Starting Monday Podcast
Starting Monday Podcast
Sunshine, Workouts and Supersets: Staying Motivated as we build up to the Summer
Tune in as we dive headfirst into the nitty-gritty of gym regimens and unravel the benefits of using different methods of training such as supersets, pyramids, 5x5 and circuit training. Whether you're new to the fitness scene or a seasoned athlete, we serve up a hefty dose of reality on the common blunders we've all made during our workouts. Plus, there's that age-old debate: To caffeine or not to caffeine? Grab your earbuds and join us for a candid chat about our pre-workout rituals and a sprinkle of sports predictions to keep things spicy.
As the summer sun beckons, it's time to ramp up your fitness game and we're here to cheer you on every step of the way. We're rounding off with a call to action for all you listeners to share your training stories with us. Looking to boost your muscle game or just cruising for a seasonal dose of motivation? Tune in, as we wrap up with a heartfelt thanks to our fitness family, and gear up for more power-packed discussions that'll leave you raring to hit the gym!
Hey guys, how you doing. Welcome back to the Start Monday podcast.
Speaker 2:I am Barry Stephen and I am with Mr.
Speaker 1:Matthew Perceval. We've not met for a wee, while we're keen to chat to you guys about all sorts of stuff fitness related, non-fitness related.
Speaker 2:This is a jam, by the way.
Speaker 1:I'm just keeping it going until it stops. Enemy Matthew, we'll let this play out.
Speaker 2:We're going to let it play out. It could go on for half an hour there we go there, we go, there, we go. How are you man? I'm good man. How are you doing?
Speaker 1:I'm good I've been working today, so being a productive day.
Speaker 2:I haven't, I was working. I worked 30 hours yesterday, from 9am to 10pm Today.
Speaker 1:I'm not working. It's not a competition.
Speaker 2:All right. How are you, barry? Are you good?
Speaker 1:Do you know what I'm liking? I'm liking the fact that the sun's out today.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I know I've noticed that Everyone's a lot happier. Did you notice? I did see it. I saw it in the sky and I was like Jesus, that's bright. You turned that up?
Speaker 1:Yeah, but how much does that affect our mood and our general personality and how we communicate with other people.
Speaker 2:Find like on the weekend you want to get out more. You know what I mean Do stuff as soon as the sun's out. You're like, oh, I'll go do that, I'll go do this.
Speaker 1:Absolutely.
Speaker 2:It's weird, isn't it? I guess it makes sense, but it's still weird.
Speaker 1:I love the weekend, do you, do you like the weekend?
Speaker 2:I do like the weekend. Who doesn't like the weekend? Did you have sunglasses on today? No, I can't wear sunglasses with it, man.
Speaker 1:Treat yourself. I'll be honest with you, Matthew. Sorry I need to burp there. That kind of knock-os hit me.
Speaker 2:Is it going straight in? Yeah, go on.
Speaker 1:Sunglasses. I rarely put sunglasses on, even when I'm on holiday. I don't know, would you?
Speaker 2:love, squinting at the sun, your face all gets sore.
Speaker 1:I'm just one of these stupid people that forget sunglasses.
Speaker 2:If I'm on holiday and I don't have sunglasses on, do you not find like your face gets sore because you're so scrunchy the whole time? Yes, I need sunglasses.
Speaker 1:I only recently, maybe about a year ago, bought myself a decent pair of sunglasses.
Speaker 2:What did you get? I bet you got, like the dad, oak leaves. You know what I mean. No, they're quite small and thin.
Speaker 1:going back, you should get a pair of them, rock them. I'm just the guy that gets the cheap ones and then you stand on them the day one, but then you still wear them, kind of squint, and then you lose them and then eventually you get fed up and I just borrow my wife's.
Speaker 2:I buy a new pair every year because I lose them. I don't care about them.
Speaker 1:So I got a pair of Pradas. Is that all right? You got a little bit bougie aren't you?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I don't think what minor, minor, minor. I can't remember what minor, minor or brand as well. To be fair, this time they weren't too bad though.
Speaker 1:But I rarely wear them. I forget You've got. Prada sunglasses, you little bougie guy they might be sunny today, j-h-u-l, but there's no need to be wearing sunglasses. Today, there is.
Speaker 2:Get the sunglasses on, guys, enjoy yourselves. Enjoy yourselves. Once we knew you did high rocks again. I know.
Speaker 1:It's everywhere, is it? It is everywhere.
Speaker 2:No, to be fair, it looks great. We had a few people in our gym doing it as well. It was huge. I seem like everyone was doing it, the Glasgow one.
Speaker 1:Yeah, no, it was a really good event. It was really well run. I saw a lot of people that I knew taking part, which was good. Did you do better? Well, I can't compare it because I did a doubles. Did you feel you did better? Yeah, we did really well. I feel like we did well.
Speaker 2:What's your time?
Speaker 1:One hour and 12 minutes.
Speaker 2:I noticed Jody at our gym. She showed me how to you can see people's times and how well you did in each event. So how well did you do in each event? You do well.
Speaker 1:Yeah, no, we did pretty well. I think our highest one was the sled pool. We came 39th.
Speaker 2:Oh, okay, it's pretty cool. They do that. That's quite high. Each event you can see how well you did. It's pretty cool.
Speaker 1:I think for our age group we were 38th or something.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's obviously not really a diverse age group. You know, you can get a bit older over there, Barry. Well, that's the thing. How many people were there at your age 38?
Speaker 1:That's the thing. I think it's quite a young. It's more of a young thing, I would say. But there is all age groups. There's people right up to their 70s doing it. But I think it's more of a young thing, it's trendy, isn't it? It's trendy, it is it's fun and it's it's. I'm glad I've done it and I'll definitely do it again.
Speaker 2:Have you planned one already?
Speaker 1:I'm going to. I'm going to do Birmingham. I've booked Birmingham with my friend Kev again, so we're going to do a doubles one again.
Speaker 2:Try and beat it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, nice, that's cool. Yeah, so you get a shave a couple of minutes off.
Speaker 2:Have you been to Birmingham before? I've never actually been there. I've driven through it, that's it.
Speaker 1:So interested, interested to go there and what day?
Speaker 2:When is it?
Speaker 1:It's October.
Speaker 2:Okay, so a bit of time.
Speaker 1:October. Anyway, what have you been up to?
Speaker 2:Fitness wise, just same old, nothing exciting.
Speaker 1:Just lifting heavy weights.
Speaker 2:I'm. You know what. I'm less injured than I used to be, so it's good I'm back squatting and deadlifting. I could have done a little peak, but I decided to be a bit smart and deal with a little bit and go back some volume stuff for a while to then build back up and yeah, it's going.
Speaker 1:well, it's going well, you're Mr consistent.
Speaker 2:Yeah, just do it, just do it. I was apart from that. Just, I went to London and that was it. I saw you in London. You enjoy it. I had a great time. Crystal Palace I was at Crystal Palace. I went to Windsor, I went everywhere, really. I went to the Tottenham Stadium, I climbed the Tottenham Stadium oh, you went up there, did you? Yeah, I climbed it. And I also went to West Ham v Brentford.
Speaker 1:Was it scary, was it scary? Was it scary, was it scary, walking across?
Speaker 2:Where the chicken is. Yeah, yeah so.
Speaker 1:Tell us about that because I want to do that.
Speaker 2:Oh no, it's actually not bad. It's not bad. But one thing I do hate is glass floors. I'm not bad with heights. I don't particularly love them. Is that a glass floor? It's a glass floor? Nah, it is, oh my God, but it's not sheer glass, it's got black dots on it, so it's a bit different. If you go to Tower Bridge, it's a random fitness podcast I'm just talking about Holiday in London. If you go to Tower Bridge, you can climb over the old pedestrian walkways they have for when they used to raise the bridge and they've got glass floors there, but they're just sheer glass and I'm like sweating. When I was on them I said horrible, it's horrible. But Tottenham Stadium all right, it's actually good. The stadium is great. Have you ever seen it? I'm guessing maybe at some point on TV.
Speaker 2:It's unbelievably good stadium. I must say I was like I can't be that good. It's good.
Speaker 1:It's the state of the art is it yeah.
Speaker 2:And then I went to West Ham v Brentford and Crystal Palace v Burnley two games. You've been to Crystal Palace as well, haven't you? Cellhurst Park?
Speaker 1:Yeah, I like going to my random football stadiums. Out of 10, what would you give it? I'd give it a high rate and I love older grounds to be fair, to be honest with you I know you've just mentioned Spurs Ground there and I'd imagine that's like one of the best in the world, but I like going to places that are like old school.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:It's got a bit more of an atmosphere to it. I just enjoy those type of grounds, like even a lot of Scottish grounds like the lower league grounds and stuff like that. I'm quite fascinated by that. Actually, I've got a few books and then, out of 10, what would you give it? I'd give it a high 8.5. I'd give it like an 8.9.
Speaker 2:We were in a standing section. I mean you're right, it's because it's an old ground, like you find, like obviously going to West Ham it's a big stadium, it's got so many entrances.
Speaker 1:You see, I wouldn't enjoy that as much.
Speaker 2:West Ham yeah but you just get in like getting in easy. What's there? We were outside for like 30 minutes because to get in there was two little doorways and that was it. Well, maybe that's a downside of it, but but it was nice.
Speaker 1:Though You're right, it is nice, so you got another football trip plan then yeah, actually, but we will get one in the calendar. Yeah, absolutely 100%. Why not Every year?
Speaker 2:You should go to a man United European night.
Speaker 1:No, no, anyway, what have you got for us this week?
Speaker 2:We're going to chat about bits and bobs, like bit about training, et cetera, aren't we? And kind of see how we get on. That's what we're going to do. So we're going to talk, like styles of training. What's your current style? Yours would be a bit more interesting. To be fair, what are you currently doing? Well, because you're a fitness-y like hybrid, aren't you so kind? Of like what are you up to?
Speaker 1:Well, took a week off last week, which I thought was a good idea Because after doing something quite intense and big, I think, just in general, your body feels you know fatigued mentally, physically. And I just think sometimes it's good just to take a full week of rest. I did actually think about doing a couple of sessions, but then I thought, do you know what? I'm probably not going to do it justice, I'm just going to take a good week of rest.
Speaker 2:I guess, if you've already hit a goal and then it's good to go, what's next and just chill out for a bit?
Speaker 1:Yeah because not only did my body feel tired, I also and so are you know. You just know in yourself, sometimes you feel a little bit lower on strength, lower on energy. And I just think, after any sort of like peak or big thing that you've built up to you've obviously put a lot of hours in a lot of hard training and gradually built it up it's sometimes good to just, you know, to chill, take a week off.
Speaker 1:And then I got back at training. This week I did three sessions. I made you a session tomorrow, so that'll be four three full body sessions.
Speaker 2:Okay, weights. Or you did boot camps before. You still doing boot camps.
Speaker 1:What I did was, yeah, I joined in with our boot camp program at the gym. I went to the three different classes. Basically A couple of reasons. One, it was good motivation being around other people. Two, it was convenient at times that I was happy to train and it's just.
Speaker 1:It was just a good mixture of upper, lower, some core, a little bit of cardio, but not too heavy, so I just thought it was a good way to break me back in. I know we'll speak about different forms of training as we go through the podcast today, but yeah, and probably we wouldn't train like that every single week.
Speaker 2:No, it's sort of like getting back into it.
Speaker 1:So next week for me would be like the start of a program, Start of a new structure.
Speaker 2:Do you have an idea of what you're going to do, or?
Speaker 1:Well, I guess I'm a little bit not afraid to say it, but I guess I'll be a lot of people out there that probably can relate to this. But sometimes you do feel a bit lost at times, you know.
Speaker 2:I think it's harder for you because obviously it's like hybrid, isn't it? So it's like you've got a lot of different strings to your bow, like what do you focus on?
Speaker 1:What do you do? I'm not a high rocks athlete.
Speaker 2:You like hybrid sort of training. You are a fitness-y base, but do you strength stuff? It's a bit different.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so it's what do I want to do?
Speaker 2:I'm not a high rocks athlete, but I train similar to doing high rocks.
Speaker 1:Yeah, my sort of nuts and bolts and bread and butter. It'll be like getting back to doing like proper strength training. Okay, cool, you know, hyper to face stroke, strength-based work. Probably more full body though, rather than like you know upper, lower and splits and stuff like that, keeping it more full body-based.
Speaker 2:And then trying to keep your fitness up at the same time.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and I'll keep my fitness up through you know, a bit of running and probably a little bit of circuit-based work. And that to me is a nice structure for me. I'm 42, so 42?
Speaker 2:Or am I 41? I don't know, don't know. You look great, though. What age are you? 33, 34. Born in 82. 26. Confused by your own age.
Speaker 1:What about you? Are you just doing like three by three?
Speaker 2:I'm still five days a week. I do upper lower and I do a full body day as well. So my Sundays I train. So tomorrow I'll be doing a full body day, which is, by the way, it's even a week four. That full body day is the worst session in the world. Like so bad Just takes like an hour and a half, two hours and by then I'm like kill me, kill me.
Speaker 1:See, matthew, I just wouldn't do a train session. It took me that long.
Speaker 2:It's not true. When we trained over lockdown, we took forever.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but what else would you do?
Speaker 2:There was nothing else to do. Yeah, that's true, that's only that session. I think most sessions probably take me an hour and 15, maybe an hour and a half max. Yeah, but I know I'm up or lower. I do a full body day. So the full body day for people wondering is like an accessory day. There's a deadlift based workout, a squat based workout for my lowers, and then it's a bench day and an accessory bench day for my uppers. Pretty simple stuff, really.
Speaker 1:Well, let's talk about training and different types of training. Give the viewers some insight.
Speaker 2:Barry's sitting there because I've wrote down everything and he's wrote down like three words and he's like looking at me, think what we talking about again. But we've got loads of different training types. It depends, because we can look at training like a broad spectrum in terms of like the days or the splits you can do like push, pull legs. We're not really going to talk about that, are we? We're going to talk about like things you can do in your sessions, so like drop sets, top sets, rest, pause. You put up a good one. Five by five. What a classic it's died, hasn't it? When was the last time you ever spoke to someone who's doing five by five strength?
Speaker 1:Well, tell us why we would do five by five. First of all, even more basic that, what is five by five?
Speaker 2:You do five sets you do five reps of compound lift and that's basically, it isn't it.
Speaker 1:I remember it's like starting what exercises they?
Speaker 2:called it starting strength, wasn't it? That was what the program was called, and I remember correctly it was two exercises, five by five and then accessory exercise, wasn't it? That was like the original split, and then people have added to it, et cetera, and sort of changed it.
Speaker 1:And we would use like our sort of big compound lifts, like squat deadlifts, military press, bench press maybe, if you can do them. I think rows were chucked in there sometimes on that, yeah, rows.
Speaker 2:and pull ups were chucked in there. It's a very good program. I think it's very simple, which makes it quite good. Obviously, especially when you're people are beginners, they over complicated it Like. I remember looking at five by five thinking I wouldn't do that because I need to do my three different types of cable flies Like I've got to do incline, flat and decline cable flies. For me it's a good. I wouldn't say it was a beginner program.
Speaker 1:I'd say it was more intermediate level.
Speaker 2:It probably is, yeah.
Speaker 1:So that it's a good progression from, like your general three by ten or single set program where you're getting quite a lot of volume with sort of eight to 12 rep range stuff and you want to progress to a slightly heavier routine where you're pushing your strength levels a little bit, lifting heavier loads, bringing your rep ranges down somewhat. It's quite a nice, simple, easy way to get into. That, would you say. Oh yeah, 100% Without going super heavy because you're not going to go more than that.
Speaker 2:Introduction to strength training is what it is basically. What about drop sets? Because these are. They're not as common as they used to be when we knew first started training probably when I first started training like drop sets were trendy, they were huge. Everyone was doing drop sets. But do you do them? When was the last time you did a drop set?
Speaker 1:Occasionally I'll put them into certain movements, maybe like the tail end of the sets. For example, if a classic one would be, leg extension would do maybe say the programs three to four sets of 12 to 15 reps. On that last set I'll maybe push it into a drop set. So let's explain a drop set, matthew. So we would do our 12 to 15 reps but then we would just immediately. Obviously we would be pretty close to failure for those reps.
Speaker 2:Yeah, probably yeah.
Speaker 1:Maybe even failure on that last set. But we would immediately just drop the weight to a lighter load which we would theoretically be able to lift straight away or with minimal rest straight after it, and we would lift it for X amount of reps until we start to fatigue on that way. Then we drop it again and maybe we'd do that like a maximum of like three, maybe four times. So the total volume of that set has maybe like quadrupled in terms of reps.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and then fatigue and all that is built up. I feel like you can program it actually quite well if you thought about what way you're going to drop to and how many reps you're going to do in each one.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And if you want to increase that week to week. But I always used it just like, just as a male Mary, just like wrap it out and just keep going and dropping and no idea how many reps I've done. My legs are on fire by this point Exactly.
Speaker 1:It's a fun way to finish If you're doing a bro workout with your friend.
Speaker 2:you two lads lifting the gym, two girls lifting the gym. Whatever, I feel like a drop set is a good little bonding experience, isn't it? You just beast yourself.
Speaker 1:I haven't done one in forever, Do you know what I think is a good way to show to yourself that you've got more in the tank.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Like you can work a higher intensity.
Speaker 2:We're talking about like mental capacity now.
Speaker 1:And it's a good point, you can do more.
Speaker 2:You can always do more.
Speaker 1:And it can maybe help break through like little plateaus and things like that, if you just chuck in things like this.
Speaker 2:For everyone. Listening can always do more. We know when you do a set of eight and you go oh that was so hard, I couldn't do one more rep. Yeah, I guess what you could have done you could have done.
Speaker 1:But I've got to be honest with you. It's not something that I use a huge amount of, but it's definitely a little thing that we can bring in now and again, which can be quite fun and effective.
Speaker 2:There's a training protocol. I do use quite a lot, any ideas, you should know. Actually, you follow me on Instagram, so I always post about it.
Speaker 1:Rest, pause.
Speaker 2:No, I do top sets.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:I do top sets a lot. I love a top set. For anyone listening. It's basically like you're building up to a what about people who are not listening?
Speaker 2:Well, they're buggered, aren't they? They've got no idea what's going on. You're building up to like a set which is like heavier than you could do for multiple sets, but you could manage the reps, for example. I do it all the time because I quite like. For me it's like the mental focus of knowing I've got to come in and do that one big set and then I'll do back off sets where the weight might drop 10 kilograms and then I'll do multiple sets on that weight.
Speaker 1:So you're building up to an ultimate set like a set like the main set. And the focus of the session or that exercise is on this set and you're just going to put every ounce of your being into this set.
Speaker 2:Well, ideally to progress each week.
Speaker 1:So not every, and then after that set you'll do like two or three lighter sets, For example what did I do?
Speaker 2:I did 180 on deadlifts for six.
Speaker 1:And was six the aim.
Speaker 2:Six was the aim.
Speaker 1:And you're like it's my first time deadlifting again.
Speaker 2:So that's week one of my program and then I backed off to 160 and I did six on that, so like a lighter set after that.
Speaker 1:What's the benefits to that?
Speaker 2:For me it's like the mental focus I think I've done in the past where I would do like three sets of six at a certain weight. But I'm always like, oh, I've got three of these, you know what I mean, but with that I've got one set. That's one set. That's really heavy. I can focus on that and just build up to that. For me it works really well. I think a lot of my clients quite like training like that as well. Usually they're like, oh, can we go back to top sets?
Speaker 1:I'm like, yeah, Sure, do you not think as well that when you back off those lighter sets, even though they're not light, they just feel a bit lighter?
Speaker 2:Smooth, feel so much better, like so much better. Again, yeah, it's through like CNS loading, isn't it? So your nervousness is switching on for that heavy set and then it's capable of that, and then you're dropping it. So it feels easy.
Speaker 1:It feels so easy. You need like a top set of six at a heavy weight and then you just drop down to slightly lighter weight for maybe two more sets of six. That's what you're saying.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it depends on where I'm in my block.
Speaker 1:But just say, for example, put that against, maybe like a standard three by six. You think it's a better way to train.
Speaker 2:No.
Speaker 1:You just think it's a different way to train.
Speaker 2:It's a different way of training. Yeah, so three by six is a bit of a thought for me. I like that one set, okay, I like that. So three by six straight sets are just as good. They're just a little bit, I feel, a little bit more boring, a little bit less interesting. So could rather do 160 and 180,. You could have some 170 for multiple sets. You know what I mean. Yeah, probably.
Speaker 1:What training methods do you like to use with general everyday clients? What are sort of go to ones or what are Things.
Speaker 2:Super sets are probably quite common Super sets and then in group settings, giant sets. Where you're doing multiple exercises are quite like a giant set. So if people are training in a group, giant sets, and if they're, maybe we need to get more volume in. Obviously you're probably same as me, like sessions are an hour long right With the client. So you want to get more volume in yeah.
Speaker 1:Super sets are a pretty good go to, so we use super sets to get more done in the same sort of timeframe.
Speaker 2:Yeah, usually I think. Yeah, obviously you're doing a PT coach, always agonist and tagging, this isn't it Like opposites. But you can do complete polar opposites, like legs and upper body exercise.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And it's just very efficient. It's a bit obviously more taxing heart rate wise and cardiovascular wise, but in terms of getting volume in, it's great, isn't it?
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean, I probably use super sets as a training method with clients every single day, just because it's time efficient. We're getting more work done. You can push somebody on a lower body exercise but then put them straight into an upper body exercise. Okay, they're a little bit fatigued in terms of their heart rates up and they're maybe breathing a little bit heavier, but they've got a whole set of muscle groups there that are fresh.
Speaker 2:Yeah, they're all fatigued.
Speaker 1:We can get them working that a little bit harder and then, like you said there, we can obviously combine similar muscle groups as well. We could maybe make it more of a push and pull effect. So there's different ways of using that in the program.
Speaker 2:I think super sets are probably one of the best training methods out there.
Speaker 1:I would say so Like you use so much so much they're so good, especially if your goals are like, quite general, like you want to look better, you want to lose a bit of weight, you want to improve your fitness, you want to get stronger, but you don't want to be Matthew strong.
Speaker 2:Oh, let's calm down.
Speaker 1:Let's say Matthew is strong.
Speaker 2:Guys, if everyone listening, there's so many people stronger than me Like millions, yeah but millions.
Speaker 1:But the flip side is you wouldn't use super sets if your goal was to get super, super strong.
Speaker 2:I use them in my training a little bit on my full body day.
Speaker 1:So you're not doing your top set of squats and then going straight into the top set of something else.
Speaker 2:No, I throw up Exactly.
Speaker 1:So there's always a reason to use a method and there's always a reason, maybe, not to use it, so like if your goal was to purely focus on strength and get stronger than the super. Sets is probably not your go to, but maybe later on in the session that would be useful.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so we could throw in. Yeah, I feel like people think they need to use a lot of different training methods and all this sort of stuff and throw in their programs. Or again, it comes down to exercises. Right, they need to do so many exercises. I've got to hit this, I've got to hit that. Use them if you need them. Otherwise, straight sets and all that are pretty good.
Speaker 1:Absolutely.
Speaker 2:Do their job.
Speaker 1:The key ones, and I know this is a bit boring, but it's consistency, frequency, making sure that you're training enough and being consistent with it, and making sure that you're hitting the right movements enough and being consistent with it. Otherwise, what's the point?
Speaker 2:What's the point? You put one in here that I've never really used. My brother used to use it and I used to. It's funny, remember back in the days he's trained at PurgeM and I used to just slag him off. He was 18. He would do this training method and I'd be like oh so, rest, pause going. You probably know more than better than I do. I've never done it in my life. I've never used it.
Speaker 1:I think it's something that I use without thinking about it, so not like programming it in as an actual thing that I'm specifically going to do that day. It's maybe, for example, maybe we're on the bench press and it's potentially the last set and I'm hoping to get maybe like eight to 12 reps, let's say.
Speaker 2:And you get three Before he done three got a rest?
Speaker 1:No, but you feel that fatigue kick in, maybe seven, eight. You're really sort of like getting to the point where techniques breaking down. You're struggling to get that last rep and your spotter racks it for you. You take maybe 10 seconds, 15 seconds, maybe longer if needed, but you take enough to get a little bit of rest and a little bit of breath and then you unrack it and get an R2 reps.
Speaker 1:Pop it back on, do the same, unrack it, get one more rep and you've increased your volume. You've got three or four extra reps there that you wouldn't have got had you just Took that last set as a set of seven and walked away. So, in terms of progression and getting through sticking points and in, I suppose the most important thing when you're training is progressive overload, and that's that's.
Speaker 2:that's a way that we could get some yeah, but you kind of like I've never, I've never do it. It's not something that I would if I rest. I'm done like you in my head of like Matthew. That's actually been better. Do better next time, not I'll get back under the bar.
Speaker 1:It's too late probably wouldn't use it on squats, purely because I Mean you could, but I don't think I would because it's so technical and you've got unwrack the bar and you've got to set your feet and you've got to get yourself into position again and there's a lot more there's a lot more to it. I mean it maybe work better with a leg press or something.
Speaker 2:It's an accessory based exercise, like yeah. It's not in a bit safe curls push downs, lat raises, yeah, the press, whatever.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you got a bit more free reign, that's true.
Speaker 1:I've trained a method that I Used to use when I first started out and I trained is something that probably a lot of people use as pyramid sets.
Speaker 2:Oh, yeah, classic.
Speaker 1:Yeah, let's talk about absolute classic.
Speaker 2:I like a reverse pyramid.
Speaker 1:I knew you want to do it the other way.
Speaker 2:Basically. It's basically when you build up like your reps get lower and your intensity get a kid. Your weight gets heavier as you go.
Speaker 1:So we're going what it's? A classic 12, 8 6, yeah, what's it?
Speaker 2:12? Do you do 12, 10, 8, 6? Yeah, or you do 10, 8, 6, 4, you know. Just all the even always, always 2s in it. It's never it's never 10, 9, 8, 7, 6 or anything like that.
Speaker 1:It's always 10, 8, 6, 4 but you can do it all the way around you can heavy set first.
Speaker 2:I prefer that because, like I felt like the volume always tires you out for your your heavy set, you know. I mean Whilst your heavy set doesn't really tire you out for your volume. So I like, I like going to the heavy set first and I'm backing off that way.
Speaker 1:Well, I like a pyramid because I think it. I feel like it keeps you interested because each set is different. Yeah each sets a different intensity.
Speaker 2:It's different focus. Yeah, you know it feels different you know it's gonna be easier or heavier, or you're ready for it.
Speaker 1:You're getting more of a pump off of the the higher reps sets and you know you're working more on your strength on on the on the lower reps sets. You're getting a little bit of the best of both, if you know. I mean yeah, so again, it's it's. I feel like it's a decent intermediate program, you know once you've got past that beginner level, it's pretty fun.
Speaker 2:I think it sets are pretty fun.
Speaker 1:It's something that that you could, you could use. That's a great one, and we program quite a bit with clients and things like that. Let's talk about circuit training. Why should probably talk about it, since I do? I to be fair.
Speaker 2:I teach a lot boot camps. So Love us, love a circuit.
Speaker 1:But yeah, you go on circuit pro well, a circuit's usually like a Group of exercises, maybe like five to ten exercises. Yeah, ten would be quite a lot.
Speaker 2:To be fair, you know, maybe say four to ten and and still kept ten and I'm like oh, you said ten square lot, maybe four to ten instead.
Speaker 1:Still, Lots of different access. You could so with circuit training week. We we tend to utilize a mix of different movements, so like uppers and lowers and core and Maybe put some cardio excises in there I'll scare little assault bike yeah.
Speaker 1:And so, like it's a good all-rounder, it's something that you you're never going to be lifting heavy weights with this form of training. It doesn't mean to say it's not going to be hard and beneficial and you can't build strength, but it's not something that you're gonna have to a lot of weight with because you've got very little rest period.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, and to have like low, low rest periods. So it makes a good training method for like building general fitness, building your cardiovascular fitness, especially if you're not into like running and in Traditional form of cardiovascular training you could get similar effect doing circuit based very efficient as well.
Speaker 2:You get a lot of work done in like a lot of what done use your body weight and it's just.
Speaker 1:It's been a great way for for me as a personal trainer, to help get people in shape, get them healthy.
Speaker 2:I love them. I love teaching boot camps in circuit classes, things that I think they're great fun.
Speaker 1:Yeah, we're. It's a bit circuit training. It's like it's one of these ones where and You've been to a circuit that's been being laid out really badly, if you're.
Speaker 2:Paper on the floor. Remember, you did that for the first time. You did the first circuit.
Speaker 1:You blow paper, there's nothing wrong with paper on the floor. I did that today. Well, you still do it sometimes you gotta do it, no, but like it's very sweet. I like, I like the idea of getting your cards ready before you go in sometimes, like my client will be, all went to circuit class our day and I wasn't. I wasn't able to move my arms for the next seven days. I'm like, all right, what happened about?
Speaker 2:it.
Speaker 1:I think it was like five shoulder exercises back to back.
Speaker 2:Yeah, all back to back, yeah, you know. So I will say sometimes I do do things that just to be a dick. I'm teaching, I'm like I put those two together, though I hate that.
Speaker 1:So I think you do need to Program it well. So, like you, know you need to have the. You know certain movements need to follow other movements and you need to put the combination of exercises Together in a specific way so that people can still work with with good form under fatigue, I think. But yeah, I love, I love, I love circuit training and what else, matthew?
Speaker 2:That's all I've got Through all but what to ask?
Speaker 1:you mentioned giant sets ever really.
Speaker 2:Really giant. We got triceps and giant sets are all the same things really. This bigger super sets, john sets triceps. Yeah super sets, or two exercises, triceps, or three giant sets or anything over where you do like, several exercises. All back to back, to back to back to back and we can mix up.
Speaker 1:The muscle groups are basically a mini circuit.
Speaker 2:I giant set and it's really efficient Again, if you do a lot of volumes of in group settings, if you have like small groups, I find them really efficient to kind of get a lot of work done in a small amount of time and again. So much of circuits like you don't. You know, I'm gonna do shoulders into shoulders into shoulders, or chest into chest into chest, it's all. Maybe a chest excise, a lower body excise, a shoulder excise, a back excise, maybe core excise. So that's your five.
Speaker 1:I like to use these methods methods, triceps, giant sets when we're training arms, just because I feel like you don't need the intense.
Speaker 2:He's not that high, is it yeah?
Speaker 1:You don't need a heap of rest when you're training smaller muscle groups like biceps and triceps. I know my biceps are quite big compared to yours, but you know, in general it's a small muscle group.
Speaker 2:In general to in general. It's a small muscle group, that's mental, the guy's in general, but for me it's absolutely massive. No, I'm like getting.
Speaker 1:Yeah, just you know well, go.
Speaker 2:I was gonna ask you what's your favorite excise on bet. It's gonna be a bicep car now, isn't it?
Speaker 2:And I Do like a bicep carl, but I think we've covered this before, yeah but anyone who's listened, that was probably a year and a half ago, because we've released 10 episodes and takes us about two months per episode. So if you do the math, it's what we do years ago. I tell you what I don't like. Yeah, go on. What do you know like I hate and it's a standard, I bet I can guess it Bulgarian split squats what not specifically Bulgarian split squats, any sort of any lunge any split squat lunge, single leg exercise everyone does, and it's brilliant, isn't?
Speaker 2:it's not that everyone hates him like everyone kind of a weird like pain.
Speaker 1:It's just it's not like it's a pain, it's like it's hurting me or anything like that, but it's just a pain. Do you know what I mean? There's the balance element. There's like this instability, the strength, and then sometimes you see like your clients lifting like slightly heavier than you and you're like I'm shit, this.
Speaker 2:It's because you don't do it, you never like it. I did lunches Thursday and I was like you know what I do reverse lunges, dumbbells. I'll do one leg at a time. So I'll just do one leg, a little rest, another leg, still crap, still hate it, still hate it Didn't make it any better.
Speaker 1:I wish I could just do both legs at once. I do prefer doing that as opposed to going left right, left right, left right.
Speaker 2:No, I do one leg, but then I went straight. Usually I'd go straight into the other leg, but I was like I rest and then I go right next leg.
Speaker 1:I just prolonged.
Speaker 2:It was it it did just prolonged the horrible-ness of the lunges. I was like, oh, this is awful.
Speaker 1:Yeah, this is awful.
Speaker 2:I like a barbell reverse lunges, though I don't hate it. I don't like it by any means. I'm committed though Five out of 10.
Speaker 1:I'm committed to keeping these excises in my program and even-. You've got to Maybe putting more of these excises in my program, because I need to break through that and get better at it. Work your weaknesses.
Speaker 2:Break through your misery.
Speaker 1:Make your weaknesses your strengths. Wow so profound. So I know what Arnie did when he went. When he first started out, he was told his calves were terrible and then he just made his calves the best calves in bodybuilding yeah he was just an absolute monster in general, wasn't he?
Speaker 2:So I think so, but excises are like I like everything you said you literally just named Apart from that, A whole area of excises you absolutely hate. And you said oh, I like everything.
Speaker 1:Do you like doing glute exercises?
Speaker 2:Not particularly. No, You're looking at me with the most sus face in the world.
Speaker 1:I'm just running the question. No, I don't like doing them. No, I don't.
Speaker 2:I don't like doing them.
Speaker 1:Do you do them?
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:What ones do you?
Speaker 2:do. Well, for people wondering, I was in the gym this week and I was chatting to someone about this. My quads are ridiculously strong I can do. For example, we've got a leg extension machine. I don't do two legs at the same time anymore because it's not heavy enough. So I'll put it on 75 kilograms and I'll do one leg for sets of 10 with slow, eccentric, like three seconds on the way down.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:Okay, I can't do that on the leg curl with both my legs. I do like 50 odd kilograms on the leg curl and my hamstrings are gone. And then someone who comes on who's like like a what? 110 kilograms. Someone comes on who's like 60 kilograms and puts it on like 80 and starts repping out. I'm like, oh cool, cheers man.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but is there a form good?
Speaker 2:No, the form is good, my hamstrings just have no strength, no strength. So I'm all glue and I'm all quad on any exercise I do.
Speaker 1:I find that a lot of people do hamstring curls badly, Barry.
Speaker 2:I've used your machine in the gym and I put it on two and I was dying.
Speaker 1:Well, that makes me feel a bit better.
Speaker 2:But yeah, but yours is on like six or eight, yeah. Yeah, I'm not eight, barry, I'm on two.
Speaker 1:Not eight, about six, yeah, which I thought was pretty poor. But then you start talking about 50 to 80 kilos, so I was starting to get a bit concerned. But I generally think that's an exercise people don't do well, people do do wrong.
Speaker 1:Yet All I hear, you know you hear the machine getting smashed about and like you're just like there's no tension there or they're not getting full range of motion, they're not getting that pad right into their butt at the top. True, it's definitely a movement that, as a PT, I'm like right, let's improve on this. Let's reduce the weight, let's increase the range of motion, let's slow it down, let's get your hamstrings feeling it a bit more.
Speaker 2:Use is different, though. Use is a lying leg curl, isn't it?
Speaker 1:Oh, you're talking about the seated one. Yeah, we're seated. Yeah, 120 kilos is easy.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I can't do anything. Is that upsetting?
Speaker 1:Is there any other exercises you think out there that people do in the gym that they could do with a little pep talk from me and you right now in terms of like doing it better?
Speaker 2:Everything.
Speaker 1:No, but there's a few culprits. There'll be a few culprits.
Speaker 2:Oh God, you put it on the spot. Well, I got to think what are the worst than the worst there's?
Speaker 1:a few culprits.
Speaker 2:I think lap pull downs are pretty classic one where people try and pull into their lap.
Speaker 1:Pull it into their lap. Yeah, they pull down guys are listening, lap pull down.
Speaker 2:But they think, lap, pull downs, they pull down rather than pulling in. That makes sense. So, like you, pull in, don't you?
Speaker 1:You're doing a really good impression with your arms for me right now.
Speaker 2:Yeah, everyone listening. Just zone out for a second, speaking to Barry. So basically, when you're doing a lap pull down, you should lean back slightly and pull into your chest.
Speaker 1:Yes, but what?
Speaker 2:people pull straight down.
Speaker 1:I've not seen that happen since I worked in a commercial gym.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's a common one, isn't it? What do you see? What do your members do wrong, barry, nothing.
Speaker 1:Not a thing.
Speaker 2:Go on.
Speaker 1:Shame. To be honest with you being a smaller gym, pt-based gym.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's going to be different.
Speaker 1:You have the ability to really teach people how to lift properly and police it better. Do you know what I mean? Of course people do things wrong and stuff like that. Beginners you should give much more leeway, as they're learning certain things, as long as they keep the intensity low?
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, 100%. They'll get better at it and stuff. Here's one for you, though. Have you ever had this where you have someone who's obviously gone to the gym for quite a while, but they take any machine or any piece of kit and they try and use it a different way? You know what I mean. I'm watching them. They get a chest press, and then now it's a row.
Speaker 1:Oh for a different reason.
Speaker 2:They get the shoulder press and it's the wrong way around, like they're using the other direction, and you're like have you come in today with a sheer goal of doing everything differently? It's like the Joker just wants to watch the world burn, goes in the treadmill, walks backwards. You're like oh, come on.
Speaker 1:I can relate a little bit because I won't mention any names, but I was doing our boot camp class this morning and it's effectively a circuit Really simple explain everything really really well and have those little cards on the floor like we just talked about as well. Explain some little things, but there's always one or two people that want to turn the most basic, simple concept, basic, simple movement into something highly complex.
Speaker 2:Just completely thrown sparring the words yeah, like you know, just I'm like oh yeah, it's just a bicep camera. Just curl the bar, Just curl it. I love it. I find it brilliant because I thought about yeah, like how can I use this machine completely differently and not the way it's being built for. It's fantastic.
Speaker 1:Going back to where we're speaking about exercises, I guess lateral raises and bicep curls two movements that people could be guilty of just using a lot of momentum.
Speaker 2:I feel like it's less common now. Lat-raised cheating is less common, isn't it? Then it used to be prolific. People used to like, grab two really heavy dumbbells with like little T-rex arms for people who are listening, T-rex arms. And then it's like, flap them up and down and you're like, oh yeah, I'm doing 20 kilogram of that raises pulling the gym in. Oh man, you'd must be massive. And then really, they're just doing little chicken wing things. That was common.
Speaker 1:I don't think I've progressed past the tens ever.
Speaker 2:Nah, half 12 and a half, but that's about it. If I'm doing standing, I can do 15s, but like for like eight. So I usually stick to the 10, 12 and a half range. That's your comfort zone, but I'm still pushing myself. You just try and get the reps up. As soon as you get heavier it becomes impossible, doesn't it?
Speaker 1:It does, it does Right. What else you got for me, matthew, and your list of topics?
Speaker 2:I want to chat to you about, yeah, topics. I want to chat to you about caffeine. Okay, because I'm still curious. You still have in like a little coffee before you work out and that's just your thing.
Speaker 1:You're going to tell me that it's scientifically proven that it's not good for me, or something Proven proven Proven. Proven proven. Proven proven.
Speaker 2:Proven, proven, no, I was wondering if you're still doing caffeine. I thought it'd be quite interesting.
Speaker 1:Absolutely. Caffeine is one of my.
Speaker 2:He's literally doing caffeine right now. I think it's finished.
Speaker 1:Vices what?
Speaker 2:have you got right now no cocoa.
Speaker 1:I've got a little noco.
Speaker 2:What do you call it? Is it not a no cocoa, or is it noco? I don't know, I see it. How does it spell?
Speaker 1:N-O-C-C-O.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, it's spelled N-O-C-C. It's noco.
Speaker 1:Anyway.
Speaker 2:What flavour.
Speaker 1:I think it's grand, sour, it's like lemon flavour, nice, more of a coffee drinker. To be honest with you, I just picked that up before I came here because I was a bit sleepy and I didn't want to be too sleepy for the listeners.
Speaker 2:I had a monster before we.
Speaker 1:But coffee in the morning, yeah, coffee in the morning. Do you like my coffee in the morning? And I would have caffeine pre-workout? Yeah, I would, yeah.
Speaker 2:Till coffee pre-workout. I'm no longer having morning coffees.
Speaker 1:Okay, why not?
Speaker 2:I just feel like I'd have too much caffeine these days, so I try to avoid it in the mornings. I don't feel that bad. I feel like it's more of a mental thing. I think I had to have a coffee in the morning. I just feel all right.
Speaker 1:I do think I've cut back in recent years, like gradually. I probably have three coffees a day.
Speaker 2:if that's acceptable, it's all right, if you have one pre-workout, I guess.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I still have two in the morning and one pre-workout.
Speaker 2:I still have pre-workout Like pre-workout pre-workout, not coffee pre-workout.
Speaker 1:But I guess it's just quite late in the day for me to have caffeine and that probably will affect my sleep.
Speaker 2:I'll be honest with you. Oh my God, that's shocking.
Speaker 1:Late on tonight, and that's generally why I probably won't drink caffeine too late in the day. And also, the more you drink, the less effect you get.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's a slippery slope where you're like, oh, caffeine's not affecting me anymore. You're like, okay, that's bad. Yeah, that's bad. I've got two more things I want to ask you, though, and they're not really training related. I want to ask you, first of all, who's winning tomorrow my night of E-Livable Score prediction?
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:Guys, who's listening to this? Should I go with my heart or my head? You've got to go with your head, because if you go with your heart you're gonna be wrong. But the people who listen to this, they can go check this and see if you're right or not. So that's why I want to know.
Speaker 1:Remind me, it's at Old Trafford, right.
Speaker 2:Yeah, the Old Trafford is falling down. Do, do, do, do, do, do, do.
Speaker 1:Okay, here is my prediction. Okay, what my prediction is Manchester United two Liverpool.
Speaker 2:That scored two goals.
Speaker 1:One.
Speaker 2:Two, one United. I'm gonna go three, one Liverpool, Okay, and you'll go two, one United. That is nice to see. My next question for you obviously this is coming up on my social media is quite a lot recently Logan Paul versus Mike Tyson.
Speaker 1:Oh yes.
Speaker 2:And I'm only interested because it's Mike. I love Mike Tyson, I mean too. He's a baller like the guy's an animal. First of all, have you seen him training?
Speaker 1:Yeah, I've seen the clips. It's frightening, isn't it? Guy's still got it. He's still got it. What is, what is this all about?
Speaker 2:He's so fast and powerful. The guy. How old is Mike Tyson? 50 odd. He must be pushing onto 60. I wouldn't want to be a hundred million miles from him. The guy's an animal, He'd kill you.
Speaker 1:Can I ask a couple of questions? Right, I'm not a big expert on the boxing at all. All right, you're wondering why they're fighting. No, I guess it's to do with money, 100% to do with money.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so yeah, but what we spent all?
Speaker 1:What do you think the outcome will be?
Speaker 2:Mike Tyson will destroy Jake Paul, and if he doesn't, I'm never recording this podcast, ever again. I'm joking, I'm joking. I'm joking, but it would be. I think the issue you're going to have is Mike will be told to make it a spectacle. I think Mike Tyson could knock him out in like a minute, genuinely in a minute, the guy, how powerful and fast that guy is, he could knock him out in a minute. But he'd be told yeah, you've got to make it a spectacle, you've got to make it last a few rounds, blah, blah, blah, and he'll get to round three. He'll go oh my God, I'm 50 odd, I'm so tired. And then he could lose. But I think, mike Tyson, it's got to be Tyson, right? Who do you think? Well, if you vote on Jake Paul, that's crazy. But no, you could be devil's advocate.
Speaker 2:And then he go oh, told you it's going to be Jake. No, I couldn't.
Speaker 1:I couldn't, I couldn't see it finishing any other way. Really, to be honest with you, when is it?
Speaker 2:Do you know what it is?
Speaker 1:How do you even?
Speaker 2:look at when it was.
Speaker 1:No idea, but I do follow Mike Tyson and social media and all these random pages and stuff and you know the clips.
Speaker 2:They're pretty impressive, the clips you'd be watching me and I'm like Jesus, he's still got it. He's still got it, which is absolutely mad, because a lot of athletes lose what they had. You know a little bit, but the guy's still an absolute animal. And to be fair on the topic, there is, I think, tyson Fury's fighting. Isn't he who's sick? That's soon.
Speaker 1:Is it?
Speaker 2:Yeah, who do you think? I think they've re-scheduled it. Who do you think is going to win that?
Speaker 1:Let me see Again. I'm no big boxing expert, but I am a Tyson Fury fan, so I'm going for him and I'm hopeful that he would. He would win.
Speaker 2:I'm pretty sure cause it. Didn't it get called off and it's been rescheduled or something?
Speaker 1:I don't know, I'm just answering your question 18th of May 2024.
Speaker 2:Tyson Fury versus Alexander Usig. Yeah, I'm Tyson Fury as well. I really hope he wins it. I really do. But that's everything we've got to talk about, barry, because I've fired through it. We have. Perhaps you saw, Barry. We've talked for 48 minutes. We have blessed the people listening with a 50 minute podcast. You're welcome, guys. We apologize that we haven't recorded for two months.
Speaker 1:That's why we've been waffling for 50 minutes.
Speaker 2:Yeah, because we had to make up to you guys, obviously.
Speaker 1:But it is getting into the summer, it is getting better weather, lighter nights. We hope that you guys are motivated to get out, get your steps, get moving a bit more Now that you can do that a little bit more, because the winter was pretty minging, wasn't it? It was awful it was pretty dark and dingy.
Speaker 2:It's funny that everyone's like miserable. As soon as the sun comes up, everyone's happier.
Speaker 1:So let's hope that these next few months building up to the summer are positive for everybody.
Speaker 2:Your best months. Go, enjoy yourselves.
Speaker 1:And build up to the summer. Get into your training and get stuck into it. Let us know what training you're doing, what you're training for Me and Matthew. You can contact us anytime.
Speaker 2:Yeah, if you have any topics you want us to speak about as well, or anything you want us to discuss, even if it's stupid, it could be funny. Well, we like speaking a lot of crap as well.
Speaker 1:Yeah, anyway, guys, thanks for listening. We appreciate it and we will speak to you soon.