The Fit Club LDN

- The Bench Press -

Friday is here which means chest day is only a couple of days away.

Some simple key point that need to be taken into consideration are:

• Maintain 3 points of contact (shoulders and glutes with the bench and feet with the floor)
• Grip width should be determined by your forearms being vertical in the bottom position)
• Ensure there is a slight arch in your back
• Drive with your feet

Following these steps should help you in achieving a better bench press. If you feel like you’re unable to perform the movement without ticking off these key points then lower the load until they’re met ✅

For any questions or coaching drop me a DM 📥

One exercise that I see a lot of people struggle to perform for reps is the pull up ❌

One way to improve your pull ups is by simply switch from seated pulldowns to kneeling pulldowns. This will help you achieve increased re**us abdominus activation so that there will be a similar force profile to when go to perform pull ups ✅

One to add to your upper/lower split

Peanut butter ❌
Peanut butter powder ✅

Everyone knows that exercise helps to burn calories but it’s often the day to day actives that are not classed as exercise that will determine your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) 🔥

These activities will make up your Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT).

These activities can be:
• Going for a walk
• Standing up at work to walk around for a couple of minutes
• Cleaning your house
• Playing an instrument
• Taking the stairs at work

Basically…anything that gets you moving more will increase you NEAT.

With this being said, you just have to find things that you enjoy. For me it’s playing the drums 🤘

Cold water therapy (CWT) is a method of bathing or showering in water that is 15 degrees C or lower that induces cold stress.

Cold stress has been shown to cause a response in which levels of norepinephrine increases.

Norepinephrine is a neurotransmitter that plays an important role in regulating focus and attention, vigilance and mood. Because of the role that it plays in regulating the previously mentioned, norepinephrine has been pharmacology targeted to aid individuals that suffer from depression and ADHD due to low levels in these individuals. However, what is interesting to note is that when experiencing CWT at ~4 degrees C or lower for just 20s, norepinephrine increased by 200-300%. From the above we can presume that CWT could potentially be used for improving both of these medical illnesses.

There’s something pretty cool about norepinephrine in that norepinephrine is not only a neurotransmitter but also a hormone that is released when experiencing cold stress to preserve heat. This can be seen through the mechanism known as vasoconstriction.

Vasoconstriction takes place, leading to reduced blood flow to the submerged/covered areas which results in a reduction to swelling and/or inflammation.

Another change, due to cold stress, that is regulated by norepinephrine is the increase in mitochondrial biogenesis in adipose tissue and muscle tissue (which basically means increasing the energy producing units in fat and muscle tissue).

In regards to adipose tissue, the process not only produces more heat to keep us warm but also has been considered to ‘burn fat’ due to the increase in cellular energy levels. In regard to muscle tissue, the increase in mitochondria will allow you to utilise oxygen more effectively therefore improving your aerobic capacity.

Looking at the available research on CWT shows that it can be implemented into training programmes to aid recovery, improve focus and drive (not only in regards to fitness but also to work) and to aid those suffering from depression or mood disorders. However, further research in need to determine optimal timings and methods.

Most people go into a sauna and come out feeling uplifted. But, is there something behind that feeling? 🔥

Mechanism #1
By simply sitting in the sauna, your heart rate increases to around 150bpm mimicking moderate intensity cardio. Blood flow to the heart and plasma volume levels increase.

Mechanism #2
Heat stress can also improve physical health through the gene Foxo3. The Foxo3 gene activates genes to allow for DNA repair, cell death, antioxidant genes and genes that a present is stem cell function and can be accredited to delaying ageing.

Mechanism #3
Increase in heat shock proteins (HSPs). These are activated by heat to ensure that cellular proteins maintain their 3D structure. Losing their 3D structure through everyday life can lead them to aggregate with other misfolded proteins, resulting in cardiovascular disease and neurodegenerative diseases. However, HSPs can help to ‘refold’ proteins to give them their 3D structure.

Mechanism #4
Upon experiencing heat stress, dynorphin (the opposite to endorphin) is activated and starts the binding process to Kappa Opioid Receptors to cool the body down. During this process, Mu Opioid Receptors count increases and their sensitivity to endorphin increase. In simple terms, the feel good factor feels even better!

Physical Benefits
Fatal coronary heart disease (CHD), fatal cardiovascular disease (CVD), and all-cause mortality have been shown to improve following the regular use of a sauna. Laukkanen et al. (2015) concluded that men who use the sauna 2-3 times a week are 27% less likely to die from CHD and CVD and those who used the sauna 4-7 times a week were 50% less likely to die from CHD and CVD in comparison to those that use the sauna 1 time per week.

Frequent sauna use also lowered all-cause mortality rate for those that used the sauna 2-3 times a week by 24% and those that used the sauna 4-7 times a week had a 40% lower all-cause mortality rate than those that used the sauna once per week.

There is s sufficient evidence to show that heat stress therapy is an effective way to improve both physical and mental health. However, more research is needed to outline an optimal protocol 📚