So, today was the big finale of my deadlift block. The target was 200kg for as many reps as possible. 🚫💪🚫💪200kg for 12 reps🚫💪🚫💪 🤺🤺apologies for the grunts. ♨️♨️Again, this one set took 5 weeks of planning. Make sure you're smart with your training. 🥞🥞Now it's time for rest, your connective tissue takes longer to adapt than your muscles do. Even if you feel alright after really pushing yourself, always take adequate rest. This far surpassed my own expectations, really pleased with this training block. There was a major mishap during the set, the clip fell off one side of the bar, luckily my bro was keeping a close watch and managed to get my attention and put the clip back on. I think I couldve squeezed out another rep or so but I lost my momentum when the clip came off. The positives - 🥂All time personal best. 🥂I've got my groove back with the movement that hospitalised me.

Your future self is your current responsibility....

If your diet is - high in calories, - high in saturated fat, - high in refined sugars, - low in protein, - low in vitamins, minerals, and fibres. The last thing you should be contemplating is the diet beverage that contains an artificial sweetener that you've been grossly mislead about. The sweetener isn't preventing you losing weight, nor are your hormones, neither is your stressful job. Don't try to blame a systemic problem on a local issue. So, fixes: - Move more, preferably some weight training with a sprinkle of cardiovascular training. - Eat more nutritious foods, preferably a nice variety of coloured fruits and veggies. - Eat plenty of lean meats and yogurts. - Make sure you're sleeping adequately, I keep hearing people don't have time for sleep but somehow watch an entire Netflix season in a week.

☠️☠️190kg x 10☠️☠️ This was the deadlift session that followed the 180kg for 12 reps, there were 8 days between sessions. 🤺There will be 1 more deadlift priority session in this block and then my training gets a switch around. 🕺This is an example of how to intelligently programme your lifts to ensure that you are progressing, but more importantly, adequately recovered between sessions. Don't be that individual that picks a random weight, puts it on the bar, lifts it once and celebrates. That's how injuries happen. Lifting heavy is highly rewarding, but also comes with a lot of risks involved. Before you even consider lifting heavy, make sure that your form is spot on every single lift. 🌵Half repping a weight that is clearly too heavy for you isn't going to be win you any medals, although it might win you a dunce cap. 👌👌Take your ego out of it and lift what you safely can. Link to 180 video: https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1867627186863488&id=1647468782212664

🚫🚫Processed foods🚫🚫 The do and don't of these abominations. ⚠️⚠️No offence intended if you're a chakra or a turmeric

Something else I'd like to get your opinions on... This is a big topic of debate, I think there's a lot to be said for this one: 👉🚫👉How do you feel about processed foods? I'll be doing another follow-up video tonight.

A follow-up from my earlier questions : Do you need fruits and veggies to lose weight? First video in a while, still one take so quite a few cock-ups 😎saved the best till last!

Here's an interesting question I'd like your answers too: Are fruits and veggies necessary for weight loss? I am doing a follow-up post to this, I'd like to hear your thoughts on it beforehand.

'If I do this, I can have that'. This kind of mindset can be a winner when it comes to staying on track with your nutrition. It's usually a sign that you're making a rational compromise between your long-term goals and your current situation. This doesn't mean that you can skip breakfast and bathe in a halloumi fountain for tea, as nice as that does sound. For example: Cara is going through a maintenance phase at the moment, meaning she isn't gaining or losing. She has been 'saving' calories from Monday for when our kitchen is finished, this means that she has more to 'spend' on the weekend and we can have a nice chunky pasta bake. What she is doing is ensuring that she still meets her baseline nutritional demands through the week, while saving 150 - 200 calories per day. This means she has accumulated an extra 750 - 1000 on top of her daily calorie allotment for Saturday. This works extremely well in moderation, it doesn't work if you starve yourself Monday - Friday and binge the entire weekend. Behaviour like that will create a very unhealthy relationship with food and can also lead to negative health implications. This is the epitome of flexible dieting, consuming 80% of your calories from nutritious sources and the remaining 20% on less nutritious foods. It can mean that you can have your cake and eat it too, although moderation still applies. Think of calories as a currency that you can save and spend, it can make things a lot simpler to understand!

Workout of the week - Keep 2 reps in the tank if more than 90 seconds rest, 1 rep in the tank on the rest! Quads, hamstrings, glutes, and calfs! 1A -Squats 3x 6-9. 90-120 sec rest. 2A -Heel-raised goblet squats (pause at bottom) 3x 10-12. 60 sec rest. 3A- Sumo deadlifts 3x 5-8. 90-120 sec rest. 4A- Seated leg curls (pause at peak) 3x15 - 60 sec rest. 5A - Barbell walking lunges (long stride) 2x26 (count each step) 5B Barbell calf raises 2x20 (slow eccentric) 75 sec rest. Tag someone who needs to train legs ;).

Are ready meals a good idea? As with most things - it depends. Ready meals have a bad rep, a common view is that they are the worst thing ever and you should be shot if you even consider purchasing such an abomination. But, do they deserve that rep? Yes, some of them really aren't ideal in terms of their nutrient profiles. But quite a lot of supermarkets now stock some really good varieties. My kitchen is currently unusable, so I can either use that as an excuse to get a takeaway and justify it with some poor excuse relating to time and effort. Or, I could buy some ready meals that are nutritious, low in calories and high in protein. The latter means I can track my meals and still be on target with my nutrition and not regret my decision later. If life gives you an excuse to deviate, it doesn't mean you have to.

What should your first steps be towards ensuring you are as successful as possible with your weight loss goals? These are what I think are the most important factors. Some of them may sound a bit blunt, but far too often people pussy-foot around what needs to be done. There will be sacrifices and it will take work. - Make sure your why is big enough to achieve your goals. Don't expect to be on the front cover of a magazine if you train intermittently for the crack. - Make sure you are capable of the workload you're laying out for yourself. I always see people failing as they burn themselves out by training far more than they are capable of. - Don't pin your hopes and dreams on reaching a shape and weight. If you're unhappy at a size 14, don't assume that dropping to a size 10 will solve all the issues in your life. - Set off with the understanding that life will throw you many curveballs. Having a solid plan is a good idea, but remember that solid plan may need to turn into a liquid so that you can keep on track after falling off. - There will be setbacks. You're only human. Things will go wrong, deal with them and get back on track (emphasising the above point). - You are ultimately accountable for your own success. Whether you have a coach or not, the only person that dictates whether you ultimately achieve your goal is you. - It didn't take 8 weeks to get out of shape, it will take far more than 8 weeks to get back into shape. Feel free to share your own thoughts on the matter!