Accelerate Pt

Top session this morning. Minute on minute off on the Roundhay Hill for five rounds then a little circuit after of burpees, mountain climbers, V sits, a flat run and then a plank (breathing like as asthmatic elephant was optional) for 3 rounds.
Thanks to Jimmy Floyd Hasselback aka James Walker. He might be shrinking with age (height wise anyway) but he didn’t shrink away from enforcing I stuck to agreed rest times and finished the circuit off.
Now enjoying the loneliest of all KFC options “The mighty bucket for one”. Enjoy your Sunday!

Weekly trot around Roundhay Park at 9am tomorrow.
If anyone else fancies discussing how much fitter they are when not hungover, seriously considering never drinking again and wasting 45 minutes of their Sunday morning we’ll be trotting around Roundhay Park at 9am!

Best watching this facing a headwind ....
I love videos like this as it shows what a positive mindset can do.
Watch this and tell me your excuses again.
... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LwD1W2dE4 6o
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Cheeky little free bootcamp session this morning. Where were you?

Week 2 of my “I hate it when people do this but now I’m doing it too” / begging for interaction post.
Roundhay Park run / trot / dog walk tomorrow, 9am, by the cafe, waters and bank holiday hangovers optional, ice cream compulsory.
It’s free too for any right northerners.
... Fenton confused his shit list with something important of mine and shredded it so last weeks slackers get another chance of redemption.
All abilities welcome and encouraged.
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Great work to the super six who turned up this AM, dodged the coffee and cake and smashed ten minutes non stop up and down one of the steeper hills at Roundhay Park. The step count shows hardest worker took 10x the steps anyone else did at a mammoth 84,000. Fendog!

Took a record so we can retest in four weeks to see how they get on. What gets measured gets managed and if you aren’...t assessing your guessing. Great to have targets to aim for so want to make this a focal point of any session I do.
If you’re interested in joining in for our next free workout give the Accelerate PT page a like for more details ( / chats about and cuddles with my dog) All welcome and no levels of fitness required. Message me for more details!
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Free outdoor session at Roundhay Park at 9am. Bit of hill work, stability and 50% chatting about dogs, our dislike for cardio and feeling smug.
If you’ve read this, thought you should go and decided not to Fenton’s very disappointed. Even spotted him making a list to send you a prompt on Facebook ....
Impressive for lack of opposable thumbs ....

Free outdoor session. If anyone fancies joining me, Fenton and a few others at Roundhay Park at 9am tomorrow (Sunday) for a short cardio session let me know!

If your not rowing so hard that you explode out of your trainers then are you even training? #cardioishardio

Why I hate going on camera and fitness industry moans

Leeds premier ladies only lifting club launches this August.
*Limited numbers*
Want to improve your strength, learn how to lift safely, lose fat or just become more confident in a gym setting?
... We know how hard it is for women to perform the above and how commercial gyms aren't designed to make this easy. And we have just the ticket.
Joe, James and a private gym facility kitted out to take you from novice to lifting boss.
BUT we don't have the finer details nailed YET. So we are inviting you to trial a workshop and workout for free.
August 11th and 18th at 10am at Andy Berry Generation Fit (map below - LS13 3AX - 3 miles from Leeds City Centre) will host the trial sessions for friends and family (Sustain Nutrition family obviously) to show you how we can help you, teach you some awesome information, plus a cheeky workout for free.
Any questions fire them below, to confirm your attendance then email me on joe@sustainnutrition.co.uk with the date of your choice as places are limited to 20 per session and we've just ticked over the halfway point so don't hang about!
You are invited to the opening trial session that will include a 30-minute workshop covering: -Benefits of weight training for women -Weight training myth busting -Why traditional approaches and classes aren't as effective -How the skills and knowledge I have can help you make as much progress as possible
This will involve some practical work but nothing too taxing.
Following this will be a 30-minute sample workout so you can experience first hand the exercises and approach discussed during the workshop.
This will finish with a quick questionnaire so I can get feedback to ensure the club/classes deliver exactly what people are looking for. And maybe a quick q&a if people so desire!
Thanks, Joe and James
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What foods should you avoid when dieting? Part 1
We all have foods we love. And I mean LOVE. For whatever reason they really push our buttons. Often this is because they contain both fat and carbs which releases a large amount of dopamine. Great for survival in famine. Not so great for the seams of your pants.
People often feel like their world is going to end if they have to restrict or remove these foods but there’s a simple test to see if it’s a good idea.
... Can you moderate your intake of whatever your trigger food is?
I struggle to eat half a bar of chocolate. Obviously I don’t meant the paltry 50g bars but the 600-700 calorie 100g bars sold for the bargain price of a shiny pound coin.
Whilst I do love chocolate if I have it I cant moderate my intake. I want more. And often I will have more. Maybe not the same day but the day following is more likely to have it in.
My recommendation is to enjoy higher calorie foods or meals that feel more like a treat AND keep you really full but aren’t your trigger foods. Yes I may eat the same or more calories in a bigger meal as I would have got from a chocolate bar. But long term this occasional higher calorie meal keeps my calorie intake down.
Never underestimate the power of staying “on plan” it boosts people mentally, keeps their biggest craving at bay and will ultimately get you to your goal faster.
I’m not saying to never have these things but if you can’t moderate it why bother. Would you give an alcoholic half a pint if they were struggling? Save it for a special occasion or treat rather than using it as a daily reward.
Picture: Beef burger with goats cheese and chilli jam x2
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Walking in Leeds / Yorkshire
On the hierarchy of fat loss walking isn’t the best way to spend an hour of your time. But it’s one of the most relaxing, enjoyable, de-stressing forms of exercise you can possibly do.
There are so many awesome walks you can do in and around Leeds and I will document some of these.
... My 16 year old me is mocking me for becoming an old man but for me there aren’t many better ways to spend some time and clear my head. As well as burning a few extra calories.
This snap was taken by the canal about 5 minutes from Woodlesford train station which is a 7 minute train journey from Leeds train station.
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Why Evil Instagram is killing your perception of reality and dream body.
I’m going to have a bit of a rant about why Instagram and the images people with great physiques push have left average people further from their goals than closer.
First up, drop that ridiculous notion that some people promote of smashing burgers and having veins in your abs. There is one of two scenarios here. Incredible genetics or precisely timed meals off plan. Very, VERY few people can eat like t...his regularly and have incredible bodies. End. Of. Story.
How do you know if this is you? Lift your top up slightly now. Did it catch on a ridge between your abs? No? Then you aren’t one of those people.
The vast majority will have this one meal and smear it all over social media but this is far from the whole story. In fact, it’s the one meal out of 35/42/49 people with these bodies eat each week that isn’t well balanced, measured proteins, fats, carbs and veggies.
If you can eat crap and be ripped to the bone then you’d be one of these people, rather than looking for how it was possible.
Secondly, the images of most of these people training have me rolling my eyes like a Robert Downey Jr meme (my god I’m so relevant). Perfectly coifed, tans on point, not an eyebrow out of place. Awesome physiques are born from people putting in work. Consistently. Red faced, sweating and generally uncomfortable is how you should look and how most people with awesome bodies do look. But this is all hidden behind the air brushed perfection of picture #1097 from today’s workout.
And they nearly all do it.
I get the idea is to portray an attractive image and that’s cool. But without showing the real work that goes into it is a surprise that more people are shying away from this and genuinely believing it’s easily achieved through a multitude of other methods (see “booty tea”)
Take a deep breath, with a large side of reality and make eating well and training hard easier to achieve. Plan your food, prep your meals as best you can, train with someone else and record what you are doing.
There’s a lot more complexities than that but this would get 95% of people further on than they are currently.
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Protein Top 5: is protein bad for you? How much per day? What per dose? And other FAQ’s
Brad Schoenfeld is one of the premier experts on muscle gain so when cooking up a storm the other day I listened to a 45 minute interview with him. Below is Part 1 of 2. The top 5 protein questions answered.
Is a high protein diet bad for you?
... No. The studies that indicated protein caused damage to kidneys were done on both kidney dialysis users and animal studies. Studies since have shown protein intakes up to 4.4g per kilo (a lot of protein!) caused no issues in healthy individuals over a six month period.
As a side note 4.4g per kilo is a huge amount of protein and one I have never hit despite having at times a very high protein diet. So this isn’t something anyone normal needs to worry themselves about.
How much protein do you need per day?
Schoenfelds view from the studies is a baseline of 1.5g of protein per day. So a 60kg woman needs 90g as a minimum (300g of chicken over the day or so). As this is a baseline some people require more, up to 2.2g protein per day so for a 60kg woman this would be 136g of protein per day.
This is half the 4.4g/kg dose from other studies. For most people they’d prefer to use their their calories for carbs or fats and so, for the majority, 4.4g would be far too high.
Is it true the body can only handle 20g of protein at once?
Some studies indicated this was the case however other studies since showed a dose related response. (It’s pretty unlikely everyone will be able to handle the same protein threshold when some modern athletes weights around 200 kilos). So there were increased benefits at 40g, 60g and 70g. Although this would be influenced by body weight so it’s unlikely a 70g dose would be needed or beneficial for a 60kg woman.
What are the best vegetarian protein sources?
There is some evidence to show protein quality is as important, if not more than total amount taken in. The important factor is amino acid profile. There are 8/9 essential amino acids from which the body can make everything it needs. If you consume meat or whey you will get a full amino acid spectrum. If you avoid these for whatever reason then when looking at vegetarian protein options you need to look for a full amino acid profile. Using a blend of ingredients will give vegetarians the quality of protein everyone needs, within their chosen sources.
Should I use BCAA’s?
Schoenfelds view is no. As above your body only needs EAA’s or Essential Amino Acids. And by taking in a full spectrum this can limit or interrupt your body’s abilities to utilise the EAA’s it needs. As such if you want protein while training then whey or EAA’s would be a better investment.
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Lazy Sunday meals
If you can’t cook / hate cooking / can’t be arsed then these are still crap excuses for not eating well. Even my stubborn 18 year old student self would have admitted donner meat pizzas were not a delicious or valid way to spend a fiver (tenner).
You can throw these four different ingredients / aluminium tins straight in the oven to make an awesome meal for under a fiver.
... For most people you’d get 2 meals for about £6
Thai infused salmon 220g (1-2 servings) £3 ish Stuffed mushrooms (2) £1.60 ish Oven roast potatoes (4-6 servings) £1.50 Mediterranean veg (2-4 servings) £1 ish
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My first blog in a long time about why wanting to change yourself in regards health, fitness and the way you look may be the wrong way to look at things.
*I previously post Mark Manson's longer, more generic, much better-written version that inspired me.

Why wanting to change is screwing you up.
First up, I get a bit jittery sneaking my own sweets into the cinema so the thought of a plagiarism lawsuit brings me out in a cold sweat. So, this post has been inspired by one of Mark Manson’s blogs which I will link below.
His book is also excellent and I will post a link as it can help a look of people.
... I will briefly summarise how it can help people change their relationship with food, training and their bodies.
Wanting to change suggests that you are currently at point “A” and want to get to “B” but this is all your perception. “Eat better”, “exercise more”, “get stronger”, “have a better body” are all relative terms. Who you are and where you are at will determine what these mean to each person reading this.
These aren’t always able to be achieved consistently. If you start training hard then miss the gym for a week does that mean you haven’t changed? Or if you have lost a stone but don’t feel any better where does that leave you?
As you improve at anything your goals shift and you’ll almost always want more. Let me know if you’ve discovered how to overcome this as it’d be much appreciated.
It makes more sense to define yourself less critically and certainly. “Fat”, “not a gym person”, “not a vegetable fan”. Are almost self fulfilling prophecies. These are closed statements. Set in stone. No flexibility. Like me doing yoga in medium gym kit after a strongman session.
There is no such thing as a gym person. Only someone who regularly goes to the gym. This doesn’t define who you are or make you a certain “type”. Lose a stone then have a binge and many people feel like they’ve failed or gone back to who they were before. In a way they have. But more accurately they never changed in the first place.
You are still the same person. Just your habits and actions change. Or don’t. Or you relapse. You may do some things more often, or others less frequently. But you are still the same person. And often no one really cares. It rarely changes you definitively.
Try to adjust your internal and external monologue.
“I’m not a vegetable fan” becomes I haven’t found veg I like yet or found ways to cook veg I enjoy
“I’m not a gym person” becomes I’m yet to find an exercise regime I enjoy
These more open statements show you are trying and not giving in. If you don’t succeed then you haven’t failed but are in the process of finding a solution. If you use statements like this you are nailing your own coffin shut.
Take a deep breath and put your energy into trying again rather than berating yourself.
Original blog: https://markmanson.net/stop-trying-to-cha nge-yourself
Book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Subtle-Art-Not-G …/…/ref=mp_s_a_1_1…
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“DO YOU EVEN MOVE BRO?” We love a good movement based warm up at Accelerate PT. Great for mobility, firing up the nervous system and raising your pulse. Follow this up with some dynamic stretches, activations and some movement specific warm ups and you are good to go.