Welcome to FunctionalTrainer.co.za

Because I deal with all kinds of people in all stages of life and who have completely different backgrounds, goals and circumstances, I find solutions and adapt my abilities to solve many different problems.

So what is the solution to the question? Can you build muscle; can you provide your body with the right type of building blocks to stimulate muscle growth and power from your muscular tissue?
I might step on a few toes here but I have not seen one person ever in my whole experience able to succeed in this area on a vegetarian type diet. I have tried everything, believe me.

So why not. Surely this can be solved by eating ‘high protein’ types of veggies like soya or quinoa.

Lets begin with the first problem! The way you train to build muscle is to use powerful movements, big, multijoint explosive movements! This requires a certain type of muscular fiber…Muscle. And this muscle is fed by protein and….Creatine. Now without the prescience of enough protein and creatine, which is found naturally in meat you cannot provide the building blocks to keep up with the demand.

So what happens? Typically two things happen at the same time. First, the client gets weaker because the demand is not being met by the dietary requirements. Secondly, the muscles actually degenerate and atrophy and although the client thinks he/she is losing kilo’s this is not actually what I want. The body starts to eat the muscles to provide the protein for energy.

Second problem, Protein that comes from vegetables comes with carbs…too many carbs. Ever checked the chick peas, or soy ratio’s for carbs to protein. Mmmm. 24 grams/400gof protein: YAY; 50 grams/400 of carbs. BOO.

Just a quick sum. A person wanting to eat to build muscle generally needs 1.5 g of protein per kilogram body weight. This means for a 60 kg client to get enough protein they need to eat 1.5 kgs of Chick peas/lentils/soy beans to get 90g of protein a day. 1.5 kgs of the right veggies! This comes with 187g of pure carbohydrate. OUCH way too much. And no Creatine with it.

Now I am not saying you cant get thin using a veggie type diet. I am saying that you cant expect to build muscle or be toned and firm from this type of eating pattern. I know many people who and skinny and flabby and who look pretty good for a while before they start to waste away. Your body needs protein from meat to work properly. This is a fact.
Kind regards

Jason

As you can see I am at it again..I want to make you aware of the limitations of a one dimensional approach to your fitness. Over and Over; Again and Again I see it every time I walk into a public gym: People lifting as heavy as the can, doing the same exercises day in day out. Monday chest, Tuesday biceps….are you bored yet. I thought so.
Listen up here is a little gem of advice. Your body is more bored and that’s why you can’t get any results.
This is for both men and women: The way your body, and your brain, works is that it responds to different stimuli. It adapts to a changing environment all the time. That is what gets the brain juices flowing. Not being so pumped up that you can’t scratch your back.
Alright so What is it that make Ballerina’s better that Bodybuilders?
The short answer is APPLIED FORCE! You see the way a bodybuilder trains is to increase muscle size and definition, and also maybe his strength, but generally it’s about how you look. Whilst a Ballerina trains to be able to move, to be graceful to have control and explosive power, to have balance and ability.
As we have discussed previously, the concept of ‘healthy body’ and even of ‘fitness’ has advanced from the thinking of ‘big chest big arms’. Fitness is a multi-dimensional framework with many different aspects and approaches. Let’s see how body building shapes up.
I will be generous and say that body builders are stronger than ballerina’s but how do they compare when we evaluate them against deeper criteria of performance. How would you shape up when you look at yourself? What do your goals reveal about your current training style?
Acceleration from standing , Balance, Strength, Agility, Power Speed over a distance, Graceful movement , Plyometric Ability, Flexibility, Control of movement , Endurance.
It is important to recognise that body building trains muscles to be slow, they stimulate slow twitch fibres, where sports type training focuses on explosive, fast twitch training.
So there you have it, you can clearly see that bodybuilding is a discipline that fails to produce a completely healthy and fit individual. It might produce one that looks good in a vest, but when it comes to applying the strength they have developed they don’t have it. It’s kind of like a flatbed truck that has a v 12 engine, undoubtedly very strong, but it has no steering wheel, no tyres and no shocks. All that power, no application. Whilst the ballerina is like a sports car. Fast, elegant powerful, aerodynamic, superb road handling…you get the point. Which vehicle do you want to be?
Also, remember that most body building techniques focuses on the ‘slow-twitch’ mechanism in your body…this makes you slow! Whilst using your explosive mechanisms activates ‘fast-twitch’ fibres…work it out! For more info on fibre types refer to my article on Slow&Fast Twitch fibres.
Don’t fall into the trap of not learning to apply the force you develop. Exercise should be about acquiring a skill level that goes beyond mere strength or aesthetics. What that means for you is that if you have been doing the same routines, the same exercises for a while and you understand the basics of exercise it would be wise to look into expanding your knowledge, not only mentally but also physically. Switch your outlook from a performance based goal, like ‘I want to bench press 100kg’ to a skill based goal like’ I want to learn as many different types of push ups I can’. For ladies why not try to learn all the different types of lunges…it will add intensity to your workouts and you will not be so bored.

Learn, and keep improving your skill level. This is what movement is about. Challenge yourself to improve your ability. This is what leads to proper, sustainable results.

Kind regards

Jason Hough

I will start this article with a little story…
My grandfather is a farmer; he lives in the valley and lives off the earth. Every time my wife and I travel to visit we are reminded of the simple things and the old ways. Along with this comes the traditional Sunday lunch. The full spread as you can imagine. The potatoes and veggies come out amazingly well. Never mind the rest. Anyways we asked Granny for the secret… How can she make those standard potatoes and veggies taste like heaven? So she showed me…every time she makes sausage in the pan, or beef or whatever she saves the FAT in a bucket. Then what she does is add that fat into the roasting dish. Now I want you to imagine a bucket of white, gelatinous, gooey,solid fat; lard the old people call it. It is fantastic! My wife almost fainted. NO WAYS I AM EATING THAT!
So why mention that?
Why does it taste soooo good? Well simply, your brain likes fat. When you eat it and it goes into your tummy your receptors send messages to your brain to say you are full. It says you are satisfied. It says you feel good.
Specifically I am talking about Saturated Fat, the type you get from animals. THE BAD TYPE. The one that gives you cholesterol and that makes you fat.
I know that many of you…especially the ladies, wouldn’t be caught dead eating the skin of the chicken, or the fatty strip on the edge of the steak or pork chop. So What’s the deal with Cheese and Chocolate?
Mmmm where does the fat from cheese or chocolate actually come from…Mmmm can’t put my finger on it….YES that’s right. It comes from the milk that cows produce. Actually what they use is the nice fatty full cream part of the milk and then they process that. So do you know the difference between the fat they get from the milk and the fat on the piece of steak….NOTHING! Same bad white, gelatinous, gooey, solid fat. It’s the same message that gets sent.
Here is a little experiment…take a block of cheese and microwave it for a minute…look what is left over. Yes it is FAT. That is what you are putting into your body. Now look, I have had this conversation with many people. All I am saying is that you need to make an educated decision as to what you eat. However, is it not hypocritical to say you won’t eat the fat on the steak, or the skin on the chicken, yet you keep eating chocolate and cheese without pausing to consider the effect.
Funny thing is, you are well within you rights to keep eating blocks of cheese and bars of chocolate. Just don’t be confused when the weight won’t come off, when the skin starts to fill out. Remember you are what you eat. I just give you the information. Use it, don’t use it. Up to you.

Kind regards
Jason Hough

When I started looking into the major causes for obesity and over eating, I kept finding a common thread. People who suffer with weight and over eating are often un-satisfied by the food they consume… Why?
Why do you feel hungry?
Your brain has several receptors in the body and bloodstream specifically that help to measure levels of nutrients and also the needs of you tissues. When your demand is high, or your supply of nutrients is low, those receptors send messages to your brain to make you feel hungry. The reason you sometimes feel like specific things is those food items contain the nutrients your body requires. Interesting hey?
The problem occurs though when the food you eat fails to provide the necessary nutrients for your body even though you have just eaten. Although you have consumed calories, the need for specific energy has not been met… so you still feel hungry!
The major cause of this nutrient and energy deficient state…Processed foods and Alcohol.

Processed foods:
Remember I said you get hungry because of a certain need. Your body wants specific nutrients. Well processed foods are energy depleted imitations of the real thing. An example is process. There are many examples I am sure you could identify. Processed foods fail to supply your body with proper energy so you consume more to meet the chemical levels versus eating natural foods that have high nutrient contents. The solution lies not in volume of consumption, but in actually selecting the most energy rich foods to supply your body with energy.
A general rule is that if it comes out the ground or is produced by nature it is far better than anything that comes out a factory.
Alcohol:
The reason I mention alcohol is because I have seen its effects on clients that I train. Alcohol actually robs the body of essential nutrients. The calories consumed by alcohol are not only unwanted but the chemical composition of alcohol actually blocks absorption of nutrients in the stomach and it is an undeniable fact that alcohol messes with your insulin secretion, which in turn MAKES YOU STORE FAT!
The moral of the story here is that you have a choice to make about what you eat. Processed foods, and yes alcohol is also processed, are making you fat. Even some of the yogurts out there are so full of CRAP that they aren’t healthy anymore. Oh sorry CRAP stands for Carbohydrates, Refined Sugars, Additives and Preservatives.

I will keep this article short. Easier for you to read but it is the information that is important. Hidden hunger is a reality. People are eating themselves to sickness and death because the food they consume is of pathetic quality. Marketers and food sellers are very, very smart. They know that need to sell you stuff that tastes good and is cheap. It used to be that if it tasted good your body recognised it as healthy. Nowadays the food producers mimic those chemicals with all kinds of things to fool your brain. They use cheap poor quality products like MSG, corn syrup and maltodextrin to make there product taste better or look better. Sneaky hey. Watch out cause they don’t have your interest at heart, they just want your money and your tummy!

Kind regards

Jason Hough
PS I have moved my training business to the Cape Quarter in Green Point. If anyone needs to contact me I am there. My mobile is 076 3970 284.

Hi readers.
It has been a while since you have read any material I have written

In the past, there has been much research to promote the benefits of stretching both prior and post workout for most sports. However, over the years there has been more scientific evidence that points us in the direction of when to stretch and what types to use. There are 7 different types of stretching, all with their own application and purpose.
Before I get into that, I would like to just define and explain what flexibility is.

What is Flexibility?
It is the ability to perform a joint action through a certain range of movement.
In any given movement, there are two groups of muscles at work.
1) Protagonistic muscles which cause the movement to take place
2) Antagonistic muscles which determine the amount of movement at a joint by opposing it.

New research on Stretching
It has long been the rule for coaches and Trainers alike that stretching before an event, game or fitness routine is of the utmost importance – and the more the better.

Research now shows that athletes should not perform prolonged stretching routines before playing a game because it temporarily slows muscle activation. Prolonged stretching (10min or more) decreases strength for up to an hour after stretching by slightly impairing muscle activation. (Reduced strength after passive stretch of the human plantar flexors ,2000,Fowles).

It is due to this research, that I now recommend that people who want better performances, rather to stretch at the end of the workout, game or event.

What is the main benefit of stretching?
Flexibility plays an important part in the preparation of developing athletes and regular exercises by keeping them injury free. This is done by developing a bigger range of motion and ease of motion to allow for more technical development of movement patterns and less stress on connective tissue.

There are 7 Different types of stretching:
Static (most common and suited to most gym goers)
Ballistic (higher risk of injury, and more suited to specific sports)
Active (used in yoga)
Passive (used in yoga)
Assisted (partner stretching, mostly used by coaches, Bio’s or Personal Trainers)
Dynamic (typically used by athletes just before an event)
Isometric

Which method is best?
You have to choose the methods that suit your goals best. Are you a regular gym goer? Weekend warrior? Recreational athlete or professional athlete? The greater the demands and forces that are applied to your body, the more important it becomes to have the flexibility in place to move your biomechanical human joints to cope with the demand and strain on ligaments, tendons and muscle tissue.
Static methods produce far fewer instances of muscle soreness, injury and damage to connective tissue than Dynamic or ballistic type stretches. Static stretches are less complicated and easy to execute almost anywhere.
Dynamic stretches can also be suited to most individuals, as it requires you to move joints slowly through their full range with control.
For the fastest gains in flexibility, PNF stretches are one of the best types of assisted stretches but must be carried out and applied by someone with experience in this type of stretch.

With stretching, the gains tend to be slower and take longer to achieve than with other modalities of exercise. It has been observed that the body seems to fight flexibility gains for the first few weeks. Then, between weeks four and six, the body stops resisting and agrees to increase flexibility.
This is one very important component of exercise that shouldn’t be neglected and is very sensitive to the “use it or lose it” rule of the human body. You have to keep doing it week after week.
Thanks for reading.

Yours in Health & Wellness,

Jonathan Mannheim
Personal Trainer

Hi once again from your friendly, neighbourhood Functional Trainer.

It has been the goal of this site for quite some time to provide you, our readers, with information as to how you should exercise.

Due to popular demand i have deceided to release some of the programs i have collected over the last 10 years. These are the some of the best systems of training i have ever seen. I have arranged all the programs in order from easy to difficult in their respective boxes. I reccommend that you use the top ‘drop downs’ to download what you need. It seems the site program has messed with the order of the left side ‘pages’.

NOTE: Not all these programs are designed by me. Where possible i have credited the original source. This is a colllection of information i have gathered.

So what do you do if you dont know what the exercises are?

Some of the movements are going to be quite new and the more advanced programs are going to have you baffled. Obviously you are going to have to do some of your own homework. The names of most of the movements are universal so you can go to www.youtube.com and watch the videos. It is beyond my capability to explain individual exercises through the site, although i have taken photos of the abdominal routines, which will be posted shortly.

The ‘Pages’ are arranged into catagories including Ladies and Hypertrophy training. ALL PROGRAMS can be used by any person… actually i challenge some of the guys around to complete the female programs. They are seriously intense.

So what do i think is the order for training…. this is going to take some thinking on your part…what do you want to achieve?

The hardcore things on this site are the Explosive- and Combat- conditioning programs and they should not be attempted by beginners.

What i do with my clients is i use Functional Training early in the year with cardio systems to improve general strength, flexibility and stamina. Then as winter sets in i move to move hypertrophy style training to get strength and muscle bulk up ,so no one can see your getting heavier. ( 5 x 5, 7 x 7, german volume, compound programs) then depending on the client level i go into Explosive Power. I switch back to hypertrophy just before summer to work on shaping the muscles. ( super set, tri sets, finisher programs); i end the year with functional work of more intensity to really trim down the body…

I know i have been nervous to give people programs because it means i cant control your technique or intensity… so this information is given with a warning: Make sure you learn how the exercise is performed. Never lift more than your bodyweight for any exercise unless you are an athlete tha need specific strength.

Ok so go for it… you have the tools. If you need me you know where i am. I look forward to hearing any comments or if you find mistakes please let me know.

Kind regards

Jason Hough

Attention all readers… this article is to warn you about the dangers of training with Kettlebells without proper supervision or adequate induction.

Why do I feel that it is necessary to warn you? It is because you can easily harm yourself by using this system. It is very high impact on your body. You will get hurt if you do not take the proper precautions to Warm up, correct Flexibility weaknesses and most importantly to ensure you have the proper technique.

Everyone seems to be jumping on the bandwagon… as it always is with a ‘new’ system for training. Just remember, with any form of exercise, your safety that comes first. Any trainer, or you for that matter, must first make sure you are ready and fit enough to begin this type of training.

Kettlebell training is very effective , but also super high impact. Sessions should not last longer than 45 minutes. 10 mins warm up and stretching, 20 mins Kettles, and 15 mins for Flexibility and cool down.

MAKE SURE YOUR TRAINER KNOWS WHAT THEY ARE DOING!
For a male, you should only be using a 12-16kg Kettlebell for at least the first 3 months, learning the correct technique and breathing patterns. For a female, 4-8kg is the norm.
The movements you should know after 3 months are:
1. Swing
2. Clean
3. Clean and Squat
4. Deck Squats
5. Rolling Squats
6. Snatch
7. Windmill
8. Breathing Crunches
9. Stiff leg deadlift/ 1 leg deadlift
10. Iron Cross

It is my intention to release pictures of these movements progressively throughout the year so you will be able to refer to them. I urge you to make sure that you get assistance from the right people to learn this style of training.

Kind regards

Jason

Hello all

By this time it should be quiet obvious that your body is a system, this you understand. In addition, you realize that you should be training your body as a system, this means using your body to its fullest potential.

I would like to point out to you a system of training that limits your full potential. This is single plane exercise. Yes, you guessed it “bodybuilding” type training limits your potential.

When you analyze joint, connective tissue and muscle structure, it becomes very clear that your body has various strengths and weaknesses. The weaknesses are generally to do with stabilization or muscle imbalances over joints that have to balance movements in many directions, i.e. the knee. Most injuries occur because there is insufficient stability to counter-balance the forces on these joints.

In spite of this information, why do you still see people training in one plain(forward and backwards)? Why are they not moving as their body was designed? People, both male and female, are only training for their looks, not for their genetic potential. Now I have heard several people argue that being massively muscular IS actually their full potential, but I always remind them of being in the wild… where ‘too heavy, can’t run man’ is first on the lions menu for easy pickings. Training this way makes your body clumsy, stiff, and unable to work properly!

Look at the video for GINASTICA NATURAL…. Tell me this man is not at his full potential.

So how can you include multi-directional movement into your regime?

Firstly, try to incorporate free- or bodyweight exercises into your training program. Machine training is a perfect example of how to make your joints weak and lazy. Also, try using side-to-side movements. In the example of the knee joint, you have the options of doing forward, backward, sideways or diagonal lunges to add direction stress to the joint, muscles and connective tissue. This will help achieve better stability and overall strength.

Another way to help is to use integrated movements after you have trained. Integrated movements are combinations of upper and lower body movement’s e.g. Squat, curl, press, lateral lunge. This activates the whole body system to work together and therefore helps to counter the ‘isolation type’ flaw in your training.

You need to train in a way that allows you to access your bodies natural ability to flex, be supple and powerful. You need to train in a way that stimulates your brain to balance and co-ordinate movement as groups… a leg extension exercise is not stimulating anything except the fibers! Multidirectional movement forces new stimulus onto the muscle, and connective tissue, and forces your brain to control movement effectively.

Kind regards

Jason Hough

My last article was written about weight loss and some guidelines on how to achieve it with creating the right caloric deficit.
This article will feature some basic nutritional information about how to gain muscle. This is not only aimed at men, but also those women who are underweight and have a scrawny physique and are wanting to add some lean, toned muscle.

Your diet is paramount in your quest of wanting to add lean muscle mass. There is a fine line between eating enough calories, and too many.
Protein, Carbohydrates and the correct fats are all vitally important and should be consumed in the correct amounts.

To build muscle, one must be in a positive Nitrogen balance. Nitrogen leaves the body primarily in the urine. Nitrogen lost by excretion must be replaced by nitrogen taken in from food. Protein contains a large concentration of nitrogen. Most healthy adults are in a nitrogen equilibrium, or zero balance, because their protein intake meets their protein requirement.
A positive nitrogen balance is what you want, when trying to add muscle, and means that the body is retaining dietary protein and is using it to synthesize new tissue.
Achieving a positive nitrogen balance does not always mean that you have to eat more protein. Muscle cells take up the exact amount of nutrients, including amino acids, they need for growth. So you may ask me, how do I cause the muscles to want to take up more nutrients into the cell for growth, and the answer is through the correct Strength training regimen. It helps them make better use of the protein that is available by adding more myofilaments called actin & mysosin.

The larger your frame and the greater your muscle mass, the more calories it will take for you to build muscle. Therefore you should not just follow some generic pre-assumed quantity that worked for a friend, but rather do some basic calculation work with the below mentioned guidelines.

Men should consume about 52cals/kg bodyweight
Women should consume about 44-52cals/kg bodyweight
Protein intake should be 1.6g/kg bodyweight for both men and women.
Carbohydrates should be around 8g/kg bodyweight for men.
Carbohydrates for women should be around 6-7g/kg bodyweight, unless you have a more Ectomorphic body type, then you should increase it to the same amount as what is recommended for men.
The rest of your calories should be 20-25% fats of your total calories. Fat sources should be predominantly monounsaturated and poly unsaturated, with much less saturated fat.

When you begin to embark on a muscle gain programme the increase in food intake often requires considerable effort for most. That is where modern science has developed weight gain supplements that can help you reach the required daily caloric intake, and more importantly the required daily protein intake. These supplement often come in the form of liquid shakes and bars.
I personally prefer getting most of my nutrients from solid foods, but some are hard pressed for time or cannot stomach another mouthful when trying to increase their appetite and so must resort to other nutritional tactics.

Please note that the above information are only recommendations, and the debate on exactly how many grams of each macronutrient to consume, still rages on between scientists. First see how your body responds after 4-6weeks on my recommendations and then adjust it higher if you are gaining muscle at a satisfactory rate or lower the calories slightly if you are picking up too much excess body fat.
Please note that when lowering or increasing calories to attain your goal, do so in increments of 250-500kcal’s.

Yours in Health & Wellness,

Jonathan Mannheim.

Hi all,

Continuing with the last topic of sleep and health I decided to do a post on Melatonin. This is a natural hormone produced in you Pineal gland (Behind your eyes). The Pineal gland is the ‘time-keeper’ of your brain. It controls Sleep/wake cycles, menstrual cycles, helps with immune function and in animals is responsible for hibernation, migration and mating patterns. Melatonin, therefore, plays a major role in setting the ‘biological-clock’.

Melatonin is produces from an amino acid called Tryptophan. The Tryptophan is converted to Serotonin, which is then made into Melatonin.

So why all the fuss:
o Melatonin has been shown to increase the life span of test mice by u to 25 percent. Not only this but the mice appeared younger, healthier, sexually rejuvenated and more vigorous.
o It is a natural sleeping pill that does not suppress REM sleep and has fewer side effects than medication.
o Melatonin is very good at helping with Jet lag and is used widely by pilots for this reason. It is safe to use and is readily available.
o Melatonin helps is combating heart disease by lowering cholesterol and scavenging free radicals.

As you know, our physiology begins to decline steadily after your body reaches its sexual peak. It seems as if the natural cycle deteriorates when we can no longer reproduce effectively. This is the biggest basis for Melatonin use after the age of 45. If you can keep your Melatonin levels high, through supplementation, you would be tricking the body’s ‘clock’ and slow down the aging process significantly. Your body will think it is still young and keep producing all the functions it did previously.

This has an astounding amount of knock on effects in that you immune system will keep fighting disease as it used to. Your capability to resist cancer and heart disease is increased, and obviously, your natural sexual functioning is prolonged.

This has been a short introduction to a hormone that is fast becoming a wonder drug.

As I have mentioned before in my articles I am not an anti-aging doctor and am not prescribing anything to cure any existing conditions. I am merely providing information about anti-aging strategies and how they work.

Kind regards

Jason Hough