Steve’s Blog

The most effective training tool- the training diary!

The training diary is one of the best tools you can use when undertaking a training program, no matter what your goal or fitness level the importance of using a training diary should not be underestimated.

Now before I go into the importance of the diary I must point out that you do not need to buy an expensive purpose made training diary. My training diary is a normal everyday diary that I brought from a stationary shop for $3. The training diaries I keep for all my clients are simply just a template made on the computer that I print copies of and write in the relevant information.

Bottom line is…. It’s not the diary that you use that’s important…. It’s the info that you put in it that counts!

The training diary has two main purposes:

Firstly it is used for accountability! Once you have set health and fitness goals you can use your diary for continued motivation and accountability. You may set a minimum amount of hours that you are going to exercise per week or a minimum amount of sessions per week or even a minimum amount of calories you are going to burn per week, then at the end of the week look back at what you have done and say honestly “did I do enough to achieve my goal?”. You can use your diary to challenge yourself e.g. it may say that last week you ran 5km in 20mins so this week you have to beat that time etc. And by living by the motto of always looking for improvement you will find that every week your diary entries will have you doing more work, lifting heavier, running faster and just overall improvement across the board.

The second benefit of keeping a training diary is reflection! Having something to look back on makes the health and fitness roller coaster a so much easier ride. It happens far too often that I hear “I’m just not as fit as I used to be” or “I don’t have the energy I used to” or “I’ve put on weight and don’t know why”. My answer is always the same…. “What training where you doing when you were at your fittest?”How often were you training”?

Basically WHAT ARE YOU DOING DIFFERENT! This is where the minute or two it takes a day to write a diary entry comes back to repay you BIG TIME!

Some of the things you should include in a training diary entry are:

# Detailed exercise you have just done (include sets, reps and weights, distance etc).

# Training duration – This is an excellent way to monitor work capacity (how much training you can do in a set time period).

# Bodyweight/body-fat% – even if your goal is not weight loss, noting body weight/fat can be used to monitor overall health and fitness as well as signs of overtraining.

# Comments section – this is where you write all your additional info, all your thoughts on how your session went, if you feel you are getting closer to your goal, how your energy levels were, how much sleep you had the night before. Overall anything else you think is relevant that you can look back on when required.

In addition to the training diary you can also keep a food diary! This is just as important as a training diary and is used for the same reasons, ACCOUNTABILITY and REFLECTION!

So if you’re already using a training diary well done and keep up the good work!

If you don’t have a training diary START NOW it is well worth the effort!

A sample training diary entry:

Sat 5th Feb 2011

Training duration: 30mins    Bodyweight: 75.5kg

Circuit x 3 – using medicine ball and suspension training system (STS).

Dynamic stretch x 3mins (warm up)

1) Wide grip chin ups x 25 (Bodyweight)

2) Med ball chops x 20 (13kg)

3) Ply Pushups (over the ball) x 20 (5kg weighted vest)

4) Med ball pull over crunch with hold x 30 (13kg)

5) Med ball slams x 20 (13kg)

6) STS pushups with legs elevated on Swiss ball x 12 (5kg weighted vest)

7) STS inverted rows with legs elevated on Swiss ball x 12 (5kg weighted vest)

8) Med ball clean and press x 20 (13kg)

9) Med ball “round the worlds” x 20 (13kg)

1-2mins active rest then repeat

Comments: Great session, short and sharp!

Felt fit and strong today with lots of energy. Been weighing a few kg’s lighter the last few days but it hasn’t affected my stamina at all, if anything improved stamina!

Next time I do this workout I need to increase the weight (replace med ball with weight plate).

MY SUCCESS STORY BY ANDREA SUTHERLAND

Tell us about yourself?Hi there, my name is Andrea,

I’m a 33 year old single mother of two young children, one of which is a special needs child.

I like to be active, but it can be hard sometimes trying to find the time, well so I thought until I started training with Steve.

What motivated you to start training at Pound 4 Pound PT? My motivation was to lose weight and get fit so I feel better within myself, to be a better role model for my children, and to have the energy to do more with them.

How long have you been training at Pound 4 Pound PT? I have been training for about 6 months, and love every minute of it (I’d go 7 days a week if I could!), although sometimes I can’t move afterwards! But that’s when I know I have had a great session and pushed myself!

What results have you achieved since you started training at Pound 4 Pound PT? I have lost 20 Kilos and still counting! When I started training with Steve I was wearing a size 24!! Now I’m in a size 18-16!! Which for me is a great confidence builder, I’m starting to really feel good about myself again!! Also my muscle tone has really improved; my flab is gradually turning into muscle!! Plus my energy and fitness levels have improved greatly! I’m hoping that soon enough I will be fit enough to have a go at sparring!!!

Why do you think you have been so successful with achieving your results? Always asking Steve a load of questions about diet and exercise!! When I first started training with Steve, I was only eating one meal a day and the kids ate more than what I did and I couldn’t understand why I was getting bigger. Steve put me on the right track to eating properly straight away!! Now I have my diet under control (well most of the time anyway, he he), I’m exercising regularly and I am seeing the results!

What has been your favorite exercise that has helped you achieve your results? I love the group boxing sessions! But I also do personal training, I have a lot of favorites, but I think I would have to say I love doing the weights! But anything that makes me sore is great too, because then I know I have had a great session! My least favorite would have to be the skipping rope, because I am absolutely hopeless at it!

What do you like most about Pound 4 Pound PT? I’m not just a number!! Steve takes the time out to explain things properly to me when I ask a question and shows me the correct way to do things, Sessions are done to each individual’s needs, Great prices, Friendly atmosphere and the list goes on!

How do you feel, after achieving such good results? I feel GREAT!! Although I still have a long way to go, I feel so much fitter and better about myself now! And it is so nice to be able to go shopping and see clothes that I like and they will fit me now!

What would you say to someone that may help them achieve similar results? It can be done!!!

Don’t be afraid of a little hard work to make yourself better!

Don’t be afraid to ask questions, because if you don’t ask questions how are you going to find out answers?

It won’t happen overnight, but once you start, you’re on your way to a better you!

It can be hard sometimes, and you’ll be sore, but one thing is for certain, once you start and keep going with it, you will feel and see the results!!

What are your fitness goals for the future? To get to my goal weight (I’m halfway there!!).

To be able to go jogging with our Golden Retriever, Marley.

To start Sparring, and who knows what else, the sky is the limit!!!

To get back into Horse riding.

Any additional comments that you want to add: I’m just so grateful to Steve and Shelley for their great advice and encouragement!

The last six months has been a great positive move for me, and I feel like I am actually living my life again!!

Steve’s comments: Andrea has shown that by being disciplined, staying focused, showing determination and by consistently sticking to an exercise plan that great results will happen! Not only has Andrea lost 20kg but she can match it with anyone in the gym when it comes to strength and overall fitness, and her “never say die” attitude will ensure that she will never give up on the rest of her weight loss journey!

Congratulations Andrea on the great results you have achieved and good luck achieving the rest of your weight loss goals. You truly are an inspiration to us all!!

WHAT ELSE IS NEW AT POUND 4 POUND

Pound 4 Pound Bottled Water

In the next couple of weeks we will receive our 1st delivery of Pound 4 Pound bottled water. Water is very important to our bodies when training and it is always good practice to sip water at the end of each training session to assist with re-hydration so to make life a little easier we will have 600ml bottled water available for just $2.00 per bottle. Just see Steve or Shell in the gym to purchase our NEW bottled water.


“OPEN GYM”

Pound 4 Pound Personal Training is now making the gym more accessible to clients and making it easier to achieve results by introducing “Open Gym”, Commences Saturday 26th February 2011.

“Open Gym” will be a scheduled date and time where clients can book a spot to come into the gym and train. Sessions are $10.00 per person/ per hour with a maximum of 3 clients per scheduled hour.  A “Workout of the Day” will be listed on the gym blackboard for you to follow. You can motivate yourself and work as hard as possible or use the gym to burn those unwanted calories that were consumed only hours earlier. While this option is train and motivate yourself, there will always be a Gym Supervisor on hand to ensure your safety during your training sessions.

Call Steve on 0428 330 952 today if you are interested or would like more information.

SHELL’S NU BODY 30 MINUTE POWER CIRCUIT

Shell has decided to take over the gym (as usual) and introduce her own class. NU Body is a 30 minute power session which is short & sharp! We launched the class on Friday 11th February 2011 with a full class of 6 and I am sure fun was had by all. We have scheduled 6 sessions over the next 6 weeks. If the class continues in popularity we will schedule more classes.  See schedule below:

• Friday 18th February at 6pm
• Tuesday 22nd February at 7pm
• Tuesday 1st March at 7pm
• Wednesday 9th March at 7pm
• Friday 18th March at 7pm
• Wednesday 23rd March at 6pm

Nu Body classes are for a maximum of 6 clients so ensure you book early so you don’t miss out.

Please note Shell’s Nu Body classes are scheduled around Shell’s full time work hours so dates and time will change regularly. All sessions will be updated on our website on the NEW Nu-Body page.

See you in the Gym!

Steve and Shelley Dargan

Pound 4 Pound Personal Training

“You will HATE me, but you will LOVE the results”

Hi There,

 
Welcome to Edition 3 of the Pound 4 Pound Personal Training Newsletter. 

The word is out…… That Pound 4 Pound Personal Training is the place to be whatever your health and fitness goal is! That’s right theres lots of new faces in the gym at the moments all working towards their goals, so make sure you are all booking your sessions well in advance because spots are filling up fast!

 

In the article I have written for you today, I give away one of my secrets of success (absolutely free), so enjoy the read and learn why the members here at Pound are having so much success! 

 

  

HIIT and the After Burn

 

HIIT stands for High Intensity Interval Training.

 

The definition of this is basically a short burst of high intensity exercise (above 85% max heart rate), followed immediately by a short bout of low intensity exercise or rest. An example of this is: sprint for 20 seconds then walk or rest for 10 seconds then repeat. There are no limitations to what exercises you use in this style of training, it could be pushups, squats, skipping rope or even punching the boxing bag. You should never get bored with all the variety you can incorporate into a HIITsession.

 

Now that we know what HIIT is I can explain the benefits of this training style. 

 

Firstly the higher your heart rate is the more calories you are burning, so using this training method enables you to burn more calories in a shorter time period. In a 30 minute HIIT session you could burn 600- 1000 calories as opposed to having to work out for 90 minutes at lower intensities (60-70% max heart rate) to get the same results. Now keep in mind that to burn off 1kg of body fat you would have to burn approximately 9000 calories, by using HIIT methods you are guaranteed to get results in half the time.

 

My favorite thing about the HIIT method is what I like to call “the after burn”. The“after burn” is the period after training where your metabolism is still elevated, allowing you to burn more calories than normal when you are at rest. After a training session at lower heart rates your metabolism stays elevated for 1-4 hours following the work out. During a HIIT session, you are training at higher heart rates so your body is also in higher demand for oxygen. Therefore your body after a workout has to continue burning calories to bring your body back to” normal” state, this causes your metabolism to stay elevated for up to 40 hours following a HIIT workout! WOW!

So having said that, it’s not just the workout that gets you in shape; it’s the “after burn” from that work out.

 

 

My success story- by JOHN ROBERTS

 

Hello, my name is John Roberts.

 

I am 46 years of age and I have had a lifetime of playing sport, mainly tennis where I reached Regional level and Australian Rules Football where I reached Latrobe Valley (Gippsland) level and the Ovens & Murray level. 

 

My sporting has also included surfing which is still a part of my life, along with basketball and running & I have always tried to keep myself relatively fit.

 

In my late teens and early twenty’s I dabbled with boxing and loved it however family commitments prevented me from going further. Over the past 15 months I have been very fortunate to meet and become good friends with Steve Dargan of Pound 4 Pound Personal Training.

 

At that time my training was OK however I needed some guidance and Steve has given me a new lease of life.

 

Having had many coaches and trainers over the past 30 plus years I rate Steve among the very best I have had in that time. He is extremely patient, positive and works everyone to the best of their ability and fitness level.

 

Through his professional attitude and dedication I have reached a new level of fitness and confidence. Steve’s sessions are solid however he is always aware of his class member’s health and well being & his training methods accommodates all levels of fitness.

 

I can highly recommend Steve as a personal trainer and know that all the members enjoy the variety and results that Steve has given us all.

 

Good luck, work hard and you will be amazed at the results your training will give you.

 

John Roberts

 

 Steve’s notes: When John first came to me to train, he was already in good shape. His goal was to increase his fitness and learn how to box. He is now the fittest person in the gym and boxes to a level now of in my opinion is good enough to win a state title. Although his goal was not weight loss, through the challenging workouts he does he has lost 7kgs and reduced his body fat level to an amazing 7.5% (wow), and lost 40cm off his waist (wow)!! He has managed to change his whole body composition. At the age of 46 being in such amazing shape and with such a high work ethic, John is an inspiration to myself and the younger guys in the gym.

Congratulations on your amazing results John!          

 

            Steve and Shelley Dargan

Pound 4 Pound Personal Training

“You will HATE me, but you will LOVE the results

Hi There,

 

               Welcome to edition 4 of the Pound 4 Pound Personal Training Newsletter. We have a couple of great little articles in this edition of the Newsletter which I hope some of you will find motivational and at least a good read!

The gym is buzzing at the moment with lots of new starters. I love seeing people so enthused about their health and fitness.  Once again just a reminder to get in early and book your training sessions as the sessions fill up fast.

 

 
How hard are you playing the game?

 

Over the years firstly as an athlete and now as a trainer/coach I have been lucky enough to see some great people achieve some amazing results! Whether there goal be better health and fitness, weight loss or improvement in their chosen sport.

Unfortunately I have also seen some people not quite achieve their desired goal even when it has been within their grasp.

The important thing that I want to emphasize is that both the successful and non successful people had one thing in common……… what they put in they got back!

That’s right! The ones that played the game harder got the best results! And I’m not just talking about performance in the gym, on the field or in the ring. I’m talking about the “Whole game”, the dieting, the preparation before a match, the recovery, the 

“Whole game”.

Think how many people we know that train their butts off in the gym only to go home and undo all their hard work by making poor meal choices, or vice versa, the people that watch their calorie and carbohydrate intake but won’t even walk two blocks to the corner shop!

There comes a time in everyone’s fitness/health/weight loss/sports specific training programs where if the individual wants to be successful they have to stop and be honest with themselves and ask “what percentage am I playing at”? “Which areas can I improve”?

 

So how hard are you playing the game?

 

 

My success story- by Anna Weatherlake

 

 

Upon my return from a year abroad, I lacked any form of fitness or muscular definition, and in turn my confidence plummeted. Training with Steve Dargan got both my physical and mental approach to exercise back on track and led me to achieve the results I desired. Steve taught me how to go about diversifying my fitness activities in order to improve my overall fitness. 

 

After training with Steve for a mere 7 weeks, I greatly improved my strength and stamina, lost 10 kilos and my body appeared far leaner than it ever had before. I lost countless centimeters off my waist, huge numbers off my thighs and clothing that I’d worn upon my return to Australia no longer fitted me. He helped me break through a long-standing plateau and return my body back to its original condition.

 

Under Steve’s guidance, I also completely altered my diet to one focused solely on nutrition and eating what’s best for my body and one that I could realistically integrate into my everyday life. In doing this, I managed to completely transform my body shape, my energy levels increased tremendously and I started reaping the overall benefits of being lean and healthy again.

 

Returning to training with Steve really helped me find a balance between exercise and nutrition. Now, thanks to the lean muscle I carry and continually maintain, I’m on top of and in control of my exercise and nutrition and have returned to leading a much more enjoyable lifestyle. 

Anna Weatherlake

 Steve’s notes: In only 7 weeks Anna achieved amazing results. She lost 15cm off her waist (at the widest point), 11.5cm off her waist (at the narrowest point), 15cm off her hips, 12.5cm off her thighs, 5cm off her calves, 2cm off her upper arms. In addition to these amazing results her BMI dropped from the overweight range right down to the low end of the healthy range and her body fat % dropped to the below average range to only 16% body fat! WOW!

After our 7weeks together Anna moved to Melbourne where she continued her fat loss mission on her own. Since leaving me Anna has lost an additional 5kg, bringing her overall weight loss to 15kg! 

Congratulations Anna!

            Steve and Shelley Dargan

Pound 4 Pound Personal Training

“You will HATE me, but you will LOVE the results

Hi There,

 

               Welcome to edition 5 of the Pound 4 Pound Personal Training Newsletter. We have something a little different for you this edition. I have handed the keyboard (and responsibility) over to my lovely wife Shelley who has written not only an interesting success story but also a highly informative article!

I would also like to take this opportunity to welcome all the wonderful new starters I now have in the gym, I look forward to helping you all achieve your health, fitness, weight loss and fat loss goals over the next few months!

 

I will now hand you over to Shelley Dargan…….

 

FOODS WE LOVE- THE HEALTHY WAY

When it comes to making meal choices that are healthy and low in calories, it’s not a hard task! In fact it is just as easy as making the “wrong” choice. Making the “right” decision is about thinking “outside the square” and getting to know food.

 

Eating the “right” way is not about giving up the foods you love, it is about making what you love healthier buy using different ingredients and cooking the food a different way to make it work for you!

 

For example: I LOVE chicken schnitzel, Wedges & Gravy. When I deep fry the Schnitzel & Wedges that amounts to a massive 1200 calories (my daily intake should be 1200!). By oven baking the wedges & shallow frying the schnitzel (with minimum oil or coconut oil) this cuts the calories in half! So just by changing the way it’s cooked it is not that bad of a choice to eat my favourite meal!

 

Another example: I LOVE creamy pastas (who doesn’t?). Creamy pastas are not a great decision for someone watching their calories.  However if you feel that you HAVE to have a nice creamy pasta simply replace the cream with LIGHT evaporative milk and add lots of veggies. The family favourite dish then becomes much lower in calories for the whole family to enjoy. 

 

Here a few quick ideas that you may be able to incorporate into your everyday lifestyle-

·         Like White toast with butter & vegemite? Why not replace with wholemeal bread toast with a spread of cottage cheese – YUM!

·         Feel like a full fat Latte? Select a Skim option or why not have a cup of tea with no sugar.  When having hot drinks also try to cut down on your sugar. This will save quite a few calories over the space of a day. Instead of a full teaspoon of sugar try half a teaspoon.

·         Replace high sugar fruits with fresh crispy raw vegies

·         Chicken Salad Sandwich for Lunch –  replace with a chicken salad with lots of crunchy vegies

·         Potato chips – replace with carrot or celery sticks with a slick of cream cheese or hommus – this is so YUM!!!

·         Mash Potato (everyone’s favourite) – replace with mashed pumpkin or mashed sweet potato. Ensure mash has skim milk with minimal butter. You can also you evaporated milk here instead of the milk & butter

·         White wine – replace with Red wine (red wine has less calories) try to stick with just 100mls a night

·         Bourbon & Coke – replace coke with a diet version. This will automatically cut 100 calories from your beverage. This can go with any mixed drink (DIET option at all times)

 

When it comes to serving up your meal, ensure at least half your plate if full of vegies or salad. Limit your meat portion to 100g per serving and if you NEED to have pasta or potato limit the serving to the size of your fist or less if you are SERIOUS about a GREAT body!

If you MUST have dessert cut your portion size in half or even just 3 spoonfuls you will be amazed how satisfied you will be with just a small amount of a sweet dessert. And the best thing is you won’t have that horrible sick feeling afterwards!

If you like a snack at the end of the night while watching your favourite TV show, replace it with a nice cup of tea (no sugar!). You will get rid of that feeling that you want something and will be about a quarter of the calories that you intended to consume.

So as you can see just a few changes will have you well on your way to reaching your goal weight & body. 

A great tool to assist you is to log onto www.calorieking.com you can type in whatever food item you like and the site will give you all the details on that item.

So give it a go! Get to know your food and you will be much happier for it!

My success story- by Shelley Dargan

Over the years I had maintained my fitness and weight fairly easily. I had a job where I was on my feet all day, worked out 5 days a week and ate healthily. 

Then I got a new job sitting at a computer all day. I put a couple of kilos on which I expected. It wasn’t until we got back from overseas that I weighed in and realized I had put on almost 9 kilos in just under 4 years! What the??? It was time to shift those extra kilos and quickly!

Firstly I questioned myself – what went wrong? I worked out I ate well, worked out, did all the right things but I had not changed my portion sizes with the change of job. I was still eating 100 times a day and not using up those calories. 

So I then went to Steve and said ok, let’s do this! Steve put me on a measly 1200 calories a day with plenty of exercise. It was a little hard at first with just 1200 calories but it was easy once I worked out the right foods and kept track of what I was eating. In the 1st week I dropped 1.5kg. Things were looking up!

After 4 weeks I had to get Steve to up my calories as I was STARVING all the time! He gave me an extra 200 calories and I was happy!

Week after week I worked at it and 4 months later I reached my goal of 62 kilos. I was ecstatic! My clothes looked so good on me and felt much better, but it didn’t stop there…it just kept coming off! Now my clothes are all too big & baggy!

At the moment I am trying to eat up and gain and extra kilo or 2 so that my clothes fit but it’s really not working!!!!

Oh Well, I must go shopping now! I need some new clothes to fit my new fab body!!

Thanks Stevie…You’re the best!

 

Example of a day with under 1300 calories

 

2 Slices of Wholegrain Toast with Butter & Vegemite – 226 Calories

Cup of tea with Skim Milk – 20 Calories

1 Apple – 70 Calories

1 Tub of Lite Forme Yoghurt – 71 Calories 

2 Slices of ham off the Bone – (100g) – 112 Calories

100g Frozen Veggies – 86 Calories

1 Skim Milk Latté with 1 teaspoon Sugar – 56 Calories

Beef Casserole – 644 Calories


Total – 1285 Calories


 Steve’s notes: To date Shelley has achieved the following results: She has lost 9kg (59.7kg), 6% body fat (bringing her down to a low 17%); her BMI has dropped from overweight down to healthy range. In addition to this she has lost the following measurements: 6cm off both her arms, 1.5cm off both her calves, 13cm (WOW) off her waist at the narrowest point, 9cm off her waist at the widest point, 4cm off her chest and an amazing 10cm off each of her thighs!

Congratulations Shelley you have certainly done the hard yards and you are now reaping the rewards! 

            Steve and Shelley Dargan

Pound 4 Pound Personal Training

“You will HATE me, but you will LOVE the results”

Designer bodies 101! The secret of how to get the body you have always wanted!

You might want to read this article very carefully because I’m giving you free my biggest secret in how I design programs to mold client’s physiques. Now I’m not going to fill your heads with scientific mumbo jumbo, just simple common sense thinking that will make you all say “Aahhhhh of course”! When a client comes to me and tells me how they want to look I try and compare their vision to a certain type of athlete or body type. See the reason I do this is that as human beings our bodies are designed to adapt to the stress they are put under, therefore I must simulate the stress of the chosen body type when writing training programs. Are you following me yet?

Think of this….. You want skinny yet toned legs? Then train like a distance runner, long slow running sessions daily never giving your legs time to recover and grow, over time your body will adapt leaving you with strong yet slim and toned legs. Want the big powerful explosive physique of a sprinter? You guessed it…. Train like a sprinter! All workouts would be short in duration and extremely high in intensity, your gym work would consist of heavy yet explosive movements designed to recruit fast twitch muscle fibre. Over time your body will once again adapt to the stress and your physique would resemble that of an explosive power athlete (a sprinter).

By using this basic common sense training principle we are able to mold hybrid type physiques e.g. half explosive strength athlete (sprinter), half endurance athlete (distance runner). The best example of this is a boxer as a boxer has the best of both worlds. They have the endurance of a distance runner and the power and explosiveness of a sprinter, throw in the benefits boxing training has on reflexes/reaction speed and agility then you have the ultimate Jack of all trades when it comes to working out! And let’s be honest there’s not a guy or girl out there that wouldn’t like to have the lean toned legs, arms, shoulders and back of a boxer in addition to the small waist from the thousands of rotational twists you would be doing during a session as you punch.

So now you all know the secret… it is out! You can have the look you want. All you need to do is to be patient, train hard and enjoy the results that you will get over time as your body adapts!

Good luck!

My success story- by Jeremy Lansdown

My story starts with a phone call I received at the end of March. Glen Hutchinson rang me, “hey Jez how are ya?” he inquired “Yeah good Hutchy, how you doing?” I responded “yeah good mate, listen I’m organizing a boxing match for charity and I’m gunna fight” he told me, “Cool how much do you want?”  I asked “I don’t want your money, I wanna fight you!” he said with menacing tone. “S@#T I better have a think about it and get back to you” I stuttered, end of phone call. So …. I accepted the fight… eventually!

Now I knew I had no form or fitness what so ever and the fight was on May 1st, 5 WEEKS AWAY! Time to get my very round bum into gear and start a diet and get exercising. So knowing I was in desperate need of help…. And fast! I rang my old mate Dargs (Steve Dargan). “Dargs” I said,” mate I’ve bitten off more than I can chew and I need some help”. I explained to him what I had agreed to do, and he said “MATE! You better get your overly round behind over to my place tomorrow”. So the torture began, I was 138kg’s of pie eating, choccy milk drinking laziness when I weighed in for the first time with Steve. Over the next five weeks I pushed myself as hard as I could(Steve would probably say I could’ve gone harder), watched what I ate, and so did my personal trainer(Steve) and my personal dietitian(my partner Connie). I was amazed at how my body (and mind) was coping after years of not exercising. Every session I was able to go a little bit longer, punch a little bit harder, do more sit ups (though I still struggle to do those bloody pushups!). I’m not saying that I’m super fit or that I’m anywhere near my goal weight, but it’s hard to believe just how fit I got in just 5 weeks. With Steve’s help and Connie’s ever prying eye, I am looking forward to seeing just how far I can progress in the future.

My next goal is to get to 100kg, Steve made the big call of saying he could get me there in twenty weeks, so stay tuned and I’ll let you know how we go.

P.S The fight was a big success with local business’ chipping in $10,000 towards the charity, and me getting a unanimous points decision.

Steve’s notes: Not only did Jez win his fight, but he looked impressive in doing so! His skill level was a lot more advanced than that of a first time fighter! His fitness held up well, and he followed the game plan to perfection!

Even more amazing than his performance on fight night is the fact that during fight preparation and to date, Jez has lost 10kg of body weight, 2% of body fat and has gained 1kg of lean muscle!

Congratulations Jez! You’re the perfect example of how discipline, hard work and a good frame of mind can help you achieve whatever you set out to achieve! 

Steve and Shelley Dargan

Pound 4 Pound Personal Training

“You will HATE me, but you will LOVE the results”

No excuses

NEWSFLASH… you don’t need to own any expensive gym equipment or pay expensive gym fees to have a good workout! Below I am going to give you completely free 3 different workouts that you can do anywhere or take anywhere with you giving you no excuse to not be getting into the best shape of your life right now!

Here is the list of exercises to be done and the best order to do them in to get the most out of the workouts.

1) Burpees

2) Pushups (hands out wide)

3) Ab bicycles

4) Squats

5) Pushups (hands close, elbows stay in next to the body)

6) Ab crunch (legs up and crossed)

7) Mountain climbers

8) Dive bomber pushups

9) Leg raises

10) Lunges

Workout 1: The first workout is to be done as a circuit moving from one exercise to the next (exercises should be done in the order listed above for best results) with as little rest as possible between each exercise. Each exercise should be done for 10-20 repetitions (30- 50 repetitions for the ab exercises) depending on your fitness level (make sure you always challenge yourself). The circuit should be done 2-3 times through!

Workout 2: Once again the exercises above will be done as a circuit but this time instead of counting repetitions you will be doing each exercise for a nominated length of time i.e. 30 seconds, 1 minute or even 2 minutes per exercise once again depending on your fitness level!

Like the workout before once you have completed an exercise you will move to the next one with as little rest as possible and you should do the circuit 2-3 times through!

Workout 3: This workout requires you to do intervals of 20 seconds work followed by 10 seconds of rest (tabata intervals). You will do eight of these intervals per exercise (equaling 4 minutes per exercise). Each time you finish an exercise rest for 1 minute before moving onto the next exercise. Unlike the workouts above you will only have to do the workout 1 time through!

So there you have it NO MORE EXCUSES! 3 workouts that you can do anywhere, anytime! I challenge you to have a go at them all and let me know which one is the most challenging. I look forward to the feedback.

Good luck!!

Steve and Shelley Dargan

Pound 4 Pound Personal Training

“You will HATE me, but you will LOVE the results”

Supersets, circuits and how opposites attract!

In today’s article I’m going to introduce you to some of my favorite exercises and also explain the benefits of these exercises and why you should be including them in your workouts regardless of your fitness goal, whether your goal is weight/ fat loss, muscle gain or increased cardiovascular capacity.

Supersets: The superset is a very simple concept. Basically you just do two exercises one after another with no rest in between.

There are several different kinds of supersets, but the one I want to talk about today is the antagonistic supersets. An antagonistic superset is when you work a muscle then work an opposite muscle. E.g. pushups followed by chin-ups.

The advantages of training like this are as follows:

Saves time: There’s no need to be in the gym all day. By working opposite muscles one after another you will effectively be doing twice the work in half the time!

Increased intensity: You can have an even harder workout using this type of training because you are immediately working an opposite muscle group instead of resting, causing your heart rate to stay elevated.

Burn more fat: When we are working a muscle, our heart rate becomes elevated because it has to move oxygen and blood to the working muscle. When we immediately work an opposite muscle our heart rate is elevated even higher as our heart then has to push that oxygen and blood from the muscle you just worked into the opposite muscle that you are now working, causing your heart rate to go into the anaerobic training zone (sprint zone). The simple equation this creates….. The higher your heart rate, the more calories you’re burning. The more calories you burn, the more weight/fat loss you achieve.

Stimulate muscle growth: supersets increase lactic acid production. The body responds to the lactic acid production by increasing growth hormone levels in the body.

Growth hormone is a powerful fat loss and muscle building hormone.

Tri-sets: A tri-set is the same as a superset but you are doing three exercises working opposite muscles in a row with no rest instead of two. E.g. pushups then chin-ups and then squats!

Training this way has the same benefits as doing supersets, although those benefits are enhanced. Training this way will give you a more intense workout than doing standard supersets. Your heart and lungs will be working even harder and you will also improve your cardiovascular capacity.

Circuit training: Circuit training is a total body workout that involves performing a series of different exercises in one training session one after another with no rest in between.

The most effective way to structure your circuit is to once again work different or opposite muscles immediately after each other. E.g. pushups, chin-ups, squats, ab crunch etc.

Ideally you want to put 8-10 exercises into your circuit.

The benefits of circuit training are the same as listed above for supersets and tri-sets. They save time, increase training intensity and burn more fat!

In addition to these benefits, you can enhance the cardiovascular and muscular endurance components of your workout by adding cardiovascular exercises into your resistance circuits. You could add exercises such as skipping rope, stationary bike, rower, treadmill, step ups etc. to create the ultimate complete full body time efficient workout.

So now that you are armed with this new found training knowledge, I look forward to hearing about all the great workouts that you will come up with on your own.

Good Luck!

Start looking for your next win!

Have you ever noticed that during our lives at certain times we get a run where everything seems to go great for us and success comes effortlessly! Then you may get periods where things are the complete opposite to that. The times where you are in a rut and you try everything you can to get out of it but nothing seems to go your way. Well in this article today I am going to explain why the good times are great and the bad times are really bad! And try and get us all on the right track to ensure plenty of good times.

We will start off by having a look at what happens when we have a win. When I say “win” it can be any sort of personal victory e.g. take a few seconds of your best time for your morning run, a few more reps or a bit more weight when doing your workout, weight loss no matter how big or small the number, a promotion at work or even just a “good job” from the boss, these are all “wins”.

Think back to your last “win”….. How good did it make you feel? Did you feel full of energy? Alert? Focused? Hungry for another win? Probably all of the above and here’s the reason why…….

When we have a win the chemical dopamine is released in our brain giving us energy and a feel good feeling (we all love this feeling). In addition to this feel good feeling the release of dopamine also increases our concentration and problem solving abilities and makes us focus on the things that are of real interest to us, which in this case is MORE SUCCESS (another win).

So what we are now developing is a WINNING STREAK and ongoing success! Every time we have a win no matter the size of the win, the dopamine in your brain will cause you to be on full alert looking for your next victory!

Now let’s look at what happens when we get into a rut or start on a “downward” spiral. Our downward spiral usually starts when we fail at something or perceive that we have failed at something. What happens next is that we put ourselves under pressure to succeed the next time we try the thing we have failed at. And while trying to succeed we are consumed by negativity. This feeling then increases our nor-epinephrine chemical levels in our brain which increases attention and awareness but does not activate the feel good chemical dopamine so we are left feeling anxious and frustrated…… This is how a “losing streak” starts!

So now that we understand both sides of the coin, the good and the bad I can hear you all screaming “well how do I ensure I stay on my winning streak”? Or “thanks for stating that I’m on a downward spiral but how do I end it”?

This is your answer…… Start looking for your next win! That’s right set small goals regularly and once you reach that goal the dopamine will kick in, then you will start looking for your next goal! Set big goals you will likely fail. Set small goals that are more achievable then you will have a win! Here’s an example. You may say “I’m going to lose 20kg”. Well it will be a long time before we will have a victory. You may say “I’m going to lose 500grams this week”. This is a much better goal because we will see the result in a week’s time; we will release some dopamine, feel sensational about our achievement and start looking for our next success!

So get out there and set some small goals for yourself and START LOOKING FOR YOUR NEXT WIN!

My success story – by Amanda Muldoon

My name is Amanda. My “success” story background is I referee Soccer locally and in Melbourne. This year I was working really hard to get fit so I could do higher level games in Melbourne. Not even half way through the soccer season I was told I had stress fractures in both my legs and not allowed to run or do physical exercise that stressed my legs. After pleading with the doctor/physio I was allowed to referee one game a weekend and that was it.

My favourite fitness “activity” is running, so I was devastated about having stress fractures and decided “fine! If I can’t run I’m not doing anything!”  I went from doing high intensity exercise every day to only a couple hours of exercise a week. I’ve always eaten what I want because I’ve always burnt it off, so of course I didn’t change my portion sizes or eating habits (i.e. chocolate, and ice-cream!).

Over the course of a couple of months I put on about 3-4 kilo’s and was no longer fitting into my clothes and had no energy to do anything. I got to 66kg, the heaviest I had ever been, and decided that was IT! I had to do something about getting fit again and losing some weight. So I took up Steve’s Spring Special – 5 x 1 hour PT sessions and 10 Boxing sessions for only $199.

Over the past 5 weeks Steve has absolutely smashed me and my boyfriend Luke (who was crazy enough to WANT to come along to the PT sessions). All the while Steve had me doing low impact exercises so my injured legs were not getting stressed (amazing what he can come up with!). Each week we still thought we were so unfit because by the end of the session Steve had worked us so hard we could barely manage to walk down his driveway to the car! But thinking back on what we have been doing, it’s amazing to see how far we’ve come and how fit we are now.

I found that the most important part of these 5 weeks was the food I was eating. Steve put me on only 1200 calories and 40grams carbs per day! I’ve been so amazed though, I’m eating a million less carbs and calories than before I started, yet I am rarely hungry and I have so much more energy. It’s amazing how good you can feel eating the right food (and exercising)!

At the end of the 5 sessions I’ve lost 4.5kg and am very happy to be going to Thailand this weekend, because many of my clothes are now too big and I NEED to buy some more! YAY!

Thanks for all the help Steve!

Steve’s notes: In only 5 weeks of training Amanda and Luke achieved amazing results. Amanda has lost 4.5kg of body weight, 2.5cm off her upper arms, 6.5cm off her waist (widest point), 4.5cm off her waist (narrow point), 4.5cm off her hips, 2.5cm off her thighs, 1.5cm off her calves and 4cm off her chest!! In addition to these results Amanda has reduced your body fat by 2.5% while maintaining her lean muscle mass. She has also reduced her BMI by 2 (22.86 = healthy range). Amanda also increased her muscular strength, endurance and overall fitness dramatically!

Luke maintained his already low body fat% (8.2% body fat) while adding an unbelievable 2kg of lean muscle! He showed amazing increases in strength, power and muscular endurance.

Congratulations guys! You are both amazing athletes that work incredibly hard in the gym and deserve all the great results that you have achieved!

Steve and Shelley Dargan

Pound 4 Pound Personal Training

“You will HATE me, but you will LOVE the results”

Hi There,

 

               Welcome to Edition 2 of the Pound 4 Pound Personal Training Newsletter. 

 

I hope everyone had a great Christmas and an awesome New Year! I have a great little article in this newsletter for those of us who may have put on a little bit of weight over the festive season. If this is you or someone in your home then it may be an idea to stick the article on the fridge as a reminder.

A big thank you to everyone who gave me their feedback on the first edition of the newsletter it was very much appreciated!

  

Helps here – Nutritional tips to help create a new you in the New Year

 

Barely a day goes by that I am not talking nutrition to someone. And more often than not the people I talk to believe they have a good grasp on what they should and should not eat when trying to lose weight/fat. Unfortunately most people get it wrong!

 

I can see why though with “the next best diet” being found around every corner in every kind of media. So to stop the confusion I am going to give you a basic starting point in this article to help you lose that weight/fat and help get you the physique you have always wanted.

 

Firstly before we get to the good stuff, you need a crash course in how our body uses fuel (food) for energy. The three main fuels (foods) we consume are carbohydrates, proteins and fats. The order our body uses these fuels is carbohydrate first, followed by fats then protein in the form of muscle.

 

 After saying that I hope the following points are made easier to understand.

 

• Reduce your carbohydrate intake- As mentioned above you have to use up all the carbohydrates in your system before your body can get to its next source of fuel “FAT”. So by reducing your carb intake you can make your body burn up its own fat stores for energy. In addition to this if you do not use the carbs that you have consumed then they eventually get converted to fat. I recommend approx 40grams of carbohydrate a day.
• Reduce your overall calorie (energy) consumption- When trying to lose weight/fat I recommend that men have 1500-2000 calories per day, and women 1200-1500 per day.
• Increase your daily protein intake- Eating protein will make you feel fuller for longer and also help you increase your lean muscle mass which will increase the speed of your metabolism. I recommend choosing lean protein options to help reduce your overall calorie consumption.
• Increase your daily water intake- Drinking more water helps with weight loss in two ways. Firstly it makes you feel full, causing you to want to eat less. Secondly it stops you from retaining water in your body.

 

• Keep your fat intake to 30-40 grams a day- We do this to ensure that our bodies continue to release fat to be used for energy. Most dieters try to eliminate all fat from their diets which makes their bodies store fat as they go into “famine” mode.
• When eating carbs try to choose low GI options- Once again this will make you feel fuller for longer.

 

Well hopefully I have given you all some helpful tips to help you on your journey. Keep in mind that nutrition and diet are a science and can be pretty complex at times, but at least now you have somewhere to start. 

 

Note: To find out the nutritional value of the food you are consuming, I recommend using the website www.calorieking.com.au  

 

My success story- by JEFF CASSIDY

 

Hi Readers,

 

I would like to introduce myself to you, my name is Jeff Cassidy, and I am 53 years old and have lived in Albury for the past 25 years. During my life I have been heavily involved in sport mainly Aussie rules football which I was fortunate enough to reach the top level in. After a successful sporting career, along comes the aches & pains of putting your body through countless training sessions. 

 

In my professional opinion the only downside to sport, particularly contact sport is the injuries you incur and the operations required to allow you to keep playing the sport you love. At 48 years of age I was forced to have major back surgery which required countless hours of rehabilitation and that’s when my good friend Steve Dargan came to the rescue. We have been training together for the past 3 ½ years and with Steve’s help I have been able to get into great shape again which has enabled me to extend my time in playing the sports I love.  

 

I have found Steve’s professionalism and caring attitude to help people achieve their various fitness goals to be first class. 

 

Good Luck on your training!

 

Jeff Cassidy.

 

Note:  Although Jeff has lost weight and got into great shape he has really excelled in the boxing component of his program. Through boxing he has been able to work around still existing wear and tear from previous football injuries and shown through his natural competitive nature he is still a force to be reckoned with at the ripe age of 53!

Congratulations Jeff!

 

Steve and Shelley Dargan

Pound 4 Pound Personal Training

“You will HATE me, but you will LOVE the results”

Hi There,

 

I’m excited to bring you the first ever Pound 4 Pound Personal Training newsletter. I am hoping to distribute the newsletter monthly to ensure that I can keep you up to date with what’s going on around the place and also to provide you with motivational and/or informative articles.

 

I had originally planned to start doing newsletters several months ago, but I had found that even though I could talk training and nutrition all day, when it came to putting those words on paper it was somewhat challenging, but like I always say “by making sure that you are always challenging yourself, you are ensuring that you will always improve”, that being true for every aspect of life.

 

So after saying that please take the time to read the articles in this newsletter and hopefully you will find them informative and helpful.

 

Set goals, create new habits

 

When someone approaches me about training, the first thing I want to know is what are your goals? What do you want to achieve from a training program?

 

Once a goal has been set it is then that I devise a strategy for how we will accomplish that goal. The way we do this is by working our way backwards, take a moment to think about the result you want to achieve (your goal), now fill in the middle parts between then and now! This “middle part” may seem scary, but it is quite simple, all you have to do is create new habits, change your “can’t do” attitude to a “can do” attitude!

 

You see if you are in BAD shape it is most likely due to BAD habits. If you are in GOOD shape it is most likely due to GOOD habits. So everytime you can create a good habit (like exercising daily) and eliminate abad habit (like making excuses as to why you can’t exercise) then you are closer to achieving your goal. See us humans we are creatures of habit, our body’s love routine, so the way to make a fitter healthier you is to ensure that your body gets into a fitter and healthier routine.

 

Here’s a start point for you to try (if you are not already). First thing in the morning make yourself do some form of exercise, it can be as little as a set of 10 pushups while waiting for the kettle to boil, a set of squats whilst brushing your teeth or as much as a 10km run, just make yourself do something.(remember your“can do” attitude)

 

 

Do this for a couple of weeks and you will find that this is now “habit”, that it is your “routine”. And as I said earlier we are creatures of habit and we love routine, so by doing as little as 5 minutes of exercise a day you could be creating new life long habits

 

that will ensure that you will be a happier, healthier you. So start today………..Remember your new “CAN DO ATTITUDE”!

 

My success story- by Damian Cann

 

Before I started training with Steve I was like most, I was a never get anywhere person.

 

Losing weight was always a goal but I never seemed to get anywhere. It was mainly because I did burn out sessions where I would work really hard (to exhaustion), then not do anything for a long time, and if you had of asked any of my work colleagues what my diet was like they would have summed it up in one word “pizza”,and being a shift worker on a roster of two day then two nights (12hr shifts) fast food always seemed the easiest option.

 

Now through having trained with Steve I have learnt about nutrition, even though I knew what was good for me like fruit and vegetables etc,  I really thought I knew a thing or two but now I realize I didn’t.

 

 I started off weighing 120.5kg and doing about 5 pushups, 12 sit ups and low numbers of basic exercises, but now my weight is 98.5kg. I can do intense training and I tend to do pushups and sit ups for fun or if I’m bored, and believe me a 12hr shift can get pretty boring when you are by yourself.

 

So now instead of eating to kill time I do pushups and sit ups in sets of 15-20 reps. All this took 15 weeks or so, and I won’t kid you it was hard work, but like Steve says “its persistence and little steps”.

 

Steve’s notes:  To date Damo has lost a whopping 22kg, his BMI has gone from the “obese” range right down to the “healthy” range. He has also lost 20cm off his waist measurement and has only 18% body fat (below average for a male).

He has improved greatly in his muscular strength and endurance and has improved his overall fitness level.

 

Damo is now living a happy, healthy life. Congratulations Damo!

 

Pound 4 Pound now has Gift Vouchers available for purchase.

 

 

Merry Christmas & a Fantastic New Year to All!

 

Steve and Shelley Dargan

Pound 4 Pound Personal Training

 

“You will HATE me, but you will LOVE the results”