The Gymnag® Forum

05/09/2010 11:51:53 Topic: Making the weight, Ashley Evans, Muay Thai fighter gymnag_Rob Posts: 51	I spoke to Ashley about this and he said that he did cut back on calories but this was a natural consequence of eating healthily as there was a lot less calories in the food he was eating. He never went hungry as he was eating lots of vegetables which filled him up and most of the calories were in the fish and his breakfast. He also increased his training for the fight which burned off more calories too. A good tip he gave was too use a local farm shop to buy all his vegetables and fruit as it was all fresh, local produce and far richer in nutrients than supermarket produce. He's put a couple of kg's on since due to relaxing a little post fight, but has maintained most of the weight loss.
02/09/2010 08:44:07 Topic: Making the weight, Ashley Evans, Muay Thai fighter gymnag_Rob Posts: 51	Not only is Gymnag ideal for anyone who wants to be fitter, slimmer, bigger or healthier, but is also ideal for anyone who participates in any sport that uses weight classes for competition such as boxing or martial arts, or indeed any sport where weight can be an issue. There has always been a fine balancing act for athletes between losing weight and maintaining performance, not only for the event itself but also to meet the demands of training for the event and a lot can be learnt from finding out what methods sports people use. Whether these are nutritional or training principles or even mental/motivational techniques, the principles can apply to everyone. Here Ash Evans, one of UK's most promising Muay Thai fighter's, explains how in eight weeks he lost 13kg to make the weight for his latest fight. "When the fight was arranged I weighed myself and was 86kg. The fight was made at 73kg. In order to lose the weight, my diet went from lots of refined foods and foods high in sugar, salt and sat fats to 100% natural foods, with no refined foods at all. This typically included Shredded wheat for breakfast with honey and soya milk. The rest of my meals would be made up from vegetables and fish in any combination. I made lots of natural soups and just added my fish to it. I didn't diet at all and never went hungry. I ate as much veg and fish as I wished - as well as lots of fruit to keep up the blood sugar levels. I trained in Crossfit 3 times a week - sticking to body weight exercises as much as possible. I would have done lots of interval running as well ,but unfortunately, whilst training for the fight, i damaged my knee whilst sparring and my knee didnt allow it. I would have also done a 10k run every week for time. My specific training would have included lots of sparring but for the knee injury and did include 5 very hard rounds on the pads. I also found the tabata protocol very good for fat burning. In eight weeks I went from 86kg to weigh in at 73.3kgs." Check out Ashley's before and after photo's to see the great results he obtained. Ashley went on to win on points over five hard rounds, against a tough opponent with a of experience, extending his unbeaten record. The fight can be seen on the internet at www.P4TV.com. on the Rising at the Reebok show at the Reebok Stadium. Ashley - Before: Ashley - After:
27/08/2010 08:28:34 Topic: Weight loss operations on the rise in UK gymnag_Paul Administrator Posts: 51	The number of people in England undergoing surgery on the NHS to help them lose weight has increased ten-fold in less than a decade. Read more on BBC news.
25/08/2010 16:38:29 Topic: The obesity timebomb and who should be responsible gymnag_Rob Posts: 51	My opinion for what it's worth is that it all comes down to individual responsibility or in the case of kids the responsibility of their parents. I don't think people should be made to pay for healthcare costs though. They pay taxes too and i think it would be the thin end of the wedge and an ideal excuse for the government to start squeezing more cash out of the public. First overweight people, smokers, drinker's people with dangerous job's or high risk hobbies etc etc.
24/08/2010 14:25:10 Topic: The obesity timebomb and who should be responsible gymnag_Paul Administrator Posts: 51	I watched an interesting programme on Channel 4 last night, The Hospital, about the increasing number of young people needing liver transplants and how this is caused by lifestyle choices. It raised an interesting dilema regarding the role of personal responsibility towards your own health and the state's responsibility, through the NHS, to treat people who have essentially made themselves ill and ignore advice and warnings to change their behaviour. The topic relates to the increasing numbers of obese people, both young and old, in the UK and the debate will continue on where responsibilities lie. We all should now be aware that eating too much processed food, too little exercise and other activities such as binge drinking and smoking are bad for our health. However, what can be done about it? How do we get the message across to convince (I think convince rather than force is more effective) to change their ways? Should the state be there to pay for the health care costs? Should the people who have been warned by doctors to change, but ignore the advice, be made to pay or contribute to their treatment? Can we make people more active without them realising it? Should we legislate on food standards to improve the nutritional value? The one thing I'm sure we can all agree on is that something needs to be done sooner, rather than later. Otherwise, it's a timebomb waiting to go off... Share your views on this important topic.
20/08/2010 15:48:10 Topic: Weight loss supplements don’t work.... gymnag_Paul Administrator Posts: 51	As with everything in life!
20/08/2010 11:19:57 Topic: Weight loss supplements don’t work.... gymnag_Rob Posts: 51	I can believe. If it sounds to good to be true then it probaly is!
20/08/2010 11:17:51 Topic: Lose excess weight and run faster. gymnag_Rob Posts: 51	Think it was an email i was sent by runner's world mag.
19/08/2010 18:30:22 Topic: Lose excess weight and run faster. gymnag_Rob Posts: 51	I've just read that for every 1lb in weight you lose (as long as it is surplus weight) you apparently run a mile 2secs quicker!
29/07/2010 08:33:57 Topic: Doctors should say fat instead of obese... gymnag_Paul Administrator Posts: 51	The new England public health minister, Anne Milton, has said doctors should call patients fat rather than obese as this will have more of an emotional impact and spur them into action to do something about it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLSlIlmVkVQ What do you think? Personally I think it will likely upset those who really need the support and help to better manage their weight - those people who won't be upset or offended likely aren't too bothered about their weight anyway. Why not share your thoughts on this?
28/07/2010 08:35:13 Topic: Weight management guidance for pregnancy gymnag_Paul Administrator Posts: 51	The UK health watchdog, NICE, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence has issued new guidance on Weight management before, during and after pregnancy. Read more at: http://guidance.nice.org.uk/PH27
23/07/2010 11:30:40 Topic: Endurance running gymnag_Paul Administrator Posts: 51	Hi Reuben, how's the training going? When is your race?
06/07/2010 13:47:56 Topic: Tom Beaver and the world's toughest triathlon gymnag_Rob Posts: 51	The crazy dude just did the Edinburgh marathon with a mate. Just to spice it up he did it dragging a tyre! Think it took him about 5 to 6 hrs in 28 degrees heat. Believe his next event is the Long Mynd Hike which is a 50m run/hike over the Shropshire Hills. edited by gymnag_Rob on 06/07/2010
06/07/2010 13:45:42 Topic: Thailand fat camp - lose 8lbs in 8 days! gymnag_Rob Posts: 51	I was ok until Xmas lol.
30/06/2010 18:35:23 Topic: Strength endurance gymnag_Rob Posts: 51	Try mixing it up or pyramiding with the reps, but if your just using bodyweight you'll have to do a quite a few reps per set as the resistance will be low. Keep the rest periods quite short or switch between exercises so that the worked muscles get a rest whilst your exercising unworked muscles.E.g 20 pressups followed by 20 squats, followed by 20 situps then repeat several times. I'd invest in some kind of resistance equipment though as you'll be a lot more versatile, you can use everyday stuff too like flipping an old tractor tyre and whacking it with a sledgehammer for a great strength/endurance workout or a single kettlebell is very versatile and doesn't take up much room!! edited by gymnag_Rob on 30/06/2010
24/06/2010 15:54:35 Topic: The latest, coolest exercise equipment gymnag_Paul Administrator Posts: 51	Here's a link to the BeaverFit site: http://www.beaverfit.com/
15/06/2010 22:15:35 Topic: The latest, coolest exercise equipment gymnag_Rob Posts: 51	A cool bit of kit that's simplicity itself and works a treat are foam roller's. They don't cost much but are really effective for massaging tired muscles, especially tight IT bands from running. I tried one of these a few months ago and they really work. Not really exercise equipment i suppose but by helping recovery and preventing injuries it'll help you train more effectively.
14/06/2010 16:57:55 Topic: How to Get Strong Without Compromising Bodyweight gymnag_Paul Administrator Posts: 51	An interesting article I've found on how to build real muscle strength without compromising body weight and also some interesting background on why some people are stronger than they appear... http://judoinfo.com/GetStrongWithoutWeight.htm It also backs up what Rob has been commenting on increasing strength and getting results. Also ties in with the crossfit principles. edited by gymnag_Paul on 15/06/2010
14/06/2010 12:11:53 Topic: The latest, coolest exercise equipment gymnag_Rob Posts: 51	Also, as well as the 'Power sprint' i mentioned above, Beaverfit are now making a new compact gym called The BeaverFit Challenger. It includes every bit of functional exercise equipment you need. It has squat stands, Glute ham developer and pull-up bars and can be upgraded to have wing pull-up bars, a power cage and moveable parallel bars for dips or handstand press-ups. When it comes to the latest equipment though you can't beat the tried and tested tools such as Olympic bars, dumbells, medicine balls, kettlebells, pull up/ dipping bars, concept 2 rowers and punch bags. Add to these functional equipment like tractor tyres (for flipping and hitting with sledgehammers), sledge/tyre dragging, it's pretty much all covered and most decent new equipment will be advancements in quality or design, or equipment that makes certain exercises easier/or harder such as elastic bands to make pullups easier or weighted jackets to make them harder. Beaverfit has most of this equipment but another good source of ideas are mixed martial art mags or fighting fitness magazine, that show not only good equipment but what can be done with this equipment with a little imagination. A lot of these exercises will come from the world of combat sports, strongman competitions, gymnastics and athletics, etc and are extremely effective but not very well known in the public arena.
13/06/2010 15:20:16 Topic: The latest, coolest exercise equipment gymnag_Steve Administrator Posts: 5	Hey Rob, What's the latest, coolest exercise equipment out on the market today? Cheers, Steve edited by gymnag_Steve on 13/06/2010
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