It really is a great exercise for rugby players. There is no hiding with it! Just get under the bar!

Technically the guy here knows his limits of ‘how deep to go’ (just about) by keeping a slight curvature in the lower back. Rounding of the back with that much weight on your back will cause problems. These include overstretching of the posterior ligaments of the back and excessive shear force through the discs.

If you have trouble going down as deep then:

a) Build yourself up to this depth by using boxes set at a height just above ‘breaking point’ in the lower back. Gradually lower the depth with another box as you get accustomed to this depth. Hold the curve and push those hips right back. You will need to see if someone can video or tell you when you are at this point.
b) Aggresively stretch and foam roll your hips and IT Band, Hip Flexors and Lower Leg. EVERY DAY!
c) Get ART (Active Release Technique)

This should help you get deeper and allow you to recruit your hamstrings more. When you do this….watch out! More speed, more effort, more intensity and more results!

Fast-forward 50 years.

Most people are on their way to work before the sun rises. Kids are hurried off one arm in jumper with the other grabbing a bit of toast. Mum in the meantime is grabbing a bit of lippy and providing a gentle but firm kick up the backside to get out of the door.

Yet we all know and rightly so – breakfast is the most important meal of the day.

Skipping it altogether will tee you up nicely for fat gain. Particularly around the mid-rift. Through years of looking at eating habits and body fat distribution patterns I can firmly say that whose who skip breakfast consistently end up looking like a pear.

In same light using a cereal box as your method of starting the day has also had a large part to play in keeping people erring towards the muffin top shape.

Most of us are familiar with the food pyramid?

Well try the reverse food pyramid in the sense that make your breakfast the largest meal of the day and taper off your calorific intake as the day progresses.

Assuming that we all know that 5-6 ‘feedings’ are better than 3 ‘fill-your-boots- type’ meals then your calorific intake at each meal would look like this if you were shooting for 1500 kcal a day:

Breakfast – 400 kcal, Meal 2 – 200 kcal, Meal 3 – 300 kcal Meal 4 – 200 kcal Meal 5 – 200 Meal 6 – 200 kcal

Better blood sugar management, leaner physique, no hunger, better moods, more food to eat (!!) and so on. What is there not to like about this?

You see instead of perpetuating a cycle of sugar cravings by leaving gaps between meals (longer than 2-3 hours) we are actually feeding our bodies regularly.

So what’s the big deal with breakfast?

What you eat first in the day will determine your hormonal and energy levels. Try this practical experiment. For the next five days try meat, salad and nuts breakfast.  Think of it as having dinner for breakfast.

See how your energy levels are for the rest of day. Then go back to your cereal based breakfast and compare.

I will guarantee more energy and certainly less sugar cravings. It is unsurprising that your dopamine levels will increase providing you with extra ‘get-up-and-go’ to face the day.

Some other options for breakfast can be leftover dinner, homemade patties with a side salad or chicken breast with salsa or Guacamole.

Typical comments I have received in the past are ‘I felt like gagging’ and ‘where am I going to find the time?’

All I can say to this is – ‘try it, you won’t be disappointed’

So what then do you have for dinner? Try something light like a salad with cold meats or a Vegetable Omelette.

In fact Eggs are quick and easy to knock up alongside the fact that they are rich in choline, a nutrient geared towards optimal brain health. Not a bad food to have on your side if you are in the middle of a feeding frenzy at the zoo.

Most of my female clients have settled into the swing of cooking up their breakfast whilst knocking up dinners.

For the males this is a bit tougher. For most of them, reading the instructions on a Pot Noodle is as far as it goes.

Although one athlete I used to room with at college was caught emptying the contents of one a pot noodle into a saucepan before transferring it back into the pot to eat.

This is the same guy who assembled a flat pack bed downstairs.

So can you see how important your nutrition is to your brain health?

Start your day with a power breakfast, not some dehydrated excuses of fruit with an empty cereal. Prepare your food the night before whilst you cook your dinner. At worst have left-overs. Your brain, waist line and energy levels will thank you with open arms.

John Lark is a personal trainer and fat loss specialist combining nutrition, training and supplementation for tailored results. Download his free report at www.john-lark.com or call 01-5052131 for more information.

How about the spare tyre that is just bugging the life out of you? So much so that wearing an overcoat in 30 degrees of heat becomes an attractive proposition.

Taking the first step is crucial.

What is it?

Quite simple really – the first step is up to you. But only you can do it. Decide what that is and just do it.

Don’t wait for the perfect moment. Just do it.
Don’t wait for the rain to stop. Just do it.
Don’t wait for the right workout outfit to suddenly appear miracoulsy from the press. Just do it.
Don’t wait for the perfect time. It won’t come.

SO what can you do to kick things off?

I am a huge believer in mini-steps. The Japanese have a word for this – ‘Kaizen’ or in short continuous and never-ending improvement.  Each day take a step. Big or small. Yet over time these steps all add up.

Think of it this way. You commit to making sure you have your gym gear in the bag every evening allowing you to hit the gym before you head home. You do this for a week. BY the end of the week you feel good. Why?

Well simply put you have achieved a mini goal.  One that will serve you well and inspires you to build upon in the next week. Over the course of 12 weeks you introduce 10 new mini agreements that you manage to keep to.

See how this can build into something significant.

So what first steps can you do now to begin this journey and make significant inroads?

Set your vision by writing it down. Did you know you are 80% more likely to achieve this target if you simply write it down?  A two-minute exercise could be the difference between success or failure.

Write down what you want to achieve in specific terms with a time stamp on it. ‘Getting Fit’ is about as effective as a knitted balloon. ‘I want to lose 12 lbs of fat by September 10th -  I am going to achieve this by etc etc’.

How about just making a call? Call your friends, family or a professional. Tell them what you want to achieve and get them ‘onboard’. Can you imagine Kerry turning up to the All-Ireland Final with no Manager, Kit Man, Coach, Physical Trainer or Personal Stylist (!). My point is we all need help.

I really enjoy food but what if you are unsure about what to eat to help you towards your goals and end up popping to the Supermarket with the kids and leaving with half the contents of the biscuit aisle and all their ‘2 for 1s’.

By making a list you are likely to a) save money and b) stick to an eating plan for the week. Buy your meat and fish in bulk from a butcher who can tailor your needs.

Coupled with this, a food diary is a crucial first step. The activity of recording what you eat and putting it down on paper will highlight to you good and bad habits that you may have developed.

My first step to the day is meat and nuts for breakfast. Why? Meat or more importantly protein raises the production of the neurotransmitter dopamine; a hormone that gives stimulates energy, drive, motivation and mood. Nuts keep your blood sugars stable and maintain your energy levels throughout the day.
First steps are crucial. Choose a step that you know you will succeed in and build on this.

John Lark is a Fat Loss Specialist using Personalised Exercise, Nutrition and Supplement techniques. Go to www.spherefitnessstudio.com to download your complimentary report on Modern Fat Loss Techniques or call 01-5052131.