To squat or not to squat????

Just found this very interesting article on Juice Performance, my comment........I agree!!!!!
Techie Tips - What’s the Score on Squats?
There is a lot on confusion nowadays about the squat exercise. And I’m not just talking about clients. I have continual discussions with Instructors and Personal Trainers on the courses I teach about the depth and technique for squats. This confusion stems from having an industry that is constantly progressing and evaluating current thinking on topics like ‘fat burning’, ‘low-CHO diets’, ‘aerobic exercise for fat loss’ and the continual question…. Is this Functional?The Question of Squatting is one of these little gems. Should I squat? Should I keep my knees back? Should I go down to 90 degrees or parallel with the floor? Mummy why’s that sweaty man doing Squats going ass-to-the-grass (aka Full Squat)? Let me lay out my cards from the start… I’m a big fan of Full Squats (definition – where an athlete controls the application of gravity in a sitting position, until the distal hamstrings make contact with the proximal calves). So should everyone be full squatting with identical technique every time they perform a sitting action… No. Why? It depends on a multitude of factors - ahhhh ‘the grey area’ of a topic. Students hate grey areas; they want it to be black and white, right and wrong, yin and yang etc. Unfortunately that isn’t the case with a lot of things. Should I be following a low-CHO diet? – well it depends. How much aerobic training should I be doing each week? – well it depends. Should I stay with my wife or go on a road-trip around Australia? – well it depends. As I said – grey area. With squatting it would come down to factors like exercise variation, ROM, anthropometrics, desired outcomes, stability, sport and style. Squatting will never be a one-cap fits all exercise.So what’s the issue with Full Squats? The reasons people seem so scared of this exercise is because of articles and books written in the 1960s by an Doctor called Karl Klein. He proposed that Full or Deep squats could increase knee instability, promote acute knee injuries and predispose athletes to long-term knee degeneration. Whoe, sounds serious! Well they are valid concerns, however Klein seems to be the only researcher that proved these claims. A comprehensive literature review by the NSCA in 1991 demonstrated that the ‘research has indicated that the squatting motion has no detrimental effect on medial and lateral knee stability, rotational stability or anterior and posterior knee stability’. Many authors question the reliability of Klein’s measurements. Unfortunately every muppet that had an issue with squatting jumped on the bandwagon, chastising anyone who continued to use a classic exercise within their routine. This opinion continues today with many training providers and ‘knowledgeable’ educators teaching their students to undertake only half squats and/or restrictive knee squats. These fresh-faced students nod and repeat parrot-fashion, unaware that the advice they are being given is out-dated. Claims of ‘That’s not what I was taught when I did my course’ are heard throughout the land. The ability to critically evaluate something is a moderate to higher plane of learning rather than simple parrot-fashion reproduction statements, which are the very basic level of learning (where do you fit?). For anyone that’s screaming it’s bad for your knees, they should think about going on holiday. I would advise Thailand, Indonesia… indeed any South-East Asia, African or Australisian country. Why? Well you will see dozens, no hundreds, no maybe even thousands of men, women and children sat for hours in a full squat position, undertaking tasks such as food preparation, reading or even (if you’re lucky) defecating! No knee problems, no back problems, pretty good postures and good ROM. Interesting. Maybe if the likes of Sir John Harington and Thomas Crapper hadn’t invented and popularised the flush toilet, we would all have adopted the full squat position once or more per day, and may (repeat ‘may’) not have some of the postural and flexibility issues we encounter today in the UK and western world.As a concluding comment for those of you about to commence squatting as a part of your conditioning programme. I would advise mastering the bodyweight full squat, with a ‘natural’ technique, nit just a technique you were ‘taught on your course’. Seek a knowledgeable trainer who can assess and correct and technical flaws and restrictions. These trainers are usually the one’s who appreciate that learning only starts when you finish your level 2 or level 3 course, and will spend anywhere between 5 and 10hrs a week (yes a week) on improving their own knowledge. Good luck and happy squatting.

Snowed in??!!

As I'm sure everyone is experiencing the same weather we all know how hard its been to get back into the good routine of exercise and nutrition needed after the festive period. So here are a couple of suggestions to keep you ticking over.

1 minute of each, as many reps as possible, 3x stair runs between each minute.
Squats
Sit ups
walking lunges
push ups

or

Get it done as quickly as possible!!
Complete 100 burpees
take it in sets if necessary but complete it as quickly as possible to keep the intensity high.

Stretch out thoroughly after your workout.

On the nutrition side of things remember...
Plenty of fresh fruits and veg, choose lean meats and fish (some oily fish for Omega 3 e.g. sardines, mackerel or salmon) get your healthy fat from your nuts and seeds and olive oil and for some extra protection from winter colds and flue take a supplentment of Omega3 (EPA & DHA), Vitamin C and a Multi vitamin & mineral.

Beautiful Sussex

I travelled out to Lewes to train one of my ladies, Lisa, this week. There are so many good outdoor locations in sussex for training. We warmed up with a brisk 10 minute walk up to the top of a very steep hill, (this was the view from the top, stunning!) We then did a series of body weight exercise, runs and pad work and fininshed with some short hill sprint. Very well done Lisa.
At a time of year when there is alot of cold and flue going around, training outside is by far a better option, and the view is much nicer!!

A good start to the week

It was lovely to have the sunshine back for our session this morning and it was great to see Lisa back.
After warming up we did a combination of stair runs and bodyweight exercise, then alternated between padwork and skipping. We finished with short jogs and sprints.
Good work ladies

Well done

I just wanted to say thankyou to the ladies that came and trained on Friday. The session started off dry but then the heavens decided to open and it was like standing under a shower!!! All the same we finished the session.
So well done for not letting the weather get the better of you!

20 pounds in 20 weeks

So happy to say that Sarah came on Wednesday and told us she's reached her goal weight. We are all really pleased for her. She has worked hard and stuck with it and managed to lose 20pds in 20 weeks, a very healthy, steady weight loss. Now crack open that special bottle of wine and celebrate!! Well done Sarah.

My Office

Did you know that on average we spend 80% of our day inside!!!!!!! Well this is my office!
We have our first Wednesday session starting tomorrow. We'll be at the Lagoon at 9.15am and all done by 10am. Come down and have a go!!