shooting at the gaol and to be able to save it.


Hope this helps, more back to basics to be released soon. Please read again, check out other posts, some comments plus ones etc., would be nice and any following is returned (you can also add the blog to your reading list and follow that way so please do so it is much appreciated)- work hard and peace!










Jason

Continue reading →

Smoking part 2 (Effects upon sport)

Welcome to 5.14 Fitness,








This post will be the follow up post from one earlier this week, which coincidentally is also on smoking, so if you haven't checked it out yet please do so.




Everyone knows smoking is one way to decrease your performance, however not so many people actually know how- this post will try to change that!




Effects




Tabaco smoke has been proven to rapidly increase the risk of serious health problems in regular smokers as well as those who have been exposed to significant amounts of second-hand smoke. Some of these health conditions include cancer, emphysema and bronchitis. It is for reasons like this, that smoking has such a bad effect on sporting performance.


Lack of Oxygen in the Blood

During exercise, your heart rate increases so that your muscles get enough oxygen to function and move. Normally, the higher the heart rate, the more oxygen is needed by the muscles. Tabaco smoke contains carbon monoxide, which sticks to the haemoglobin (the stuff that carries oxygen) in your blood better than oxygen, this means that your muscles are unable to get the sufficient amount of oxygen that is required during the exercise. This results in your heart working even harder and you not being able to exercise as well of longer periods of time as your muscles are starving of oxygen.


Narrowed Blood Vessels

Smoking narrows your blood vessels, this side affect makes pumping blood across your body a slower and more difficult process while exercising. this is due to the fact that the chemicals inside Tabaco make the vessels smaller and harder to cram the thick, oxygen loaded blood through, similar to when one lane is closed on a duel carriage way- traffic is caused as cars are slowed down.  In addition it also puts added strain on your heart every time it beats, because it has to work harder in order to supply your body with the oxygen it needs to function.


Increased Resting Heart Rate


Your increase your resting heart rate by smoking. Your resting heart rate is amount beats per minute your heart produces when your are not doing any activity. This number is massively increased in smokers due to the extra work your heart must do so that it can meet all the physical demands of your body. This also means that when you are exercising, your heart rate could potentially rise to dangerous levels in order to meet the physical demands your muscles need.


Airway resistance


Airway resistance refers to the rate in which air goes in and out your lungs. Some research shows that one inhalation of a cigarette can increase the resistance by up to three times. Which means you have to breath harder to inhale the amount of oxygen you need as your lungs take longer to inhale. Other factors such as tar build-up, inflamed mucous membranes and reduced air capacity will also increase airway resistance, this makes it more difficult to produce the oxygen your body needs when exercising.


Hope this helps, part 3 to be release soon. Please read again, check out other posts, some comments plus ones etc., would be nice and any following is returned (you can also add the blog to your reading list and follow that way so please do so it is much appreciated)- work hard and peace!








Jason

Continue reading →

Google fit review

Welcome to 5.14 fitness

Hi guys, this is the third fitness/health review that I am doing. This one will be quite brief, as it is about an app that does not have much to it. The app itself is Google fit, and it is simple yet quite effective. It is very similar to apples health, which is also an app that is tailored to specific phones, in healths case IOS. Google fit is an app that you can download from the Google play store, but I expect it will come pre-installed to some phones from android.

The Google fit interface

Google fit is a very basic app, that runs in the background, which is useful. The app is all about tracking what fitness you do during the day, and displaying it to you in a simple and helpful way.
You sign into the app on a Google+ account, and the first set goals that you want. The goals you set are how long you aim to do exercise a day, and Google fit uses this as a basis for everyday. You also add your weight and height, but I am sure that this is not compulsory,

As seen on the right, every day this is the screen that you are welcomed to on Google fit, The circle in the middle is the amount of exercise you have done that day, and as you can see the person in the image has done 42 minutes. When you have completed your time, the circle is complete and an animation occurs to congratulate you on success that day. The best thing about this is, you do not have to do a thing to complete your day, in terms of the app. If you have your phone with you all day , like I do , It tracks whether you ran, cycled or walked without you knowing about it. It is incredibly accurate with this, and I was really surprised to see how long I walked in a day - It was a lot longer than I expected.

As you can see in the picture, Google fit displays the different exercise you have done through different colours, and you can when you did them and how long you did them for, For example, in the picture ,  the person has ran 12 minutes, and you can see at what time of the day he or she ran, Unlike Strava or other apps like it, Google fit just detects when you do this, you yourself does not have to do anything. If you click the display, the circle and data turn to how many steps you have taken, instead of minutes, This , for me , is not very useful; however, it does display if you have exceeded your average or not.

You can also add minutes for when you do weight training, circuit training, or any other sports the phone can not detect. Although, they are all displayed as "other", so there are only four options to put into Google fit: Running, walking , cycling and other, For myself, I always add an extra 45 minutes or so for when I do circuit training at home, so at the end of the day I get a mix of walking and "other", This can not be very helpful as I do not know what "Other" was, but I can easily remember that it was circuit training because that is what I do almost everyday.
Overall, the interface is incredibly slick and nice, and despite it being basic, I really like it and it is so easy to see how long you have done exercise at the end of the day.

Your daily, weekly,monthly or yearly data can be displayed as a graph easily with a click of a button. This graph can show you the minutes of exercise, or steps taken over this time. This is useful as it gives you a clear view of how you did and what you need to improve on ( or when you need to improve ).

Lastly, Google fit has a key feature that makes it the hub for all fitness apps, This is the fact that it links to loads of fitness/ health apps, and therefore everything you do on them is displayed on your simple, clear,  Google fit page. Apps like Strava and Runtastic  link to Google fit, so whatever you do on them is uploaded to your Google fit, This feature is really useful as it means you don't have to spend time typing in your data on both apps- just one. Also, on Google fit you can see what you have done on all your apps, clearly and colourfully.

Now for the conclusion, and here are my pros and cons-

Pros-

• Simple, yet very effective, display of all your exercise daily
• Tracks what you do without yourself having to do anything 
• Links to a host of other apps to help you see everything you have done.
• Displays info in a nice graph
• Integrated with your phone as it is from Google
• You can use it on smart watches

Cons-

• Not many features unlike other apps
• Data may be too simple and vague for those that want more information
• Can't add sport other than running , cycling or walking without classing it as Other. 
• Not much is done with your results- no good social integration
• Goals could be more detailed. 

Overall, I feel Google fit is a great app that ,because of its simplicity, is effective at giving you your exercise minutes everyday of the week. It could be too basic for some, however I feel on a whole it's clear, colourful screen and handy tracker is great reasons to download this free app.

Thank you so much for reading, please view other posts and subscribe- and share this blog to others!

Thanks again, and peace!

Continue reading →

My Gym Routine

Welcome 5.14 Fitness,




As you probably know due to friends contact, I have a free gym membership and a lot of you have been asking me what I do when I get there. This post will cover what I do, but remember they to my age, size and tailored to achieve my goals, which are size and performance based- in arms primarily.

 Warm-Up

• Bench 20kg 10 reps 5 sets 30 seconds rest
• Bicep Curls 7kg 25 reps 3 sets 30 seconds rest
• Chin-Ups 10 reps 3 sets 1 minute rest
• Pull Down Cable 50kg 15 reps 3 sets 30 seconds rest
• Push Up Cable 50kg 15 reps  3 sets  30 seconds rest

This is not what I call a gently warm up but one that you do to  get your muscles going at a high intensity without finding it too strenuous or difficult. I personally prefer to do more work on high sets, lower weights and lots of reps. This is because it is a greater way of burning fat, giving muscles greater definition and keeping fibres pure- presenting you with stronger arms but are smaller as they have less fat. I also often say how good it is to do lower weight sometimes as it increases strength ( see other posts for details) so this is a good way to fit this in.

Work Out    

• Bench 40kg 10 reps 5 sets 1 minute rest
• Bicep Curls 12kg 5 reps 5 sets 30 seconds rest
• Free Weights Chest 14kg 5 reps 5 sets 30 seconds rest
• Chin-Ups 15 reps 5 sets 1 minute rest
• Leg Lift Cable 40kg 15 reps 5 sets 1 minute rest
• Pull Down Cable 70kg 15 reps 5 sets 1 minute rest
• Push Up Cable 70kg 15 reps  5 sets  1 minute  rest

I really do not like to spend too long in the gym as after a while I can start to feel damage being done to my body and I will ache for the rest of the day. So around an hour is great for me as it allows me to get my stuff done and not take too long. I much prefer weight free training as it is a lot safer and easier to do, however it is much quicker to use weights as they get results far faster, so they need to be done in reality. But do not over light or get carried away. I go gym for an hour 4 times a week, so my body has time to recover.

Hope this helps, had a really useful week full of lessons and information. Please read again, check out other posts, some comments plus ones etc., would be nice and any following is returned (you can also add the blog to your reading list and follow that way so please do so it is much appreciated)- work hard and peace!






Jason



Continue reading →

MyFitnessPal review

Welcome to 5.14 fitness

This is another review of a fitness/health app that is aimed at aiding your lifestyle and exercise. I have already reviewed, in two parts, the app Strava, which focuses on running and cycling. The app I am reviewing today aims more at the diet and health part, and it is called MyFitnessPal. This is my current favourite app and I like it a lot.

MyFitnessPal is a website and an app that lets you log in all that you eat, drink and exercise. The app tracks the exact calories and formulates how you are doing in relations to goals you set.
You start by making an account , one which can link to your Facebook or Google account. Once an account has been created, you then proceed to enter your height, weight and age. After this, goals are introduced and you can set how much weight you want to lose in a given time,
The app then calculates how much calories you should intake daily to lose the amount of weight you want, It also gives you how many calories you need to eat a day to stay at , or gain , in weight,

Every day, you simply type in the food you had for a given meal ( I.E lunch ) and log it in to your ' diary ' . The amount of food available to you is very good, and the range of food is extensive. There are foods from all supermarkets and retailers, and I have yet to find something that they don't have, the app adds the amount of calories the food has in it to your diary. You can quickly add calories to each meal, and select how much of the food or meal you had. Overall, the system is incredibly good, and I have had absolutely no problems with it, adding to my like for the app.

You can also add exercise to your diary, thus taking calories off your amount for the day. You can add a high range of sport, and even add specific sets and reps of weights or workouts you have done. However, this feature on sets and reps does not add or take calories, it is merely there for you to look back on. You can add circuit training to the exercise column, which takes calories off. Despite this, I found it takes off too many calories than what you actually burn off- so usually I tweak the calories and put them down a bit.

Overall, this whole system is very effective, so at the end of the day you have a clear view of how many calories you have consumed and if you have lost weight that day or not. At the end of the day, you can complete the daily log, and the MyFitnessPal will tell you how much weight you will have lost in 5 weeks, if everyday were like that day. This is a really good feature and I love how it gives you great hope and determination through it.
The website is very similar to the app, and you can also add notes and amount of water drank on it. There are lots of other things to do on MyFitnessPal, including a blog, but this is not that significant on a whole.

Now for the conclusion, and here are my Pro's and Cons

Pro's

• Brilliant calorie counter 
• Great exercise tracker
• Goals system is effective
• Lots of features to formulate confident data
• Blog feature

Cons

• No support for accurately tracking sports 
• Not very accurate calorie measurements for sports
• Not many additional features for website

Overall, the app is a favourite of mine because it is so simple, yet really helps your health. This app has encouraged me to eat healthier , as I am determined to stay under my calorie intake target for the day. This is a great app to have alongside something like Strava, as it is really brilliant at making you feel good about yourself and eating healthier.

Thank you very much for reading, make sure to view other posts and please follow,  thanks again and peace!

Continue reading →

Daily Diary: Remembrance Sunday

Welcome to 5.14 Fitness,


This post is just another weekly diary post to inform you on my progress towards goals. Today is remembrance Sunday, which is not only an inspirational day for us all to reflect upon but also a day that means a lot to me in particular as I have friends/family who have served/are currently serving in the armed forces and it is an important day for us to remember what they do and have achieved.


My goals for the month

Moving on, so this week I have been trying out some new workouts but I have also been aiming to get back in to the swing of things and back into routine.  As per usual my big aim is to increase size and performance as it will help me in all the sports I compete in and raise the level of my performances dramatically. In particular strength, speed, endurance and flexibility are things that can really help you stand out in any sport so I see at as an important area to push towards.


What actually happened


So this week actually went pretty much how I intended, big shock I know! But I started the week off well, the new bicep workout was going well, I was stretching reasonably often and I was already feeling the benefits, I also brought back the stomach fat burning workout which I did on Thursday and Friday, surprisingly I also managed a brief general ab workout and had time for squats. I will be perfectly honest, my legs have been aching a bit recently so I have been cutting back on the squats as the legs are not used to having to work and carry out normal duties, so hard I think they require the most rest time at the moment. Despite my good progress, I did drop most exercises on Saturday, after football I spent the rest of the day out with the lads which was good, but should be kept as treat- mostly due to the unhealthy food I consume.


Bringing me on to diet, I have said a balanced one is the one for me but that gradually became more fatty as the days went on and this was not necessarily too bad of a thing as it did remain reasonably healthy, just the fatty food section sneaked up a tad higher than intended, and fatty foods do provide energy which gets you bigger quicker, but anymore than what I had would have been too much I think.


Results


I feel as if I had a reasonably successful week, and that I am hoping to see improvements in performance soon, I have started to see the buds of a couple such as legs starting to grow but we still have a fair way to go before I have made noteworthy progress. Inside I feel fine and confident, outside I look to be healthy and generally not too bad maybe a bit more size and a bit less belly fat than at the moment but I will soon work that off!


Next Week


I am super busy with sporting fixtures starting Monday, so I do not know if I will have too much time to post but it will good for burning that belly fat so it is well worth it. I will workout when I can, but listen to my body and rest when I need one as well.


Lessons Learnt


Listen to your body- if you need a rest, take one. |There is no point in over working when the muscles need time to grow and develop, it is necessary to take a rest so that you can get the best results. You also increase chances of injury; that helps no one!


Hope this helps, had a really useful week full of lessons and information. Please read again, check out other posts, some comments plus ones etc., would be nice and any following is returned (you can also add the blog to your reading list and follow that way so please do so it is much appreciated)- work hard and peace!


Jason

Continue reading →

Smoking part 1 ( why people do it & effects on the body )

Welcome to 5.14 Fitness,










This post is another on the requested topic of consequences of an unhealthy lifestyle and how you can adapt it to help you get back on the right track. It will high light the effects that smoking has on the body.






Why do people smoke?


Most commonly people start to smoke when they are finishing high school or in their teens and therefore, are addicted by when they reach adulthood. The majority start at this age due to the fact, it is seen as either "cool"or "gangster" to do so increases social status and providing people with a group, making it fashionable or a trend to smoke and be included.


However once people have finished with school, university etc., they start to assess their lives and find faults; they think about how they could correct them. They then realise that smoking is doing them all kinds of damage and decide they want to stop. But nicotine is highly addictive and after the many years of smoking it has become hard stop. It is a habit that is very difficult to break. There are many different reasons why people smoke.
The main reasons behind smoking are:

1. To appear as if they are more mature as it is illegal to smoke under 16-18 in most places
2. Fit in with friends or with a group such as with their family or for obliged to by peer pressure in order to be accepted
3. To experiment, to try out different things just to say they have done it have gained the experience
4. Because they have been told they should  not- to rebel or be seen as intimating or bad. This is for the excitement or thrill that comes with the prospect of being caught.
5. To relieve stress or pressure, the chemicals inside tobacco help you relax and wind down; release tension
6. To control their weight, it puts you off eating but also decreases you enthusiasm/ability to exercise, so you can loose or put on weight.

Affects of smoking


Brain


By smoking, you are more likely to have a stroke. Furthermore, smoking increases the risk of having  strokes by more than 50%, which is likely to cause brain damage or worse still death- the risk of dying from a stroke is doubled for a smoker.


Smoking can increase your risk of a stroke due to the fact that it increases your chances of developing a brain aneurysm. These are bulges in the blood vessel cause by a rupture in the blood vessel walls. If the aneurysm then bursts it can cause a life threatening  condition known as a subarachnoid haemorrhage, which is essential a stroke, that can cause extreme brain damage or death.


Circulation


When smoking, the toxins released from the Tabaco smoke enter your blood. Once they are in your blood they then:

• Increase the thickness of the blood; making chances of a clot a lot higher
• Increase your blood pressure and heart rate, making your heart work harder than it has to/ does normally
• Thins down your arteries, reducing the amount of oxygen that can be carried in the blood then to the muscles.

These make the odds of having strokes, heart attacks and other heart related issues, which can result in serious problems including death.


Heart


By smoking you are damaging your heart and effecting your blood circulation, which rapidly increases the risk of conditions like coronary heart disease, heart attack, stroke, peripheral vascular disease -ruptured blood vessels- as well as cerebrovascular disease (which is damage to the arteries/veins that pump blood to the brain).


The Carbon monoxide from the burnt Tabaco and nicotine both force the heart to work harder. They also increase your chances of developing blood clots. Some of the other chemicals in Tabaco smoke damage arteries, which can lead to furring of the arteries.


Lungs


Lungs are one of the organs that are affected the worst by smoking, due to the tar content. If you smoke you are very likely to notice a considerable increase in coughs, colds, wheezing and asthma. In addition it can cause fatal diseases like pneumonia, emphysema and lung cancer. Smoking is the cause of 84% of deaths due to lung cancer and 83% of the deaths from chronic obstructive lung disease, including bronchitis.


Mouth and Throat


Smoking causes issues that are seen to be unattractive such as bad breath, yellow  teeth, and can  it can also cause gum disease and damage your sense of taste.


Smoking is known to cause cancer in your:

• lips,
• tongue,
• throat,
• voice box
• gullet (oesophagus) Around 93% of oropharangeal cancers (cancer in part of the throat) are due to smoking.

Stomach


By smoking you have an increased chance of  developing stomach cancer or ulcers. It can also can weaken the muscle that controls the lower end of your gullet (oesophagus) allowing  acid from the stomach to travel back up your gullet, this is known as reflux. Smoking is a way that you can significantly increase your chances of getting kidney cancer, and the more you smoke the greater the risk.


Skin


Smoking reduces the amount of oxygen that is absorbed into your skin. Consequently, your skin ages quicker and makes your complexion look grey and dull. The toxins in your body also cause cellulite.


Smoking prematurely ages your skin by around 10 and 20 years, and increases facial wrinkling, particularly around the eyes and mouth. Smoking even gives you a morose, yellow-grey tone in the face and hollow cheeks, which can cause you to look gaunt.


Production and Fertility


Males

• Damaged blood supply to penis
• Damaged sperm
• Reduced sperm count
• Sterility

Females

• Reduce fertility
• Affects babies health whilst inside the lady
• HPV
• Miscarriages
• Premature birth
• Stillbirth 

Bones


Smoking causes your bones to become weaker and more brittle. Women in particular as are more likely to suffer from brittle bones (osteoporosis) than non-smokers.


Hope this helps, more posts coming soon, thanks for reading, please follow the blog and me ect, do all the usual stuff- work hard and peace!


Jason

Continue reading →

Strava review part 2

Welcome to 5.14 fitness,

This is part 2 of the review that I posted yesterday on the fitness app Strava. Strava is an app on both android and IOS that tracks your exercise and presents it to you and your friends in a simple yet beneficial way. The first part of the review has already been posted, so if you haven't seen that, I recommend go checking it out before reading this.

Strava is an app that is based on the website, which has a few more features on it. The website has the usual activity feed and goals, however has a great feature called segments. These are very good for if you are going running. Segments are either big or small routes that other people run or cycle in that particular area.
For each segment, there are times of how other people have done, how quick they went and so on. In my opinion, this is a great way to challenge and give meaning to your run or cycle, This is because with each segment you can try to get the quickest times, and beat other around you. This is also a good way of meeting people and gaining support from other like you.
There are plenty of segments, and I was really surprised to see that there are hundreds of people challenging and racing them. This is, for me, is a brilliant feature and I know of someone who has got top in a segment- something that is very hard to do! There are lots of segments to do, I can spot loads a short distance away from where I live. Some are on streets right next to mine.

Another feature on the website is the route maker. This lets you make routes for your run or cycle, which is then automatically put on your phone ready to start whenever you want.. The route maker is good at giving you the right information, as it tells you things like distance and elevation. It is a good to feature to have, as it gives  you  set goals when doing your exercise, so you know that at the end of it you have achieved what you want. Despite this, I grew very frustrated with the route maker, as it was very hard and slow to do, As I was trying to navigate the map, it would not let me move around, instead plotting new points that I did not want. After what felt like an eternity, I finally managed to get the hang of it, though it meant the process was quite slow. Despite this, the finished product is good and effective, especially on the app.

The premium version of Strava, costing 59 dollars in  US, is not owned myself therefore I can not give my personal opinion on it, yet I can tell you about the features.
Firstly, your goals is vastly improved and you can customise them and set different time scales. You can set goals on segments, which help you to get there sooner , by setting deadlines.
With premium, you can have access to a range of training videos, which may or not be helpful for yourself. The videos give helpful insight on how to do exercise properly.
Premium includes more advanced analysis of everything you do , and it gives you so much data that you'll feel stuffed.  It gives you real-time segments , and even a personal heat map.
Premium includes lots of other things, so go to www.strava.com to find more details.

My final point is on the settings and compatible apps. As you may know, plenty of fitness apps have support for each other, and Strava is one of these. Despite this, Strava only links with a disappointing three other apps, These apps are Instagram, my fitness pal and Google fit. Now Instagram is not a sport app, so really there is only two, My fitness pal and Google fit are both apps which I will be reviewing in future posts, and they are both one of my favourite fitness apps, so at least Strava is linking with some good ones. As for how they link up, there are not many ways in which they do. For more information about this, I will explain when I review the individual apps.

Now for the Conclusion, and here are my Pro's and Cons.

Pro's:

• Great tracking of Runs and Cycles , with good data feedback and precise tracking.
• Great social integration, with a great feed layout and plenty of data to compare to yours. 
• Good reward and accomplishment system. 
• Nice website with good features on it.
• Great segments feature, which gives you great motivation to exercise. 
• Lots of features 
• App partnerships

Cons

• Bad support for exercise other than running or cycling.
• Weak goals system for free app
• Have to pay a lot for premium version, which is not that different to standard. 
• Slow and annoying route builder 
• Not many compatible apps to link with 

Overall, I think that Strava is a great app for running and cycling, arguably the best out there. It is great from a social point of view, and has lots of features to make it great. If you are more of a circuit training or weight lifting person, then this is probably not the best for you. If I were to rank it out of ten, I would give it a ;

7/10

Be sure to stay tuned for new app reviews, The next app being reviewed is myfitnesspal- a personal favourite. Thank you very much for reading , hope you liked this review, and please hit like or subscribe to this blog. Thanks again, and peace!

Continue reading →

Strava review part 1

Welcome to 5.14 Fitness,

In today's post I will be writing about a fitness app that is ,in my opinion, highly effective and fun. If you like this, then I will add more posts about other top apps that are great for fitness and health. There are many, however I will pick the ones that I feel are best for a wide range of people and interests.

Now,the app I am going to be writing about is called Strava, and you may have heard about it. When it comes to fitness apps, it is one of the most popular out there. It has over a million downloads on Google play, and has a 4.6 star rating.

Strava is an app for mainly the Cardio activities of running and cycling, however it can be used for workouts as well. Strava records when you run or cycle and tracks exactly what you do and when you did it. It then gives you all the Statistics you want about your activity: how fast you went, how long you took, how many calories burned and so on... It gives information that is very useful, and can portray it all in a graph for you. And now the best part, with a simple click your data is uploaded to your feed, available for all your friends on Strava and  people round the world to see and compare to their own.

Just like Facebook or twitter, Strava has an activity feed page, which shows all your friends recent activity, how they did, and gives you the option to like or comment on it. This is great for morale, as not only friend but those like you can give you praise and support through this. This can be a really good boost for morale. This links to a great feature that makes Strava a really great app for running and cycling. For every route you run or cycle, there is an accomplishment and reward scheme that gives you prestigious rankings like 'king of the mountain'. This means of all those following the route, you were the quickest. Things like these make going for a run or cycle competitive and gives you more energy to go outside and attack your exercise. There are many accomplishments that gives you rewards for great work and commitment, all of which make Strava an app that is different from others.The activity feed page is good, and easy to navigate and see everything you want.

Away from the social aspect, Strava sets goals for you based on your information and these are a basis for when you run or cycle. Of course, you can change these goals at any time. The goals aspect of the app is quite weak compared to other apps I have used , and it is not prominent on the app- it doesn't come up at any point on the home screen. Then again,this is improved when you go premium;however, this costs 37 pounds ( 59 dollars ) and therefore may put you off. For more information, Premium will be discussed more in the next post.

Going back to recording activity, as soon as you open Strava you are presented with a button. Hit this button, and Strava starts tracking your location with Gps and internet ( if wanted to use ). Strava tracks how long you have been , your distance , you split pace and where you are instantly, so whilst you are out you can see all this information. Once you are done, you press the button again and it stops tracking you, ready to publish your run or cycle and give you all the data about it.  The layout of all this is quite simple, so will not confuse . Due to this, the information displayed during your run or cycle is quite simple and not much data is shown. Afterwards, there is lots of data to look at.
As soon as you finish, it gives you options on what to call your exercise, what to tag it as and what to describe it as.  You can choose who you want to see this, and it can be all your friends to just yourself.
Running and cycling is not the only things that you can add to your log. You can , with a click of a button,, add a variety of sports including workouts and weight training. You can add how long you did this for and add a description. Despite this being a good feature, logging in activity's other than running and cycling is not as satisfactory, as no data is produced. You can not specify what you did in the workout , therefore there is not much use in logging it in . If this is improved, and made more prominent, then Strava will be a lot better for those who do more circuit training and weight lifting.

In the next post, I will explain about the Strava website, the other features the app offers, the premium version, and the overall conclusion- including the pros and cons of Strava.
Hope you enjoyed this review, thank you very much for reading, and please check out all the other posts. Thank you again !

Continue reading →

Burn Fat Increase Definition

Welcome to 5.14 Fitness,


Last post a wrote about a ideas on how to loose weight, however todays post is linked to this very closely and will give you a routine that I have been working on that you can follow. As well as this I will provide reasons why these will help and what ones to go for depending on what you are trying to aim for.


Weight loss- Flat Belly


So I have been told my posts have not been that relatable for the average woman that is just trying to loose a few pounds or gain a few curves- fair enough, well here is the routine for you, but guys do not feel put off this workout can will help you as well. These are guidelines and reps are always shown as the highest and lowest recommended amounts. This routine should be completed everyday for at least a month and to see the best results three months.

• Jogging 1-5 mile- every day.
• Sit ups (5 sets of 10-25 reps)
• Press-ups either (3 sets of 3-20 full ones) or (3 sets of 5-30 half press-ups)
• Star jumps (3 sets of 10-30)
• Squats (3 sets of 5-25)
• High Knees (1 set of 30secs-2mins)
• Step ups (3 sets of 25-50)
• Stretching to be performed in morning and before sleep

This workout is absolutely great for losing fat, it is packed with cardio and low rep activities that will get better definition rather than building new muscles. It will also increase stamina and general movement towards performing in sport. DO NOT FEEL LIKE YOU HAVE TO DO THESE EXERCISES ONE AFTER ANOTHER, they should be completed everyday but allow your self a break between exercises or if you do not have time just do it later no problem. Aim for about 30 seconds rest maximum between sets as they will provide best results.


Half press-ups are ones performed whilst on your knees, if you have not done press-ups before or simply cannot do them (it can take time) this is a great way to start working up to the full ones and giving you and idea of form and how to do them. These are the best way to get rid of the dreaded bingo wings, which so many are paranoid about, as they are low rep lots of sets so breaking down the fat in the target area.
 For the jogging, if you cannot do this for weather, it hurts or whatever reason try to find a substitute for this such as swimming (a third of normal distance) or cycling (three times normal distance).
The sit-ups will be more on burning belly rather than building abdominals, it will target the bulging gut rather than getting you those six pack abs, as the routine is too low sets and reps, you probably can still get there it will just take a lot longer and you are working your way through fat primarily instead of pushing muscle through.
The leg exercises will also burn fat in the leg area as well as helping with definition and giving you the desired curves for the ladies. This will be targeting all the loose skin that collects at the back of the legs and helping to tighten it out. 


Do not rush straight through the rep levels, continue on the low reps for a while before you even consider to add more in, make sure you have it mastered and are finding it easy, after all this is not a routine for muscle building which will add to size and weight- not what we want here!


Hope this helps, please read again, thanks for reading, please do all the usual stuff and check out other posts etc.  all following is returned- work hard and peace!


Jason

Continue reading →

General Weight Loss Ideas

Welcome to 5.14 Fitness,


So some people have been in touch with me saying, that I do not do enough on weight loss, ie information for those that are over weight and trying to do something about it. Well as you know, all your comments and much appreciated and taken to heart. Therefore this post will cover a basic routine that will help you loose the unwanted weight.


Diet


You need to eat a balanced diet, starving yourself does no good, in fact you actually break down muscle as it is easier to get goodness out of than the stored energy in fat. A balanced diet consists of 30% fruit and vegetables, these are foods that are full of healthy vitamins and nutrition, but also fibre which, to be short, helps you shit out all the bad stuff- which would else be stored, not nice! Carbohydrates should be kept to the same amount ( 30%), they are what provide you with the energy to be active all day, and release energy over long periods of time. Protein 20%, this is used to help build/repair muscles, helping you be able to push your self harder in order to burn the calories and ultimately loose weight- be careful protein foods are also high in fat and saturated fat. Dairy is what should make up around 15%, as they are good for bones, however again high in fat and there is also less of a variety in this food group. The final 5% would ideally go to fatty foods, but although we need fats for energy (short release) we could actually go without this food group as we can obtain the nutrition from dairy and protein. Try to eat 3 times a day and if you need a snack a piece of fruit is always a great choice!


Activities


You need to exercise in order to burn off the calories (use up the energy) that we consume during the day. The more you exercise the more energy is used, so the body will be required to use some of the stored energy it has (fat). By using up the stored energy you are decreasing the fat percentage in your body consequently reducing your size and weight. A good tip would be to exercise more than one body at the same time as you burn more calories as you are doing more, for example swimming- arms and legs. 
I suggest completing some form of endurance whole body activity everyday as they burn the most calories, this could include: running (a mile a day is good goal) swimming if it is raining or if you live some where like the uk the seasons affect everything and also cycling.
In addition to this you want to do weight free exercises at home every day as these two will help burn them extra calories and target particular areas. To start with I would recommend:

1. 25 step ups each leg
2. 25 sit ups
3. 25 star jumps
4. 25 squats
5. 10 arm exercises - press ups (if possible) chin ups, tricep dips etc.

It is important to steer away from the weights with if you are trying to reduce your size as all you will end up doing is building fat under muscle making you look even fatter. Despite the fact you are burning calories, your body will put on fat in order to get stronger to light the weights, in addition your mass will increase due to the extra weight from the muscle.


Hope this helps, more posts coming soon, please do all the normal stuff, any following is returned, read again- work hard and peace!


Jason


ps Get in contact if you have any ideas or queries.

Continue reading →