Bodychisel by Craig.

Over the last 4 years or so I have been battling with a few lower body issues, which was exacerbated when I tried to walk for any longer than 10 minutes or so.

My Dad suffers from a weird foot problem known as ‘Fatless Foot Syndrome’ whereby the fat on the sole of your foot starts reducing.

Coincidentally, I noticed that my own feet were feeling bruised after standing up all day at work or when I had walked a fair distance.

I tried different types of insoles as well as trying shoes with extra support to increase stability.

The problem started to ease when I began wearing the famous Doc Martin shoes at work, but more significantly the New Balance 880’s and 1080’s.

The Doc Martin’s have a patented ‘Air Sole’, while the New Balance’s have their patented ‘Fresh Foam’ sole.

Both of these brands also have a ‘neutral’ sole, which allow you to walk with your own gait.

Fast forward to now, where I can walk any distance I like, with no bruising to my feet and best of all no knee or hip issues!!

And, given I prefer to do fast walking outside to burn body fat stores to get in shape for physique competition, then this footwear is now an absolutely critical component!!

Oh and FYI, I am NOT sponsored by these brands, nor gain any commission on sales of same!!

This is just useful information for anyone out there experiencing similar lower body issues.

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https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dr._Martens

http://www.runningwarehouse.com/catpage-MRFNB1080.html

HIT Delts & Triceps today at the Aussie Mecca, Doherty’s HQ in Brunswick, Victoria.

Pictured here is the final all out set on my version of the Larry Scott style side lat raises.

The key with this exercise is to be able to see the medial deltoid contract at the top of the movement, in fact you should almost be able to see the rear deltoid too.

Too many times I see guys raising their arms past parallel to the ground which results in the front deltoid doing all the work.

The other important thought here is that your little finger stays higher than your forefinger. Imagine you are trying to pour water out of the ends of the dumbbells!

Larry Scott was the first pro bodybuilder to really create that look of melon-like delts and he attributes much of this to this particular exercise!

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I have discussed the absolute importance of sleep before in previous Blog Posts, but I thought I would touch on this topic again today with more important points.

The ‘quantity’ of sleep you get is important, but if you spend a couple of hours tossing and turning before you get to sleep, as well as waking up too early worrying about the stresses of the day ahead, then how effective was this night of rest???

You see the QUALITY of your sleep is far more important. Getting into that deep REM sleep is critical for the production of growth hormone, testosterone, reduction of the stress hormone cortisol, fat oxidation and many other restorative processes.

And, unfortunately, as we age, we produce less of the sleep hormone Melatonin, and find it harder to get that awesome night’s sleep.

Added to this of course is the fact that we are more stressed than ever in today’s fast paced society, so elevated cortisol ends up keeping us awake too!

Fortunately, I have found several products that can really help counter this. ATP Science’s CortRX, Switch Nutrition’s Adrenal Switch and Melatonin.

Some of the key ingredients include powerful naturally occurring herbs that can help lower inflammation & cortisol such as Turmeric, Schisandra, Withania, Rhodiola and Ashwaghanda.

The Melatonin I get from my Doctor is prescribed and in a 5mg capsule.

I take 3 capsules of CortRX close to bedtime, 1 scoop of Adrenal Switch just before bed as well as the Melatonin capsule.

It should be noted that I don’t take Melatonin everyday, usually 2-3 times per week, as you don’t want your own body to stop producing this hormone naturally.

And, as mentioned in an earlier Blog, I put on my eye pillow mask, at around 3am to keep things as dark as possible. This might seem a bit weird, but I can guarantee that it will get you back off to deep sleep as that sun starts to rise and light filters into your bedroom.

One side effect of this quality sleep is that you will start having incredibly vivid & epic dreams that seem to last forever.

For me, I love these dreams and look forward to them every night!!!

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PS: The link below takes you to another good article written by my physiotherapist, Matt from Central Baldivis Physiotherapy

http://baldivisphysiotherapy.com.au/sleep-the-underestimated-healing-wonder/

Recently, I have been forcing myself to stay accountable to getting back into contest condition for 2018 by doing weekly progress photo check-ins.

This is something I ask my clients to do, so I guess I should practice what I preach!!

This pic represents two weeks since the last one and shows a bit more lower pec definition and more hamstring splits and separation.
You can do all the Dexascans, weigh-ins and caliper tests you like, but as always, the bright WA sun at midday, in a pair of very brief posing trunks, is brutally honest!!! Cardio is still just 30 minutes of daily fast walking upon rising as well as 10 minute walks straight after my last meal on alternate days.
As always, the phrase “Keep it Simple Stupid”, springs to mind!!

Diet is unchanged, I have never been a fan of lowering food intake too much so as to burn fat, at 52 years young I need all the nutrients I can get my hands on!!! 
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PS: As you can see my ‘Movember moustaka’ is coming along slowly, anyone wishing to donate to this worthy cause can do so via the link below:

 https://mobro.co/craig50

“The Third Space”
One thing we humans tend to do is get locked into this get up, go to work, go home, go to bed and then repeat this ritual day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year!!!
This Groundhog Day ritual can get quite tedious after a while which then turns this routine into a chore.
And, after performing a tedious chore over and over again, this negatively affects our state of mental health in terms of drive, enthusiasm, motivation, creative thought and eventually overall mood and happiness.
A way to overcome this and break the monotony is to try and create a third space between home and work.
For me, training at the gym after my teaching day always works a treat as it clears my head, reboots my overactive brain and elicits all those endorphins, growth hormone and good mood chemicals that form my instant remedy to negativity and stress.
Recently, I decided to create another ‘third space’ in the morning between home and work.
My partner, Louise and I, have been getting up a bit earlier, walking for anywhere between 10 and 40 minutes and then finishing the walk with a 20 minute sit and coffee at our favourite cafe in Baldivis, called Brother of Mine.

By the time we get back home to get ready for work we are in a great mood, feeling motivated again and ready to take head on the challenges of the day!

It might sound very simple and too good to be true, but believe me, it works a treat! Remember, the simple things in life are always the best!!!

Give it a try, just once in your day, as a start and see how you go.

Before you know it, you will be implementing this third space both before and after work!
Enjoy!! 

Cortisol is produced by our bodies in response to a stressful situation. It enables us to deal with a potentially dangerous or life threatening moment with a fast reaction to counter that problem.

This immediate reaction is sometimes referred to as “fright or flight”. Reactions like running fast, lifting something very heavy, aggressively defending oneself or screaming at the top of your voice.
When cortisol is elevated for too long or too often we can then experience what is commonly referred to as Adrenal Fatigue.
Adrenal Fatigue can then make us feel very tired, lethargic, irritable, impatient, anxious and generally lacking in motivation.

The other downside of elevated cortisol is that it is inversely related to testosterone, that is, as cortisol rises testosterone falls.
There are many ways to lower cortisol which I have touched on before in a previous Blog post.
Recently, I have been focusing on another way to lower cortisol, by raising Serotonin.
Serotonin is critical for deep sleep and deep sleep is a great way to lower cortisol levels which in turn will allow testosterone to rise.

Serotonin is produced when we eat carbohydrates. Which explains why you feel tired after eating a serving of rice, potato, bread or pasta.

Now I have always been a believer in no carbs at night when trying to lose body fat, so for me the thought of eating carbs close to bedtime was a bit of a stretch!
To my surprise, by switching my day around through eating protein, fats and fibrous carbs early in the day and protein with starchy carbs late in the day hasn’t adversely affected my ability to lose body fat but has resulted in better sleep. And with that a greater sense of well-being the next day.

My preferred choice of carbohydrates is sweet potato or rice (either brown or white).
So, if you are experiencing the symptoms of high cortisol or adrenal fatigue, then try eating carbs later in the day, you’ll be surprised how effective it is!

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[Progress pictures above taken on 4-11-2017]

Thought I would document some of the awesome ingredients in my latest SupaShake that I have about 1 hour before I train at around 4pm.

Here are the ingredients:

1. Two scoops of ATP Noway Hydrolysed Collagen protein powder

2. 5g of Micronised Creatine Monohydrate

3. 1 tablespoon of Cacao Powder

4. 1/2 teaspoon of Cinnamon

5. 1 teaspoon of Zeolite powder

6. 1 teaspoon of MSM powder 

7. 1 tablespoon of black chia seeds

8. 1 cup of blueberries

9. 1 banana

10. 1 tablespoon of coconut oil

11. 1 raw free range organic egg

It has taken me many years to choose these particular ingredients where I feel each and every one of them is a superfood in their own right.

From hormonal balance to growth & repair to blood sugar regulation to detoxification to improved brain function to joint repair to digestive well-being, cardiovascular health and the list goes on!!!

As per the video attached, it takes me about 15 minutes to make up about a dozen of these with the majority of the ingredients ready to go in a shaker.

On the day I consume it, I simply put everything into my good old Ninja Blender combined with ~300ml of unsweetened coconut milk.

And best of all, it tastes fantastic!!!

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Yes it is that time again where we Gentlemen attempt (and I emphasize, attempt) to grow a moustaka in the name of a most worthy cause…US!!! 

The incidence of anxiety and depression, Prostate Cancer and Testicular Cancer have all been on the rise in Australia over the last few decades .

 

The Movember Foundation created an annual fund raising exercise for the month of November where we can all come together to raise both awareness and funds to help provide more research and possible solutions to these issues facing our men.

 

So I ask all you blokes out there to consider getting involved by growing your best mo and setting up a fund raising account via the Movember Foundation website, it is really easy to get started.

 

Alternatively, anyone can help out by simply donating to my account via the link below:

 

https://mobro.co/craig50

 

Come on Gents…GO THE MO, I say!!!
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Tonight at the gym reminded me about the importance of the permutation of your workouts.
My workout split is as follows:
1. Quads & Calves

2. Chest & Biceps

3. Hamstrings & Calves

4. Delts & Triceps

5. Back & Traps
As you can see each muscle group is worked directly once with its own workout and indirectly in another workout which has been spaced apart from the direct one.
I trained Hamstrings this evening with some heavy stiff-legged deadlifts. These always work my hammies from top to bottom and I feel it in the days to follow, but my back also gets a blasting too.
So I thought I would crank out a couple of quick back poses after getting a good pump in the traps, lower lats and erectors!!! 
This workout split has worked well for me for some time now and allows each muscle group to recover quite well before being taxed again.
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Here is a short video ‘live cross’ where I explain my “Peak 8” HIIT Cardio protocol in more detail.

This represents Part II from my previous Blog Post #9 which initially addressed the whole High Intensity Interval Training concept and its awesome benefits.

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