Craig Finney Personal Training

The leg press machine.

By changing foot position you can change which muscles will will be favoured when pressing.

As with squats, an narrow foot placement will line up the glute fibers better, whereas a wider stance will bias the adductor magnus more.

Foot placement can also influence how much the knees will bend, therefore how much work the quads will do. A lower foot placement will require more knee bend meaning the quads will work harder.

Just because I've shown how each one favours certain area doesn't necessarily mean the other muscles do nothing, it simply shows how one position will work a certain area harder than another.

Give them a try and feel the difference for yourself.

Client results.

Simon came to me whilst working for livewire in the gym, and wanted to look like the Rock (I guess who doesn't) Simon is deaf and has a tracheostomy, which made communication difficult. However I'm all for a challenge, and i even learned a little sign language along the way to overcome some of the barriers.

We did have to tone down his expectations a little, because the Rock is a freak of nature and a bloody big dude naturally. Initially when I was working at the gym Simon was only able to afford the odd session, as the gym charge £35 per session. We had odd session here and there and he was doing OK, but once I was made redundant and started doing sessions off my own back was when we really started to see results.

For what Simon was paying for 2 sessions he was now able to afford 3 and still have money to spare. This increased frequency to his training, initially outdoors and then at peak fitness is really where there was a massive improvement in his physique.

I'm really proud of what I've achieved with Simon under challenging circumstances . While with me Simon gained 4 inches to his arms,3 inches to his chest and also lost 4 inches from his waist. He doubled the weight on every lift and leaves me one strong m**o!! I honestly don't think these results would be possible with one session per week had I stayed at Orford.

I've taken a client who was paying £600 for 12 sessions pt at Athelis, who got zero results. From what he tells me, I'd put it down to the fact all he's been doing is glorified group exercise classes. Im confident using proper biomechanics and intelligent programming we will see the same type of improvements as simon soon.

Anyone who has had a pt previously and not had the results you desired, get in touch and I will give you a FREE taster session to see what training the right way looks like.

Looking to lose weight?

There are so many diets out there to choose from, it can be confusing which one is best. Most of us have a friend that has done a particular diet and swears by it, yet for someone else it just didn't work out.

In reality all of the diets listed will work, all have their pros and cons (some more than others).The one thing they all have in common, to succeed they require you in a negative energy balance, meaning you're using more calories than you're taking in. Do that constantly over time and the weight will come off.

I'm not going to say which diet i think is best or worst, but the best diet is the one that you can adhere too, and doesn't force you to restrict the foods you like.

Studies show that where protein requirements are met and a calorie deficit is in place nothing else really matters. Protein has the highest thermic effect of any food, and is virtually impossible for your body to store as fat.It plays a vital role in your body's natural processs and is also satiating, meaning you will stay fuller for longer, reducing the need to snack.

Without writing an essay on here about sleep, hormones ,satiating foods, cravings, energy expenditure and all the others that play a part, the take home message is that the 2 most important parts of any diet are a calorie deficit, and adequate protein. Healthier food choices would be the icing on the cake in terms of your health, but be aware all the healthy foods in the world won't mean s**t towards your weight loss if your not in a deficit.

Aim to eat 1.6-2.2g of protein per kg of bodyweight depending on your goals. Read the labels on foods, knowledge is power, get to know portion sizes and the calories in the foods you are consuming. It's a ball ache but tracking for at least a couple of weeks could be a massive insight into where you're going wrong.

The calories over the week are what matters, meaning that you can have a bad day here and there, but if your average for the week is a substantial deficit you will lose fat. A deficit of 3500 calories per week averaged out should lose a pound of fat as a rough guide.

I feel like a lot of people seek out a pt just to lose weight, when all they need is some guidance on nutrition.1 or 2 hours with a pt doing sled pushes and mountain climbers isn't likely to be the defining factor in weight loss.

How the calories are burned doesnt matter, it can easily come from 10000 steps, dancing or literally anything that's raised your heart rate. It doesn't have to be some HIIT workout. You really don't have to jump around like a frog doing burpees to lose weight.

Resistance training and the benefits of that for weight loss, well that's a write up for another day.....

Fat loss 101,The thermic effect of food....

What is it? How can it help lose weight?

TEF is the energy required by the body to digest what you eat.
When you eat food there is an increase in your metabolism (energy expenditure) above base line levels. Its this increase in your metabolism that's required for your body to digest and absorb nutrients in order to produce energy, known as ATP.

This thermic effect accounts for roughly 10% of the energy you burn daily. As you can see by the image, not all foods are used the same. If we go with a thermic effect of 30% for protein, this means that 100 calories of protein only end up as 70 usable calories.

People associate a high protein diet with bodybuilding, and yes if you want big muscles then protein is important, but what seems to be less well know is the importance when dieting.

When comparing the difference between fats and protein the difference is quite substantial. The reason for this is the metabolism doesn't have to do a great deal to digest fats,and only slightly more for carbs, whereas a substantial amount more is required to digest protein.

Throw in the other benefits like all your body's basic functions require protein, and the fact that its more satiating so will keep you fuller for longer. Protein reduces levels of the hunger hormone ghrelin, while it boosts the appetite-reducing hormones GLP-1, peptide YY and cholecystokinin. This leads to an automatic reduction in calorie intake.

So, here you have a dam good reason to prioritise protein in your diet, regardless if you wana be a slim Jim or a meat head.

They have to be the 2 most asked questions I was asked on the gym floor. My answer was always the same. There isn't a specific exercise for this!!

What people are asking for is how to spot reduce fat in a certain area.Where you store fat is individual to you and you only. Some will get big bums, some bingo wings, others a double chin. I seem to be lumbered with child bearing hips,we all have somewhere that's a pain!

Now to understand why spot reduction isn't effective, it is important to understand how the body burns fat.

The fat in your cells is found in the form of triglycerides, which are stored fats that the body can use for energy.

Before they can be burned for energy, triglycerides must be broken down into smaller sections called free fatty acids and glycerol, which are able to enter the bloodstream.

During exercise, the free fatty acids and glycerol used as fuel can come from anywhere in the body, not specifically from the area that is being exercised.

So unfortunately tricep extensions won't do much to reduce fat around the triceps for bingo wings, thousands of crunches and side bends will do jack s**t to shift the fat from your stomach. If anything those exercises can be counter productive, because working such small muscles in isolation isn't going to burn many calories.

If you spend a few hours per week doing exercise then you want to focus on the ones that use the most amount of muscle possible.Why? Because Squats, lunges, presses pulls use larger muscles, which burn more calories. And calories are what matter the most!!

A calorie deficit, achieved through either diet, exercise/resistance training or a combination of both is the only way to reduce fat in those areas. For the most stubborn areas it will take time, as they will be the last to go. With some perseverance and consistency they will eventually go.