Brains&Brawn

  If you’re reading this you probably already exercise. We all come in the fitness space for different reasons, some for health , some for aesthetics , some to feel stronger , some for mental health. Being a personal trainer I see everyday people come into the gym space with two main goals , weight loss and muscle gain, with most not understanding the differences between the various forms of exercises , the stimulus they send to the body and the results of said methods. Now performing any form of exercise is to be applauded, but i must say that there are more optimal exercises and less optimal exercises depending on your goal. In this piece we explain what exercise is , the different classifications, and their pros and cons .    Firstly, the term exercise can be any physical activity that is performed with the goal of maintaining and enhancing the body’s efficiency and esthetic .     With a wide range of options from bodybuilding to yoga , Olympic weightlif...

  Firstly, nutrition generally describes the entire process of ingesting , digesting and absorbing of food produce which the body recycles for energy and Daily function . The class of food eaten , determines the nutrients which would be available to the body as different types of food provide different specific nutritional values which are necessary for the survival, growth and maintenance of the human organism.    Nutrition plays a supportive role in the process of muscle building and weight management creating an anabolic environment which promotes muscle growth and fat loss. It is however crucial to note that nutrition alone does not stimulate muscle growth as that is the function of resistance training, with proper nutritional choices being the building blocks for recovery and growth.   For the sake of this piece , we will assume that the individuals already perform a sufficient resistance training program.  Depending on your goals, there are various fa...

    The body ages and it’s consequences can be unnerving. At 70 years you would have lost 40% of your muscles mass and 30% of your strength ,could be way more or less ,dependent on your lifestyle choices.    Sarcopenia , which is the involuntarily loss of skeletal muscle mass and strength, is the most common aging related ailment and is mainly influenced by hormonal changes, mitochondrial decline , nutritional choices, fat and movement ability.   Obesity and fat infiltration into the skeletal muscle is a known major precursor to sarcopenia as the more fat you accumulate the less lean muscle you retain .      The results of this mainly being frailty, loss of function in critical joints , susceptibility to injury , basic functional and mobility limitations, and lack of physical strength.      In plain terms, you can’t do anything well, you can’t stand for long stretches, your knees feel like shit, your back feels like you have a ...

  What is strength really? Is it lifting the heaviest weights in a fixed pattern, governed by a set of rules? How transferable is your “strength” to your daily living? Is your strength performative or generalized ? These and more are the questions that guide my exercise selection for physical enhancement.        Loaded carries are underrated as a muscle and strength building exercise.  A tested method of building functional strength and tactical hypertrophy, this breed of exercises has a ton of benefit for anyone aiming at being strong all round .  https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cn93Jp8gZnP/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=  It’s excellent at enhancing trunk stability as the body has to adapt to load while in motion building strength and stability through the entire body . From the forearm to the shoulders , spine ,hips and and ankles. Greatly improving bracing and force generation.     Aesthetics are not left behind as this movement really loads the...

    Remember when you were a kid , when you ran without calling it exercise, played till you were forced inside, did somersaults without calling it gymnastics, laughed without holding back , climbed without fear of fall. The older we grow , we fix ourselves into these preset definitions or maturity and order and seldom leave space for foreign experiences in our daily lives.    In the context of physical development , the boxes are bigger. Most people pick a specific sport or training method and in most cases tend to stick to that particular discipline throughout their training lifespan.   Specificity in itself is not the enemy as it is the surest method to maximal profit from the selected discipline or activity but the Lack of inquiry and exploration into other methodologies creates a vacuum needing filling as the years compound.   The body and brain are capable of absorbing so much information and actually thrive on learning new patterns and path...