AuthorA 20 year old fitness enthusiast and dedicated Olympic style weightlifter. I am a Level 2 Weightlifting coach, Powerlifter, and non-competitive Irish dancer. I'm determined to live a healthier lifestyle and take care of my body whilst influencing other young people to do so. I never doubt my ability to achieve something; I just change what I'm doing until I succeed. Archives
May 2021
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I have been neglecting my blog recently, but I realised the importance of keeping on track as I need to express myself more often than I thought. I have tons of ideas I want to write about on my website, but more research has to be done before I can correctly write about such detailed subjects. Hence why this blog post is basically just me complaining about a topic I'd love to change. So if you've stumbled upon this post, don't take my words to heart as I'm simply stating what's on my mind. Please continue reading if you either a: aren't easily offended or b: are intrigued by the controversial title of this post and my overall experiences. My personal experiencesMany times when I was younger I was put down by other people because of my Weightlifting hobby. I came close to giving up completely and never lifting again, I even took many breaks because I didn't enjoy the negative attention provided by people who thought my passion was something they could make a joke out of. When I first began Weightlifting I was keen to tell people my poundages as with most children they're excited to tell people about their achievements. Sadly, I soon quietened down about it due to people not believing me or continuing to go on and on about it with the intention to make me look like a fool. I still find now that I hate telling people how much I can lift since this happened. I usually try to keep conversations about my poundages sweet and short as I fear that people will think I'm something that I'm not. Recently, someone from a sports apprenticeship company asked me about my poundages and I replied for once with the totals. I received a much different response from one I'd recieved many times from when I was a lot younger, however it wasn't a response I easily knew how to handle. This is coming from a girl who once had an anxiety disorder, but I felt as if I was being treated like a young child. The response I received was trying to perceive me to be stronger than the fully grown male adults who queried me (which is obviously not true). I know that the response may have been like this as they were trying to make conversation and was said with no intention to try and make me rethink my hobby, but I felt rather uncomfortable thinking that this may have had something to do with them trying to encourage me to join their company due to me seeming as if I had little knowledge on the sport. I don't think this was in any relation to my gender, but I wouldn't of been surprised if it was. I left things on a friendly note and left my fitness instagram and blog reference, meaning that the company may read this. If they do, please note that I overthink things but I'm probably smarter than you perceived me to be. I just didn't appreciate the blatant lie I was told in order to try and boost my confidence. In relation to this, I don't like when I'm lifting how people will try to make a joke out of saying how 'huge and butch' I look, when obviously although I am muscular, I'm no where near as big in height and fat as the majority of Weightlifters. I'm not trying to be miserable as I can take a joke, but not when one focuses on the size and body shape of someone who works as hard as I do. Not only does Weightlifting make you tough because you're lifting weights, but the amount of sexism I've dealt with is too much to put into words. I've experienced issues with people ignoring me and my correct point of view, only then to listen to some big, strong man repeating the same words I just used. I've had weights that have belonged to my club snatched out of my hands because I've not been trusted and I've 'not known any better than to grab anything'. I've let people walk all over me when I've been interrupted during my workout just to load and unload the bar for someone (a parent of a child) who shouldn't of been lifting weights (no insurance) and couldn't (no training), all because they wanted to try a personal best. Why this shouldn't happenI believe that this is something that shouldn't happen as it sets a bad example for younger children of the same gender. I have proof of this already and it hurts me to think that sexism in the sports industry is very much still a thing. In fact, Women only began competing in the Olympic games when Weightlifting in the year 2000. Not too long ago, a girl who I coach in my Weightlifting squad was telling me about how she told her class she was a Weightlifter. She then went on to tell me about how they all laughed at her and said she was a liar and didn't lift weights at all. I asked her why and her response was 'Well... because I'm a girl and girls aren't supposed to lift weights'. Even just typing this gives me so much anger, that such a young child feels ashamed and different just because their gender is enjoying a sport. After she told me this I gave her the advice I wished I'd received when this happened to me. I said ' So what if they laughed at you, you're an excellent Weightlifter and I'm sure none of them would be as good as you are. Just as long as you keep going and remember why you do it, you're bound to shine'. Today, when I went training this same lifter was upset because the boys made her the centre of attention and were teasing her whilst I wasn't in the room. This wouldn't of happened if I'd been the main coach in this situation, but thats not a matter to discuss on here. Anyways, she suddenly lost all her confidence lifting in front of people but I decided that I'd train her myself to keep her happy again. When I'm encouraging her to lift, I say things like 'You wanna be the best girl Weightlifter at the competition don't you!' or 'You wanna beat the boys don't you?'. But really, I shouldn't have to say things like that in order to stop someone feeling disheartened because they weren't born a certain way. None of the young male lifters who I coach have ever had issues with their classmates laughing at them due to them being a Weightlifter. People don't teach their children that any gender can do specific sports, jobs or tasks but then expect young children to be happy and a healthy weight for their age. It really isn't fair on those people who really want to try something new but feel restricted only because of a stupid stigma set by people who probably barely even know the hobby. Since girls aren't supposed to do Weightlifting according to many very incorrect people, this can provide boys with more confidence to do better than the girls, hence why I gave my young female lifter the motivation which is lacked in the sport industry for her gender. What I'd love to change about thisIf you know me well, you'd know that I cannot stand injustice and that I'm very compassionate and empathetic. I'd absolutely love to change sexism in the sports industry and boost the confidence of other young children who want to do certain sports and have been told they can't or shouldn't because of their gender. Its not just girls and Weightlifting, but Boys with other sports like dancing or gymnastics. This is one of the reasons I made my blog, as I felt I wanted a platform to deliver my ways of motivating others (just what I wish I had when I was younger). Somehow, I'd love to have a career encouraging children to enjoy sports. Whether this is PE teaching, continuing to volunteer as a Weightlifting coach or something completely different. I have much respect for companies like Thisgirlcan who promote sporting hobbies for girls. It is sad that I can write a blog post complaining about such a serious topic that even a child as young as 8 can notice but not understand that it's wrong. However, I continue to be determined and encourage the young female lifters to keep trying no matter how hard situations are. Many many times I've seen girls attempt Weightlifting at the local youth club where my coach and I volunteer, they've soon backed down and not wanted to continue with the sport. Since this year, I'd been the only female Weightlifter at my club since 2013. I hope that this won't be an issue in future when I begin coaching more. Thank you for reading this blog post. I felt the need to rant in this and simply have no care in the world for any opposing opinions against this post. Whoever you are, whatever your hobby is; keep trying and you can only bring out the best in yourself.
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Its been a month since I published my last blog post and I hate to say it but this will probably happen a lot from now up until July. As i'll be sitting my GCSE's during the summer of 2018, I'll be spending more time revising and working out than I will be on social media. Thats not to say that I'm not looking forward to this, sometimes breaks from social media is the best thing you can do in order to feel totally relaxed. In the meantime whilst I haven't been writing I've been getting ahead with my PE coursework, started Weightlifting and dancing again, finished my physiotherapy appointments, coached the junior Weightlifting squad more and began to Kon Mari some more of my belongings. Now that I've briefly updated about myself, I'll now explain my 5 ways I've found help to encourage children to enjoy exercising. Please carry on reading to find out more about this topic. 1. Showing positivity, not competitionOne of the best ways of encouraging anyone to do anything is by staying positive. Sports usually revolve around competition, even in the fitness industry. One of the main reasons why some people want to get fit is to be better than someone else, I've been there and sometimes I am there. Children can be competitive when it comes to sports, however if there are children of mixed abilities it is best not to encourage competition. When I've been coaching some of the children in the junior Olympic Weightlifting squad, if they've gotten something incorrect I'll make sure to say something good about their lifts as well as some tips. When competing in sports, confidence can be knocked by viewing those with better skills, unless of course you're the best of the best. When the team have gone into competitions, I will often motivate them in order to stop them feeling negative due to the self-inflicted pressure of competing. Many people don't always understand that you obviously might not be as good at something as other people who train for longer or have been involved in the sport for much longer, unless of course it comes naturally to you. 2. Keeping to yourselfThis one may not seem as obvious and may only work depending on your surroundings, however I've noticed that it works for me. If I'm working out individually or begin to bring equipment out, the children will usually become quite invested in what I'm doing. This often results in them trying and continuing to do the exercises along with my guidance. The amount of times my workouts have been interrupted by some shy but incredibly ambitious kids who only want to know more, is rather a lot. But in the end if they're learning something new then I'm all for it! Sometimes kids have spotted my workouts written on the board and have asked for demonstrations. This shows that not always do you have to put exercise right in front of a child, but you can keep to yourself and the curiosity will cause them to feel like joining in. 3. Pacing how much exercise is completedWhen encouraging children to exercise, I've learnt to remember that not everyone has the same abilities. Often children are encouraged by more amounts of exercise due to the nature of competition, but sometimes children can be motivated by less amounts of exercise if they lack the ability to do a lot but still want to participate. For instance, many of the children in the Weightlifting squad are very enthusiastic about fitness, but someone has to set limits as to how much exercise is too much. At the young ages they're are (ranging from 7 years old to 12), often the children will want to show off or keep trying until they're physically fatigued and tired. This has often been the case many times when I've been coaching and one time I had to show the group how to do modified pushups as they all could only complete different but low numbers of normal pushups. To stop those who are less able feeling down about watching the others complete more amounts of push ups in order to 'look the best', I made them all complete the same exercise but within their own time. However, if I hadn't of shown them the modified push ups, they would've lacked the proper form to complete a good amount of normal pushups. Sometimes its not common sense for a child to stop or know their limit when exercising, I've been there and have caused myself to work to complete exhaustion resulting in me vomiting. Many times, the children have loaded the Weightlifting bar to their absolute maximum before warming up towards the weight, so guidance is key when children want to exercise. I currently volunteer at a youth club and many of the children there have conditions which stop them from partaking in as much sport compared to some of the other children. This is why that in order to make exercise enjoyable, not pushing children, not expecting too much of them and respecting how hard they're trying is important. 4. Circuit training (An example exercise)A couple of times I've motivated the children to exercise by organising different activities before we begin Weightlifting. Circuit training is an excellent example of this. You can replicate Weightlifting movements, include strength building exercises and pulse raisers. I would suggest only completing one or two circuits (depending on how much training you expect afterwards and how hard each exercise is). However, the kids enjoyed it because it was something new and interesting to give them a surge of energy before they began lifting. I added in a range of exercises which were usually different at each station (burpees, push ups, sit ups, star jumps, squats etc.) 5. Fitness testing (An example exercise)More recently, I tried some basic fitness testing with the kids. I used very basic exercises and didn't set any limits for them, however they seemed to motivate each other and show sportsmanship. If any of the children couldn't or didn't want to complete an exercise, I let them sit out or showed them something else they could try. I also joined in with them so they knew what they were doing. Fitness testing is a good way of showing the children their progress after a period of time and is also a great opportunity for them to identify their weaknesses and strengths. The majority of the Olympic Weightlifting squad have only been training between 3- to 9 months, meaning that as they start to train for longer with more precision they can compare their ability from the first test compared to many more. Overall, they enjoyed it and it got them thinking positively about how successful they were. When testing the kids, I used a really good way of checking their Olympic Weightlifting techniques. The bottom two parts of the sheet involved each lifter attempting both the Snatch and the Clean and jerk until I said it was acceptable or perfect. As they're fairly new to the sport, they often have guidance involving what they need to adjust or correct, whereas with this they had to work out for themselves what was wrong with their lifts. Overtime, the number of attempts will decrease as their lifting technique improves. Thank you for reading this post, I'm sorry that its only short. Please note that all of these ideas and methods are only posted on my site as a way to inspire. In no way at all am I attempting to copy other ideas and reclaim them as my own. As I'm not a licensed Olympic Weightlifting coach yet and do not currently own a coach number one or two qualification, please note that all activities involving Weightlifting had an official licensed coach present at all times. For heath and safety reasons, children wouldn't be left to their own accord during these activities.
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Anatomic and Somato types3/9/2017 This blog post is a topic which my coach and I have discussed frequently and although it dates back quite a far bit, I think it's interesting enough to look back on past sporting theories. In this blog post, I'm going to discuss what the Somato and Anatomic types are. The Anatomic types were founded and created by George Walsh, whose knowledge was regularly featured in the health and strength magazine (around the 1930's to the 1950's). The Somatotypes were founded by William Herbert Sheldon in the 1940's, he was a psychologist with a Doctor title. Carry on reading to find out more about these body types and which ones you may be. What are the Anatomic types?The Anatomic types are split into three types called the Abdominal, Intermediate and the Thoracic. As George was a bodybuilder, he created these three body type theories to develop courses and training programmes suitable for specifically built people. The courses would either involve improving the individual's endurance, muscular strength, or both of these. So how exactly could he tell the difference between these three types? I'll tell you now. Walsh was able to recognise who was which type by examining individuals lung and abdominal capacity. He measured the lung capacity of a person by looking at the distance between the bottom of the ribcage and the clavicle (collarbone). He would then compare this to the person's abdominal cavity, which was recognised as the distance between the bottom of the ribcage and the top of the pelvic bone. The longer the chest of an individual meant that they would have a greater ability to breathe, hence having endurance and a running ability. The larger the abdomen of an individual meant that they would be more suitable for being bigger and stronger, therefore having a better body for lifting heavy loads. Abdominal: Abdominals would be identified as having a short distance between their ribcage and collarbone, meaning that they would have a short lung capacity and could be more prone to chest problems such as asthma. However, Abdominal types would have a greater distance between their ribcage and pelvic bone, meaning that they could have more benefit from their food as they'd have much more room in their stomach than the other types due to their significantly smaller chest. Intermediate: Intermediates would be identified as having an equal distance between both their ribcage and collarbone and their ribcage to their pelvic bone. Meaning that their lungs and abdomen were either the same size or of similar sizes. Thoracic: Thoracics would be identified as having a large distance between their ribcage and collarbone, meaning that they would have a large lung capacity and chest. However, this type would have a shorter distance between the bottom of their ribcage and their pelvic bone, resulting in them perhaps being more prone to stomach problems. The types and their training methodsAbdominal: These people would be viewed as built to be stocky, strong and able to lift heavy weights, rather than being good at running and having a great endurance ability. This would mean that in order for this type to gain muscle, Walsh would have them running or completing endurance based activities including high numbers of repetitions. But if they wanted stay the same they were, the course George put them on would involve the use of muscular strength. Intermediate: This type would be seen as able to be strong and lift heavy weights, but also they would be viewed as able to run. Meaning that they would have an equal amount of endurance and muscular strength levels. These people, Walsh viewed as lucky because they were able to partake in both courses. To build muscular strength, the intermediate would lift a comfortable but not too heavy weight using between 8-12 repetitions. The intermediate could also complete endurance based activities with high repetitions. Thoracic: The individuals who were classed as Thoracics would be viewed as able to run far and complete endurance based activities. Due to their larger lung capacity but smaller abdominal cavity making them perhaps slighter than an Abdominal, these people would be put on a course involving a small number of repetitions (2-5) whilst using heavy weights. If this type wanted to remain a long distance runner and didn't want to gain muscle mass, they would continue improving their endurance by running or completing many repetitions with a light or medium weight. If you'd like to hear more about George Walsh (the man who not only made this interesting theory but also trained the King of Norway back then) then please check out the link below to read David G's more thoroughly written aspect on the history of the theory. What are Somatotypes?Somatotypes are three types named and created by William Herbert Sheldon which were named after the three germ layers which embryos develop. The three layers are called the Endoderm, Mesoderm and Ectoderm, each one of the layers contains different organs. The Endoderm is the inner germ layer of the body, the Mesoderm is the middle germ layer and the Ectoderm is the outer germ layer. Sheldon named each type relating to these layers to portray the types according to what the embryonic layers were like. Sheldon wrote a book entitled 'Atlas of men', I'm not sure whether it's possible to get yourself a copy. The book includes his psychological thoughts relating to the types and many half nude individuals. In the book, the types are categorised using a number scale of 1-7. Although I believe that this man had the knowledge to conduct and write a book, to test his theory he used thousands of nude images (without explicit consent) of university graduates for scientific research. The images the students had disclosed were meant for a different research programme (studying student posture), not originally for Sheldons. Endomorph: This type Sheldon viewed as having a greater mass than the other types and genuinely being bigger in size. Endomorphs are the type most likely to have a pear shaped figure (wide hips and narrow shoulders). Ectomorph: Sheldon viewed this type as thin and often containing narrow or slim like features. They usually would have a small mass due to very low amounts of body fat. Mesomorph: The Mesomorph type were viewed as the muscular or more athletic type compared to the other two types. They often have low amounts of body fat, but their mass may be higher due to muscle weighing more than fat. The Somatotypes and their personalitiesWilliam believed that the body type of a person would also reveal their personality, many have slated this theory due to cultural stereotypes and since the he came up with the concept within a such a discriminatory era. In this day and age, I do not believe his psychological views to be anything more than stereotypes based on a body type. If you wish to think these personality traits are true depending on a body type, feel free to do so. Endomorph: As this type is predominantly the biggest out of the three, Sheldon viewed this type as extroverted, calm, bubbly, funny and a lover of food. Ectomorph: Sheldon proclaimed that this type were more self conscious, introverted, artistic, shy, humble and thoughtful than the other types. Mesomorph: The Mesomorph type was viewed as unique, competitive, helpful, powerful and active, due to having such an athletic figure. Sheldon saw this type as the best out of the three. Comparing the Anatomic and SomatotypesIn this final section of this post, I have decided to compare George Walsh and William Sheldon's theories. Although Sheldon's theory is backed up due to his psychology degree, Walsh's theory seems to show less stereotyping as he doesn't mention personality traits. My opinion of Walsh's views is that they seem to be easy to measure and perhaps useful, compared to Sheldon's number scale system with more technical and scientific names. However, Sheldon's views seem to be the most written about online due to him being more famous than Walsh, but I personally prefer George's theory. If I were to compare each Anatomic and Somatotype, it would look something like this: Thanks for reading this post, please note that if any information disclosed you do not agree with or is incorrect, that it is my fault as I am in no way a professional on historical theories. This post has been made to covered two theories, one which is unpopular and one which is seen often online (in no way are these theories mine or in anyway scientifically up to date).
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I haven't posted for a while and its just because I've lacked the creativity to write a post. That happens sometimes and that is perfectly okay. However, I pondered and I remembered a while back that I wrote a post about Fitness equipment and gear. That got me thinking about the equipment I mentioned and how I should expand on my knowledge about chest expanders, (haha, get it? Expand). Anyways, carry on reading to hear my knowledge on chest expanding. The original post mentioning chest expanders is linked below if you want to check it out. Benefits of chest expandingAlthough chest expanding is no where near as good for your muscles as a fully equipped gym and lifting weights, I can definitely recommend the exercises and piece of equipment to people who are injured, unable to get to a gym or be fortunate enough to have pieces of equipment. Even if you aren't wanting to gain muscle, chest expanding can be an excellent way of increasing your ability to breath and fully open up your chest (like you would when doing yoga). With a standard chest expander, you can usually add springs to the expander in order to make the resistance tougher. Chest expanding will help to tear your muscles so they can repair and grow, however your rate of muscle growth may only be gradual compared to lifting and working out with weights. Chest expanding will also build strength in your tendons and ligaments. Even if you arent going to purely be using this piece of equipment for working out every day, it is good to have one for whenever you want to warm up or cool down. Types of chest expanders to purchaseI use the gold's gym chest expander which my coach gave to me, the only link I could find to the exact one was to their amazon page, this is in linked in my other blog post about fitness gear. However, there are other alternatives which you can buy. You can pick up cheap chest expanders from sportdirect.com, but I have not tried them so I am unsure of the quality. Where I do my Olympic Weightlifting, we have some metal chest expanders but I am unsure where my coach bought them from. Personally, the metal expanders are not my forte as they can pinch your skin, trap fingers and rip out your hair! The rubber expanders are a lot safer in my eyes, although sometimes metal chest expanders can provide more resistance. I will link below the chest expander featured from sportdirect.com and the gold's gym metal chest expander. The gold's gym chest expander is not the cheapest metal expander you'll find, however if you've got the money I'd recommend buying one. Chest expanding exercisesMy coach gave me this slip of paper with exercises to do with a chest expander, I have no idea if they're from a book, whether he found them online or if they're his. Its quite old but i've tried my best to demonstrate the exercises shown. One by one (going along sideways) I'll show demonstrations of the diagrams. Please note that exercises 8 and 9 I have not demonstrated solely because I cannot show them correctly. They are both chest expanding exercises for your wrists, however images do not show much difference between the contraction of muscles with the start and finish images . Chest expanding exercise #1The first diagram is blurry, however I have managed to show a better demonstration of the exercise. This exercise simply can help with fully breathing through your chest. Chest expanding exercise #2Chest expanding exercise #3I haven't taken a photo for this exercise because I feel that it is very easy to explain. Just like in diagram #1, the chest expander is stretched across the chest as the person completes a situp. When sitting up straight after completing a sit up, the expander is simply stretched. By not having your feet hooked under anything, the exercise can work your abdominals more. Chest expanding exercise #4This exercise is once again very simple to do, so I felt it wasn't necessary to have an image. Exercise #4 is very similar to exercise #1. The only difference is that you don't arch your back when stretching the expander, so you are stood upright when it is stretched. Chest expanding exercise #5Chest expanding exercise #6This exercise is very similar to the standard bicep curl, however without the use of weights. This one is good and can either be completed by sitting or standing. Just be careful not to let the expander slip from under your foot, otherwise it could hurt if it hit you. Chest expanding exercise #7Thank you for reading this post, I hope you enjoyed it. It took a lot of time editing so many images together! Please note that if exercises have been demonstrated incorrectly, that it is my fault and I would appreciate any correction in the comments below.
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Due to injuring my ankle recently (being precise, I have Tendinopathy) I have been unable to complete any exercise involving Olympic Weightlifting and Powerlifting. However, I have still been Weight Training at home as I didn't want to fall behind by not doing any upper body strength exercises. However, I did want to write a post which compared all three of these different ways to build muscle. Please continue reading this post to find out more! What is Olympic Weightlifting?Olympic Weightlifting involves two overhead lifts called the Snatch and the Clean and Jerk. The sport uses full body movements which focuses on technique (the way the bar is lifted) and how much is being lifted (usually heavy poundages). The term 'Olympic Weightlifting' is the full name for the sport because it is the type of Weightlifting seen in the Olympic games. Usually, the poundage used for the Snatch isn't as high as the Clean and Jerk amount. If you'd like to know more detail on what these lifts are exactly, please check out this post of mine linked below. What is Powerlifting?Powerlifting involves three different exercises called the Back Squat, Bench Press and the Deadlift. If you didn't already know, I'll explain what exactly the three events in Powerlifting are: Back squat: A normal, full squat which includes a loaded barbell on the back of the lifters neck. When the lifter squats down and rises, their heels are usually flat on the ground and their knees are apart (the knees do not touch together). Bench press: The bench press involves the lifter lying on a bench, facing upwards so that the bar is above them. It helps if the lifter has their back arched on the bench as then they don't have to lift the bar as far. The loaders will pass the bar to the lifter and will be ready waiting to catch the bar once the lifter has finished the lift (completed one repetition) or incase the lifter cannot lift the weight. The lifter will lift the bar from above their head to their chest and pause for a few seconds before pushing the bar back up above their head. Deadlift: The Deadlift movement is very much similar to the beginning of both Olympic lifts. The bar starts on the floor and the lifter picks up the bars to above the knees. Once the bar is past the knees, the lifter drives their hips forward and places the bar back down. Lifters can choose to have their grip on the bar as the same as the Olympic Weightlifting grip, however the hands are closer together (both hands facing the same way, palms inwards). But there is another way of lifting the bar by having one palm facing inwards and one palm facing outwards. The sport uses a range of movements depending on which powerlifting event you're doing. For example, the Back squat would involve full lower body muscle use (glutes, quadriceps, hamstrings etc), whereas the Bench Press is mainly upper body strength. Then the Deadlift uses mainly lower body strength and some arm strength. Powerlifting is not a sport found at the Olympic games, however there are competitions involving the sport. Powerlifting may seen as an alternative for those who cannot Olympic lift. From looking at people I know who are Olympic Weightlifters and Powerlifters (including myself), I have noticed that poundages when Powerlifting are often higher than Weightlifting poundages. This may not be correct for everyone, but it is something that I have noticed. What is Weight Training?Weight Training can be seen commonly in gyms (compared to Olympic Weightlifting and Powerlifting). Many gyms nowadays have features involving Olympic Weightlifting platforms and equipment, however there are some gyms which mainly contain machines and free weights. This can also be the case for Olympic Weightlifting and Powerlifting clubs not containing any free weights. I would describe Weight Training to be any sort of exercise involving free weights (Dumbbells, Kettlebells, Barbells that aren't being used for Olympic lifts etc). Weight training isn't a sport which has a specific routined technique, although it can be a method of building muscle to help other sports, maybe even Olympic lifting or Powerlifting. Many may class the Bench press exercise from Powerlifting as Weight Training, as it is an exercise which many may do at the gym but not call themselves Powerlifters if they do not partake in the other two strength exercises which Powerlifting involves. From my knowledge of Weight Training, here are three exercises which many would class as Weight Training and are different to the other sports mentioned in this post. For each of the exercises, I suggest that a slightly heavy weight be chosen (not too heavy) and that the person should complete 8-12 repetitions of the exercise. By completing 8 to 12 repetitions, the person will be building muscular strength rather than their endurance ability. Dumbbell flyes: Dumbbell flyes involves a person either lying completely flat on their back (on a bench) or slightly upright but still close towards the ground. The person should bring the dumbbells out from beside them, so that they're sticking out their chest. Then, the dumbbells should be brought towards them, so that they're chest is more relaxed and that both dumbbells meet above their body. The movement should almost be as if the person is hugging a barrel as the weight may be too heavy to completely straighten the arms (as they would do if the weight was lighter which could perhaps enable them to complete more repetitions if they wanted to improve their endurance). This exercise will help to build muscles in the chest, shoulders and biceps. Bicep curls: Bicep curls can be uses with either dumbbells or a barbell. This exercise can also either be completed using either two arms or one arm when using dumbbells, however if you're using a barbell, two arms should be used. The bicep curl begins with both arms locked with the elbows facing backwards and should finish with the elbows bent so that the weight is near the upper body. This exercise is easy and ideal to build your biceps. Bent-over rows: This exercise can involve the use of either dumbbells or a barbell. This exercise can be completed using either two arms or one arm when using dumbbells, however if you're using a barbell, two arms should be used. The person will bend their body over, so that they're closer to their knees. Whilst their back is flat, the person's arms begin as locked and slowly bend as the weight or weights are pulled towards the chest. This exercise will help to build muscles in the deltoids, latissimus dorsi, biceps and trapezius. There is a great challenge online to do with bent-over rows, which is interesting to see the technique of others and how many repetitions different people can complete. If you want to check it out, please click on the image next to this paragraph. I recommend checking out the full website for sport-based fun challenges. See how you rank against others around the world! Heres a link to the website below as it wouldn't let me link my profile, if you'd like to check it out I'm registered under thisgirlcanlift. I haven't been registered for very long, however I plan on completing more challenges in the future and hope that perhaps I'll be able to create more blog content from what I learn from completing the challenges. Thank you for reading this post. Its pretty short but sooner or later I'm going to thoroughly explain the Olympic Weightlifting technique which I proudly use and coach. Firstly, I need to hit the books so I can explain precisely without confusing anyone. Please note that I am no expert surrounding these three sporting areas, however I've had 7 years experience of Olympic Weightlifting and 3 years experience of Powerlifting and Weight Training. This entire post is purely based upon opinions and experiences of my own, so please don't take the information provided to heart if it isn't completely correct.
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Eating when you're bored can be very difficult to stop doing as it's a very easy habit to get into. For instance, you're sat on your sofa watching tv. You may feel strange without food in your hand, therefore resulting in you searching your cupboards for any junk food you can find. Then, sitting back down and continuing to grab more food until you're occupied with something else. Its an endless cycle and in order to improve fitness wise, it may be best to get rid of the habit. I often question myself whether I am actually hungry, craving food, thirsty or just bored and procrastinating. Please continue reading to find out more on how to stop eating out of boredom. If you aren't sure what junk food is classed as, please check out this blog post of mine: Distract yourself with something elseOften the key to stopping yourself from doing something can involve distraction. So if you're struggling to fight the urge to walk in your kitchen and rummage through the cupboards for anything you can devour, why not decide to do something else instead. For instance, I'm sure there are plenty of better things you could be doing rather than eating something unhealthy which you may regret later. If you know you usually eat when you're bored, make a list of some things you can do instead. For example, since its the summer holidays here in Britain, I made a list of things I need to do this summer. Some of them are big, some of them are small, but its something I can focus on when I'm tempted to eat when I'm bored and not hungry. Here is a small list of other tasks you could do rather than eating when you're bored:
Drink waterI've found that when I'm eating food, it may not necessarily be because I was hungry. Often, you may be thirsty if you find yourself eating for the hell of it. Drinking water is the best thing you can drink when dehydrated and can also help you to stop feeling addicted to eating junk. Water has its benefits too! It can help your skin to improve and make you feel refreshed. I wrote a blog post all about drinking the correct fluids, so heres the link for that if you'd like to give it a read. Motivate yourself to know what's rightThis is something which may work for you, as it works for me. Basically, if you feel the urge to grab some unhealthy snack out of boredom, think about why you're doing so. Is it because you're hungry or bored? Be honest with yourself whether getting food is going to push you a step backwards during your fitness journey. If you've done this before, perhaps learn from the experience and think about whether you felt guilty after you ate the unnecessary food. It may be very tempting and easy to go into your kitchen and scran on whatever you can find, however if you want to make progress, you must resist and overcome the feeling of eating food when you're bored. Why is it that we eat food anyway? because we're hungry and in need of energy, not just because it's there or for an accessory. By changing your mind set and realising that eating junk won't do anything but make you regret it later, you can avoid eating out of boredom. Checking your fridge for food won't help and may just make you feel frustrated and reminded of the food you shouldn't be eating. Remove the junk foodThis is the main factor I changed which helped me stop eating food out of boredom. It can be a bit more difficult if you live in a home with many people, as you may not be able to remove all junk food from your house. However, if you can, throw or give away the junk food in your house. I recommend giving the food that is in good condition to a local food bank or homeless shelter. If you cannot do this, perhaps separate the junk food in your home from the healthy food and have specific place for it in your house. If you think you'll still be tempted, why not put a lock on the cupboard it's in? When I removed all the junk food from my house, I managed to buy healthier and more nutritious food, which really helped me to progress on my fitness journey. You could workout every day, but what you eat is the main part of being fit and healthy. Tell people not to buy you junk foodPeople buying you junk food could be seen as nice or appreciative, however if you're trying to improve fitness wise, you may need to tell these people to stop. Many times before, people have bought me junk food when I haven't wanted it but because it was in my house and I viewed it as a gift, I'd still eat it. Although its difficult to decline, food gifts from other people can often cause feelings of guilt if they are left uneaten. To make it simple, I'd straight up tell somebody that you're thankful for the thought, however that you are trying to take care of your body by eating healthy foods. Many people who used to buy junk food for me, now either buy me healthy food (which I appreciate greatly) or only buy me small portions to eat on my cheat day. If you do have a lot of self control and are able to resist the food gifts from others, maybe you can keep them until your cheat day. Thank you for reading this post, please note that when I am discussing topics on nutrition that I am no where near as experienced as a professional nutritionist. However, these posts are purely my opinions and experiences. In no way, shape or form am I trying to explain that not eating much food is good for you. It is good to eat a variety of food and important to eat portions of healthy food in order to gain muscle mass and lose fat mass.
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How fitness helped my anxiety to improve23/7/2017 This is a topic which is quite personal to me and is something which I wouldn't have felt comfortable discussing two years ago. In my 'about' section on this website, I addressed the subject by saying "I can't truly say I’ve been healthy ever since I began lifting as I did end up in a situation where food became an issue for me, but there was a stage in my life where I decided that I wanted to improve my lifestyle and what I was eating. I struggled with an anxiety disorder which had an impact on what I ate for some years, I became underweight and despite my love for exercise I felt completely unmotivated to do anything. I had time off school and spent most of my days having panic attacks, but that’s all behind me now. I got help and began to look at life in a different way. I believe that without this experience I wouldn’t be the person I am today." So here it is, a more in-depth but tricky to write blog post about how exactly my anxiety has improved through my fitness journey. Please note that this topic may be sensitive material for some. Where it all startedMy anxiety disorder first really developed in the year of 2013, when a big change happened in my life. It's something I'm not prepared to broadcast to absolutely anyone in the world. As much as I'd love to, I know I'm a better person and for the sake of others, I'll keep that part of my life to myself and those who already know it. Anyway, my anxiety disorder didn't really surface and impact me daily until 2015. I can remember when suddenly it just clicked and something changed. I was on a train at the time, I felt really different and terribly paranoid. I was already seeing a counsellor at the time, so getting and waiting for help wasn't a problem. Picture this, I'm 13 years old, thinking about everyones opinions of me, very addicted to my phone and not at all interested in exercising everyday. I occasionally went Weightlifting but began to fall behind and stop for many months as people at my school would humiliate me for saying that I was a Weightlifter. I'm still not entirely sure what that was all about, maybe it was because I didn't 'look the part' or it was just hilarious to draw attention to someone who was doing what they loved and simply wanted to be left alone. So if you're reading this and you know why, then please contact me and let me know. After all, that was what helped me to get stronger and become more determined to succeed. The person I was back then, is not at all who i am today. I would sometimes respond to people who annoyed me or were 'teasing' me, which probably just made things worse. I could make this deep and say that those people caused me to have an anxiety disorder, in fact I could list names and complain. But I won't, because I set high expectations for myself. There were a few more fall outs I had with friends, which of course are going to happen as you don't always keep the same friends in high school forever. By then, my anxiety was just rocketing and I had 4 months off school. I gradually began returning to some of my lessons, but this time was hard as I didn't go out most days and many people required an explanation for my mental health. This I couldn't provide, meaning that some people thought I just wanted to skip school. Being off school didn't mean that I was able to have fun and do nothing all day. I was constantly living in fear from crowds, seeing people I knew, loud noises, feeling trapped, people in general, text messages, social media, making mistakes and being the centre of attention anywhere. Right now, I cannot recall the last time any of these things caused me so much anxiety that I wouldn't be able to breath or function. However, thats not to say that now and again I'll still feel as if I cannot cope if I cannot escape a situation quickly or with ease. I can truly say that once my anxiety began to improve during the end of 2015 and beginning of 2016, that I am incredibly amazed at all I have overcame. The lowest point I reached with my anxiety relating to sports was when I would struggle during Weightlifting competitions and could no longer go out for runs. But, very gradually I began to start Weightlifting, running and genuinely feeling happy again. This next part of this post will explain how fitness helped my anxiety to improve. My next stepI knew when I departed from my counsellor that although I'd been given ways of coping, that I needed some sort of distraction or hobby to help me have something to do other than occasionally Weightlifting or sitting around all day wondering if my anxious feelings would ever pass. I decided that even if I was going to feel anxious a lot, I should have some activity which would help the feelings to pass and something I could set goals for. This made me realise that in order for my mental health to improve, I needed to put all my effort into Weightlifting and running in order to feel good about myself. I did this and noticed that my anxiety would no longer be there when I could put my passion into the sports. By setting myself targets and noticing improvements, I felt very motivated and felt as if I could do anything! But around this time, I still felt as if there was something missing. Although I was competing again and was constantly running to feel refreshed and calm, I became motivated by The body coach (Joe Wicks) through Alfie Deyes. I'd often spend a lot of my time on YouTube when I wasn't engaging in sports, so a certain video entitled '90 DAY CHALLENGE' really made me feel intrigued. Alfie was doing the 90 day challenge which was created by Joe Wicks, so i decided to try it too. Alfie stopped after a bit, but I continued and even reached past the 90 days. I was working out daily and eating much healthier by planning meals and cutting out junk food. After a while, I didn't even crave junk anymore and could definitely see the progress I had made.The video below is what first inspired me to begin my fitness journey (towards the end). By exercising daily and organising my workout, healthy eating, Weightlifting and Running schedule, my anxiety improved by miles as I developed a positive attitude and put my heart into my passions. I think that without the determination I had, I may not have returned to being active with a new mindset, resulting in me giving up easily. But when I began the 90 day challenge in August and finished in November, I felt so inspired and proud of myself that I knew I needed to continue putting in the hard work. Hence, why I'm still active now. I realised that although I went through a very difficult situation, that I currently work hard for what I have and love what I do. Once I'd been living my new lifestyle for a year (August 2016), I realised that there was still something missing. Although, I had taken up a new hobby of Irish Dancing in February 2016, I had many creative ideas that I needed to express. I already had created my Instagram account, but I needed somewhere else where I could explain my ideas and help others. December 2016, I created this website and realised that I had found the hobby which would help to inspire myself and others. Real me, right nowRight now, I would say that a lot has changed about me since 2015. I've became more focused on the important aspects of my life. I currently love myself and my hobbies, unlike back then. I feel that without my fall in life, I may not be where I am today and may look at life differently. Right now, I have plans for the future and each day I feel more and more inspired by many different things and people. I no longer spend my days worrying about what other people think of me, but more about how I'm looking after my body. Thats not to say that I still don't have problems with anxiety sometimes, it isn't very often at all and I have an excellent way of coping with the build up into a panic attack. Usually, I'll completely remove myself from the scene and look outside or distract myself by thinking about something. Thank you for reading this post, it was slightly difficult to write as I've not really discussed many personal topics about me on this blog. I hope that my experience may inspire those with similar issues to find something big or small which can help them. Whether it is sport related or not, it may be something which could help you on your road to recovery.
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How to stay hydrated and drink correctly11/7/2017 I've been thinking about writing a post like this for a while now, since it's summer here in England and in most places (although I believe its just became Winter in Australia!). Even when it isn't hot outside, it is important to stay hydrated as being dehydrated can make you feel awful. I understand there can be problems with people not feeling thirsty or not actually liking the taste of water. This has never been a problem for me as I was never a big fan of fruit juice or squash as a very young child. Please continue reading for my tips on how to drink healthily. Apologies for lack of recent images, I wrote this purely from no plan and didn't have many relevant images to add. Why staying hydrated is importantFor those of you reading who don't have much knowledge on this subject, staying hydrated should be just as big a priority as exercising or planning what you eat when keeping fit. Whether or not you're trying to keep fit, drinking fluids is crucial in order for the bodies muscles, brain, heart and other parts to successfully function. By not drinking fluids, your brain may be unable to function throughout the day. Hence why it is even more important to regularly drink when learning or trying to recall any information. Dehydration can also occur faster when exercising, meaning that you should alway have liquids ready to guzzle near by. If you don't, due to the vast amount of exercise, you could begin to feel fatigued, dizzy or sick. This could stop you from continuing your exercise due to your body being too hot and needing regular fluids. How to stay hydratedStaying hydrated isn't always easy for everyone, especially when you aren't used to the amount you should be drinking. Here are my 4 tips on how to stay hydrated:
Drinking large amounts of fluidsDrinking too much water or fluids can often be a problem if you don't know the correct amount you should be drinking. However, there's no need to panic if you're over your limit by a few litres on a hot day. I'm talking about drinking gallons upon gallons of liquids (this is around 25 litres). Drinking too much water can be dangerous as your kidneys can only remove an average of a litre an hour. Many websites provide the amounts of water which should be drank depending on age and weight, however the websites can differ by almost a litre. I recommend tracking how much normally you drink within a week and comparing this to whichever site you wish to use for your example of a fluid intake goal. Personally, I aim to drink between 1500-2000 milliliters of water a day (1.5-2 litres). When attempting to set yourself a new goal with how much you drink, please don't immediately go from drinking less than 500 milliliters to nearly 2 litres! I did this and you may be needing to goto the toilet alot, may have lower abdominal pains, bloat and feel very full. That is why I suggest slowly drinking more each day before you eventually reach your goal or an amount which you're comfortable with. Many people are different and shouldn't feel pressured to drink a specific amount set by online statistics (unless they feel the need to do so). Drinking the wrong fluidsThis is usually the most common problem within people when drinking fluids. Not knowing what is good to drink and what isn't. Lets begin with what isn't good, often drinks containing caffeine and sugar are not going to help with keeping you hydrated (of course these aren't healthy either). Caffeine causes increased heart rate and blood pressure (hence why it helps keep you awake) but the caffeine amounts in energy drinks is an amount which makes drinks unhealthy. In fact, consuming energy drinks before exercise can make you more dehydrated than if you didn't drink anything in the first place. Smoothies and juices can be delicious, but drinking a lot can be awful for your teeth due to the high percentage of sugar from fruit. These drinks are still okay to drink, just not large amounts of them, perhaps viewing them as a treat would be better when setting limits. Personally, I only usually drink water, milk and the occasional treat drink. However, I am on the edge of converting to almond milk as I have heard information about milk which I am not keen on. Not feeling the urge to drink fluidsI have spoken to many people I know who don't feel the need to drink water or don't feel thirsty. That may simply be the case that they don't drink water unless they're thirsty. However, I'm talking about those people who don't drink any water throughout the day. I've been there and once you get into habits where you don't drink water, it can be hard to get out of them. The only tip I can provide for this is to find a flavour of squash you like (although squash isn't no where near as good as water)to add to water. Perhaps change the percentage of water to squash ratio each week by eventually increasing the amount of water in your cup. Eventually, you may still be able to taste a weak amount of squash, but it could be the closest you'll get to drinking water. Even if you're drinking 1% squash and 99% water, it is better than drinking energy drinks which provide you with no or very little water amounts. Thank you for reading this rather wordy blog post, I tried my best to explain my concepts of drinking and I understand if there are points which aren't mentioned or explained in detail. Due to the fact that my posts are nowhere near to a nutritionists level, my posts are purely written from personal experience and advice. Please do not use these nutrition posts for strict dietary advice, I suggest you seek a professional if in need of this help as I am merely a child.
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