Written by: David Cogley, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Navigating the fast-paced world of corporate life presents a unique set of challenges and demands for working professionals. The relentless pursuit of career advancement and the pressure to meet deadlines often leave little time and energy for prioritising personal health and fitness. In this dynamic environment, it's all too common for the demands of work to overshadow the importance of self-care and well-being. However, neglecting one's health can have far-reaching consequences, impacting both physical vitality and mental resilience. As working professionals, it's imperative to acknowledge the integral role that a healthy lifestyle plays in sustaining success in the corporate world. Strength training provides an appealing solution, offering numerous health advantages that extend beyond physical benefits, but significantly boost overall wellness.
I've had the pleasure of working with Harry, a busy engineer based in Manchester, UK, guiding him towards a healthier lifestyle while juggling his demanding schedule. As a working professional Harry’s diary was often packed with meetings, deadlines, and working away from home two days per week. Along with this, Harry was about to encounter parenthood and had his first-born child on the way. Harry wanted to set a good example as a partner and father and embarked on a challenging fitness journey. Juggling a transformation along with newfound parenthood wasn’t easy, but together we focused on flexible training and nutritional strategies to ensure Harry reached his goals. The cornerstone of Harry’s transformation was resistance training, which ultimately lead to increased productivity and him drastically improving his body composition in the process. Let's explore the resistance training methodologies Harry used, and their impact on his journey.
German Body Composition (GBC)
The German Body Composition programme is cleverly crafted for individuals seeking to simultaneously shed fat and build muscle, capitalising on the body's metabolic responses to exercise. By prioritising high-volume, compound movements with minimal rest between sets, GBC maximises calorie burn and elevates lactate production. This increase in lactate levels boosts the release of growth hormone, a vital contributor to fat loss and muscle retention. The programme's structure, which integrates upper and lower body exercises within the same session, ensures a well-rounded and intense workout engaging multiple muscle groups. This promotes balanced muscle growth and functional strength. Furthermore, the heightened heart rate resulting from reduced rest periods enhances cardiovascular endurance, offering a holistic fitness approach beyond aesthetics. GBC proves particularly effective for time-pressed individuals, delivering comprehensive fitness benefits, from improved body composition to heightened metabolic rate, in a condensed workout timeframe. Its methodology, centred on manipulating exercise variables to trigger specific hormonal responses, embodies a sophisticated training approach prioritising efficiency and results. The programme is adaptable, catering to diverse fitness levels by adjusting weights, repetition ranges, and rest periods, making it an inclusive option for those seeking to transform their physique and combine athletic performance.
Whole body push-pull
The Whole-Body Push-Pull training regimen is a strategic method categorising exercises based on their fundamental movement patterns—either pushing away from the body or pulling towards it. Push muscles include quads, glutes, shoulders, chest, and triceps, while pull muscles include hamstrings, back and biceps. This categorisation facilitates balanced muscular development, enhancing both aesthetic appearance and functional strength. By concentrating on compound movements engaging multiple joints and muscle groups, the programme ensures efficient workouts that integrate into busy schedules while yielding significant strength and hypertrophy gains. The alternating nature of push and pull movements allows for more frequent training of each muscle group within the week, accelerating muscle gain. Additionally, this approach helps prevent overuse injuries and muscle imbalances by ensuring antagonist muscle groups receive equal training. The push-pull split is highly adaptable, suitable for various fitness levels and goals, from novices aiming to establish a solid strength foundation to serious trainees seeking to surpass plateaus. The simplicity of categorising exercises into push and pull days facilitates streamlined programming and accommodates training multiple days in a row due the different muscle groups being trained in each session. This programme not only enhances muscle aesthetics by promoting size and definition but also contributes to overall physical performance by enhancing movement efficiency and power in daily activities and sports.
Upper body only training
Harry suffered an ankle injury outside of the gym and so 10 weeks was spent training upper body only. This training programme focuses exclusively on the upper body, tailored for individuals seeking to enhance strength, muscle mass, and endurance in their torso, arms, and shoulders. By concentrating efforts on the upper body, participants can achieve significant aesthetic enhancements, such as a more sculpted chest, broader shoulders, and defined arms, while also improving functional strength for daily activities and sports performance. Muscle growth has previously shown to be correlated to training volume, therefore a greater volume of training directed at the upper body such as with Harry resulted in greater improvements on this area. This targeted approach allows for customised workouts addressing upper body weaknesses or imbalances, offering tailored solutions for specific goals or rehabilitation needs. Typically involving a variety of exercises targeting major upper body muscle groups, the programme ensures comprehensive development while mitigating the risk of overuse injuries. It proves particularly beneficial for individuals with lower body injuries or limitations, enabling effective training continuity. Additionally, focusing on the upper body can lead to improvements in posture and core stability, as many upper body exercises require core muscle engagement for proper execution. The versatility of upper body training, including free weights, machines, and bodyweight exercises, provides diverse stimuli to keep workouts engaging and challenging. This approach caters not only to individuals pursuing aesthetic goals but also to athletes aiming to enhance performance in sports demanding significant upper body strength and endurance, making it a valuable component of a well-rounded fitness regimen.
Conclusion
Harry's journey showcases the transformative power of strategic weight training protocols. Over the course of 30 weeks, Harry undertook three ten-week phases, each dedicated to a distinct training plan: German Body Composition, Whole Body Push-Pull, and Upper Body Only Training. Harry achieved astonishing results, losing 16 kilograms while simultaneously crafting a physique ready for a photoshoot. His commitment to his fitness journey not only resulted in physical transformations but also had profound effects on other aspects of his life. Despite juggling the demands of a challenging career, Harry's productivity increased, resulting in a well-deserved promotion. Moreover, as a new father, Harry set an example of perseverance and self-improvement, prioritising his health and well-being while navigating the responsibilities of parenthood.
If you would like to start your own fitness journey, visit here for more information.
David Cogley, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
David Cogley is a renowned personal trainer, known for his expertise in achieving remarkable body transformations. David’s work has gained recognition in prestigious publications such as Men's Health, The Daily Express, Manchester Evening News, and LoveIt! Magazine. Qualified with a BSc in Strength and Conditioning and an MSc in Exercise Physiology, he possesses a strong educational background that complements his practical experience. David’s contributions extend beyond training clients as he has published a peer-reviewed scientific article in the esteemed Journal of Sports Biomechanics. Moreover, he has shared his knowledge with honours degree university students and over 300 elite-level personal trainers.
References:
https://www.menshealth.com/fitness/a25360919/german-body-composition-training/
Schoenfeld, B.J., Ogborn, D. and Krieger, J.W., 2016. Effects of resistance training frequency on measures of muscle hypertrophy: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Sports medicine, 46(11), pp.1689-1697.
Schoenfeld, B.J., Contreras, B., Krieger, J., Grgic, J., Delcastillo, K., Belliard, R. and Alto, A., 2019. Resistance training volume enhances muscle hypertrophy but not strength in trained men. Medicine and science in sports and exercise, 51(1), p.94.
