Food & Nutrition

Herbs and spices have been used by many cultures for thousands of years for both culinary and health purposes.

Nick Mitchell’s 4 easy tips on eating for fat loss. I personally get very frustrated with the plethora of eating for fat loss questions that our personal training page is inundated with on an almost daily basis. The confusion that has been sown by various disparate, and often unethical, self-interest groups is quite disgusting because […]

How Effective is Cardio for Weight Loss? At one point or another, we have all implemented some kind of cardio activity when looking to lose fat. Although rapidly increasing cardio does work to some degree, you need to know when and how to use it to get the best results from it. The goal with […]

The subject of sleep and weight loss is an absolutely crucial factor in any so-called health regime. Sleep is one of the key non-negotiables to optimal health, performance, and physical potential. Getting the right amount of sleep is an imperative for a healthy hormonal system and whilst many of us are tempted to skip sleep […]

Nick Mitchell’s 4 easy tips on eating for fat loss. I personally get very frustrated with the plethora of eating for fat loss questions that our personal training page is inundated with on an almost daily basis. The confusion that has been sown by various disparate, and often unethical, self-interest groups is quite disgusting because […]

Fat loss is the most common fitness goal. It seems easy on paper, but it’s a lot tougher to achieve in reality. Whilst the basics of fat loss revolve around hitting your protein goal, eating your veggies and ensuring a calorie deficit, it’s often reasons beyond that which derail your best efforts. Here are the […]

When creating your own programme, whether you’re training for body composition, performance or muscle mass as your main goal, strength training should be the foundation of your programme. Before we go any further, take note that strength is not an action (lifting maximal weights); strength is used to realise these actions and any muscular action […]

The summer brings out a few things in us Brits; an urgent desire to wear as little clothing as possible, numerous weather discussions and a sudden panic of how we look with less clothes on. But let’s be perfectly honest and admit that we can also get lazy when the sun hits us and food prep […]

Ramadan doesn’t need to wipe out your fitness, muscle and nutrition gains, by using the Ultimate Performance guide below, we’ll show you how to be healthier than when you started. In today’s increasingly multi-cultural, or cross-cultural (a phrase that suggests a type of integration that we feel we should be aiming for) society, we always need […]

The personal training industry is a farce. Yes, that’s okay for UP to admit because it’s one of the stand-out motivations for Nick Mitchell setting up the organisation in the first place; there’s too much BS out there. It’s now way too easy for anyone who has had experience in ‘losing a bit of weight’ […]

With the official start of British Summertime just around the corner it is not an unusual sight to see the commencement of ‘quick fix diets’ and the standard seasonal rush to get into shape. However if you’re reading this, than it is most probably because you’re looking for a flipping good pre-workout recipe to accompany […]

It’s no secret that the best feeling always comes after a workout; it’s a strong mixture of “nailed it” and “I’m so glad it’s over.” Let’s face it…not everyone will be excited at the thought of becoming covered in sweat, feeling ‘the burn’ and being launched out of our comfort zones and into a deep squat. […]

You can train as hard as you like but if you’re not going to pay attention to the food you’re eating, it’s the same as taking 2 steps forward and one step back. Only focusing on that one hour of training you do in the gym and ignoring your body for the other 23, is […]

Why? There are numerous studies demonstrating that coffee is a potent ergogenic. It can increase fat burning during training, heighten motivation, and improve work capacity. However, if you drink it post-workout, you will delay recovery and elevate the stress hormone cortisol just when you need to clear it. Exercising naturally elevates cortisol. If you are […]

Fitness and nutrition myths are an absolute nightmare and tend to be a common reason for people simply ‘giving up’ on living a healthy lifestyle. The confusion that all the so called fitness ‘experts’ have caused has given plenty of headaches, debates and issues to resolve and although that will never stop, there is hope in that there are […]

So you think carbs are bad for you? We’re not surprised. Over the last few years carbs have been given a bad reputation, especially those that are high in sugar which in turn has given ‘fats’ the front runner in our nutrition plans. Fats are a great source of energy but I can assure you […]

Is it true that carbohydrates will make me fat or is it a nutritional myth? Yes and no. Well, you didn’t expect a straight answer did you?! All carbohydrates are not created equal (it is a nutritional myth to think otherwise) and if you overdo the bad ones (the simple sugary carbohydrates found in sweets […]