JakeDentonPT

  We all have times when we can't be motivated. And things we can't do.    But, for me, the true barriers to progress, are excuses.    I've had a few weeks of losing motivation myself, but I am back, I admit that I could not be bothered, and am moving on feeling a bit more inspired and motivated.  It is entirely normal to lose motivation for a few days, weeks and even months. It's natural that we aren't all experts at something. It's natural that life stops us doing what we want to do sometimes. And, naturally, we all come up with excuses, either true, exaggerated, or not quite true.    But self-acceptance is important!    For me, the time spent coming up with excuses, is time that could be spent doing something better.    The picture (above) from is from BBC Radio One, where Tom Hardy was interviewed. Of course, he could have said his rap career flopped due to illness, or traffic, or circumstances. Instead, he chose to recogni...

  You'll have probably heard something along the lines of 'cardio kills gains'.   But is this really true?    Mostly, no it is not true. Some people will tell you it is. Some people will tell you it's not. I will tell you it depends.    Lets look at the physiology. As we all know, to make 'gains', you must resistance train and have enough calories.  Cardio can burn a lot of calories, which is why it can be so effective for losing weight. And, why it can be tougher to build muscle alongside heavy cardio.  Muscle building from weight training generally results in increased Type 2 muscle fibres. Type 2 muscle fibres are larger than Type 1 muscle fibres, which are developed with cardio training. So, logically, to build more muscle you want to focus more on the Type 2 fibres.     However, cardio improves our heart, lungs, blood vessels and blood. This improves our bodies ability to deliver oxygen, nutrients, hormones and everything else ...

  What really makes the 'best' exercise?    I'm sure you will have heard that you must do this and that to achieve your goals, but is there really a singular 'best' exercise? Put simply... No there isn't!    Two exercises do receive a lot of support that they are the best... the deadlift and the burpee. And the science behind these claims?    Both actively use most the muscle groups - arms, legs, back, chest, core.   So, what do I think is best?   For me, exercise is all about enjoyment and specificity. So, any exercises should be specific to your goals, and as much as possible, enjoyable.    If you want to deadlift 100kg, then you will need to deadlift.  If you want to swim 5km, and hate deadlifts, then there is no need to do them.    Similarly with cardiovascular exercises, you will have often seen a chart or picture of calories burned per hour per exercise, sometimes with skipping as the highest calories per hour....

  Recovery during and after exercise is a largely forgotten aspect of training... And I am certainly guilty of forgetting the importance of recovery.    Here I discuss the two types of recovery, and their importance to exercise training.  The first type of recovery is one that is easy to recognise as rest, but is largely under valued. This is the rest period between sets or exercises. This could range from 15 seconds to over 2 minutes, dependant on your training and experience. But, do you know how long your rest should be for? Obviously, there are variations based on individual factors and fitness levels, however different training modalities require different rest periods. Commonly, this is suggested to be 1 minute, which is ideal for a hypertrophy (3/4 sets of 8-12 reps) programme. During this period, your body is able to replenish used glycogen from the muscles to ensure you can complete the next set.  For endurance training (4/5 sets to 15-20 reps or more) ...

Don't want to go to the gym? Don't worry! Outdoor training has a whole host of additional benefits for you! As the colder months and darker evening are drawing in, its all too easy to stay inside.    Except, it's probably more important to get outside more!     All through the warmer months, we spent hours outside, soaking up the sun. Then, in the colder months, we hide inside and suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder.    Yes! Seasonal Affective Disorder is real! According to the NHS, it is believed to be caused by a lack of sunlight. The sunlight we enjoy during the summer reduces our melatonin (known as the sleep hormone), and increases our serotonin (improves our mood).  By absorbing less sun, our melatonin levels increase, making us feel sleepy more, and our serotonin levels decrease, which can lead to feelings of depression. (To clarify, depression is a completely separate condition, and it is recommended to visit your GP if you feel depressed)....

  Wherever you look, and whoever you ask, they will all say that there is one workout split that beats all the rest.    Fortunately, this is not true!    The best workout split will depend entirely on you! What is a split?   A split is just a way of deciding what muscles/aspects of fitness you will train on a specific day. You'll likely have heard of leg day - which is just one day in a split when you work legs. And there are all manner of splits out there: Push, Pull, Legs. Chest and Tri's, Back and Bi's.  Chest day, Back day,  Leg day, Arm day, Core day.    And while each split has its own advantages, these are only really realised by more elite athletes (or anyone who goes to the gym about 10 times per week). Who, realistically, has time for that?   For most people, myself included, I recommend full body sessions. Full body sessions are perfect for if you are short on time, or have unstable schedules, and they are still extremely...

  This article covers the top 8 tips I have found in my research to improve your longer, open water swimming speeds. Some of these tips may also be beneficial for shorter, sprint speeds and pool speeds.  A basic understanding of how the water acts upon our bodies when we are swimming is crucial for improving swimming. Some of the concepts may seem complex, although I will attempt to describe them as simply as possible, however the solutions are much easier to implement.  First of all, we need to be familiar with Netwon's Second Law: Force = Mass x Acceleration   This means that for a body of mass (in this case, you) to accelerate (move) you must be acted upon by forces. In the instance of swimming, the main forces are thrust and drag.    1) Drag  Drag is the force working against you. Within swimming, there is three types of drag acting upon us. These are: Pressure Drag, Friction Drag and Wave Drag.  Pressure Drag is caused by turbulent waters cre...