YouFit - Blog

Time Management Techniques

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 23:53:03 GMT

It's time to break out the MBA again.But I'm not going to "proactivate" you with a bunch of management buzzwords, and that's mostly because I think the majority of hyper-detailed time-management stuff is a bunch of bullsh*t.

It's not that scientific

I will not preach a bunch of time management theories. Several books have been written on this subject; some of them are okay, others, not so much. I'm not a master of time management, and I have no intention of becoming one. To be honest, I'm dubious about it as a discipline. For me, it is closely aligned with what I call self-help bullsh*t.A former employer of mine had a policy where all management staff had to take a well-known two-day self-help course on being exceptionally productive through adopting a [lucky] number of mannerisms. I'm being deliberately obtuse because I'm going to slam the course now, and I've had enough threats of lawsuits about my writing to know I don't enjoy the experience.The course was the most mindless drivel I'd ever been exposed to. Two days of having common sense that you should've learned by the age of six twisted and "paradigmed" and "proactivated" into management mumbo jumbo until my brain turned into protoplasm. Then they try to sell you on day planners and software and… and you just want to barf. I'm skeptical if a time-management guru has ever really helped anyone manage their time better.Nevertheless, I didn't want to crap on the entire industry after taking just one course, so I read a couple of the most popular time-management books and they just confirmed my suspicions that this is common sense overcomplicated so someone can sell a book or a course, along with a bunch of add-on crap. I worked over a decade in marketing, and I know a scam when I see one.Anyway, I guess I can't just rant about how it's all a bunch of crap and not give you any advice at all, because that wouldn't be terribly productive, so here is my common-sense-based time un-management advice. RELATED VIDEO: Get The Perfect Body With These Workouts

Prioritize

When it comes to time management, nothing is more important than prioritization. An oft-used axiom is that if everything is a priority, then nothing is a priority. You must make the decision that exercise is important to you and you will put it before many other things. Another axiom is that no one lies on their deathbed wishing they'd spent more time at the office. Conversely, I think there are probably plenty of people who lie on that same bed wishing they'd spent more time exercising, especially since if they had then they probably wouldn't be dying right then.Also, know that being in great health can make you more productive at everything else you do. If you're in shape, then you can be a better husband, a better dad and even a better employee.If you make exercise and healthy eating a high priority, you'll find the time to do it.

Plan

I've written about this before. You know your life and schedule better than anyone, so you need to do a bit of figuring your own stuff out. Figure out what time of day works best for you to exercise. Figure out your running or cycling routes. Figure out how you are going to fit in breakfast. Figure out which gym has the most convenient location for you. Figure out that spandex is a bad idea.Figure all this out, then make a schedule and endeavor to stick to it.

Adapt

Does this even require explanation? Things don't always work out the way you plan, so don't give up on the fundamental goals -- just change the plan and try again.Remember what Field Marshal von Moltke said: "No plan of battle survives contact with the enemy."

Be Efficient

Thirty minutes of going hard with the weights is far better than an hour of farting around in the gym. Running hard for 30 minutes burns more calories than walking for an hour. It also is better for your heart, lungs and cholesterol, and it improves your ability to train harder with weights.Efficiency doesn't just apply to exercise. You can pack an entire week's worth of gym clothes and take them to the office on Monday so you never have to worry about missing a workout because you don't have fresh attire. I found that lunchtime is a good time for weightlifting, and it allows me to skip those fattening coworker trips to the Chinese food buffet.If you get creative, you can think of other ways in your life to exercise efficiently.

Think!

You've got a brain; use it. What do you do that wastes time? Where are the holes in your schedule? What do you need to do to fit exercise into your schedule?Time management: You figure it out.

Olympic Moments Interview

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 23:57:09 GMT

AskMen met with Olympian heroes Kelly Holmes, Colin Jackson and Mark Foster to chat about this year's 2012 London Games and their favourite Olympic moments, ever. Olympic Heroes Reveal Their Greatest Moments The Jaguar Academy of Sport aims to recognise, celebrate and inspire the very best of British sporting talent. For more information please visit: www.jaguaracademyofsport.co.uk

How To Choose A Personal Trainer

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 23:53:13 GMT

“I must get back in shape” “I must get back in shape” “I must get back in shape” And so, the familiar January mantra begins.Are you going through this internal civil war once again? The question quickly becomes “Where do I start?”You may consider hiring a personal trainer to help you kick-start your fitness routine and maximise your time efficiency in the gym. The trick is finding one who is a true professional. Here is my blueprint for navigating this confusing and notoriously under-skilled world. There are some great reasons to hire a personal trainer: maybe you haven't done anything physical since PE at school (if you weren't smoking behind the bike sheds). Perhaps you want to train for a specific goal, like running a marathon or completing a charity walk by the end of the Olympics. In either case, you’ll need some clear guidance on how to get in shape quickly and safely. Whatever your reasons for hiring a trainer, it's a good way to learn the subtleties of working out and getting into shape, that is, as long as you don’t end up with the local rogue trader. Hiring a personal trainer should be a fun experience, but the wrong one can end up being a Nightmare on Holmes Place. And there are plenty of rip-off merchants out there who wouldn't know the difference between a push-up and a push-up bra. I am going to shed light on some of the warning signs and exactly what to avoid when choosing your trainer.The Bluffers Guide to Personal TrainersBluff #1: Education There is no “chartered status” for personal trainers as yet - so you have to do your own homework. Regardless of what a personal trainer says bear in mind that some courses take a day to complete, some a weekend, and some 4 years to graduate from. Amazingly - and horrifyingly - you can qualify as a personal trainer by taking a course which only teaches via distance learning. The certifications I rate best are: The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), Health Fitness Instructor The American Council on Exercise (ACE), Personal Trainer The (UKSCA) United Kingdom Strength and Conditioning Association National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA-CSCS & NSCA-CPT) The National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM), Personal Trainer.Passing any of these certifications ensures that your trainer has demonstrated at least a minimum level of knowledge related to proper exercise choice and technique. All of them also require a current certification in CPR First Aid - a real bonus.The best personal trainers will also have an academic degree in a fitness-related field such as exercise physiology, physical education, or some other concentration related to health and fitness. This means they'll have a deeper understanding of the human body and the effect that training will have on you. Rarer still are the crème de la crème: trainers with post graduate qualifications in the above fields. In the same way that law and medicine are continually evolving, so too is the field of personal training. Remember, you are entrusting yourself physically and psychologically to someone for a long time, possibly three to five hours a week. I also still recommend that a trainer should have a current certification or two so you know he or she is keeping up with the times.Avoid: personal trainers who try to use ‘medical’ or ‘scientific’ sounding jargon to sound impressive. A good personal trainer should be confident enough to keep it simple.

The Return On Investment Of Getting In Shape

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 05:53:53 GMT

In cinema, the overweight, lazy guy rarely gets the girl. But it seems in real life, too, he is less likely to get the girl, the job, the promotion, the raise, the better insurance rates, or even better GCSEs. Yes, adding muscle and losing fat will increase your likelihood of success with the opposite sex or make your wife or girlfriend find you more attractive, and its health benefits, such as improved strength, sexual performance and increased longevity, are undeniable. What is less known is the mounting evidence of how getting in shape can have a significant positive impact on your bottom line. But first you’ll have to spend. Getting in shape costs. It costs time and it costs money. Gym memberships, clothes, training, running shoes, and bicycles all take a chunk out of your paycheck and your day. Then again, feeling and looking better, plus adding a number of higher quality years to your life are priceless. But in strict financial terms, does the investment generate a positive return? Hell yes, it does. Firstly, let’s focus on the looking better aspect. Vanity is a powerful motivator, it can't be a bad thing if having people embrace the desire to improve their physique prompts them to action as long as they don’t go off the deep end and start injecting, waxing, tanning, Speedo-ing, and posing. So keep it real, and reap the benefits.

Pretty from the Neck Down

Dr. Gordon Patzer is the world’s leading authority on societal biases towards people who are more physically attractive than others. We’re a bit shallow. It's a fact of life.Patzer, who has an MS in psychology, an MBA and a Ph.D, is the author of six books on physical attractiveness. When I spoke to him, I figured that when people think of being pretty, they’re mostly talking about the face, so I was curious about the effect slimming down has on how we look from the neck up. “Slimming down will certainly make their face more aesthetically pleasing,” Patzer told me. “If their features are well-defined, then this is considered to be more attractive. Weight loss creates a more ‘chiseled’ look.” No one wants that third helping of Sunday Roast filling out their cheeks. Dr. Patzer also said that slimming down gives the face “a look of health and youthfulness which allow people to judge them as more physically attractive.” But we’re men. We're not expected to be pretty, right? Not so fast, informed Patzer. The time for letting ourselves go is gone.Dr. Patzer told me, “The increase in the importance of men being physically attractive is growing much faster for men than for women. This is due to a whole change in society, but could be related to women having higher earning potential"

Women are picky

See, it’s not enough to be the rich stereotype anymore. If she’s making money, she’d rather have a pretty boy than a rich one. And if you’re handsome and rich, your life's probaby like a Lynx advert.All of this is making things more competitive for guys, and sales of stuff like cosmetics for men are taking off. Personally, I’ll do a bit of manscaping, but that’s where I draw the line. Patzer says, “Beyond the effect on the face, an impressive physique makes a man more physically attractive, which makes them more likeable and appealing. The reason is evolutionary biology. Historically, these individuals were the ones who could bring food back and defend against attackers. We are more attracted to these people because of their ability to provide more resources and comforts.” So I guess all that time spent on the bench press makes me more accomplished at mammoth stabbing. But Patzer warns that it’s important not to go overboard. “We want them to be naturally attractive. We don’t judge them as favourably if they had to do it through surgery, lots of cosmetics or taking a physique to an extreme like a bodybuilder.” So, we know there’s an expectation to not be a pot-bellied gargoyle, but what about that return on investment stuff?Find out what you get out of staying in shape next...

Winter Muscle-Building

Sat, 24 Dec 2011 23:55:57 GMT

This winter, many of you are thinking about performing a muscle-building cycle to reshape your physique. However, unless you have a plan, you’re not going to have anything to show for all your hard work come spring. Before jumping right into an intense weight-lifting workout, it’s a good idea to take three weeks to prepare your body for what’s to come. Keep in mind that your goal when you prep your body for winter muscle-building is not to get leaner and add definition, but to build a foundation from which you will work off of. You will start to notice more muscularity toward the very end of these three weeks and then, to a larger extent, once you move onto your full-fledged muscle-building program. Here are the steps to take to prep your body for winter-muscle building.

Take three full days off

If you have been going to the gym recently, you should immediately take three days off before beginning. Once you get into an intense muscle-building workout program, the stress load on the muscles will be incredibly high, so it’s important that you start with a clean slate. During these three days off, do your best to avoid cardio training as well to really give both the muscles and central nervous system a complete rest. If you haven’t been working out previously, you can use this time to get into the gym and do some light cardio activity, which will help get the body used to the vigorous movement again.

Assess your current food intake and your muscle-building diet intake

During your three days off from the gym, you should do some research of the various calorie contents of the foods you’ve been eating and figure out exactly what your diet looks like. If you’ve been maintaining your weight, this will give you a fairly accurate indication of how many calories your body burns each day and how many more you will need to start adding lean muscle mass on top of that. If you’ve been on a fat-loss diet, over the next three days your goal is to bring your calories back up to maintenance intake. If you don’t know what this is, use the general guideline of 15 calories per pound of body weight. Keep in mind that factors such as height and age influence this, so you should also use a reference more tailored to you. We have 3 more tips to help you prep your body for winter muscle building…

Brands In Football

Fri, 23 Dec 2011 23:54:09 GMT

Brands In SoccerIn 1992 a London retailer named Edward Freedman moved north to take a job that hadn’t previously existed: head of merchandise at Manchester United. The club already had a global brand -- an image that meant something to people -- yet had never previously sold much stuff. Back then, fans could buy little more than a United scarf and shirt. Pirate vendors were selling self-made T-shirts just metres outside Old Trafford, but not a penny of those revenues went to the club. United then was a small local business. Freedman had an insight that would change football: People liked United’s brand so much that they would pay to attach themselves to it. Soon a megastore the size of a supermarket opened at Old Trafford. Quite quickly, Freedman built a range of more than 1,000 United products -- everything from bedspreads to credit cards. But he only understood quite how mighty United’s brand was when sportswear companies bid fortunes to provide the club’s kit. These companies were themselves mighty global brands. Consumers paid a premium for shoes that carried Nike’s Swoosh logo or Adidas’ three stripes. These companies had revenues many times higher than United’s. And yet, Freedman figured, United’s brand must be even stronger than theirs. If the Nike or Adidas brands were the stronger, he reasoned, then United would be paying them for the right to put the Swoosh or stripes on the club shirts. “Probably United were the pioneers of modern soccer marketing,” Joan Oliver, Barcelona’s chief executive until last year, told me. Today, clubs like United and Barcelona sell their stuff -- monetise their brand, in effect -- in thousands of shops and online stores worldwide.

Growing the brand

All big clubs now understand the power of their brand. They need to, because for the first time they are reaching beyond their traditional home markets to sell their brands to the world. Only the very strongest football brands will succeed in tapping the markets of China, North America, Japan, and later, India. Each of these clubs will need to understand exactly just what its brand is and will need to manage this brand more sensitively than football clubs ever have before. Back when Freedman began work at Old Trafford, a football brand was not the same thing it is today. American, Canadian or Chinese fans were virtually nonexistent. Football fans still mostly supported their local club, knew the club’s history, and had strong brand loyalty. That changed during the 1990s. First satellite TV and later, internet, carried the big European club brands to the corners of the earth. Imagine a family room in Shanghai, but it could just as well be in Soweto or Sapporo, Japan. A dozen people are sitting around a TV watching United play Wolves. None of them knows that Manchester is a city in England, a country they will never visit. All of them support Manchester United, though they probably support other clubs as well. The United brand means something different to these new fans than it did to local Mancunian fans in the 1980s. How are clubs expanding their influence abroad? That's next...

Productivity Tips

Wed, 21 Dec 2011 23:52:39 GMT

Some people are what we call high performers. They are exceptionally focused, insanely organised and (therefore) incredibly productive. They are detail oriented, remember things well, are good with deadlines, and usually get out of bed before their alarm clock. Others are… well, not. I happen to fall into the “not” category.Some of us (including me) are big performers. I say “big” because they think Big. They have Big dreams, Big goals and usually Big personalities. More than anything else, they are exceptionally skilled at seeing the Big Picture. These people are good at ideas. They are fantastic at coming up with great concepts and understanding how those concepts will play out. Unfortunately, they’re not detailed oriented, forget stuff and often finish projects just before the deadline -- or just after it. And, of course, they hit snooze a few times before getting out of bed.But people with big ideas want to bring those ideas to life -- they just need help being more productive. And so, hoping for that, I undertook a quest to achieve better productivity.Along the way, I compiled a list of five rules to increase productivity. The best part is, these rules can be applied to any job, any field of study and, in fact, any area of your life.Here they are:

1. Write It Down

This should have been one of the easier habits to adopt, but I wasn’t able to make it “stick” until about Day 9. Writing things down is something I recommend in a lot of instances, and since I’m an intense planner when it comes to diet and training, it makes a lot of sense to me.You see, putting something down in black and white gives it something it lacked previously: tangibility. Writing takes things from ideas to plans.In my case, the way I am doing things now is to have working to-do lists. I simply make a list each night of all of the stuff I want to do the next day, listed in either order of importance or the chronological order that I want to finish them (you’ll have to play around to see what works best for you). By doing this, I am immediately able to get started on my day in a productive way. RELATED VIDEO: Tips For Success From Dodge's CEO This is surprisingly effective. Even writing down “walk the dog for at least 25 minutes” seems to have an impact on the weight of that task, and I’m a lot less likely to skip out halfway through.Going further than to-do lists, I now write down nearly everything. I carry a small pocket notebook with me and jot down any idea that comes to mind that I’d like to blog about, as well as random thoughts that drift into my head, which I find allows me to organize things more efficiently.The pocket notebook has long been a tool for some of the most productive people in history -- Thomas Jefferson carried one made of ivory leaves that he used to record everything from quotes to the migrations of birds. Other famous bad-asses are known for pocket notebooks, including Benjamin Franklin, Mark Twain, Charles Darwin, and Ludwig Van Beethoven. If it’s good enough for presidents and scientists, it’s good enough for ol’ Roman.To put things back in the fitness context and give you something actionable, I suggest you start recording both your meals and your training sessions. Ideally, you will plan them out beforehand and then record them during, to see how closely you can match your plan.In the case of my coaching clients, both training and diet are planned for them, and the client has to follow the plan. If you’re using a program like Final Phase Fat Loss, you have the Training Log Sheets, and you have spaces to record your weight and reps. Life is a lot easier and more productive when these things are handled in advance (or simply done for you).Even if you’re not going to start planning your diet and training in advance, at the very least I recommend you start recording them during the event. You are a lot more likely to get a better workout and eat the right things.Another cool diet tip is to use your cell phone camera to take a picture of every meal. Tim Ferriss calls this “the flash diet.” Taking a picture serves as a pattern interrupt and forces you to think about what you’re eating. While you don’t have to post the pictures on Facebook or Twitter, try to look at your meals through that lens. If you’re trying to lose fat, each meal should take you closer to that goal. If you wouldn’t want your friends to know what you’re eating, you probably aren’t making the right choices.So write it down!More productivity tips next...

Darren Fletcher: Dealing With Ulcerative Colitis

Wed, 21 Dec 2011 23:52:39 GMT

Football’s seen its fair share of debilitating injuries. Pictures of Eduardo, or Aaron Ramsey, or Antonio Valencia, or any one of the countless others who’ve been caught by a bad tackle or fallen awkwardly, are stomach-churning. They’re prone, their faces disfigured mid-scream or, worse, staring with pale face and goggle-eyes at their own ankle, knowing that any second they’ll experience pain worse than anything they’ve felt before. And the whole thing played out in a packed arena, with tens of thousands of people watching them in a heap on the ground.For months after that, those payers will probably find themselves on a wheelchair, then on crutches, with a leg brace like an elephant’s foot. But the stories of Eduardo, Ramsey and Valencia don’t end there, with a lifetime of handrails and ramps. Each of them got back to playing regularly, and playing well at that. Look at Valencia, who supplied the cross that Rooney scored from against QPR the other day – the exact same combination that made them so deadly in the 2009-10 season. It looks like he’s fully recovered from being incapacitated.So spare a thought for Darren Fletcher, who will be out of football indefinitely after being diagnosed with ulcerative colitis, a bowel condition as nasty as it is unpredictable. According to reports, Fletcher had been playing through the condition for some time but that situation had become untenable and he’s been advised to take an extended break.What makes conditions like colitis so problematic is that, unlike a torn ligament, a broken metatarsal or even, in Scott Dann’s case, a ruptured testicle (and our hearts go out to you, Scott, even as our scrota retreat back inside our bodies), if you suffer from something chronic then it’s effectively a life sentence. Fletcher will be taking pills every day of his life – steroids, possibly, plus all manner of anti-inflammatories to stop his body rejecting his own insides. In the future, no doubt he’ll feel well enough to train and play for months or even years at a time, so we will almost certainly see him again. But it will always be hanging over his head, no matter how religiously he takes his pills or how well he regulates his diet. The threat of relapse will be in the back of his mind every time he puts on his boots. Not least because, as leading colitis specialist Dr Ian Arnott says, "the cause is unknown. It's genetic to some extent…but something unknown in the environment comes along and sets it off. It could be food, atmospheric pollution or stress – no one really knows what it is. It could be all of them."Chances are, he’ll be feeling pretty awful at the moment. Not just because his career’s on hold, but because the nature of his condition means it’s not something very many people want to talk about publicly. Diseases like cancer might have broken their own taboos, but less well-known, high-profile or, dare I say it, glamorous conditions like colitis still writhe under a heavy shroud of secrecy and embarrassment. But even a cursory Google search will reveal that Fletcher’s far from alone in his plight.Lewis Moody, the ex-England rugby union captain, and Steve Redgrave, the winner of five Olympic gold medals at five successive Olympics, are both in the same boat. They’ve both talked quite a bit about the disease, aiming at least in part to remove some of the stigma. Redgrave in particular has been banging the colitis drum for some time – he’s told journalists how his diagnosis came about two months before the Barcelona games, and how he coped with the requirements of the condition throughout (and beyond) his rowing career.Whether Fletcher will be able to do the same is up in the air at the moment, because colitis affects different people in different ways. While one person may be able to maintain decent health almost all the time, the next person might need major surgery to remove all or part of the colon. That, of course, would have a serious impact on what he’s able to do, particularly in a rumbumptious game like football.So at the moment, maybe Fletcher’s situation does resemble that of someone with a serious fracture – all he can do is rest and wait on a good prognosis from the team’s doctor. The difference lies in how long-term that prognosis can be. In the end, it will come down to Fletcher’s body to decide how it will respond to recuperation and treatment. The only certainty is that we want to see him back as soon as possible.

Golf Workout

Tue, 13 Dec 2011 23:52:25 GMT

Rory McIlroy - Credit: Getty Images The increased focus on core training among athletes hasn’t been overlooked by the golf world. Competitors in the PGA Playoffs (such as Tiger Woods, Paul Casey, Robert Karlsson, Dustin Johnson, and Zach Johnson) look more like athletes than ever before. From a training standpoint, golf performance is largely dictated by rotational power. To some extent, improving performance is as much about removing barriers as it is about improving capacity. In other words, in order to fully express your rotational power, it’s necessary to develop full range of motion in hip and thoracic spine rotation, which most people are lacking, and to build core strength to transfer force from the hips to the shoulders. Use the exercises below as part of a daily routine to help develop the hip and spine mobility and core stability you need to perform optimally.

Golf Workout

Lying knee-to-knee mobilisation

This exercise is meant to improve hip internal rotation range of motion (ROM). A lack of hip rotation ROM will limit the range through which you can generate power, and can cause you to shift your weight in an effort to “steal” ROM. To perform this golf workout exercise, lie on your back with your feet flat on the ground, with your heels an inch or so in front of your ankles. Spread your feet out as wide as possible. Pull your knees in toward each other until you feel a slight stretch deep in your hips. Hold this end range for a second, then pull your knees back out as wide as possible. Repeat for 8 repetitions.

Seated thoracic rotations

Similar to a lack of hip rotation ROM, a lack of thoracic rotation (rotation through the upper spine) can cause undesired movements during your swing and limit your power generation. This lack of thoracic rotation typically causes you to rotate more through the lumbar spine (low back), which causes a lot of golfers to suffer from back pain. As your body naturally compensates for the lost power, it relies on generating more force through the shoulders and arms, which can cause excessive stress to your shoulder, elbow and wrists. To perform this golf workout exercise, sit down with your knees touching. Sit up nice and tall, interlock your fingers and put your hands behind your head. Pull your elbows back as far as possible to help open up your chest. Keeping your elbows pulled back and your chest up, rotate through your chest as far as possible. Hold the end range for a second, then bend to the side while still keeping your chest pulled up before rotating back to the start. Repeat these slow side-to-side rotations for 8 repetitions on each side. All the rotation should happen in your upper back, so your belly button should never move.

Half kneeling hip flexor and pec mobilisation

This exercise really highlights the relationship between your hip and opposite shoulder, and helps reinforce the mobility you need for a smooth back swing. To perform this exercise, get in a half kneeling position with your left leg forward. Hold a foam roller (or other similarly shaped instrument) between your hands with your arms locked so that the roller is at an angle from your back hip toward your opposite shoulder. Sit up nice and tall so that your back hip is “all the way through” or fully extended. From here, you want to lightly squeeze your backside gluteal muscles as you rock your hips forward. As you’re rocking forward, use your bottom hand to drive the top arm into a diagonal rotation pattern. At the end of the rock, you should feel a slight stretch to the hip flexor on the back leg and in the pectoralis muscle on the opposite side. Return to the starting position and repeat for 8 reps, then switch sides. For three more golf workouts, read on...

Drop Sets

Tue, 13 Dec 2011 23:52:25 GMT

When you’re training to build muscle, you learn quickly that everything works but that nothing works forever. The basic 3 x 10 approach from your high school football days probably hasn’t been effective since, well, when you played high school football.As you progress, you learn that every aspect of a given workout is but a single piece of the strength-training puzzle, and that each of those pieces can be modified individually to achieve a different affect and greater results.Whether it’s increasing the weight, adjusting volume, or switching exercises, you’ll undoubtedly begin to see what works for you. As you advance in your training, this gets harder and harder, and so it becomes important that you include more advanced training techniques to continue progressing.One of those techniques includes something called drop sets. A drop set is when you perform a set of a given exercise to the point of fatigue or failure, and then change a variable in a way that allows you to continue performing the set.The use of drop sets is probably one of the first advanced methods you'll likely employ on your quest to gain muscle. Keep in mind, everything can be treated as a variable in the equation. In traditional drop sets, the variable is the weight itself -- you reduce, or "drop," the weight once you reach fatigue, allowing you to perform a few more reps with a lighter load. These are also known as strip sets, because you’re stripping the weight off the bar.All told, this is a decent technique, and yields results, but it can be made better in so many ways, and the best among those is to look at the way that the weight affects the muscle. Without getting too far into a scientific explanation, it’s enough to say that in most cases, more weight means more muscle recruited -- and that means more muscle built.Therefore, while drop sets are great, they suffer from the inherent issue of forcing you to use lighter weight as you progress deeper. With each subsequent drop, you’re decreasing load. While you’re still doing more work and getting closer to failure than traditional sets allow, you’re not making the best of the heavy weight.In order to eliminate that deficiency, the goal would obviously be to keep using heavy weight -- but how can you manage that if you’re fatiguing further and further with each rep?

Simple: We look at mechanics

When we talk about mechanics in training, we're really discussing positional adjustments as they apply to increasing or decreasing leverage -- and, therefore, the ease (or difficulty) with which you can perform the exercise.I want to talk about a really fun technique called Mechanical Advantage Drop Sets or MADS, which is a type of drop set in which the variable is not the weight but the exercises you perform with that weight. As an example, you probably notice that it's easier for you to perform a bench press with a lower incline and harder to perform it with a higher incline. As you increase the incline, muscular leverage changes unfavorably, as does recruitment of individual muscles. More specifically, as you increase the angle, you place less emphasis on the chest and more on the smaller, weaker muscles of the shoulders. Put in terms more relevant to this article, the higher incline is mechanically harder.So what are MADS, and why are they so effective? Find out next...

Fine Living Travel: Top 10 Golf Resorts

Fri, 09 Dec 2011 11:56:00 GMT

Where are the top 10 golf resorts? There’s no better way to unwind -- or get wound up -- than with a round or two of golf. Undulating fairways, challenging bunkers, breathtaking links, and accommodating clubhouses are just some of the things we love about golf, not to mention the designer clubs and electric buggies. From Europe to America, golf resorts are scattered throughout the globe on every available piece of green turf, but quality golf resorts are few and far between. So, to help you out, we’ve tracked down the top 10 golf resorts -- all you have to do is tee off and play them.

Number 10

Fairmont Chateau Whistler

British Columbia, Canada While the ladies hit the slopes for a spot of skiing, the gentlemen at Canada’s prestigious Fairmont Chateau Whistler resort will dust off their clubs and hit the fairway. This award-winning 18-hole par-72 golf course has been voted Canada’s best, and it’s no wonder with Robert Trent Jones Jr. behind the design. What’s more, the new David Leadbetter Golf Academy will have your skills up to scratch in no time at all, offering the best instruction the other side of the Atlantic. And when you’re ready for your post-game Bombay Sapphire and Tonic you can retire to the in-house bar at the luxury hotel beside Blackcomb Mountain, where you’ll hunker down between high thread-count sheets in a room fit for Tiger Woods and Elin Nordegren.

Number 9

One & Only Ocean Club

Bahamas Set amidst the tropical paradise isle of the Bahamas, the One & Only Ocean Club offers sun, sand, surf, and golf -- in equal measures. The perfect place for a laid-back kind of game, the 18-hole par-72 championship course was designed by Tom Weiskopf and sits on the edge of the shimmering Caribbean Sea. Stretching 7,100 yards, it’s where the rich and famous come to enjoy seaside tees, scenic greens and stunning fairways. And when the sun sets, you can be sure that the 106-room Ocean Club Hotel will be more than accommodating. With fine-dining restaurants, a full-service spa and every suite more spacious than the last, it truly is heaven on earth.

Number 8

Gleneagles golf resort

Scotland The only UK-based entry in our list of top 10 golf resorts is the world-class Gleneagles golf resort in Scotland. Featuring a number of brilliant courses, including King’s, Queen’s, the nine-hole Wee Course, and the Jack Nicklaus-designed PGA Centenary Course, it’s a golfer’s dream come true. With the best equipment available for hire at the on-site shop and a renowned golf academy, if you don’t rise to the challenge here, you won’t anywhere. Afterwards, escape from that cutting highland wind and duck into the five-star hotel, which rises like a majestic French chateau amid 850 stunning acres. Our top 10 golf resorts only get better…

Make A Comeback

Fri, 09 Dec 2011 11:56:00 GMT

Tiger Woods finally won a golf tournament again. The former best player in golf knocked in a couple birdies to seal the victory at the 2011 Chevron World Challenge on Sunday. The win ended a drought that lasted 749 days and 26 tournaments. Tiger Woods has been many things to many people in his life and career. He's been a golf prodigy, an undisputed world champion, a role model, a family man, a walking nightmare of a scandal, and a late-night TV punchline. This win, however, might be taking Wood's on a new story arc: redemption. Throughout the horrible last couple of years, Woods has kept going. He's worked hard and has never given up on the sport that he loves or on himself. While most of us aren't rich pro-athletes, Tiger's tale has a lot of lessons for the ordinary guy. Whether you've lost a job, survived a horrible breakup or are just stuck in a rut, here are five tips to get you back on track and be more successful than ever.

1- Keep A Positive Attitude

You might be having a bad day or a bad year, but things are only going to get worse if you're down on yourself. You didn't just crash your car into a tree because your wife found all the sexts that you sent to pornstars. Things could be worse. It's a crap situation and you're in it. You're smart and capable, so find a way to deal with it.

2- Work To Get Better, Not To Stay Good

Sure, you might be good at something, but every day that you're not improving means you're slipping behind everyone else. Everyone can get better, even at the things they're good at. Don't let yourself plateau. Tiger didn't stop practicing when he was the best golfer in the world. And when he slipped in the rankings, he doubled his efforts. He broke down his swing and started over again. He wasn't happy just being good.

3- Project Confidence

One of the first steps to succeeding is being positive and showing others that you're capable of anything. Smile in the face of adversity. Don't feel bad for yourself and dig yourself even deeper. Stand tall and believe -- know -- that you can and will succeed.

4- Do Things You're Good At

Sometimes it feels that nothing is going right. You suck at everything. Well, that's not true. We all have our strengths and our weaknesses. If things aren't going well, go back to the fundamentals and do what you're good at. If work is getting you down, then go home and give your car a tune-up. If you can't find a job, cook your wife a world-class dinner. If you're lacking confidence, put yourself into situations where you know you can succeed. Sometimes even the little things can help.

5- Enjoy Yourself

Nothing sucks more than feeling that you can't do something and then getting down on yourself because of that. If you and your lady are going through a rough time, go and do something together that you both love doing. Recreate a few of your first dates. Go mini-putting or go to the drive-in. Don't let everyday life depress you. Make it fun and you'll be surprised at just how easy it is to accomplish your goals.

Active Advent Fitness Tips

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 23:54:03 GMT

Yup it’s party season again. For us guys, this is an especially chaotic and disorganised time, and this is none more apparent than in the gym. At this time of year, most high street gyms look more like the Marie Celeste. It’s the perfect recipe for “exercise attrition” (read: dropping out of your fitness programme altogether). This Xmas I’m going to show you that it is possible to party hard and still recognise yourself in the mirror come January 1st. Whilst I know that December probably won’t be the time of year when you make quantum leaps in your 5K run time or set a PB on the bench press, it can be a time when you maintain your fitness levels, and get in a “holding pattern” until your New Year Resolutions kick in. You could also say that holding your weight constant over December is a form of weight loss as the norm is to pile on the pounds. To give you a helping hand, I have also created The AskMen “Active Advent” series of tweets. These health and fitness tweets are designed to give you a daily jolt and remind you that there is life after Xmas, so don’t let things get totally out of control.They are mini calls to action which are easy to achieve. They will include advice from the three areas us Coaches call the “pillars of wellness”: exercise, healthy eating and restoration. There is a current trend in health & fitness to over-complicate things, but at this time of year we need simple solutions. And they don't have to sound daunting. Why not set yourself a target of “moving” on 20 out of 25 days from December 1st to Xmas Day? I'm talking about a minimum 10 minutes a day of brisk walking, for example. If you can, push for more - 30 or 40 minutes per day is great, but 10 is fine to start with. Write a simple “10 minute block” training log for each date and tick it off when you complete each one. I've used this approach with clients over the last couple of years and it’s surprising how it helps motivate and develop consistency, the number one all important exercise variable.The tweets are deliberately designed as a short-term fix, which won’t intrude too much on your partying but will allow you to maintain some balance. It'll also mean your January workouts won't feel quite so daunting….ho! ho! ho!For my daily tweets, check out @askmenuk

Stress Management: How To Deal With Depression

Wed, 30 Nov 2011 23:54:52 GMT

In Swansea on Sunday, as the planned minute’s silence turned spontaneously into a minute’s applause and Shay Given looked inconsolable, it was hard to think just of Gary Speed’s sudden passing just as another sad, early death. That was borne out in the coming hours and days, as a seemingly exhaustive list of football’s good and great volunteered their respects, their devastation, their disbelief. The common thread that ran through each of them was that Gary Speed was a man who, from the outside, appeared to have everything. A loving wife, two beautiful children, a job he adored.That’s a common stick used to beat footballers - they have a job that consists, essentially, of playing a sport and they get paid handsomely for it - so how can they ever feel hard done by? But give it even the smallest of scratches and that argument begins to flake away like rusty paintwork.The game is littered with examples of players and officials who have seemingly broken a taboo by saying - or demonstrating - its stressfulness. There’s Stan Collymore, who talks about the ‘thud’ when chronic depression kicks in and you feel “fit and healthy one day, mind, body and soul withering and dying the next.” There’s the Bundesliga referee who tried to kill himself two hours before a game because of the excessive pressure of his job. And there’s Robert Enke, the Hannover and Germany keeper who committed suicide after also suffering depression.Behind the machismo that tends to exist at the highest level in many professions lies the dirty secret of the highly-paid - with astronomical salaries comes astronomical pressure. Look in most of the big papers on a Sunday and you’ll see players’ performances marked out of ten and subjected to near-forensic examination. Some of the players are still only 16 or 17 years old. How would you deal with that - your professional performance graded weekly some hack with a MacBook and read by the entire country? Nor is it limited to football, or even sport. The popular perception of the Great Depression in the 1930s involves showers of bankers flinging themselves from their skyscraper offices as every new edition of the Wall Street Journal shows zeros wiped off their companies’ value. That’s seen as a bit of a myth, but similar things are happening because of the depression we’re in right this second. A couple of years ago, Christen Schnor, a high-powered executive at HSBC, was discovered hanging by his neck in the wardrobe of his exclusive London hotel. And almost exactly a year ago, a 27-year-old Citigroup investment banker threw herself off the top of the Trump Tower in New York City.Paul Farmer, the chief executive of the mental health charity Mind, agrees that although those who have high-pressured jobs aren’t necessarily more susceptible to depression, the environment in which they work often makes it harder to seek help. "Each year, more than 4,000 people in England and Wales take their own lives and three quarters of suicides are by men”, he says. “The macho culture of football means that we have seen very few professionals come forward to talk about mental health problems”.That professional stigma seems also to be reinforced by the media, who pay hardly any attention to the issue. Is it too taboo? Too awkward? Maybe they think the public finds it boring. Whatever the reason, they must take at least some of the responsibility for the results of a recent survey that showed 31% of people can’t name a TV personality with a mental health problem. No one’s suggesting depression or suicide can be wiped out. There’d be just as much chance of wiping out the common cold. But there is room for a complete 180 turn in how it’s perceived in this country and around the globe. The only real obstacle stopping that from happening, as far as I can see, is the stigma and lack of openness that surrounds mental health problems - be it in changing rooms, boardrooms and living rooms. Paul Farmer adds: “it’s only by speaking out, whether through the media or privately, that we can increase understanding and awareness of these issues, and encourage people to be able to seek the help that they need.” Forced smiles are the ones that start hurting. If that’s you, be a man and see your doctor.

Guardiola's Coaching

Thu, 24 Nov 2011 17:53:34 GMT

I have just found an anecdote that helps explain what makes Barcelona’s coach, Josep Guardiola, special. It appears in A Life Too Short, Ronald Reng’s excellent new biography of his friend Robert Enke, the German international goalkeeper who lay down on the train tracks and committed suicide in 2009. In a book about depression; the Guardiola story is about joy.It’s told by Victor Valdes, now the longtime owner of Barcelona’s goalkeeping shirt, but who nine years ago was still Enke’s junior rival for the position. Like Enke (and like most goalkeepers), Valdes was obsessive. He didn’t enjoy keeping. He was driven above all by fear of never making mistakes. “You know, between the ages of 8 and 18 there was so much pressure in my life that I couldn’t find peace,” Valdes told Reng (himself a keen and knowledgeable amateur keeper). “The mere thought of next Sunday’s game horrified me. Playing in goal was, to put it mildly, a special kind of suffering.”

Lessons from Guardiola

Valdes was already Barcelona’s established keeper, and a European champion, when Guardiola became the club’s coach in 2008. “Pep” told Valdes that he didn’t just want good players. He wanted players who actually enjoyed soccer. As Valdes recalled for Reng:"Victor, said Guardiola, if you go on like this, eventually your career will be over and you won’t have enjoyed this wonderful job for a single day because you’re always tense, because success is the only thing you want. Watch some soccer on TV, try to understand the game."Guardiola transformed the way Valdes experienced his profession. “He taught me to lower the intensity during a game and coldly analyze what was going on rather than just lurking there with grim resolution,” Valdes says.

Playing For Fun

Reading this helps you understand the joy that Guardiola’s Barcelona exudes. Not all professional soccer players enjoy soccer. These guys do. Lionel Messi wants to play to the end of a meaningless 0-5 victory in Belarus, rather than resting his overburdened legs, because he can’t stand the thought of missing out. Like a seven-year-old on Saturday morning, he just wants to play. Reading about Enke, you almost wish he’d met Guardiola somewhere on the way before he put his head on the train tracks that fall night in Germany. But perhaps it wouldn’t have made any difference.More from Simon Kuper:When Are You Too Old To Be An Athlete?The Horrifying Reality Of Soccer In Russia

Worst Gym Machines

Wed, 23 Nov 2011 17:55:34 GMT

The worst machine in the gym

There are many machines in gyms these days that promise a great deal, yet deliver little, or nothing. The hip adduction machine fal;ls into this category. But it is not the worst machine in the gym; it’s merely useless. In fact, there are plenty of useless machines in the gym. There are others that are half decent. Before I go on my rant, I will say that I have occasion to use some of the basic machines. I always start off with free weights. But you reach a point after several sets when you’re feeling pretty done for. The gas tank is low but not empty. Any further free weights are unthinkable, but you can pound out a couple more reps on a machine to finish things off and really earn that beer. I do that sometimes. See, you can use machines and not be a bad person. But there is one machine that deserves to be soaked in napalm and hurled into an active volcano. This machine masquerades as being useful while is pretty useless. What’s more, it will harm you. It is the 45-degree leg press, and you should never, ever use it again. Here is why:

Many people Use this machine instead of Doing squats

Guys -- big guys, even -- love this machine. They shouldn’t. We all know of guys who only ever work their upper body “bar muscles” and strut about on chicken legs because they hate doing legs. Hell, I used to hate doing legs, but I forced myself to anyway. Eventually, I learned to love it. You must fall in love with the squat. It is a damn challenging exercise to get right. It demands perfect form. It takes everything out of you. And yet it gives so much. When you master the squat and make it part of your regular routine, taking pride in your ability to do it well, you, too, will find the love. Guys who hate squats but still want to do legs think they’re doing fine with the leg press, but they’re not. This is because…

It’s not a functional movement

Think of what you do with a squat. That is a functional movement. Now try to imagine something in real life when your entire back is anchored and you need to push hard with your legs. I’m coming up empty. But don’t just take my word for it. Dr. Stuart McGill is a professor of spinal biomechanics at the University of Waterloo. He literally wrote the book on low back disorders, appropriately called Low Back Disorders. McGill says of the leg pres, “We still consider this a non-functional motor/motion pattern.” In other words, you can stack a whole load of plates on the machine to make yourself look cool, but you’re still accomplishing the square root of bugger all in terms of functional strength gains.

You will wreck yourself

I have experience with this. I didn’t do it on this machine -- my low back tales of woe are long and boring -- but know that I have two bulging discs in my lower lumbar and I wouldn’t wish them on Nickelback. Well, maybe them, but no one else. This machine will destroy your low back. Believe it. McGill explains in his book that this machine can put your lower lumbar discs in serious jeopardy of a posterior bulge. See, when you are in this machine, you are bent at the waist at a 45-degree angle to start with. This creates an anterior (front) pinch of the lumbar vertebrae and an opening of the posterior vertebrae. Between those vertebrae are those gooey disc things. Trust me that you don’t ever want anything bad to happen to those disc things. It will make your life hell. Then add a load of downward force from the weight on the machine in the worst direction possible. Not only that, but as your legs come toward your chest, the angle increases and the opening of the vertebrae at the back increases as well. It won’t happen all at once; it’s cumulative. Repeated uses just make it so that one day your low back is killing you and you don’t know why. Just because you can use it without a problem now doesn’t mean it won’t make you hate life in the future. So ditch it. If you really can’t do squats, try the hack squat instead, but focus on not letting your low back round outwards.More from James Fell:The Metabolism Myth You Always Believed Was True

Facebook Profile Photo

Fri, 11 Nov 2011 23:51:57 GMT

Does your Facebook profile photo predict future life satisfaction? A new study suggests you can assume some pretty personal information about an individual -- how satisfied they are with life - without reading a word about them. Newly published research in the journal Social Psychological and Personality Science suggests that your profile picture can give away not only your current state of satisfaction but how happy your future will be, as well.In two studies, the authors showed that smile intensity of a single Facebook profile photograph taken from male and female participants’ first term at university was a strong predictor of self-reported life satisfaction three and a half years later, as they were about to graduate. Maybe it's as simple as the fact that smiling is good for your social life, and an active social life - one that builds close friendships -has been linked to higher levels of health and happiness. Regardless, the point is: smile. If you're not happy today, you will be in three and a half years. RELATED VIDEO: How To Stand Out From The Competition With Your Online Dating Profile

Introducing Our New Fitness Expert: Jon Denoris

Wed, 09 Nov 2011 23:56:05 GMT

Here at AskMen, we're always striving to bring you the most informed advice from the most knowledgeable experts, so we're very excited to announce the latest addition to our roster of writers.Jon Denoris, owner of London-based fitness studio Club 51, has delivered over 15,000 one-to-one personal training sessions globally with peak performing clients from the worlds of business, sport and entertainment, and now he's going to be sharing his expertise with you, the AskMen reader. Jon's studio Club 51 is in central London, nestled in a swanky location between Marylebone and Mayfair, but Jon himself lives in Richmond, "It's great to able to have the river and great parks close by so I can have some contrast to busy London life," he says, explaining that fresh air is his ultimate pick-me-up, "I love the outdoor lifestyle; mountain biking, climbing and I've more recently rediscovered my passion for martial arts."Let's find out a bit more about Jon shall we?

Who is your fitness idol?

"I don't believe in Idolising, but much of what Bruce Lee wrote on martial arts still resonates for me today: "Use what is useful, throw out what doesn't work" -- adapt and evolve to see where your own journey can take you. Ultimately competition is with yourself not others."

What is your top health and fitness mantra?

"I like: 'you can't out-train a poor diet'. More and more research shows this to be true, especially with regard to weight loss and body composition change."

Do you work with many famous clients?

"Tons... but it's not that important really, the messages are the same. The key is to meet people where they are and help take them forward in their goals."

What do you listen to when you train?

"JLS. Haha, only joking! I like my workout music angry, think Led Zeppelin, Prodigy, Henry Rollins, Wagner, or Public Enemy." Jon will be answering your fitness questions about workouts, diet, training and everything in between on a weekly basis, so stay tuned to AskMen for details on how to put your questions forward.You can follow Jon on Twitter @jondenoris, and head to www.clubfiftyone.co.uk for more information about his fitness studio.

Easy 3-Day Workout Routine

Sat, 05 Nov 2011 17:56:35 GMT

The Magic Number: Easy 3-Day Routine With work and the general chaos of everyday life getting in the way, many men have a limited amount of time available for exercising and taking care of their bodies. Enter the easy three-day workout routine. Since this is only a three-day routine, you can't include each body part and sufficient cardiovascular training in each session. The trick, however, to getting a complete workout is to be efficient -- so follow this routine and you'll be performing a complete body workout in just a few days.

3-day workout routine

Usually, training programs are designed to be completed within a seven-day cycle -- meaning you'll train seven days a week. One of the benefits of this easy three-day workout routine is that it can be scheduled on any given day of the week, depending on your availability and the days you feel like going to the gym. Even though you can choose which days to go to the gym, it is recommended that you leave at least one day of rest between each workout. Here is the suggested combination for your easy three-day workout routine. Day 1 - Chest, back, abdominal muscles, and cardiovascular exercises (30 minutes) Day 2 - Day off Day 3 - Shoulders, legs, abdominal muscles, and cardiovascular exercises (30 minutes) Day 4 - Day off Day 5 - Biceps, triceps, abdominal muscles, and cardiovascular exercises (30 minutes) Day 6 - Day off Day 7 - Day off Advising you on which specific exercises to perform isn't necessary because everybody has access to different training equipment and has their own preferred exercises for each muscle group. Instead, focus on what muscle groups to combine when exercising and how to efficiently distribute your three-day workout routine. Keep in mind that the entire workout shouldn't take more than an hour and a half, including the cardiovascular training. In order to work each muscle group adequately in such a short time, you'll have to carry out three sets of three exercises for each group. More tips on completing your easy 3-day workout routine...

Germs

Sun, 30 Oct 2011 23:53:54 GMT

Scientists have found the dirtiest, most contaminated thing you can touch and, not surprisingly, it’s something you touch on a weekly basis, if not more often.A study conducted by hygiene giant Kimberly-Clark Corp. has found that the grimiest thing you can put your hand on is a petrol pump.A team of hygienists was sent out into the wild to swab hundreds of surfaces around the country. Petrol pumps were the friendliest breeding ground for germs and the most contaminated, but mailboxes, escalator rails and the buttons on cashpoint machines were not too far behind.One of the main reasons that petrol pumps -- and some of the contenders -- were so unhygienic was the simple fact that nobody ever cleans them. When’s the last time you saw someone disinfecting the buttons on the vending machine?Think about that next time you press "C2" because you want to taste the rainbow with Skittles.Doctors recommend washing your hands frequently throughout the day, as that can lower your risk of getting sick or spreading the germs around.