Centurion Blog

Happy new year!!!

As many of your new year resolutions will focus on fat loss and toning up I thought I would give you five additives that can spice up your meals and boost your fat loss.

Cayenne Pepper

A study at Oxford Polytechnic Institute found that cayenne pepper boosts the rate at which you metabolise fat by 15-20% for three hours after eating. As a bonus it also lowers your appetite.

Cinnamon

The US Agricultural Research Service have concluded that cinnamon increases metabolism by 20% as it makes the fat cells more responsive to insulin.

Ginger

Research in a hospital in New South Wales found that ginger boosts your metabolism by 20%. Add fresh ginger to boiling water to create a calorie culling cup of tea!

Mustard

Half a teaspoon of mustard increases your metabolic rate by up to 25% almost instantly according to research from the Oxford Polytechnic Institute. Add it to sandwiches, stews and pretty much anything else to instantly boost your metabolism.

Water

In a study published by the Endocrine Society, water was found to increase metabolism of adipose tissue (fat stores) by up to 30%. Drink it below 5ºC so that your body burns energy warming the water before its absorbed.



I hope that you can implement these fat burning weapons into your nutritional arsenal and use them to carve your desired physique!

If you need a bespoke nutrition plan then please email Josh@centuriontraining.com for more information. Alternatively CLICK HERE to view our online nutrition plans.

Once again I hope you have a fantastic new year and good luck with all of your goals fitness and otherwise!

Joshua Mullin - Master Trainer

Hello again my loyal followers! Today I wanted to give you some information that you can use to improve your physique from tomorrow onwards...


First up we have the reasons you should eat breakfast!

Recent research at the University of Massachusetts has shown that men who don't eat breakfast are 4.5 times more likely to be obese than those who eat it every day! Eating breakfast gives your metabolism the proverbial kick in the glutes that it needs from fasting for 6-12 hours!

When you go hours without eating your body will become catabolic (the body breaking down muscle for fuel) and if you have worked weeks, months or even years to gain your hard earned lean muscle then this is the last thing you need! By eating a good mix of protein, carbohydrates and healthy fats at breakfast then you will promote anabolism (a state of muscle building) and preserve your muscle tissue.

An ideal breakfast would be 3 scrambled eggs (only 1 yolk), Wholegrain toast and freshly squeezed fruit juice or a piece of fruit.

The eggs contain vital protein which aid muscle growth and recovery, whilst also supplying essential fats. Wholegrain toast will provide a prolonged source of carbohydrates as well as fibre and the fruit juice or fruit will give you the much needed sugar boost that will kickstart your metabolism and also give you some of your essential vitamins and minerals.


Secondly I have 5 ways you can eat away fat before it has a chance to blur your glorious physique!

Number 1 - Add lemon juice to water, tea, yoghurt and salads to trigger increased saliva production which helps to break down fat in foods/drinks.

Number 2 - Add vinegar to fatty foods to increase the production of stomach acids which in turn can help reduce body fat storage by up to 10%

Number 3 - Eat blueberries! blueberries can reduce the amount of fat globules (called chylomicrons) that are transported into the blood stream by 73%

Number 4 - Switch to brown sugar rather than using white as the polyphenols in molasses reduce the amount of fat tissue (adipose tissue) that is stored.

Number 5 - Lower your carbohydrate intake to 45% or lower of your daily calorie intake. This has been shown to reduce fat storage by 11%


I hope that this blog post has been helpful to your training or physique goals and that you can use it to move closer towards your goals!

Once again if you have any questions or have any topics you would like "blogged" then email josh@centuriontraining.com with your queries or suggestions.

Welcome to the Centurion Training blog. Our blogs used to consist of our monthly newsletter however we have decided to post fitness information and tips on a daily basis to enhance your fitness knowledge, anyway on with the show!


Reason Number 1...

Long, slow duration cardiovascular exercise elevates cortisol levels within your body. (Cortisol is a hormone released in response to stress. It's primary functions are to increase blood sugar, suppress the immune system and decreases bone formation) Elevated cortisol levels in the body means more fat will be stored around the abdomen and an ever increasing waistline!

Reason Number 2...

Excessive steady state cardio will increase the time spent by your body in a state of catabolism (muscle breakdown for fuel) so hours of steady state cardio will ultimately lead to a decrease in muscle mass which in turn will decrease your metabolic rate!

Reason Number 3...

Steady state cardio on a general level will make you more susceptible to injuries, any movement performed repetitively in the same position will cause excessive wear and tear on the joints and supporting structures. This is especially true for beginners in the gym who are misinformed about their cardiovascular training methods or have poor technique (one example is watching people on treadmills with poor gait).

Reason Number 4...

Long duration cardiovascular exercise can be extremely time consuming for minimal results. Unless you are training for a specific event such as a marathon then you are better off performing short interval workouts such as the ones listed below. Shorter workouts at a higher intensity will help you lose fat faster and improve cardiovascular conditioning in a shorter time than steady state cardio.


Sample Interval Workout

Perform your intervals on four cardiovascular machines using the Tabata training protocol (20 seconds work, 10 seconds rest for a total of 8 rounds). Rest two minutes then move onto the next machine.

You can choose any four exercises that you enjoy and that allow you to train hard over the four minute Tabata rounds.

Ensure you make a note of all the exercise details such as incline, resistance etc so you can track your progress throughout your training regime. Here are my suggestions;

Incline treadmill (either walk, jog or sprint)
Rowing machine
X-Trainer
Spin bike (standing climb position)

Sample Bodyweight Interval Circuit

Press ups
Squats
Inverted rows
Lunges
Pike press ups
Step Ups
Wide grip pull ups

Perform each exercise for thirty seconds and between each exercise listed above perform one bodyweight cardiovascular exercise for thirty seconds. I suggest choosing one of the following;

Burpees
Star jumps
Mountain climbers
Shuttle runs/Suicide Drills (either 30 seconds of shuttle runs or one complete suicide drill)

This only equates to 7 minutes per circuit! Perform the entire circuit 3-4 times and then curse me under your breath!



I hope this post has inspired you to start being fitter, keep your current level of conditioning or just to try something new!
Thank you for reading and feel free to leave a comment!

If you are short on time then interval training can be an effective to maximise calorie burning, cardio conditioning and fat loss in a lunchtime or time crunched workout.

Research in "Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise" found that 45 minute bouts of intense exercise such as the workout samples below will increase your metabolc rate (rate at which you burn calories) for more than 14 hours which can burn up to 190 more calories long after you have left the gym!

Another study from the University of Nebraska found that athletes performing 30 second intervals at 90% of max effort last 20% longer than when performing 3 minute intervals even though their heart rates were higher! Basically less lactic acid accumulates in your muscles which means you reduce workout pain whilst still reaping the physique and performance rewards.

Workout  1 - Treadmill
Estimated Calories Burned - 705
Total Time - 43 minutes

1 - 5 minutes ... Warm up
5 - 10 minutes ... 5mph jog
10 - 15 minutes ... 7mph sprint
15 - 20 minutes ... 5mph jog
20 - 23 minutes ... Rest (walk)
23 - 28 minutes ... 8 mph sprint
28 - 33 minutes ... 6 mph jog
33 - 38 minutes ... 7 mph sprint
38 - 43 minutes ... 5 mph jog

Workout 2 - Run Steps or Stepper
Estimated Calories Burned - 643
Total Time - 43 minutes

1 - 5 minutes ... Warm up
5 - 10 minutes ... Step run or stepper
10 - 15 minutes ... Jog
15 - 17 minutes ... Mountain climbers
17 - 19 minutes ... Rest
19 - 24 minutes ... Step run or stepper
24 - 29 minutes ... Jog
29 - 31 minutes ... Mountain climbers
31 - 33 minutes ... Rest
33 - 38 minutes ... Step run or stepper
38 - 43 minutes ... Jog

Workout 3 - Run Steps or Stepper
Estimated Calories Burned - 597
Total Time - 20-25 minutes

5-10 minutes ... Warm up
30 seconds ... Step run or stepper
30 seconds ... Slow walk
30 seconds ... Skip
30 seconds ... Slow walk
30 seconds ... Step ups
1 - 2 minutes ... Rest
30 seconds ... Step run or stepper
30 seconds ... Slow walk
30 seconds ... Skip
30 seconds ... Slow walk
30 seconds ... Step ups
1 - 2 minutes ... Rest
30 seconds ... Step run or stepper
30 seconds ... Slow walk
30 seconds ... Skip
30 seconds ... Slow walk
30 seconds ... Step Ups
1 - 2 minutes ... Rest


I hope that once again my blog has been useful, if you have any questions then please email me on josh@centuriontraining.com and feel free to leave a comment!

Joshua Mullin - Master Trainer