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Structural imbalance is the bane of potential gains in muscular hypertrophy, strength and athletic parameters, this is true no matter what level of fitness you are currently at.


If an overweight beginner has a humped-back posture this is going to adversely effect the way their body deals with movement until the issue is rectified, likewise, if an athlete has negated an untreated ankle issue for years, this will inhibit their ability to perform athletic movements required for performance, such as a squat or sprint-stride.


The Bench Press seems to be a gold standard to measure upper body strength, but our upper body can also horizontally row in the opposite direction, pull upwards for a pullup, press downwards, and pullover. Its important to have a full scale of movements to measure strength, so we can fairly assess our body’s capabilities.


If you’re feeling aches, pains in an area of your body, or find you struggle with some exercises, contact Jay Shreddinger at Elite Fitness Performance for free advice, and we can go from there!


As a wise man once said, your body is like a chain, and any weakness in that chain renders the whole thing faulty.


The Inverted Row


Can you bench press your bodyweight ten times? Good. But if you can’t do a strict inverted row ten times, then your relative strength sucks, and so does your back development probably.

Every time you do an extra set of bench presses without also adding an extra set of horizontal rows, you’re becoming more structurally unbalanced. Not only will your body start letting you down,
it’ll actually refuse to build size and strength in the exercises or muscles you care about most.

Your muscles need to be strong in all directions, and arguably it’s the ones you see the least that need the most attention.


Below is a video of an inverted row perform expertly.

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My take on Health and Fitness

By Jay Shreddinger December 2, 2024
Is Breakfast Truly the Most Important Meal of the Day? Should you eat breakfast to achieve your fitness goals, or could skipping it be more beneficial? I aim to challenge conventional fitness advice when necessary to deliver the best results for my clients. My commitment to tailoring fitness solutions to individual needs is what sets me apart in the personal training industry. In a world dominated by one-size-fits-all approaches, it’s critical to remember that the most important person in any fitness journey is the client. Forcing a rigid mindset on someone often leads to frustration and failure, pushing them away from their goals. For many, breakfast has long been considered a non-negotiable meal. Decades of marketing by the breakfast cereal industry have ingrained the belief that starting the day with a bowl of sugary cereal is essential. For these individuals, switching to a healthier option—like grilled salmon and vegetables—can feel revolutionary. But what if you don’t enjoy breakfast? What if skipping it altogether makes you feel better? The Breakfast Myth: Science vs. Belief For years, health experts have drilled into us that skipping breakfast is a fast track to obesity and chronic disease. The phrase “breakfast is the most important meal of the day” is so entrenched in society that questioning it seems almost heretical. Interestingly, a recent meta-analysis of breakfast-related studies found that the belief in breakfast’s benefits often outweighs the strength of scientific evidence. Researchers uncovered significant biases in how results were interpreted, leading to conflicting conclusions. Does this mean breakfast is bad? Absolutely not. Instead, it highlights the need for an open-minded approach to nutrition, prioritizing what works best for you. While nutrition debates can be divisive, achieving body composition goals ultimately boils down to three basics: creating a calorie deficit, eating nutritious foods, and sticking to the plan.
By Jay Shreddinger September 12, 2024
6 High-Protein Breakfast Ideas to Fuel Your Morning Starting your day with a high-protein breakfast can boost your energy levels, improve focus, and keep you feeling fuller for longer. Whether you're trying to build muscle, maintain weight, or simply stay energized, incorporating more protein into your morning routine can make a big difference. Here are six delicious and easy-to-make high-protein breakfast ideas to kick-start your day.
By Jay Shreddinger August 7, 2024
Through my experience as a Personal Trainer, I have observed the patterns, themes, and trends in a manner by people ive spoken to and worked with. A singular, unifying catalyst for successful weight-loss narratives exists: the moment of realization, an epiphany, the "Aha, I can’t continue this way." This is precisely why the 'healthy at every size' ideology is flawed. You are not healthy at every size. "But one can be ill and underweight too," they retort. Indeed, that is possible, yet it’s merely deflection. The focus here is not on anyone else. If one is overweight, the probability of death escalates. The greater the excess weight, the higher the propensity for illness and the decline in life quality. This is an irrefutable truth, regardless of how anyone attempts to spin it. The term ‘morbid obesity’ (morbid, implying death) exists for a reason. 
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