The Exercise Guru - Graeme Pearce

The Exercise Guru - Graeme Pearce Personal Training/Nutrition. The latest in training techniques and eating plans for weight loss/gain, health problems/ailments. Older clients welcome.

I am a former owner of 4 gyms, and have been a regular trainer and have trained many clients in all forms of fitness endeavours for more than 30 years. Early in my career I have won numerous body building titles, culminating with a finalist placing in the NABBA Mr Universe contest in London. One area of my expertise is the understanding of the biomechanics of lifting weights. This knowledge is crucial for achieving results and also for limiting injuries, especially in the older population. Too many trainers, even when they are with a PT are still getting injured. Over the last 15 years I have trained many older people and also clients that have sustained injuries, either sports related or due to age related body weaknesses. I have also worked with programs for those with neurological and auto immune diseases like Parkinson’s and MS. I have also had a keen interest in training sports people and sporting teams, those who are working towards achieving high level athletic goals. A passion I have had for many years is nutrition and I am currently undertaking a part time nutrition degree. For the last 3 years I have been studying new dietary research material and how manipulating the macronutrients of food effects the way hormones regulate fat partitioning in our bodies. This is what determines whether a diet will succeed or fail and if it does succeed will it keep giving results for the long term, unfortunately not many do. The weight/fat loss area has for too long been corrupted with wrong advice and out of date hypotheses. I find it important that before I start a nutritional program I will recommend a comprehensive blood test and the results will determine what food and training program I will use for that client. So if you want to lose fat, increase lean muscle, repair injuries, lower your cardio vascular disease risk factors, get fit or compete in a sport, my many years of experience and my continual search for knowledge will ensure you get the best program to give you the results that you deserve.

31/12/2025

Eating Meat & Saturated Fat

A recent paper conducted by scientists from around the world in 175 various locations found that people that ate the most meat lived the longest. This is very different from what we have been told. The reason why I think this is true comes from my own experiences and my research into the physiological process that occur when you eat this way.

They are keeping your hormone insulin under control and raising its opposing hormone glucagon, both control body health and body composition. Eating a low carb diet by eating more fats and protein potentially can extend lifespan through the metabolic effects of stopping fat storage, and boosting fat oxidation.

Insulin is the primary hormone that promotes fat storage (lipogenesis) and inhibits fat breakdown (lipolysis). On the other hand glucagon, acts as a counterbalance, by encouraging fat oxidation (fat burn for energy) and inhibiting fat storage. Eating a meat diet containing both protein and fat (without the carbs) does this.

Diets higher in protein and fats (especially from meat sources) and low in carbs don’t spike blood glucose. When eaten by itself, high amounts of protein can raise blood glucose in a process known as gluconeogenesis, but in normal amounts mixed with fat this effect is very low. So, when insulin is low it allows glucagon to wield its fat burning potential and will inhibit fat being stored in our fat cells.

Yes there are many different opinions about eating meat, especially in the vegan community, I don’t believe red meat is harmful, (although I am talking about natural grass fed animals), because of these benefits.
1. Red meat has been shown to support and improve metabolic health when part of a low-carb approach.
2. It has been shown to reduce insulin resistance, which is the cause of much of the disease and bad health we see today.
3. Red meat is highly nutritious and contains all the vitamins, minerals, fats and proteins we need to remain healthy.
4. It has a superior fatty acid profile, being higher in omega-3 fatty acids. (including EPA, DPA, DHA) It also has a better omega-6 to omega-3 ratio, (often less than 3:1) and there is evidence showing this reduces inflammation (another cause of disease and bad health) and importantly improves heart health.
5. Another benefit I have recently come across is that red meat contains relatively high amounts of ‘Conjugated Linoleic Acid’ (CLA) and CLA has been linked to anti-cancer effects and improved body composition.
6. Red meat has been shown to reduce the effects of type 11 diabetes when combined with a low carb diet.
7. The last I will mention is it has elevated amounts of antioxidants. These include vitamin E, (often 3x higher) beta-carotene, and other phytonutrients that combat oxidative stress.

In conclusion
I know there is a lot of differing opinions about eating meat and eating saturated fats, and I know a lot of this comes from the medical community. But the more I use this approach and the more studies that come out about this subject, the more I am convinced that my thoughts are sound.

25/12/2025

Salt and Your Health
We’ve been told to cut back or even eliminate dietary salt to avoid high blood pressure and heart attacks, but if you restrict salt in your diet your body will compensate by holding onto what you have and not excreting it. So is dietary salt the problem?

Today it is known that insulin resistance (IR) is what causes heart attacks, and IR is caused by eating too much simple refined carbohydrates, not salt. Carbohydrates raise insulin, and elevated insulin over time causes IR.
Lowering insulin resistance breaks the vicious cycle linking metabolic dysfunction to atherosclerosis, which is the buildup of plaques blocking the heart arteries.

IR has a water retaining effect, which is the reason why lowering insulin, (by using a low carb diet) lowers water retention and in turn lowers IR, reduces blood pressure and lowers the risk of heart disease.

So what else can cause IR?
Ironically restricting salt stimulates a hormone called Aldosterone* which is secreted from your adrenal glands. Aldosterone will cause the kidneys to retain salt by disrupting insulin signalling, holding on to water and raising blood pressure.
There is also a well-supported bidirectional relationship between excess aldosterone and insulin resistance (IR) that can form a vicious cycle, particularly in conditions like obesity, metabolic syndrome, primary aldosteronism, and hypertension.

So not only would you have IR which raises blood insulin, but high insulin raises aldosterone levels, as I have previously mentioned - a vicious cycle.

So the important thing here to remember is, it is insulin resistance that you need to be concerned about, you need to eat enough salt so your body doesn’t secrete too much Aldosterone.

In summary:
Eat enough salt so Aldosterone levels are kept low, and reduce simple refined carbohydrates to keep IR low.

*A note about Aldosterone
Aldosterone in normal amounts is protective and adaptive. It is an essential mineralocorticoid playing a critical role in maintaining the body’s fluid and electrolyte balance. It also includes regulating blood pressure and blood volume.

08/11/2025

BETA BLOCKERS
The latest research says that "beta-blockers are not bad," but that medicine must be personalized.

· Past: "If you have coronary artery disease, you should be on a beta-blocker."
· Present: "The decision to continue a beta-blocker long-term after a heart attack depends heavily on your heart's pump function, your symptoms (like angina), and your other conditions."

For a patient with a normal ejection fraction and no angina, discontinuing the beta-blocker after the initial recovery period may be a very reasonable and evidence-based decision. This must, of course, be done carefully under a doctor's supervision to avoid the "rebound effect."

In summary
The blanket use of beta-blockers for all heart attack survivors is fading. Modern cardiology is moving towards a more precise approach, reserving these powerful drugs for the patients who derive a clear, proven benefit from them. Graeme

01/11/2025

Why Life Expectancy Gains Are Slowing

A recent study published in PNAS reports that the impressive increases in life expectancy we saw over the past century are beginning to plateau—or even decline—in many countries. The causes are complex: metabolic disease, mental health challenges, inequality, and environmental stressors all play a role. But here's the good news: this doesn't have to be your story. By prioritizing the pillars of Functional Medicine—nutrient-dense diets, quality sleep, regular movement, stress management, and a sense of purpose—you can beat the average and stack the odds in your favor. Longevity isn't just about adding years to your life, it's about adding life to your years. Chris Kresser

26/08/2025

Insulin Resistance: The Silent Health Threat

Insulin is a vital hormone produced by the pancreas’s beta cells. Its primary role is to regulate blood glucose (sugar) levels and support energy storage and utilization. Here are two of insulin’s main functions:
1. It lowers blood sugar by binding to receptors on cells, particularly in muscles, liver, and fat, allowing glucose to enter for use as energy, storage as glycogen (carbohydrates), or conversion to fat.
2. It works with glucagon, another pancreatic hormone produced by alpha cells, which raises blood glucose to maintain a healthy range.

These hormones should work harmoniously, but insulin resistance (IR) disrupts this balance. In IR, cells become less responsive to insulin, leading to high blood insulin and glucose levels. This condition contributes to type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cognitive decline, and even increased cancer risk due to chronic inflammation. As IR worsens, cells struggle to absorb glucose, impairing energy production and potentially causing organ dysfunction. IR also reduces blood vessels’ ability to dilate, raising blood pressure and contributing to metabolic dysfunction, a state underlying many chronic diseases.

As blood vessels become insulin resistant they are less responsive to insulin’s vasodilatory effects, so they lose the ability to dilate, expand and carry more blood. Normally insulin causes blood vessels to dilate, but as IR increases this doesn’t occur but an increase in blood pressure does. So what are the consequences of this happening - a very unhealthy state called “metabolic dysfunction”, which means the body’s normal processes for generating and using energy are not working properly. This underlies many chronic diseases often leading to death. It is happening at ever increasing numbers in our communities.

Most adults today have some degree of IR, often caused by excessive consumption of sugar, refined carbohydrates, and fast foods. Carbohydrates raise blood glucose, triggering insulin release. Over time, persistently high insulin levels lead to IR.

Interestingly, IR affects tissues differently: fat cells may remain insulin-sensitive and store excess fat, while muscle cells become resistant, starving them of energy. This imbalance causes calories to be stored as fat rather than burned, increasing the risk of obesity and chronic diseases.

IR’s story isn’t cut and dried, some tissues can remain sensitive to insulin while others become unresponsive. For example, fat cells can be sensitive and store fat, whilst muscle cells can be resistant and be starved of energy.

This results in energy contained in the calories you are eating being mainly stored in the body and not burned for energy. Fat accumulates, which again is bad for your health and raises your chance of succumbing to chronic diseases.

Mitochondrial Uncoupling (MU) - Thermoregulation
MU is a fancy name but has very interesting connotations. MU is a healthy state whereby fat and other substrates including glucose, are used to produce heat instead of producing cellular energy called ATP. Most of this heat comes from brown adipose tissue because it is rich in mitochondria and contains an uncoupling protein (UCPI) which is very efficient at producing heat.

The problem arises when Insulin levels become too high, slamming the brakes on mitochondrial uncoupling and resulting in only energy use when you need it, and not wasting it on heat. This is a problem because shedding heat energy is crucial for keeping us lean and healthy. This is why cold immersion baths and subjecting your body to very cold temperatures can have healthy benefits.

When insulin levels are low and MU is working, it has been shown you can burn up to 300 more cals a day. High insulin not only stops healthy thermoregulation but inhibits fat loss and raises the likelihood of contracting disease states.

Insulin resistance and Vitamin D (Vit D)
Optimal vitamin D levels are crucial for reducing IR and improving overall health. Benefits include:
1. Enhancing insulin receptor function and signaling, improving cellular communication.
2. Upregulating glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4), increasing glucose uptake by cells.
3. Reducing inflammation associated with IR.
4. Protecting pancreatic beta cells, slowing IR and diabetes progression.
5. Supporting cardiovascular health by reducing related risks.

To combat IR, try these steps:
1. Reduce sugar and refined carbohydrates (e.g., white bread, pastries). Choose complex carbs like whole grains, legumes, and vegetables to lower the glycemic index and insulin spikes.
2. Eat smaller portions to avoid overloading your plate.
3. Time meals before physical activity, not before sedentary activities like watching TV or sleeping.
4. Consider a ketogenic diet if obese, as it can reduce insulin levels and lower IR.
5. Increase vitamin D through sunlight, foods (e.g., fatty fish), or supplements.
6. Exercise regularly to improve insulin sensitivity.

Conclusions
Insulin resistance is a widespread and dangerous condition that increases with age and poor lifestyle habits. Fortunately, it can be managed or reversed through simple changes. Eat natural, unprocessed foods like vegetables, fruits, proteins (meat and Fish) and healthy fats. Avoid sodas, fruit juices, sugars, and refined flours, which spike insulin. Fiber-rich foods slow nutrient absorption, reducing insulin surges. By adopting these habits, you can improve insulin sensitivity, lower chronic disease risk, and enhance your health and longevity. Graeme

17/07/2025

To be hungry or not to be hungry - that is the question

I’m writing this article about eating and hunger because I feel there is a lack of information on the internet about how eating high amounts of one particular macronutrient can cause health problems.
An example would be, what effect would eating carbohydrates, especially highly processed carbs have on your gut enzymes as opposed to eating protein and fats. I won’t go into protein and fats in this article because they don’t have such a negative influence on obesity and chronic diseases. There doesn’t seem to be a lot of readily available information on the internet specifically about this subject and most of what information you can find, doesn’t get to the root core of the problem.
Many would say eating specific types of food doesn’t have much influence on obesity, health and gastric enzymes, (ie those bugs in your gut that breaks down your food) but it is the gradual build up of those specific enzymes that has a profound effect on obesity and hormone release, especially those hormones that make you hungry and cause fat deposition.

There are basically 2 main satiety pathways that raise hunger after eating carbs*, and these are the “insulin release pathway” and the “hunger hormone release pathway”.

*The carbs I’m talking about here are the highly processed carbs that cause a rapid incline in blood sugar.

Insulin Release Pathway
A normal complex carbohydrate meal won’t have much of an effect but eating simple processed carb/sugars will trigger the pancreas to release insulin which transports glucose from the blood into body cells for energy. The raising of insulin, especially if you are insulin resistant, switches your body into fat storage mode and only glucose will be used for energy.

Hunger Hormone Release Pathway
Simple processed carbs send signals to the brain (hypothalamus) to release certain hormones that exacerbate obesity, type II diabetes, insulin resistance and can lead to other chronic diseases.
Here are some of the major hormones that are stimulated:

Ghrelin (the hunger hormone)
Increases food intake and promotes fat storage. It is the hormone that makes you hungry before meals. Levels will rise prior to eating and should drop quickly after meals.

Neuropeptide Y (NPY)
NPY is a peptide neurotransmitter produced in the brain and strongly stimulates appetite. The problem with NPY is that it increases your cravings especially for simple carbohydrates, and also promotes fat storage. When normal, regulates blood pressure, gives cardiovascular stability and enhances neuroprotection. However too much NPY encourages obesity, elevates blood pressure and leads to depression, anxiety and even epilepsy.

Agouti-Related Peptide (AgRP)
AgRP is, like Neuropeptide Y (NPY) and is expressed with NPY. It increases appetite and blocks satiety signals. It is critical for survival when there is starvation but can drive overeating in food-abundant environments. As with NPY, by eating a balanced diet your metabolic health and physiological resilience will improve.

So what about your body’s enzymes?
Specific enzymes are made in the body for each macronutrient you ingest. Eg amylase breaks down carbohydrates, proteases break down proteins, and lipases digest fats. If you eat mostly carbs, your body will produce more amylase and less of the other enzymes which alters the enzyme balance.
The important thing here to understand is, if you have been eating say mostly carbs, your carb digesting enzymes in your gut will be strong and eating fats and proteins could have a disruptive effect, - why? because those enzymes for fat and protein digestion will be in short supply. If you wish to change your diet, (for fat loss or health) cutting back on carbs and eating more fats and proteins may take a little time to balance out the necessary enzymes.

So, if you are overweight or obese and have been eating mostly carbs, your brain will keep stimulating you to eat more carbs making it harder to lose weight/fat. Don’t give up, you need to drop the carbs and exchange those calories for protein and fat. Don’t just cut the carbs/calories because your body will lower your metabolic rate (ie the rate you burn calories) which will release those hormones mentioned above making it harder to lose the weight. When you drop carbs increase fat and protein to keep calorie levels at a similar level to what they were before.

Gut Microbiome:
The gut microbiome is made up of trillions of bacteria and microbes living in and on the human body. They are critical for health and directly turn on and off many body functions including your immune system. It does this by tightening the gut barrier to keep gut pathogens out of circulation, balancing inflammatory responses and affecting systemic immunity. The composition and function of the microbiome is determined by the foods we eat. If the foods we eat are poor quality, there will be less beneficial gut bugs, less of the needed enzymes to break down and digest our food and this loss of microbial diversity will potentially increase susceptibility to chronic diseases like obesity, diabetes, and body inflammation.
Note: Weakened microbiomes are linked to the increased risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, autoimmune disorders and as mentioned obesity. There is also a strong association with mental health disorders.

A diet high in processed carbohydrates like refined sugars, white flour, and ultra-processed foods also have other detrimental effects on body health by impacting these 3 things - GutHormone Signalling, Nutrients Sensing and Absorption and Microbial Metabolites. Without going into too much detail here are the basic problems they cause.

Gut Hormone Signaling: Gut microbes and their metabolites influence hormones like glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), peptide YY (PYY), and cholecystokinin (CCK). These all affect satiety ie how hungry you get before and after a meal.

Nutrient Sensing and Absorption: After eating a diet loaded with simple processed carbs, your gut enzymes will change how nutrients are broken down and absorbed, and in turn will affect hunger signals.

Microbial Metabolites: Short chain fatty acids like propionate, butyrate and other metabolites will be produced and will increase your appetite via gut-brain signaling.

An important point to remember
High GI foods (eg sugars, white flour, fructose corn syrup and others) cause a rapid spike in blood glucose levels triggering a sharp surge in insulin release from the pancreas, this is what switches on fat storage and inhibits fat burning for energy.

Conclusion
The type of food you eat alters gut enzymes and gut microbes. If you eat simple processed carbs they will negatively impact your body’s physiology by increasing hunger, stopping body fat from being used for energy and releasing the hormones that cause obesity. But, by eating plain non processed, chemical and residue free natural food, your microbiome will balance and send positive signals to your brain to affect good health. A balanced diet will maintain a stable appetite and a good microbiome.
One point I wish to mention is, if you are one of those that suffers with type II diabetes, obesity, chronic disease, neurological disorders and cancer, just shifting to better food may not be enough. It depends on how severe your diseases are, treating those conditions will take a more radical approach to diet and lifestyle.

Weight Training Tips from “The Exercise Guru”This training article contains advanced training tips and is also for those...
28/04/2025

Weight Training Tips from “The Exercise Guru”

This training article contains advanced training tips and is also for those wanting to tone or build muscle size. More often men will look to build muscle and women will look for toning and shaping, both will usually want fat loss. If the woman is a body builder, the male information will also apply to her. This information is also applicable for those that just want to keep fit and lose some weight, of course in that case the weights lifted and the intensity of the exercises will be less.

When training weights with my wife this morning and explaining to her how to do this and that, I had a thought that I should write down the knowledge I have gained from my 55 years of training,(including personal training) and share it with my sons and those on my FB page that may be interested. Most of my knowledge I have gained and developed in the 5 gyms that I have owned, also by reading and competing as a body builder.

I will write down my information in sections with headings, because this may make it easier to read and take in. The information is not in a particular order just as it came into my head. I don’t go into too much detail otherwise it would be too long, but the detail I do go into should be enough to give you the information you will need to help achieve your goals.

Starting out training as a beginner
An important lesson I have learned over the years, especially for those over 40, is don’t go too hard too soon. I’ve seen many beginners train too hard early and not want to come back into the gym. Take it easy at first, use the first sessions getting to know the exercises and what weight and reps to use. Learn the right technique before thinking about lifting heavy weights. Having a good experience in those early days will increase your interest and the desire to come back and get better. Slowly Increase the weight and intensity gradually each week, (if you can) and most important enjoy your workouts.

Don’t initially compare yourself to others, because if they are better than you, you may feel dejected and give up, if they are a lower standard than you, it might give you the impression that you are better than you actually are. At first compete against yourself and aim to reach a higher standard over time. Later when you are more experienced you can then start comparing yourself to others. This is where you get a clearer picture of where you are at and importantly give you the incentive and desire to reach and even better their standard.

Note: I would suggest carrying a water bottle with you when working out. Why water? I don’t like these sugary energy drinks either pre or post workout. They can disrupt your blood sugar levels by either depleting it or elevating it too high. The problem with these drinks is if they raise blood glucose levels too high and too quickly, this will cause a rush of insulin and a sharp blood sugar fall. If this happens when you are still working out, you can suffer an energy crash. Stick to water and let your own body’s physiology control your energy levels. Even just drinking water, (unless you have a very intense and long training session), it would be highly unlikely for you to deplete your glycogen/energy stores. (stored blood sugar) If you are going to have a big and long session, there are energy drinks on the market with longer acting - lower glycemic sugars that won’t have the crashing effect that normal energy drinks have.

Breathing
Breathing is very important because it places your body in the right physiological state when doing the lift. What I mean by this is, breathing has a big effect of how much you can lift and how safely you do it. The first thing to remember is breathe out at the end of the effort - the reason? At the start of the lift you need to have a lung full of air. (You wouldn’t attempt to lift something heavy with no air in your lungs) Lift the weight up and when you get over the hardest part (usually around the middle part) you slowly breathe out.

Another reason to have a lung full of air is the muscles in your core will be in flexion (contracted) giving the lifting muscles more stability and a firm base to push against.

Using single reps in the bench press as an example, take a lung full of air, lower the weight relatively slowly to touch your chest, (eccentric phase) hold your breath and push firmly and powerfully upwards (concentric phase) until the weight is over half way. You then exhale all your air through the final extension of the arms. This means you have a lung full of air throughout the hardest part of the lift and only when the lift is into the easier part, you exhale.

The same applies for pulling movements. Lat Pull Downs as an example - take a big breath before you start pulling the weight down to your chest, (concentric) over half way down start to breathe out. As you let the weight go up (Eccentric) breathe in a lung full of air by the time you get back to the top. This is the correct way for single rep sets, but see below for non locking out sets or pump outs as I called them.

NOTE: I don’t know whether this might help you or not, but I used to think of the negative (eccentric phase or lowering down in bench press) as compressing a spring, the concentric or pushing phase was the release of the spring energy. In other words slow down compress - fast up release. The reason I did this is I knew it was important to lower slowly so you can explode upwards when you need the power. For someone watching they would see very similar speeds up and down, because the exploding is in your head to help recruit as many fast twitch fibres (strength muscle fibres) as possible.

NOTE: As a more experienced bodybuilder I found that holding my breath worked better for me. I would take a big breath at the start of the set and do maybe 3-4 reps before resting at the lockout, then I would do another 2-3 reps, and depending how many reps I was doing in the set, the last few reps I would drop down to single reps. I found that holding my breath and not locking out until I needed a breath, was a great way to maximise the intensity in the targeted muscle and for my overall workout success.

Consistency
As I have mentioned one of the biggest reasons people drop off training, is they do too much in one session. Remember you have to like it enough to come back the next session. If you push yourself too hard you won’t want to come back to do it again. Make each workout enjoyable enough so you will look forward to doing it all again. Of course with trained athletes it is a different story because their body and mind is conditioned for very hard workouts.

Reps and weight
I taught my students to think like this. The weight dictates the reps you use. Simply put, the lighter the weight,the more reps you can do. That sounds simple but many people have the reps in their mind before doing the set. This mindset doesn’t maximise each rep so you can get full benefit from the exercise. Whatever the weight, pump out as many reps as you can. Most often you would go to failure unless you had some other technique in mind.

This is how I approach a set.
I’ll use bench press as an example. Take an initial weight which would allow you to pump out a comfortable amount of reps, ie around 15-20, this would be your warm up set. Add enough weight so you can do around 12-15 reps, add more weight so you can do around 8-12 reps, add more weight and rep nearly to failure - lock out and rest a few seconds. You then do singles until you cannot do another rep. This is very much a guide because you might not feel like going very heavy, or you may only want to pump out reps, or you could have an injury, or you haven’t recovered from your last session. In a normal situation let the weight guide your rep choice and your mind will execute the exact number. Just don’t have preconceived rep numbers, the weight and your mind will dictate that. Overall, this method applies to all exercises.

How much weight, sets and reps should you do?
There is no rule for this question, it depends on many variables, but I will give you some tips to guide you. For the weight you lift, if you use the reps guide method I wrote about above, this will usually suffice, but if you wish to build muscle, lift as much as you can but keeping strict form and follow my rules. If you’re looking more for fitness and stamina, go for a lighter weight using more reps and usually more sets.

Lock Out or Not To Lock Out
You may have seen body builders not locking fully out and pumping out reps at a faster speed than normal. This is an advanced method you can use, even though it is a technique primarily used by advanced trainers. So why do this? When you lock out you change the stress from the target muscle to the limb joints. To explain I will use squats. When you come up from the floor with a squat and lock out your legs, your quads, glutes and hamstrings get a rest because the main stress on those muscle groups has moved to your hip sockets and knee joints. By not locking out you keep the stress continually on the quads, glutes and hamstrings. This will enable you to stress those muscle fibres more effectively by tearing muscle fibres, (in a good way) increasing lactate levels and rapidly depleting ATP energy which is the cell’s energy source. If you go to exhaustion each rep, you will see how effective this can be. A word of caution to the beginner/intermediate trainer, be careful using this technique as the extra stress could cause injuries and severe soreness.

Remember these two points about working a muscle
A muscle won’t grow unless it is stressed enough (by resistance training) to force adaptation. You need to tear the muscle fibres microscopically so they will repair and in the process grow larger.

Rest and repair is also crucial. If you don’t let the body recover and repair you will go backwards. Over training is one of the biggest draw backs for muscle growth I see in weight trainers. How much time you need for recovery will depend on these factors.
Your age
Your health
Your job requirements
Your fitness level
Testosterone levels
Sleep, or lack of it
Your diet and nutrition quality

If you feel tired or sore don’t train, this is when injuries occur. Rest and eat nutritious food, drink ample water and or a protein drink, start training again when you feel normal.

How many days should you train
This will depend on how much time you have, your strength and fitness level, what you are training for, your age and what your goals are.
Here are my suggestions
If you are a beginner I would suggest 3 days a week with a days rest in between. Train all body parts in one day
If you are more experienced ie intermediate and advanced, a 4 day split is good for putting on size. Eg Monday and Thursday - Chest, Back, Biceps. Tuesday and Friday - Legs, Shoulders, Triceps. If you wish to raise up the intensity you can split each day up so you do one body part in the morning and one body part in the evening, this can work well as long as you can recover adequately.
I found a 5 day split also worked well for advanced trainers. Monday - Legs. Tuesday - Chest. Wednesday - Back. Thursday - Shoulders. Friday - Biceps, Triceps
With this workout schedule you can hit the body very hard and with a lot of intensity. I usually did around 16 to 25 sets per body part all sets to exhaustion.

NOTE: I have tried 6 day programs but found at the level I was training at I couldn’t recover fast enough so I discarded them for lesser day programs.

NOTE: When I was training, an American body builder Mike Mentzer came out with the high intensity low volume approach that guys like Dorian Yates and Ronnie Coleman perfected. To do that approach you have to condition your body to be able to handle that intensity and you risk injury. Look what happened to Ronnie Coleman. I believe that you need to find out which muscle building training method suits you and run with that. You may do that for a while and then go back to less intensity and more volume, this at least will allow your body to recuperate and recover.
Changing is essential for you to progress.

NOTE: You will get the best results if you cycle these advanced/intermediate programs. At various times over the year whether you are building, losing fat, cutting up or maintaining, cycling these programs will make it easier to keep on improving. Even when you are on a building program, changing the days you train, the weights, reps and sets you use will force your muscles to keep adapting and growing, whereas doing the same program will condition your muscles to stay the same. You need to continually stress muscle fibres so they adapt and build, and make sure you track your progress so you can see how much you’ve improved.

Cooling Down
Should you cool down after you finish training? I never did and never thought it was necessary. After I finished my training session I just sat quietly with myself or friends and drank a protein shake until my blood pressure came back to normal. If you feel you need to wind your session down then by all means do so.

Stretching
Stretching is something I strongly recommend. I would suggest a very light targeted stretch before each exercise, and I would recommend taking an hour twice a week and doing an overall stretching program. Stretching will improve flexibility by increasing your range of motion and this in turn will help lower your risk of injury.
You can find many examples of stretching exercises, including photos on Google.

Technique
I consider proper technique essential, but I see so many trainers these days letting their clients get away with sloppy technique. Why is technique important? Because when an exercise is done correctly it places the body in the strongest bio-mechanical position so it can lift maximum weight, forcing adaptation to grow bigger and improve.

Putting it another way, if your form is not correct you are much more likely to suffer injuries and you won’t have the strong foundation required to keep on adding weight.

If you haven’t got the right foundations in a tall building it won’t be able to support the many floors and will eventually collapse, the same applies to your body.

If you find yourself unintentionally breaking form, don’t keep on going to complete more reps, stop, lockout and rest, or start another set. A spotter will help you lift more reps and enable you to keep good form.

Lift Your Chest up?
Is something I’m always telling my wife to do and was always telling my students before I retired - why is this important?
So many exercises require you to lift up your chest, because not only does it lock your vertebrae into a stronger position, it also positions the targeted muscle into a better position. Let me give you some examples.
a) Lat pulldowns, lifting up your chest isolates your lats allowing them to be in a stronger position to lift more weight.
b) Bench Press. Lifting up your chest stops your anterior deltoids (front) from doing too much of the work, allowing the pectoral muscles to be the primary lifting muscles.
c) Bent Over Rows. Lifting the chest locks your vertebrae into a stronger lifting position and places the lats into a stronger lifting position.
d) Squats. Lifting your chest, will help arch your back, locking your vertebrae in place so the weight on your shoulders does not force your cervical (neck) and thoracic vertebrae (around the shoulder area) to unlock. Doing this gives a stronger foundation so you can lift heavier weights and get bigger.

I could go on and on about other exercises, but if you just remember this: Lifting your chest in most exercises will isolate the targeted lifting muscle and place your posture into a stronger and safer lifting position.

Compound and Isolation Exercises
Basically compound exercises use multiple muscle groups to lift the weight and isolation exercises uses one group of muscles to do the work. What should you concentrate on - BOTH

Compound exercises like squats, use many muscle groups, ie quads, hamstring, glutes and all the auxiliary muscles that support them. Compounding is a great way to build bulk. They are more taxing on the body and each set requires more energy than isolation movements. You can use heavier weights in compound exercises to stress the target area, so you can put on more muscle, provided you have a positive calorie balance. If you are into fitness you can definitely make great gains by implementing compound movements.

Isolation exercises: These exercises are when you work smaller muscles like biceps, triceps or when you target a particular muscle. These exercises are used especially if you have a weakness in a muscle and want to bring it up in size to balance other areas of the body. By isolating just one muscle you can individually stress and build that muscle to get better results.

Cheating reps - these can be used successfully if you know what you are doing. Only use them if you haven’t got a spotter to help you. Why is cheating used? By breaking form you use other muscles to help lift the weight. By using the cheat principle you can overload and stress the target muscles. If you didn’t use the cheat principle you wouldn’t have been able to do the amount of reps you can do using the cheat method.
Note: Don’t get into the habit of always using them, only do so when you are fully recovered and want to push to failure.

NOTE: I have written more advanced articles about technique for the Squat, Bench Press and Deadlift on my “The Exercise Guru, Graeme Pearce” page. You will have to look through other articles about health, nutrition and training in order to find them. They are in order of when they were written.

When not to train - juggling your immune system
I’ve talked about over training previously, but what about when you have health issues like sickness, colds, flu or just not feeling well. This is where your immune system is fighting to maintain homeostasis (balance/equilibrium). Over the years I have taken a keen interest in when not to train because being a typical body builder, not being able to train was something to avoid but needed serious thought or suffer the consequences.

The immune system is very fickle, if you under train it you won’t stimulate it to get stronger, and if you overtrain it you will run it down. If you train when it’s run down it won’t have the energy needed to overcome your illness, you will get worse, and your immune system will be depleted allowing other illnesses to take hold.

In summary - what to do
When you don’t feel well don’t train. Your immune system needs to be strong to fight any health and fitness issues you have. Having a strong immune system is the quickest way to come back to being able to train hard and get results.
To gain muscle size and strength, it is the amount of stress you are able to place on your body, combined with proper nutrition and adequate rest. Unless you repair muscle breakdown you will not progress.
One last point I wish to make is aerobics is something that I believe is also very important that you include in your program. Whether that be fitness, muscle building or fat loss. Some suggestions would include walking, running, swimming etc. Which one you choose will depend on what you like, what your goals are and your age. Make sure you start slow and build up over time. For those lifting weights I would suggest finishing your workout with some aerobics. I never did more than 30mins and mostly only 10mins, how much you do will depend on your priorities.

Thank you for reading my training thoughts. I hope you all can pick up some of this information to make your training experience more enjoyable and successful.

Regards
Graeme
“The exercise guru, Graeme Pearce”

PS This photo was one of a more artistic series of muscle shots taken by one of the worlds most respected cinematographers and video-journalist - David Brill when I was young and pretty 😉

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