Quick and Easy Chicken, Chickpea and Salsa Salad

This easy to make recipe is high in protein, low in fat and perfect for workout fuel. Makes enough for one person.

Ingredients 

• 1 piece of Chicken Breast
• 10 Cherry Tomatoes
• ½ a Cucumber
• Shredded Lettuce Leaves (or Baby Spinach) 
• Thyme or Mixed Herbs
• Juice of ½ a Lemon
• 200g Can of Chickpeas – drained 
• Salsa

1.     Preheat Grill to 180 degrees. Sprinkle the thyme or mixed herbs on top of the chicken and grill the chicken breast for 15 minutes or until fully cooked. 

2.     Whilst waiting for the chicken to cook, slice the tomatoes in half and cucumber into small chunks and shred the lettuce leaves or baby spinach.

3.     Drain the chickpeas, place in a bowl and add 1 desert spoon of salsa and a little bit of the lemon juice, mix well.

4.     Once the chicken is cooked, slice into small chunks, and mix with another desert spoon of salsa.

5.     Mix all of the ingredients together, add the rest of the lemon juice and serve!

6.     Extra salad ingredients such as pepper or sweetcorn can be added if you wish!

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Review: Grenade Thermo Detonator

There are many companies that now offer fat burners that have a thermogenic effect on the body in order to support training and increase metabolic rate. Grenade Thermo Detonator is a pre workout supplement made to "Declare war on fat". The main ingredients included in grenade supplements are Green Tea, Bitter Orange Powder, Caffeine Anhydrous, Cayenne and Green Coffee. The benefits of Green Tea have been discussed previously in the 'Going Green' review available from Gymtrition. Each two Grenade supplements contain a huge 500mg of Green Tea, the equivalent of drinking around 6 cups of Green Tea. In every two supplements there is also 420mg of Bitter Orange Powder, which is a much higher quantity than found in most other fat burning supplements. 

All of the ingredients in the supplements mixed together make a powerful fat burner! Cayenne Pepper works to produce heat in the body, supplying a thermogenic effect and working to increase metabolism.  Caffeine is an ingredient found in most fat burning products, due to it's ability to liberate fat from cells to enable them to be converted to be used as energy by the body. 

The recommended dosage of Grenade Thermo Detonator is two capsules on an empty stomach upon waking with water and then two capsules again 30 minutes prior to lunch with water. Alternatively, take two capsules prior to training. Grenade's guidelines state that individuals should not exceed four capsules per day.

Tried and Tested: What did we think?

In comparison to other fat burning supplements previously tried, Grenade's Thermo Detonator seemed to have extremely positive effects. As a pre workout supplement, Grenade works effectively in supplying explosive energy enabling an effective training regime. If you are lacking motivation to exercise, taking Grenade can give you that extra energy boost you might just need! The fat burner also worked extremely well in doing exactly what it states it will do...fat burning! The combination of Green Tea, Cayenne and Caffeine is extremely effective in providing a thermogenic effect and helping to burn fat as energy. 

The Downsides:

Firstly, Grenade is fairly pricey in comparison to some other fat burners. It costs £29.99 for 44 capsules or £44.99 for 100 capsules. This doesn't sound too bad, but when you consider the fact you will be taking 4 capsules a day, it needs replacing pretty quickly! The 44 capsule pack lasts only 11 days! Secondly, the caffeine content is fairly high! For me, this made me feel quite shakey and sometimes left me feeling slightly sick, even several hours after completing my workout. 

Overall Verdict:

Overall, I believe this product is one of the best fat burners out there! Despite the price, it is an extremely effective supplement that can be implemented into most training plans. If you are looking to burn fat fast, this product will most likely be very beneficial to you. Although the caffeine content is high and this will have some side effects for some people, you are likely to find the same problem in most if not all fat burning supplements that you take. Overall, I would highly recommend this product to those with fat burning as one of their goals!

Grenade Thermo Detonator is available at:  http://www.grenadefatburner.com/products-page/grenade-product/

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Keeping Track of Progress: The Benefits of Keeping a Workout Journal

I've mentioned in previous posts about the importance of being specific with goal setting and having measurable goals in order to track your progress. One of the most beneficial ways to track your progress is by keeping a workout journal. This can be as simple as jotting down your daily workout activities and nutrition in a normal diary, or can be as complex as recording precise nutrional details, calorie intake, heart rate intervals and % of heart rate max, as well as an exact detailing of the workout(s) you complete. 

There are loads of options available when it comes to purchasing a workout diary. There are simple diaries focused on general fitness goals, or specific diaries that allow you to focus on reaching specific training goals. These are a few of my personal favourites:

The workout log from Fitness Guru comes in two colours, black and pink. At the top of each page it allows you to record general details such as date, gym and training partner, along with more specific details such as weight, timings, motivation and sleep. 

There is then a section for nutrition. This allows you to record food and drink intake as well as pre and post training supplements.

The main focus of the page is then on recording your training routine in detail. Firstly there is a section for recording cardio, and has space allocated for distance, time, speed, intensity and calorie expenditure.  The second part of the page has space allocated for recording strength exercises. Including several columns for kg/reps. Lastly at the bottom of the page there is a notes section, where you can record any extra details of your training or nutrition for that day.


The workout log from Fitness Guru costs £14.90 and is a very good price for the detailed content it involves. If you have never kept a workout diary before, I would highly recommend this as a good way to get started! It's simple to use but allows you to keep track of all of the information you need to stay focused on achieving your training goals!

Another alternative is the Body Minder Workout and Exercise Journal. This journal is easy to follow but allows you to keep a more detailed account of your training. It includes both daily records and weekly schedule forms to enable you to keep track of how you are progressing from week to week. On each day, there is space for specific exercise details, including equipment settings, sets and reps, heart rate, muscle groups used and much more! It also has space to record non specific daily activities such as walking the dog or playing sport. This really is a fantastic way of tracking your progress! The more specific you are with your details, the more you have to compare and the more you will be able to notice your progress! The weekly schedule forms also allow a much easier way to track progress rather than just comparing everyday. Comparing weekly will enable you to see real progress, in comparison to the small changes that may seem insignificant if you are comparing everyday. 

There is also space available for recording nutrition. The Body Minder Journal allows you to record your meals as well as nutritional supplements and vitamins taken. The best thing about the Body Minder Workout and Exercise Journal that really makes it stand out is all of the additional extra's you get with it! It provides heart and blood pressure range charts to enable you to understand your results, even if you are a complete newbie to fitness analysis. There are also food counts on over 100 different foods, progress charts, personal game scores and fitness expenses as well as space at the back for holding notes. If you want to be detailed and specific, and really track and monitor your progress, then this is the workout journal for you! The only downside is the price. At £25.95 it is a lot more pricey than the workout log from Fitness Guru, however, for the detailed content it includes, I would highly recommend it and agree the price is worth paying!

Lastly, the other alternative is keeping your own workout journal. You can take inspiration from other workout journals when deciding what to include and can purchase a simple day to day diary to record your details. This is beneficial if you want a diary completely specific to you! It is also a good idea if you want more space to record details! You can purchase a diary with a whole page a day, giving you plenty of space to record every detail each day. However, it is a lot more time consuming to make, and in my opinion a lot harder to stick to! If you know you have to write up all of the details everyday it may put you off and lead to you giving up with tracking progress. The workout journals above are easy to complete, and the perfect size to fit in your gym bag and carry round with you at all times! If you have never completed a workout journal before, then now is a good time to start! Make it your new years resolution to complete a workout journal all year, and at the end of the year you can look back at how far you have progressed and really notice the changes!

The Workout Log from Fitness guru is available at : www.fitnessguru.com
The Body Minder Workout and Exercise Journal is available at: www.biovea.net 

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The Start of the 2014 Chapter!

"Success is not final, failure is not fatal, it's the courage to continue that counts." - Winston Churchill

Happy New Year everyone! For us, this year will see the launch of Gymtrition, a website committed to giving you the latest updates on everything in the fitness industry! We hope you start 2014 with ambitions, goals and plans to make this year your best year yet. Everyday is another chance to change your life, and what better way to start than on the first day of the new year!

If you have a goal set to achieve by the end of the year, break it down. Set yourself different goals to reach by the end of each month! That way you can track your progress and step by step notice how you are one step closer to achieving your goal for the year. Specific and measurable goals are an important part of being successful.

Aim high and be proud of yourself for what you accomplish! Happy 2014!

Going Green!

Ever since I started getting involved with the health and fitness industry, the health benefits of green tea were something I heard about endlessly. In fitness magazines, from other personal trainers and nutritionists as well as many athletes. So what is it about green tea? Firstly, it is packed full of antioxidants. Green tea is full of polyphenols such as flavonoids and catechins which act as antioxidants. Antioxidants are beneficial for keeping the levels of free radicals caused by oxidation in the body low, and maintaining good health. Epigallocatechin Gallate (ECGC) is one of the most powerful antioxidants and is found in green tea. Various studies have shown the effects of ECGC have been up to 1000 times more beneficial than Vitamin E in fighting the harmful effects of free radicals in the body.

Drink or Supplement?

For me this was simple. After drinking green tea I quickly became hooked. It's natural and fresh taste is a great way to start the day and is great for staying hydrated. However, like any product, there are many green tea products that are far better than others. For example, head to your local supermarket and pick up the value brand of green tea, the chances are the quality of the ingredients involved won't reap the health benefits that others might. My personal favourite is from a company called teapigs. Teapigs offer a variety of different tea's and are passionate about inspiring the nation to drink real tea! Their tea is made in biodegradable tea temples and contains space to enable the tea leaves to infuse properly!

Teapigs Mao Feng Green Tea Temples have become an everyday essential for me! They contain fresh whole tea leaves instead to contain as much of the natural goodness possible! All you need is hot water and 3 minutes of infusion and you can enjoy the natural flavour of mao feng green tea! I highly recommend this product! To all green tea enthusiasts or to anyone who has never tried green tea before!  I have tried many different types of green tea but so far this is my absolute favourite!

So what about supplements?

Some of you may be reading this, having previously heard about green tea benefits but just be thinking that it's really not for you. Maybe you tried it and weren't convinced with the taste, or maybe you just don't like drinking hot drinks. You want the health benefits of green tea but really don't want to drink green tea itself. Well there is an alternative. Green tea supplements contain all of the natural ingredients found in green tea and often contain them in higher quantities. I decided to put it to the test, and swapped my green tea drink for Mega Green Tea Extract supplements from My Protein. These supplements from My Protein contain 98% total Polyphenols and 50% ECGC, which can be as much as drinking 8-9 cups of green tea, all contained in one small supplement. The supplement also claims to be useful as a weight loss and fat burning supplement, due to the thermogenic effects of green tea.

My opinion? The supplement was a lot better than I expected it to be! Although I missed my daily fresh taste of a green tea drink, it still gave me the same natural feeling of energy I get from drinking green tea. It also seemed to be beneficial in aiding digestion as it claims to do on the website. However, I don't believe that these green tea supplements are enough to be labelled a fat burner. Although helping to feel fresh and energised, the green tea supplement is more of an antioxidant health additive than a fat burning supplement. If you don't like the taste of green tea, I would highly recommend these supplements as a way of encorporating the powerful antioxidants found in green tea into your diet. However, if you are looking to use this as a fat burner, you may wish to look elsewhere. Supplements  aid fat burning, but the key to successful fat burning is much more likely to be found in the gym than in a pot of green tea extract supplements!

If you do one thing today, my advice would be to go green! I decided to and I have never looked back!

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Teapigs Mao Feng Green Tea can be found at www.teapigs.co.uk
My Protein Mega Green Tea Extract can be found at www.myprotein.com

Review - Shaun T's Insanity

I say the words "Shaun T" or "Insanity" and the chances are most of you know exactly what I'm talking about. The workout DVD craze that gets you "a years results in 60 days".  After recommendations from friends and a slightly crazed obsession for conditioning, I decided to put it to the test. I have only just began the programme, but I will post a review detailing what is involved and then post a review in 30 and 60 days time to update you all on the results!

Shaun T's Insanity DVD is based on Max Interval Training and claims to be "the hardest workout ever put on DVD". It also comes with a 60 day money back guarantee, so if you decide to buy the programme and don't see results, you're guaranteed your money back. Some individuals have claimed to have lost 21kg in 60 days just from the Insanity DVD.

The Insanity complete package includes a nutrition diary and workout diary to keep you on track and to allow you to monitor progress. As part of the workout, it also includes a fit test that has to be done every two weeks, allowing you to record the results you get in the test and compare your performance every two weeks throughout the whole programme. To me, this is the most beneficial part of the Insanity programme. One major reason that individuals tend to drop out of exercise programmes is because they don't see themselves achieving their goals. They decide to head to the gym to "lose weight" or "tone up" without ever really realising how to achieve it. After a few weeks, the numbers on the scales don't show a lot of difference and they decide to drop out. Goal setting requires a lot of specificity, as well as breaking down your goal into smaller chunks to enable you to monitor progress. This is exactly what Insanity does, it provides you with a long term goal and then specific goals that can be assessed every two weeks to show you just how far you've come. Seeing improved results after two weeks will boost motivation and confidence, and inspire you to stick with the programme to see how much further you can go!

The complete package includes:

• Insanity Journal
• Insanity Workout Calendar
• Insanity Workout Schedule
• Fit Test Results Recording Sheet
• Fit Test
• Plyometric Cardio Circuit
• Cardio Power & Resistance
• Cardio Recovery
• Pure Cardio
• Cardio Abs
• Core Cardio and Balance
• Max Interval Circuit
• Max Interval Plyo
• Max Cardio Conditioning
• Max Recovery
• Insane Abs
• Max Interval Sports Training
• Upper Body Weight Training

As you can see from the extensive list above, the Insanity programme includes a lot of variation to keep you focused and differs from the repetitiveness of other workout DVD's.  If done correctly, High Intensity Exercise is hugely successful in causing a reduction in body fat percentage. Take a look at Olympic Sprint Athletes, all you have to do is look at the bodies on all of the athletes to notice that the high intensity training they complete (along with other training) has allowed them to get their body fat percentage to extremely low levels, in order to compete internationally. I'm not saying that after 60 days of Insanity you're going to wake up and look like Jessica Ennis, but if you're new to high intensity exercise, you are bound to see results!

So far I've only completed a few days of Insanity, and I have to say I'm enjoying it so far! I'm used to a lot of high intensity conditioning, so I'm not sure about how effective the results will be for me, but I will post a review after 30 days and again at the end of the programme! So far I think it's a convenient way to workout at home, and to see results in a short amount of time! For more updates on progress and opinions on results, watch this space!

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Welcome to Gymtrition!

From a fitness enthusiast and athlete myself, my interest in fitness is something I wish to share with others through this blog and twitter page @gymtrition. The idea behind Gymtrition is that it’s a site to review other fitness products, equipment, clothing and supplements in order to give other people information about products before purchasing. The site will also contain news about the latest fitness news as well as tips, recipes and general fitness and sport information!

My background is all fitness and sport related. I have been heavily involved with Gymnastics since a young age, as well as being involved with many other sports throughout my time in school and higher education. I then went on to complete my Diploma in Advanced Personal Training and worked as a Fitness Instructor and a Personal Trainer for several years. Throughout this time I also completed courses in nutrition, kettlebells and my Gymnastics coaching qualifications. I worked coaching squad Gymnasts for several years, and expanded my knowledge on conditioning and especially flexibility training. I then went on to study Sports Science at University and I hope to complete a MSc in the area of Exercise Physiology and Sport Nutrition in the near future. I also hope to complete my L3 Sports Massage course soon!

I hope this site provides information about the latest products and supplements within the fitness industry. As a fitness fanatic myself, reviews on products are something I always want to read, and they can often be difficult to find! I hope to change that and give you as much information as I can! Please read and share this page and get in touch with me either on here or on twitter @gymtrition! Thank you!