Davin Byrne Fitness

Just a reminder that if you've committed yourself to eating healthier.

First off, hats off you to for getting after it.

But, here's a reminder from your friendly neighborhood page. If you're going to go 110% on EVERY aspect of health and fitness at the same time, there will be slip ups.

You're going to have a bad day and break away from your plan.

But read on cause the following 3 things are likely to happen

..
..
..

Absolutely Nothing.

Don't beat yourself up if you have a bad day, it's part of being human. Fundamentally we're never going to get everything right and that's okay.

Brush yourself off, and when you can, get straight back to it!

This week’s quick exercise tip will look at push up variations. And a bit of a change up in setting.

Everyone recognizes the classic military 90 degree angle ‘T’ shaped push up. This type of push up increases the demand on the shoulder. Without the proper mobility you’re likely to run into trouble faster. And long term this isn’t the most shoulder friendly exercise for many individuals.

What we can do is take our elbows to a 45 degree angle, or ‘arrow’ shaped push up. This will likely demand less of the shoulder, ensuring more longevity and health of the shoulder complex.

I’m not trying to demonize the 90 degree angle push up. Just raising awareness that it probably isn’t the most efficient variation for many individuals.

Let me know how you get on :-)

This weeks regular exercise tip - The long lever plank.

If you're looking for a way to spice up the boring plank look no further.

The long lever plank is an easy to do progression to add to your regular plank.

Set up in your regular plank and simply walk your feet behind you.

The increase of distance between the elbow under the shoulder makes for a diabolical new core challenge!

Enjoy >:-)

If you have any other questions or wish to see more progressions for different core exercises in the future just let me know!

We've all been there.

'On Monday I'm starting a diet'

You've said it, your friends & family have said it.

But with so much options out there which one is the best of the best?

Is it..

Paleo
Vegeterian
Flexible
Intermittent Fasting
Gluten free
Vegan
Keto

You tried going Vegan because it's the 'healthiest' diet of them all.

Now you had to cut some of your favorite foods out. That delicious mouth watering treat you save till the end of the week is now gone.

Fine you can live with that.

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Wait I can't have eggs?

That's my favorite breakfast.

But it doesn't fit my diet. Fine I guess I can live without it.

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Oh my god! Work has pilled on the pressure.

I am so stressed. Ugh beans and vegetables AGAIN.

I hate this diet.

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Has this ever been you?

You've set out a goal of living a healthier lifestyle. What better way to start than a diet!

You cut your favorite foods because it doesn't fit the diet.

At first you decided to take a deep breathe and remember why you started.

But the cracks start showing after a couple of weeks.

Then bam, you're hit with unexpected situation. It may be at work or home.

Your motivation has been slowly declining for weeks. On top of this you're more stressed than you have been in months.

You don't enjoy the diet anymore.

You loath the meals.

You're irritable or annoyed easy.

Although you're eating a health 'diet'.

It isn't enough.

Plain and simple you don't enjoy it.

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A lot of people fall in to this trap with the end result being a 'failed' diet.

Although some people can eat a super healthy diet and not bat an eye, this isn't the case for most people.

Remember when you begin a diet, find something that is healthy but you also enjoy.

This will ultimately lead to better dietary adherence.

Whether this be paleo, keto, vegan or whatever comes next.

There is ultimately no one size fits all diet out there.

Only individual people and context

Interesting book I'm reading at the moment.

Have you ever noticed are days are built upon habits.

We tend to reach for certain items off the shelf without thinking, further engraving the habit we've built up.

Do you get the same feeling of satisfaction when you brush your teeth in the morning and don't feel the tingly minty sensation after a thorough brush.

Or is it that the minty freshness we feel is the reward we recieve from carrying out said habit.

Are days are filled with habits. Do you pay attention to your daily actions? Does it deliver you closer towards your goals or move you further away.

Something to think about

If anyone else has read up on the subject I'd love to hear about it :-)

Has it ever been the case that you want boulder like shoulders or been told incorporating overhead movements is part of a well rounded programme.

You go wherever - gym, home or mountain (barbarian style) and start pushing heavy objects overhead, you feel great in the moment, the feel good chemicals in your brain are going crazy.

But sometime after, you go to sleep feeling accomplished that you went full on beast mode today.

You're awaken the next morning by the unworldly feeling of discomfort (or worse pain!) in your shoulder.

BUT

It doesn't have to be this way.

Some individuals can't comfortably overhead press (loaded) because they simply can't raise their arms over their head into the position (unloaded).

And when is it a good idea to load a movement we clearly don't own... Never!

Here's one of my go to’s for any shoulder discomfort.

The Landmine press shown in a tall kneeling, half kneeling and standing position.

Here are a couple of big mistakes to watch out for when performing this movement.

1. Stack your wrist in a straight line, this can be done by keeping your thumb on the side of the bar.

2. In the start position, don't let front part of your shoulder roll/dump forward, aim to start with the shoulders pulled back.

3. When initiate this movement with a press and reach! This allows the scapula to upwardly rotate into a good end position.

Happy pressing :-)

One Of The Simplest Strategies to Help Lose Weight

Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT)

As per the picture below, NEAT can be walking, fidgeting or making a cup of tea.

It is one of the most underused methods at our disposal for weight loss. Take the first example that comes to mind - walking. One way to track this metric is a 'Step Counter'. Which I believe is implemented into most smart phones.

Imagine you're killing it at the gym or you smashed a home workout. You wanna go do something else the next day, but you're sore. (This is okay, we should not kill ourselves everyday in the gym, it impedes recovery and is just a silly strategy). So instead of going guns blazing into another workout. You may instead message a friend that you haven't seen for a while and go for a walk, aiming to hit the daily 10k step count. You've done some necessary social obligations AND you've moved closer towards your goal.

It is much easier to see yourself going for a walk instead of another strenuous 45 minute spin class that makes you nauseous at the thought of. Or that leg work out that makes stairs non negotiable for at least a week.

We should live a healthy, active life to enhance our lives, confidence and mental fortitude. Don't make the mistake of letting it become it for 4 weeks, burning out and falling straight back into the habits you set out to change.

Remember this is a long term process, don't jump at the 7 day 'solutions'.

Any questions, or recommendations for further reading, give me a shout :-)

There is nothing wrong with either of these positions.

However, they both have a different context.

On the left. This is how I see many individuals starting a kettlebell swing. But this position with the kettlebell directly over my shoulder blade would be better suited for a kettlebell deadlift (hence the blue arrow in a vertical direction).

On the right, I have taken a step back from the kettlebell. This starting position allows for an easier pull of the kettlebell to initiate the explosive hip hinge movement.

There are no good or bad movement in this world. But a good starting position can make a heck of difference.

The weight loss industry is literally worth BILLIONS!

People unfortunately buy into the lies. Have you ever heard/seen..

'This supplement will shed the fat and make you look great!'

'This fat burner will fix everything and give you the secret to happiness!'

'OMG keto is the secret to weight loss'

There are countless 'untold industry secrets' that you get you to spend your valuable money on marketing tactics.

Here's the not so secret key to weight loss..

Adherence!

Have a look at the graph

You've killed this week, ate all the right things.

But the weekend hits and you drink and eat to your hearts content because you deserve it.

If your goal is weight loss this is not idea! (Don't get me wrong we all need to enjoy life, but if you have a goal like this in mind, there needs to be sensible rules in place).

You've tipped the energy balance scales and gone into a calorific surplus, meaning your body will gain weight.

The exact opposite effect of what your goal is.

If you want to lose weight you need to be in a calorific deficit. This means your body is taking in less calories than it needs, resulting in weight loss. This can be accomplished in a number of ways.

Here's some tips

Adhere to your plan, remember weight loss takes time. If you do have a slip up, it's okay! It's all part of the journey. You can and will accomplish your goal. Have a plan you can stick to and enjoy!!

Make sure you're active throughout the day i.e. step count. Aiming for at least 10,000 a day. If you can't accomplish this daily, spread it through the week (70,000/week). 5,000 on Monday, 15,000 on Tuesday etc etc.

Eat an adequate amount of protein, this makes you feel more full. Aim for at least 1.8 grams per kilogram of body weight.

If you have any further questions don't be afraid to drop me a message :-)

Are you new to squating or struggling to get it just right?

Do you find yourself falling forward onto your toes?

If so, the counter weight squat may be the ideal variation for you!

As you descend into your once troublesome squat, press the counter weight out in front of you.

This allows you to evenly distribute weight across the entire foot during a squat.

This kind of movement is ideal in a warm up, as it allows you to practice the movement, get warmed up and kick ass on your working sets.

Give it a try and let me know how you get on :-)