Bulletproofbodies and
Compex will be proudly supporting Battle Cancer 2018 this Saturday the 20th of
October at Olympia in West London. After the success of Battle Cancer Manchester, we now go down south to my home town London.
The idea for Battle
Cancer was born as a result of personal stories, love for fitness and desire to
help.
The event owners are Powerlifter Scott Britton and CrossFit enthusiast Peter Williams, two friends
who’s lives have been repeatedly disrupted by the deadly disease.
We are a bunch of
friends and CrossFit enthusiasts that gathered together to help out Scott and
Pete in their pursuit of raising as much money for cancer patients as possible.
Together we can make a
change in this world.
Battle Cancer is a
really accessible functional fitness competition that raises money for the UK
cancer society.
It combines the passion
for fitness with remembering the people you lost or the ones you supported in
their struggle with cancer.
There are multiple ways
you can support this cause, even if you are not interested in competing.
Visit our “Get
involved” section to find out how to donate or become a volunteer.
Compex will be there
supporting the athletes with enhanced recovery in between WODs and
Pre-Activation Warm ups for the Heavy Lifting. Get a significant discount on the Compex SP 8.0
Check out his overhead squat whilst
facing a wall!
In the days before I was born,
physical education showcased a variety of sports and disciplines into the lives
of athletes and common people alike. With this degradation in teaching
movement, it is not only important to train to develop the performance of the
athlete, but also to ensure a variety of abilities to function throughout all
movements.
If you have an athlete in need of
training to improve in their sports career (or if you just want to be a better
athlete yourself) - try implementing these tactics to increase the ability to
perform optimally.
1. Body Weight Exercises:
The only
reason that a person should engage in weight training is because the use of
their body isn't enough of a stimulus to induce growth and performance gains.
The use of the body however cannot be neglected. Pushups and pull-ups can be
implemented in a near infinite number of combinations; squats and jumps as
well. If you haven't had athletes use these exercises you are missing out on
establishing a base of strength that is vital for future improvement.
2. Movement Training:
Often neglected
in training programs is movement training - more or less running and shuffling
and skipping. Sprints and numerous agility games should be used to develop a
broad range of motor patterns for athletes to call upon in competition. The use
of organized agility drills (pro agility, 4 cone drills, etc.) establishes a
base motor program to be used to solve movement scenarios in a game. While you
cannot perfectly simulate the movements of a competition, you can build your
body's memory of movements that can be called upon and adapted and ultimately
used by the body.
3. Spatial Awareness:
The body's
ability to understand where it is in space, and perform well is vital to all
athletes. In the past, many athletes participated in gymnastic drills and
various forms of tumbling from an early age. This understanding of moving the
body and using force while the center of mass is fluctuating helped to ward off
injury and increase performance. To train this function in your athletes,
cartwheels, handstands, tumbling in various forms, will all help to shape an
athlete's understanding of their body.
The training of an athlete needs to
begin with the idea that an athlete has a minimal base to work with, never
assume that something simple is easy before beginning training.
By allowing
athletes and trainees to prove they can perform movements - you guarantee that
you will build resistance to injury, improve the athlete's ability to learn
later movements, and achieve success and see progress early.
If you take this
perspective in training, you will be well on your way to athletic success.
It is sad new indeed that the Strength Sensei Charles Poliquin has passed away at the age of 57.
Poliquin began working
as a strength coach while he was in graduate school in Canada. He helped popularize
German Volume Training (GVT) which is 10 sets of 10 reps.
In the late 1990s, Poliquin founded Poliquin
Performance, opening the first Poliquin Performance Center in Phoenix, Arizona
in 2001, and the Poliquin Strength Institute in East Greenwich, Rhode Island in
2009.
Throughout this time he
certified coaches in the Poliquin International Certification Program (PICP),
which includes a body hormone profiling method, which he invented, called
BioSignature Modulation.
In September 2013
Poliquin parted ways with Poliquin Performance (now renamed Poliquin Group). He
subsequently founded another fitness company called Strength Sensei.[5] He has
trained numerous Olympic and professional athletes.
Poliquin published
articles in peer-reviewed journals of exercises science and strength and
conditioning.
His training theories were introduced to the
bodybuilding community in 1993 through his articles for Muscle Media 2000
magazine, and after 1998 through the online and print versions of Testosterone
Magazine (now known as T-Nation).
He coined the phrase
“the myth of discipline” to suggest that fitness results depend on how
motivated a gym-goer is.
As a columnist, he has written over 600
articles in numerous publications. Additionally, he is the author of eight
books, many of which have been translated into 12 different languages,
including Swedish, German, French, Italian, Dutch, and Japanese.
His first book, The
Poliquin Principles formatted a basic summary of his training methods and
provided insight into the training regimens of some of the world’s top
athletes.
But over the past few
years, Kipchoge has made it abundantly clear he is not restricted by the body’s
limitations imposed on the rest of the world.
This Kenyan is unique.
The Marathon record has
fallen.
Eluid Kipchoge from
Kenya is the new Marathon Record holder.
Kipchoge’s time of:
2 hr 01 min 39 sec.
He took 78 seconds off the previous best
set by Dennis Kimetto in 2014.
Kipchoge did it while
going solo for the last 17 kilometres (10.5 miles) – after his pacemakers
dropped out much earlier than intended.
The Kenyan had gone through halfway
in:
1 hr 01 min 06 sec.
Kipchoge had just made the single largest jump on the marathon world record since Derek Clayton beat the mark by 2min 23sec in 1967.
A few minutes later
Gladys Cherono won the women’s race in 2:18:11, making her the fourth-fastest
woman in history behind Paula Radcliffe, Mary Keitany and Tirunesh Dibaba.
For context, his
winning time was the equivalent of running every
100m in 17.3sec,
800m in 2min 18.39sec,
or
5km in 14min 24.91sec.
Just think of that next time you head out for
a morning run!
Eluid Kipchoge the
Bulletproofbodies Team Salute you.
As the US Army changes it's Fitness Tests the British Army are likely to follow suit.
As exercise science has advanced, so has the Army’s understanding of the beloved push-up, and its controversial cousin, the sit-up.
Rather than efficient measures of core and upper body strength, two attributes absolutely valuable to combat readiness, the service now recognizes that they both measure muscular endurance.
I would add that "feet held" sit ups create tight hip flexors and are the catalyst for the epidemic of lower back pain we see in the Military.
The British Army is following the American Army and finally reviewing the tests that have stood the test of time:
1.5 mile run
2 mins Max effort Press Ups
2 minutes Max effort Sit Ups
For as long as there
has been an Army Physical Fitness Test, experts both inside and outside of the
Army have known that the three events therein did not really measure how a
soldier would perform in the Army’s most essential environment: COMBAT!
But it was easy to
train for and easy to administer, so it endured, despite protestations that
push-ups and sit-ups measure the same thing, MUSCULAR ENDURANCE, and not
strength, agility or any other domain of fitness.
After decades of back
and forth over how to improve not only how the Army tests soldier fitness, but
how it fosters physical wellness and prevents costly injuries, the service is
charging toward a new era of readiness with not one but two new tests.
US Army
SIX EVENTS
Deadlift:
With a
proposed weight range of 120 to 420 pounds, the deadlift event is similar to
the one found in the Occupational Physical Assessment Test, or OPAT, which is
now given to new recruits to assess lower-body strength before they are placed
into a best-fit career field. The ACRT will require Soldiers to perform three
deadlifts (only one in OPAT) and the weights will be increased. The event can
simulate picking up ammunition boxes, a wounded battle buddy, duffel bags or
other heavy equipment.
-Standing power
throw:
Soldiers toss a 10-pound ball backward as far as possible to test
muscular explosive power that may be needed to lift themselves or a fellow
Solider up over an obstacle or to move rapidly across uneven terrain.
-T-pushup:
In this
event, Soldiers start in the prone position and do a traditional pushup, but
when at the down position they move their arms outward and then back in to do
another pushup. This allows for additional upper body muscles to be exercised.
-Sprint/drag/carry:
As they dash 25 meters five times up and down a lane, Soldiers will perform
sprints, drag a sled weighing 90 pounds, and then hand-carry two 40-pound
kettlebell weights. This can simulate pulling a battle buddy out of harm's way,
moving quickly to take cover, or carrying ammunition to a fighting position or
vehicle.
-Leg tuck:
Similar to
a pull up, Soldiers lift their legs up and down to touch their knees/thighs to
their elbows as many times as they can. This exercise strengthens the core
muscles since it doubles the amount of force required compared to a traditional
sit-up.
2-mile OR 2 Km run:
Same event as on the current test. However, run scores are expected to be a bit slower due to all of the other strenuous activity.
The Tests have not been finalised yet, but the Bulletproofbodies team will keep you posted!
This is finally the change we have been campaigning for for so many years.
One in four of the
global population does not get enough physical activity.
I know it’s hard to
believe.
With just 22 minutes
per day you can help keep preventable disease away.
A study by Dr R Guthold et al (2018) has just been published in the Lancet Global Health Journal.
Nearly 2 Billion people were involved in the study which included data from 168 different countries.
But what we really want
to know is who is the fittest Country?
Well, the answer might surprise you:
Uganda is the fittest country and Kuwait is the least fittest.
The UK comes in at 35.9%.
So what does that mean?
It means that 20 MILLION Brits are suffering from "Sitting Disease" that will lead to other diseases such as Type 2 Diabetes, Obesity, Coronary Heart Disease and high blood pressure.
All of these diseases are preventable by doing 3 things:
Break up long periods of sitting
with light activity.
At least 150 minutes of moderate
aerobic activity or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity every week.
Strength exercises on two or
more days a week that work all the major muscles.
