'Twelve' weight loss course places almost gone!!

Hey guys!

I really do hope you have all had an amazing and fullfilling Christmas and ready to see the year out this weekend. Now we all know after the holiday indulgence - our new years resolutions come into play. No doubt many of us will be aiming to shed the excess weight we've gained and start the new year in a fresh new skin. If you have a few pounds to shift why not book into 'Twelve' - our 12 week weight loss course. With this amazing package you will get:

- 12 one-on-one personal training sessions

- 24 exercises classes

- Weekly bodyfat measurements to ensure your goals are being met

- 12 weekely presentations to teach you the best methods of fat loss

- The 'Twelve' handbook - a 24 page booklet full of an additional cardio program, corrective exercise program, methods behind the madness AND the all important meal plan

- A system that WILL get you in fantastic shape - and keep you there!

Essentially I will be teaching you EVERYTHING I know about fat loss, exercise, and nutrition. By the end of this course - you will know EXACTLY what to do to reach your goals.

And whatsmore - you can get all of this for the special Christmas price of £250 - but hurry! After January 1st the price goes up to £300 and theres only a few places left!! To book on contact me at paul.barette@betafitness.co.uk

Welcome to Beta Fitness- the advert!

I've been working on a few new video projects over the last few weeks - I really think that videos are going to be big in the coming years for the fitness industry. Here is the Beta Fitness welcome advert. Special thanks to my clients Steve, Pauline and Mike for letting me take a few shots of them! Hope you enjoy it!

Here's how to win that £100!!!!

Ok guys! Im been advertising it for a few days now - so here is how you can go about winning a £100 gift card to use against any Beta Fitness service. You should have all 'liked' my fan page on Facebook - if you haven't click here to do so.

Now all you have to do is upload a photo to the fan page which relates to the Christmas period and anything to do with fitness - for example, you might like to jump on the craze of 'planking' - although I would like your planks to be the exercise version and not simply lying flat on the ironing board. To relate it to Christmas you could simply wear a Christmas hat, or get your Christmas tree in the background. How about a Rocky Balboa bicep pose at the table during your Christmas meals! Be creative!

Once you have uploaded your photo, you need to get AS MANY people as you can to 'like' your photo. The person with the most likes on their photo on Saturday 7th January 11.59pm will win the £100 gift card.

Im sure you will all agree this is a pretty easy way to win some free money - and it should be a bit of fun on the side!

Ladies and gentleman, on your marks...get set...GO!

'Twelve' the 12 week weight loss course - only a few places left!!

'Twelve' - the brand new 12 weeks weight loss course is almost upon us! Starting the first week of January we're getting you right into the groove with those new year's resolutions! Based at The Gym Group, Guildford, each 'Twelve' participant will be recieving 12 one-one-one personal training sessions, 12 educational presentations giving all the secrets our expert trainer has discovered to burning fat and building lean muscle, up to 24 group exercise classes, the amazing 'Twelve' handbook which contains an additional cardio program, corrective exercise program AND the eating plan to aid the fat loss, weekly measurements including body fat percentage and hip and waist, AND FINALY the ability to shed those pounds and keep them off for the rest of your life.

As a special Christmas offer, we have reduced the price to £250 from the usual £300 so grab yourself an early Christmas present or buy your loved one the a present that will beat the January scales ('January sales - get it?!'). Contact us now at info@betafitness.co.uk to book your place on this amazing course. Spaces are limited and theres only a few left!!!

Congratulations Rachel!

I would like to take this opportunity to say a huge congratulations to my friend Rachel Hobbs. I have known Rachel for a number of years and have known her to be not only one of the kindest and most sincere people I have ever met - but also an amazing trainer who is already on the road to being one of the greatest.

Rachel has won an award from lifetime training for an achievement award after being nominated by one of her clients. Lifetime stated, “the judges were in unanimous agreement that Rachel certainly has a bright and successful career ahead.  We were wowed by her incredible appetite for learning, ambition, dedication to achieving her dreams and commitment to providing the best future for her son.”

As if being an amazing human being and trainer wasn't enough, it is clear for those all around her to see that she is also an amazing mother to her gorgeous son. This year, Rachel and her son visited Ghana and spent 2 months there working at an orphanage and teaching children about health and fitness. Whilst doing all of this incredible work, Rachel still finds time to complete her university studies in Dietetics and Nutrition, AND is currently completing a diploma in freelance and feature writing in the hope of going into health journalism in the future.

Now Im not one to promote other trainers - but I'm sure you will all agree that Rachel is one hell of a gem. Rachel - congratualtions on everything you have done. It is a pleasure to know you and you are someone that I will always admire!

*Visit Rachel's website at www.zestforfitness.co.uk*

The Metabolic Workout

Here it is - the basic ultimate Metabolic Workout - the result of 'The Seven Deadly Workout Sins' series. This workout is performed with kettlebells and bodyweight. Dumbells and barbells can also be used or simply bodyweight on it's own. Hope you enjoy it!

The Seven Deadly Workout Sins - Puting It All Together!

Now that we’ve outlined the seven keys to metabolic breakthrough, let’s put it all together in a readily usable metabolic training program so you can start cranking it today!

A Metabolic Workout features a total body workout that employs high-intensity work periods with short rest periods in an alternating set or circuit format that combines the muscle-building benefits of resistance training with the fat-burning benefits of interval training. The result is a killer bootcamp-style workout that will supercharge metabolism for up to 48 hours post-workout, tone and tighten your whole body, blast stubborn fat, and get you into the best shape of your life with only three 30-minute express workouts per week.

If you recall from the Gibala study, it was determined that 30-second maximum effort work periods followed by four minutes of rest for 20 straight minutes resulted in identical fitness improvements and greater weight loss than 90-120 minutes of aerobic training. By building a circuit of non-competitive exercises we can allow for this same full recovery, and thus peak intensity, by the next time we return to the original exercise.

Furthermore, we demonstrated that 30-second max effort work periods provide both a big-time metabolic boosting muscle-building stimulus plus deplete your body’s sugar stores at optimal rates forcing it to burn more fat during recovery period and in the hours and days between workouts.

In addition, I outlined the Tabata study which found that a 2:1 negative work to rest ratio found in a 20-seconds on, 10-seconds four-minute high-intensity interval training protocol resulted in greater fat loss and conditioning than 60-minutes of steady state cardio. Short rest periods increase training density and produce a growth hormone response that boosts whole body fat-burning and lean muscle gain.

However, I have found that for most de-conditioned beginners, 20-second work periods do not allow for a sufficient amount of time to adequately perform enough muscular contractions for optimal results and that 30-second work periods are a much better time frame to best accommodate people of all fitness levels. Using this 2:1 negative work to rest ratio for 30-second work periods means that we would employ a 30-15 interval protocol with 15 seconds of rest between exercises.

Ladies and gentlemen, without further adieu, below is what I’ve discovered to be the ultimate metabolic experience…

30-15 Six-Exercise Metabolic Circuit- 20 Minutes: Alternate between 30 seconds of work and 15 seconds of rest for each exercise in the following 6-exercise circuit followed by a 60-second rest and transition between circuits. Perform up to 4 total rounds for a 20-minute total body workout.

Station#	Exercise Variation
1	Hip-Dominant Variation
2	Push Variation
3	Knee-Dominant Variation
4	Pull Variation
5	Pillar Variation
6	Total Body Variation

The Seven Deadly Workout Sins - How “Metabolic” is Your Workout?

So our series on the deadly workout sins is coming to an end. Now lets ask ourselves how 'metabolic' are current workouts are...

  

Please reference the chart below to assess the current metabolic status of your fitness routine. If your main goal is to improve your body composition (burn body fat and build lean muscle) and revamp metabolism then you absolutely must structure your workouts to fall under the metabolic breakthrough column.

	Metabolic Rut	Metabolic Breakthrough
Training Split	Daily body part workouts	3 total body workouts per week with ideally 48-hours between workouts
Length of Workout	60 minutes or more	30-45 minutes or less
Exercise Selection	Single-joint, isolation exercises that address only 1 plane of movement	Functional multi-joint, compound movement patterns that address all 3 planes of movement
Exercise Intensity	Low-intensity work periods of 2 minutes or longer to burn fat	High-intensity work periods of 30-60 seconds or less to burn sugar
Rest Periods	Long rest periods of 2 minutes or longer	Short rest periods of 30-60 seconds or less
Exercise Order	Straights sets of a single exercise	Circuit Training: Alternating sets of non-competitive exercises
Periodization	Perform the same fitness routine for 6 weeks or more	Progress to a new fitness routine every 3-4 weels

Deadly Workout Sin#7- Performing the same fitness routine for six weeks or more

This one is pretty straight forward- if you perform the same workout routine day in and day out, week in and week out, your body will stop changing and you will hit a dreaded plateau.

The classic example of this can be seen in any run of the mill gym or health club. You're introduced to a trainer who then recommends doing a circuit of three sets of 10 reps for each body part every time you workout.

Now keep in mind that if you are sedentary and haven’t exercised in years (if ever), absolutely anything you do in the gym will elicit a positive response.

If you exercise with heavier loads, your body will respond by gaining more muscle to accommodate the new training demands.

If you employ shorter rest periods between sets while maintaining the same total work output, your body will respond by improving conditioning and melting unwanted body fat.

If you perform a new exercise altogether that challenges your body in a very unique way, your nervous system will quickly figure out how to master this movement resulting in increased performance.

The human body is a smart and efficient machine and will quickly adapt to any training plan that you throw its way. Within the first two to three weeks of any new training program you will notice the biggest improvements in your performance and physique. However, the human body is constantly striving for homeostasis and efficiency and after performing the same program for about four weeks there are diminishing returns.

That’s why it’s critical to change-up your fitness routine every month. By simply tweaking a couple of variables in your training plan, like your exercise selection, exercise order, work periods and rest periods, etc., you provide a new stimulus that will force your body to change and prevent dreaded physique and performance plateaus.

Now, don’t get me wrong here-- we always perform the same movement patterns in every training program because they are foundational. However, there are lots of different exercises that fall under the same movement pattern category that we can cycle between. New exercises require more mental and physical energy to perform thus burning more calories and causing a greater metabolic disturbance and this is exactly the type of stimulus your body needs to break out of any fitness rut.

The best example for this is the push-up since there are literally hundreds of push-up variations. We pretty much do some sort of push-up variation every workout, but by constantly switching up the type of push-up we’re using there is always a new stimulus that keeps the body changing. Plus, the better you get at one type of push-up, the better you get at all of the others and visa versa.

In addition, let’s not forget about the mental component here. The brain needs variety and performing the same routine for extended periods of time will not only decrease performance but will also lower your motivation to workout. So you’ll start skipping training sessions here and there and then all of a sudden you’ll find yourself back at square one—sitting on your butt, twiddling your thumbs while watching an infomercial about this incredible new waist belt that will give you the flat tummy of your dreams… all for only four easy payments of $19.95 so it can sit under your bed and collect dust before your dog uses it as a new chew toy.

I have personally programmed for people over the years. What I’ve discovered is that if I simply swap in new exercises and move to a different interval training protocol every three to four weeks I can constantly keep their bodies changing and performance continues to improve. Not to mention the fact that their motivation to workout remains sky high with every new challenge I throw their way.

I've also discovered the three weeks on, one week off schedule-- I’ve found this to be the sweet spot for the typical busy person looking for general fitness in their 20’s through 50’s. We work very hard for three weeks trying to keep pushing the envelope each subsequent week by using a gradual progressive overload. Then we employ an active recovery week to allow for mental and physical regeneration, prevent overtraining, and reduce the risk of injury. Then we start a new program altogether and we wash and repeat like clockwork. The results have been simply amazing.

THE FIX: Change-up your fitness routine each and every month to prevent dreaded weight loss and performance plateaus. Employ new exercises and different work and rest periods (or interval protocols) to constantly provide a new stimulus that your body must learn how to adapt to.

Holiday Season Special Offers!!

Hey Guys!

I know it's early, but I wanted to give you all your Christmas presents a little early - call me eager - but I like to strike while the iron is hot!

So from now until the 1st January you can grab these special prices:

- 6 one-on-one PT sessions (+2 free) from £150

- 12 one-on-one PT sessions (+4 free) from £240

- '12' 12 week weight loss course £250

- Express 20 minute massage (buy 4 get 5th free) £10

If your interested in taking a closer look under the wrapping paper get in contact and book a FREE consultation.

If I don't see you before, have a great holiday season, stuff yourselves with all the turkey you can manage, and come see me to get you back in shape! :)

Paul, Beta Fitness.

Deadly Workout Sin#6- Using long rest periods of 2 minutes or more between exercises

How many times have you seen this happen in the gym:

A big, burly, meathead of a man lays down to grunt out a couple reps of heavy benches presses where the bar bounces off of his chest like a basketball while his ass leaps off of the bench with his lower back resembling the Arc de Triomphe.

Then he racks the weight and goes and grabs a swig of water or chugs a vat of protein.

A couple minutes pass and now he’s watching some highlights on Sports Center with a few of his meathead buddies.

A couple more minutes pass and now he’s molesting some good-looking cardio queen with his eyes.

Finally, five to seven minutes after he completed his last rep on the bench press, he’s ready start his next set.

More likely than not, this guy will take several hours to complete his workout at this pace. Clearly, this is not the most efficient way to exercise. Now, if your goal is maximum strength and power, then three to five minute complete recovery periods have their place.

But chances are, if you’re like most of the general population, you couldn't care less about how much you can bench or squat and are more focused on having the lean, muscular build of a Men’s or Women’s Health model.

 

 

In other words, most people can afford to lose some fat and gain some muscle and the key to doing so is to maximize training density. Density describes the amount of work completed per unit of time. Density also happens to be the biggest primer for fat loss because the more work you can complete in the same amount of time or less the leaner and more muscular you will be.

How do we accomplish this? We do so by reducing our rest periods between exercises. According to the NSCA, shorter rest periods lasting 30-60 seconds or less resulted in the greatest growth hormone response. Growth hormone is one of the most powerful fat-burning and muscle-building hormones in your body.

Look no further than the world famous Tabata Study for the fat-burning, metabolic-boosting benefits of high-intensity work periods combined with short rest periods. In this groundbreaking cycling study, researchers discovered that only four minutes of a 20-10 interval protocol (20 seconds of maximum effort followed by 10 seconds of rest) provided greater fat loss and conditioning than 60 minutes of steady state cardio.

Now one of the problems with this study is that in the real world most people aren’t able to perform multiple bouts of max effort for the same exercise with short rest periods (in fact, most of the elite cyclists in the study couldn’t complete all four minutes of the 20-10 protocol because it was too intense).

However, by employing a circuit training format where you perform alternating sets of non-competitive exercises, we can maintain the high-intensity work periods in conjunction with the short rest periods as in the Tabata study.

Furthermore, I have personally found this 2:1 negative work to rest ratio (in this case of Tabatas, 20 seconds on, 10 seconds off) to be unreal for rapidly improving fat loss and fitness for my clients and for my own personal workouts.

THE FIX: Employ short rest periods of 30-60 seconds or less between exercises in order to maximize training density and the growth hormone response from exercise for maximum fat loss and metabolic acceleration.

Deadly Workout Sin#5- Performing straight sets of a single exercise

It takes about three to five minutes following intensive exertion for your body to completely recover and get ready for another bout of maximum effort without any significant decreases in performance. In traditional weight training, if you’re performing three sets of 10 reps, that means that it would take a minimum of 10-15 minutes to complete your first exercise in your workout putting you on track for one of those one hour plus marathon sessions that we already know is not optimal.

However, there is a very simple way that we can maintain peak intensity while allowing for full recovery: perform alternating sets of non-competitive exercises. My preferred method of alternating sets for metabolic acceleration is circuit training.

Typically it takes a trainee about 30 seconds to complete 10 reps of a given exercise at a controlled tempo of three seconds per rep. Previously we outlined that there are six basic movement patterns that make up any sound training plan with each movement pattern emphasizing a different region(s) of the body. So let’s build ourselves a killer six-exercise metabolic circuit where we allow for about 15 seconds of rest and transition between exercises and a 60-second rest and transition at the end of the circuit to re-group, grab a swig of water, and say a quick prayer to the fitness Gods begging for mercy:

1- Hip-Dominant Exercise @ 30 seconds on, 15 seconds off
2- Pushing Exercise @ 30 seconds on, 15 seconds off
3- Knee-Dominant Exercise @ 30 seconds on, 15 seconds off
4- Pulling Exercise @ 30 seconds on, 15 seconds off
5- Pillar Exercise @ 30 seconds on, 15 seconds off
6- Total Body Exercise @ 30 seconds on, 15 seconds off

Let’s examine the beauty of what we just did here:

- In approximately five minutes, the circuit format allowed us to perform all six exercises that comprise a whole body workout where in the straight sets format it took us the same amount of time to complete one set of a single exercise

- By alternating between non-competitive exercises in a circuit format, we are able to achieve maximum intensity while allowing for a full 5-minute recovery by the next time we repeat that same exercise

- In only 20 minutes, we can complete four rounds of this whole body circuit and be done for the day while we’d just be starting our second set of the second exercise in straight set format

Clearly the circuit training format is by far the most time-efficient approach and it also has many other of the key variables for proper metabolic training in place such as high-intensity work periods, quick and focused 20-minute workouts, short rest periods, total body workout, etc.

I believe circuit training is the foundation of any solid metabolic workout. Let’s take a look at two breakthrough scientific studies that support what I’ve seen in the real world:

Burn over 500 calories in 20 minutes: In a recent study by the University of Southern Maine, researchers discovered a more accurate method of estimating calorie burn from weight training than had been used previously. They discovered that a weight training circuit burned 71% more calories than previously thought. In fact, an eight minute circuit burned somewhere between 159 and 233 calories which breaks down to about 20-28 calories per minute!

Elevate metabolism for up to 38+ hours post-workout: In a study by the European Journal of Applied Physiology, researchers determined that a 31-minute circuit training protocol of three compound, multi-joint movements significantly elevated metabolism for 38 hours post-workout-- at which point they decided to stop tracking. This metabolic afterburn was due to a couple of factors. The first is due to increased tissue turnover due to the need to build and repair muscle microtrauma after high-intensity training. The second is due to increased Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption (EPOC) due to the oxygen debt created by high-intensity anaerobic exercise.

From a personal standpoint, when I was a young and stupid I used to workout for two to three hours at a time using the straight set format. It was always incredibly mentally draining to know that half of my day would be eaten up every time I worked out. However, I had all of the time in the world to workout then so I took advantage of that. Strangely enough, I had a lot of extra body fat for someone who was working out for several hours a day— that’s weird, right?

Now that I’m not as young and a little less stupid (I think) and I am a business owner the only workouts I currently have time for are metabolic workouts that have me in and out in 30 minutes and on with my busy, hectic days. Today I maintain a low body fat percentage year round and it’s all due to these circuits and a sound diet that emphasizes protein, produce, and water every couple of hours.

The choice is yours-- get better results in less than half the time or take hours of your precious time to get nowhere and fast. Well, I guess it’s not much a choice after all.

THE FIX: If your goal is maximum results in minimal time, employ alternating sets of non-competitive exercises each and every time you workout. Metabolic circuit training is by far the best way to get into the best shape of your life in 30 minutes or less so you can get on with your very busy day.