Liquid Europe

Ryanairoffer

What to find in Key2Europe 2014 - 2015

Places 2014

How guys train and what the girls see....

How to do Burpee to Muscle Up

How girls should work out or why to train your butt

Sometimes girls ask me what kind of exercise they should do to achieve some transformation of their body, most often to slim down legs and shape the butt. However, it is hard to give particular advice if I do not know a lot about the particular person. Recently I put together a few tips that work when you follow certain rules. Here is the original Slovak version.

• There is not magic exercise that would fix a problematic body part. You have to train the body as a whole and the results will come.
• Ab exercises such a crunches strengthen the abdominal muscles but do not burn much fat because they work only 4 muscles. When running, you activate 300 muscles, when swimming - over 500. Which burns more energy?
• To look healthy does not mean look like a model on the magazine cover.
• Muscles are heavier than fat. Though, they have nicer shape and burn energy even if the person is at rest.
• The few hours in the gym is just part of how we spend the rest of the week. 

If you follow the workout routines of professional fitness competitors you know that they focus on gluteus muscles - the parts around the hips. Although the goal of an average house-wife who wants to get in shape are completely different, the means and the target groups are the same. Women in the gym should focus on these muscles, thighs and hips. It is where usually fat stores down - with men it is the belly area. It human genetics. But glutes have are much more important than good looks.

Glutealis muscles are a big muscle group that engages in all movements in the hip joint. These moves are present practically everywhere - in sports, daily life, in bed - some glute exercises can be found in Kamasutra book. Therefore good glute workout is the key to overall strength and fitness and also can decrease the discomfort of some health issues typical of women. Moreover, strength exercises trigger the release of hormones that will put your body into fat-burning mode even if you do not exercise and the circulation of hormones can also boost up self-confidence. Do not worry, you wont grow huge muscles because the human biology (and lower testosterone compared to men) will not allow that. Just pick up the barbell!

Strength training is also useful for girls even if their aim is slim figure, not huge muscles.

Look at the sports where the legs get lot of stress and exhaustion. All skiers have strong legs, I have seen a  video, where the alpine skier Lindsey Vonn squats around 200 kg.

Traditional squat works thighs (quadriceps) and the glutes. The thighs of cyclists are strong but slim, due to the excessive aerobic training. Therefore fitness models train their legs in an aerobic manner, as if developing endurance. They do sets of 30 and more rep and combine exercises into super sets. For example stiff legged deadlift followed by leg curls - to achieve smooth transition between glutes and hamstrings. It shapes them and slims down.

How should a girl train in the gym?
Taking into consideration the general requirements, it should consist of complex exercises for strength development combined with toning exercises for the problematic parts. They can be put into super sets in order to boos fat burning. For example, a set of deadlifts followed by glute-ham bridge or heavy squats followed by jump squats or lunges.

I, Pull ups on the bar or cable pull down to the chest. Here is a demonstration.  It works the back and also prepares the body for the rest of the workout.

3 sets of 12 - 15 reps, breaks up to 60 s

II, squat variation with weights
In this video, IFBB Figure professional competitor Erin Stern demonstrates 10 squat variations, starting  from the basic ones to the most complex ones. Her legs are slim and trimmed despite the fact that she lifts weights. 

4 sets of 8 - 12 reps, breaks 60 to 120 seconds 4 

III, Number 3 can be lunges. This girl  is using barbell but it is enough to grab dumbbells or for the beginning no additional weight at all. Erin in the video also does lunges as the exercise no. 4 (around 2:00 min).

4 sets of 20+ reps, breaks short - up to 60 s

IV, Number 4 is lying leg curl, which works the rear part of the thigh - the hamstrings and glutes.  
You can also do dumpbell deadliftsm they work the same muscles but the movement goes more through the hip. Do them alone or combine into super-sers with  fit ball roll. Do one set of curls deadlifts and immediately carry on with fit ball for as many reps as possible. Rest 90 seconds and repeat.

VI, This exercise combines glutes with the core muscles. In plank raise the extended leg until you feel tension in the glutes. Hold for a second and change legs. Repeat until you drop. Here is a demonstration. 

3 sets with max reps. breaks 60 s

VII, Core also includes abdominal muscles. They were active at the exercise no 6, so just finish them with three sets of any ab exercise - as many reps as possible. Or, try the following program. 

3 sets of max reps

If you have some energy left for cardio, I recommend intervals. For example on a bike - 1 minute at full speed, one minute slow down. 15 minutes in this manner are enough.

Here is the leg workout of Ashley Kaltwasser, three times winner of Bikini Olympia.  
the la 

Around 1:15 minutes she does step ups on a bench - great exercise for shaping the glutes and if you do it for a large number of reps, it builds endurance. 

Who does not have access to a gym has to use imagination. Most of the above exercises can be done at home, it is enough to use small weights. Here is one workout for beginners.  

So much for now. Remember, that exercise is only one part of the success. The most important thing is to have some rules and follow them. Whether we lose weight or change a particular body part can be dependent on many factors - food and additives in the food that interfere with proper working of digestion, hormones - mainly insulin that is responsible for fat storage (also), stress and general well being. Try to keep all these things in check and you can will definitely see some positive results.

30 is the new 20

For the generation of young Europeans, the age of 30 might be the same as 20 was for the older generations. Respectively, the advances in thinking and longer life expectancy allow them to start at 30 what they parents had to manage in their 20s.

Research proved that the Generation Y is less family oriented and instead cares more about the 'self'': to get education, to find a good job, to be famous and get recognition. On one hand, it is a walk out on traditional values but on the other hand, it is enabled by the period: open borders, opportunities to study and technology. Sometimes the people are forced into this by their environment - house prices, problems with returning to work after maternity leave, life expenses...therefore it is logical that you aim to take care of yourself before you take over responsibility over someone else. And naturally, you want to enjoy life if you have the opportunity.

I mean that if you lead balanced life that brings some meaningful progress, you do not have to feel sorry that you still feel & live young at the age of 30. Of course, there are plenty of people who waste their years on stupid things and wake up on their parents' coach with no job or even reason to wake up in their thirties. The difference is in experience and priorities - not age.

In the past, at least in my country, it was expected that by 20 the person obtained everything they needed for life: completed the education (only few people entered university), work (everyone had to work and usually kept the place for life), social experience (they lived within an isolated community and marriages were sometimes arranged). The life was straightforward - one place to live, local economy, one partner for life. The average life expectancy was shorter so that people had to hurry.

Nowadays, the world is different. Due to opening, people are more open to new experience and some discovered that this experience helps them to live better than just following the trends of their parents. Actually, coming out of our comfort zone moves us forward. Unfortunately, not everyone agrees. Some people thing that it is enough to have what they parents had - but it does not have to be enough for their children. Population is ageing and the gap between active workforce and pensioners is closing. Maybe the people think that they will still have enough time after 30...

We live longer so that we can afford to more time on education, travelling, relationships, work experience. The only condition is that it moves us forward: we are smarter, more experienced and more skilled than a year ago. We can settle down in thirties and still enjoy 35 productive years - thanks the pension reforms - with experience that will make it really productive and happy.

original article in Slovak

The Spiderman Syndrome

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 Remember the story of Spiderman: young journalist Peter was bitten by a contagious spider and his body reacted in an amazing way – he developed super skills. It was a set of skills that many people dream of. However, with great power comes also big responsibility. The skills could easily turn against Peter if he did not control them. He understood that they should not be abused and must be used wisely.

Now, how Spiderman relates to my story. During the years of hard training – no pain/no gain – and overcoming in almost all situations, I developed a degree of resilience and pain tolerance. That’s why boxers and fighters train abdoominals so heavily – the neural receptors get used to fatigue and pain and do not give in during the fight. Usually, I am able to train and work under conditions when most of the folks would call it a day and go home. It is a good skill that enables me to accomplish many things. I am the last man standing at a party, helping the others getting taxis. Next morning I am the first to wake up, alcohol is broken down with efficient metabolism,  and I even have energy to do a little bit of exercise and some work on my computer.

However, with a great skill also comes great responsibility.

Lying here in hospital in Šahy, my home town for 18 years and I can't do anything because I have a needle in my forearm in order to get strong antibiotics straight into my blood stream. I contracted some infection while travelling home from Sarajevo and Belgrade - maybe a blister got infected due to absence of hygiene.

I travelled from Zagreb to Sarajevo all night without shower. On Tuesday, it seemed just like a bigger blister - so I decided to live with it. On Wednesday, it was much worse, the blister was swollen and it had all 50 shades of purple. I should have sought help in Belgrade but I decided to wait one day till I get home. I went to the emergency ward around 20:30 and the doctor got mad. He was talking about lethal danger and infections from underdeveloped countries - he told me off like a small child. I deserved it but I also presented my rational arguments why I did not seek care earlier.

With you health, you should never hesitate to make a coward decision. Never. I take a lot of risk in my life and this was too much. An innocent blister might have developed into an infection. Who would have thought that, especially a person with such a strong pain threshold? Pain tolerance developed through training and overcoming yourself is a great thing - a skill that helps you survive. But with a great skill comes also a great responsibility - responsibility to recognize the symptoms of your body and listen to them. It is like Spiderman: the bite from a contagious spider gave him superpowers but he must use them wisely - not to harm other people or abuse them for their own profit.

 One thing to remember- it is good to have some pain threshold but at the same time it is even more important to be able to listen to your body and avoid situations, when the pain threshold is tested.

I am not addicted to Facebook...

...because I am rather addicted to social contact with the people there.

             

Guitar and garment of Jimi Hendrix.

       I turn on the computer on Thursday morning and instead of feeling pleased by the Google’s O shaped as a birthday cake I feel worried. Worried about what everything Google and Facebook know about us and we don’t even know. On Thursday, I reached the age when Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, Kurt Cobain and Amy Winehouse left for the eternity. Today, our identities are eternal from the moment we put them on the social networks. Plato said 2,500 years ago that our world is just an imperfect reflection of abstract ideas. Today, we get back to that ideal world with each log-in. The more, the higher the chance that we completely lose contact with reality.

           Older generations put the young people immersed in their displays into the unwanted category of addicts and outcasts. Few years ago, they gazed the same ways at the rock musicians and no one was surprised if they had to leave this world at young age. Now, they are legends. Not everything that is good had an ideal start into the world and in order to work, it needs to fish out some mistakes.

           In 2004, I watched the opening match of EURO football championship between the home Portugal and Greece. A young Portuguese run onto the pitch in the second half and almost immediately caused a penalty and his team lost. Today, he is the best player of the world, Cristiano Ronaldo. The same year, Facebook was born. Initially, it did not convince me, either. However, coach Scolari gave Ronaldo second chance in the second match and gradually he replaced the legendary Luis Figo. Some say that Facebook also replaced what had been here before.

         

             Ronaldo maybe isn't the ideal example of a sportsman,  many would agree, but I have to pay respect to the fact that he is good in the business of football. Neither social networks might be the ideal environment, but it is possible to find ways how to use them at our advantage. Remember that the photos entrusted to the virtual space remain there till eternity; therefore be moderate with pictures and political commentaries. Also set time limits because there is a thin line between meaningful activity and addiction. There is a difference between responding to a friend's message and refreshing the screen every minute, expecting answer desperately, like Marc Zuckerberg in the end of The Social Network.

          Not all the time spent on social networks is addiction and it definitely does not have to be time waste. Computers and mobiles can do everything now; we can arrange the meeting point and time. It is more practical than running around the houses of my friends and getting players for a game of football. We wasted lot of time with that and it is one of the reasons we did not achieve the success of Ronaldo.

           In 99% of cases I prefer face2face contact. Even today I could use my time on the internet effectively. But instead, I go to the gym because they are live people. And later I go to Brno for a series of workshops and we arrange on the departure time on Facebook. 

Messner’s eight-thousanders – it isn’t only about sport

R. Messner, My Eight-thousanders. 1989. 

In 1970, Rheinold Messner climbed the summit of Nanga Parbat, one of the eight-thousanders in Himalayas. No his way back, however, he lost his brother to an avalanche and seven toes doe to frostbites. Imagine that you parents entrust your younger brother to you and you lose him. Losing seven fingers means that the stability of your gait suffers and you can say goodbye to climbing on the walls. It took Messner half a year to get over the trauma. An ordinary man would quit. But Messner came back and climbed the remaining 13 eight-thousanders! Some of them even twice; without oxygen mask and in alpine style. Amazing performance. But good condition is a matter of course. It isn’t only about sport.

For many of us, sport is an inherent part of life, for some it is the entire life. However, sport is primarily a key to life. It does not develop only physical fitness but also other psychical characteristics that are important for coping with different situations. Guys in London often mentioned in their CVs competitive rugby or football, which developed fair play, cooperation and also furthered their will. Once I saw a bunch of guys practicing rugby in Cambridge. Mid February, it required lot of will and toughness to play there in the cold and rain. Sport develops these traits. When you get out of the comfort and go running even it is snowing, the very moment you are a winner. And it is not only about sport.

Cambridge, Feb 2013. Rugby develops toughness and team play.

Next, sport develops persistence and discipline, mainly the endurance events. I have friends – triathletes and I admire how they spend long hours in the water or cycling. It is not only about enjoyment, you must have above the average level of patience and self-discipline. And it can be improved by sport. Friend leaves the party before midnight without having a single drink in order not to slack the training session the next morning. Try go without drinks next Friday night and also leave out the fast food. At the very moment you are the winner, even if it isn’t only about sport.

Third, sport improves the team spirit and fair play. As I already mentioned, the guys who had played team sports made better team members at work. Collective sports teach you that your performance affects also the other people. Red card in fifth minute leaves the rest of the team in trouble. Not to speak about the extreme sports, where teams face extreme situations. A mountain climber never walks out on his companion. Next time when you finish your work earlier, look around your colleagues and if someone is covered in work, give him a hand with the excel tables or at least bring him a coffee. You are a winner, but again it isn’t about sport.

Free hang is useful in mountain climbing.
London, Jan 2013.

I go for sport for long on in order to keep fit and healthy, and it taught me a lot. But only after reading Messner’s book have I realised that regardless of what you achieved, you can still push the limits. I wake up 15 minutes earlier to do a little exercise and practice my Spanish by reading newspapers. But there are people whose alarm rings one hour prior to mine and they prepare the breakfast and snack for their kids. And they are in better shape and with better Spanish than me.

Hardly ever will I beat Himalayas, it would require load of practice and moreover, my body is sensitive to cold. In winter months my joints and extremities turn violet, which does not add to my chances. Anyway, I still go running outside at Christmas and I exercise outdoors with hands frozen to the bars. But I go. I think that it pulls me closer to Messner, even if I still would not make it to the basic camp under an eight-thousander. I am trying to push my limits and change the discomfort for a challenge. It is the more difficult that instead of focusing on my performance I must also care about the other people. It isn’t only about sport.

How to train effectively in 20 minutes

How to train when we are short of time? Do not expect wonders from small investment although some progress can be made even during 20 minutes. And even a small step forward counts.

'As you sow so shall you reap' 

...also works in exercising. Let‘s take a personal trainer. Usually, he charges about 10 EUR per session. In ten hours he cashes in one hundred, which isn’t bad (here in Slovakia). But there is also an older trainer at the gym who is more experienced, he works with fitness models and has good results. He can afford to charge 15 EUR. For him it is enough to work 6.6 hours to earn the 100. And he can go on to chat up girls. His works carries more added value but it is also more demanding. He must adjust the rest of his time to do it well, it includes proper nutrition, relax and from time to time he must read a book or visit a workshop.

The more time I put in - the more profit I can expect. However, if I learn to do the thing more effectively, I can get the same result in shorter amount of time.

Now I try to apply it into training. There are folks who complain that they have only 20 minutes three times a week to exercise. It gives them one hour total time.  When I compare this hour to the rest of the week; I end up facing ration 1:168! Is one hour strong enough to affect the remaining 168? It can be if I improve the quality of the time spent in the gym - like the personal trainer who makes 100 in almost half the time.

Intensification methods are the key

During a 20-minute training, I must pile up the volume and intensity to the degree that it will make my body recovering from the load even during the time I am out of the gym. It can be achieved by intensification methods. Try cutting the breaks between exercises, combining the exercises into super-sets, even three-sets, include intervals of cardio – rope skipping or burpees – in between the sets and so on. Circuit training and CrossFit use similar principles, to perform a series of exercises/moves in limited amount of time.

Twenty minutes in such intensity is enough to force the organism to start making changes. In a way, one hour can affect the remaining 167 in the week. However, we must spend some time on preparation in order to make the gym hour count. It includes nutrition planning, relax, studying magazines...

Naturally, the above mentioned principles aren’t suitable for newbies in the gym. Young trainer who just finished his degree can’t walk into the gym and charge fortune for a session. This applies to all walks of life. But if I don’t see the desired results even after a few years, there is time to make a change.

The following routine can be the change...

Back conditioning workout

     

Pull ups on the bar improve the grip strength and work your back all the way down. Who wants to get the max effort, try this.

Set 3 minutes on the timer.
Start doing pull ups for maximum reps.
When you cannot do any more, immediately move to the rowing machine and row 250 metres as fast as possible.
Rest till the end of the 3 minute interval and repeat 6 to 8 times.
This gives you a great workout and you also work your aerobic capacity. Not to speak about the accumulated energy deficiency that helps you to burn some fat while doing other things. If you do cannot do pull-ups (learn pull-ups!) do pushups. If you do not have rowing machine, run or do burpees.

I follow similar pattern. When I am not preparing for some competition, I exercise only about 4 hours a week and I am stronger and in better form than at the college when I used to do sport for about 12 – 13 hours a week.

Why is creativity like a tank full of chocolate?

Information for target-oriented job usually lies in one place but information for a creative job lies all around. However; it isn’t easy to unearth it the as fracking destroys the resource and environment.  Moreover, abundance turns scarce resource into obsolete. If you find one interesting thing to write about – it is good and you can use all your creativity and knowledge to deplete it. On the way, you are aided with the discovery of further resources; just you do not approach them as such. But if you start digging in a book just in order to find information, you get into information overdose and destroy lot of useful information in the process.

Un migrante sirio intentó colarse en un camión con chocolate. Casi se ahoga. Su historia: http://t.co/7tPKm9uGqT pic.twitter.com/gESymBfgUz
— BBC Mundo (@bbcmundo) April 2, 2015

It’s like when you get one cup of chocolate, you enjoy it. But if you were given a full tank, you would choke on. Today, I came across an interesting story of a Syrian refugee who hid himself in a lorry full of chocolate in order to cross the border between France and England. He almost died in the tank full of melted chocolate. The same can happen to us when we take on more information than we can process.

When you get a piece of chocolate, you feel pleased; moreover quality chocolate improves mental functions. However, if you get a full lorry you tend to overeat and hate chocolate for the rest of the day.

Besides refugees, another global issue has been the oil reserves. Shale oil became a strategic asset during WWII when the US started to see it as a more secure source of oil. Drilling begun in the 60's, but it was the introduction of directional drilling that made it more cost effective. Now, many experts see shale oil as an alternative to the crude oil that is said to be limited for the next 20 – 30 years. Moreover, the largest deposits of shale oil are in the US and China and if used effectively, they could give them a geopolitical advantage over Russian and the Middle East.

Using your resource effectively also gives you an advantage over your competition. However, you must use it effectively, unearthing its potential in small bits. If you put too much effort in, you and your audience get lost in the overload of information. Moreover, there is only so much information you can process. Research in David Rock’s book Your Brain at Work tells that the more things we have on our mind, the more energy we lose. Similar like when you run too many programs on your computer at the same time.

Maybe in 20 – 30 years, people will be after the alternative to crude oil. However, if there is too much shale oil on the market, the demand will fall and the price will fall consequently – as we witness with the crude. It might happen that the yields won’t even cover the fracking costs and the countries will cannibalize on their own effort. Similar thing can happen to a writer who wants learn a lot about an issue instead of putting creativity into a single idea. Often, a person who does not know a thing about the issue proposes the most creative solution...