1. Squatting is bad for your knees. There are many who suggest that squatting (particularly when the movement is performed to full depth) is bad for your knees. They suggest that squatting below parallel puts excess strain on the patella tendon in the knee and if you are going to perform the movement that you should do half squats instead. Let me make this clear this is not true. The idea probably comes from the fact that when you squat down below parallel your quadriceps contract eccentrically and the patella tendon is stretched. Despite this, performing the movement with…
In this short article I am going introduce to a few food and drink items that are often criticised in some way, shape or form, but in actual fact can be beneficial for your training as well as your health. Whole Milk- Whole milk is often swapped in favour of semi-skimmed and is often thought to be a high fat food. However 100 millilitres of whole milk typically contains around 3.6 grams of fat, making it less than 4% fat. That makes it 96% fat free! In order for a food item to be considered low-fat it must contain no…
Most of us have heard the phrase ‘No Carbs before Marbs’, with the implication that Carbohydrate foods should be avoided if one is trying to lose weight. Whilst there may be some truth in this statement it is important that we understand some basic information about the much discussed macronutrient that is Carbohydrate before going any further. For you science geeks Carbohydrate molecules consist of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen atoms joined together in a chain, with there being two hydrogen atoms for every oxygen atom to give the general formula C H₂0. These chains can vary in length depending on…
Listening in on many gym conversations as well avid sports fans using certain terminology to describe athletes I feel that I need to clear up a few misconceptions. How many times have you called an athlete ‘Powerful’? I am guessing it is too many times to keep count of? But was it used in the right context when we consider the definition. Is it possible to be fast without being powerful? Just because you are strong does it mean that you are powerful? Strength is simply the maximum amount of force that can be produced. Speed refers to how quickly…
Press Ups, simple to perform and only require a small amount of floor space. No benches, no dumbbells, no real need for a gym membership. Not only this but Press Ups are also a great exercise for developing upper body pressing strength and endurance. The exercise will significantly tax the muscles of your chest (Pectorals), arms (Triceps) and shoulders (Anterior Deltoid) as well as giving the muscles surrounding your spine a good test too. Many people will say that they have outgrown the Press Up and that it is only useful for beginners. ‘I am too strong for them…
This weekend saw the annual Oxford versus Cambridge boat race take place on the River Thames. The race is 6.8 kilometres long, yesterdays winning crew completed the distance in 18 minutes and 36 seconds. Why not try your own version of the boat race and see how you fare. 6.8km on the Rowing machine and see how you compare! Image Source (www.telegraph.co.uk)
Do you burn the candle at both ends? Quite often training hard in your sport or in the gym is quite often balanced with a hard working attitude in the rest of your life. This also applies to parties and social situations. Work Hard, Play Hard is a commonly heard phrase. But could lack of sleep be holding you back? Recovery from the your sport or gym session is just as important as the session itself. Think of the session being the stimulus for improvement, however this stimulus temporarily damages and weakens the body. It is the time…
Here is a challenge that you can tag onto the end of your exercise session, or even as a stand alone workout. All you need is exactly one minute. In that time you are going to do as many Press Ups as you can. They must be full chest to floor Press Ups with complete elbow extension at the top. If this is too difficult you can perform a regression of the exercise where you still perform a full range of motion but instead of resting on your toes, you rest on your knees or thighs (Shown in the image…
Squat Challenge. This week’s workout is one for a more advanced trainer. You must put your bodyweight onto the bar (females 75% of bodyweight). The challenge can also be adopted for Bench Press and Deadlift as well, although the weight percentages may have to be adjusted. In the 1st minute you must do 1 repetition, then in the 2nd minute 2 repetitions, 3rd minute 3 repetitions and so on. Once you have done the required repetitions you can rest but the bar must not go back in the rack. So you can see how the progressively increasing workload will tax…
Following on from last weeks theme of High Intensity Interval Training, we have 3 workouts depending on your level of fitness, time available or willingness to challenge yourself. All you need is a Rowing machine and some floor space. Beginner Row 100 Metres, 5 Burpees (5 Rounds for time) Intermediate Row 300 Metres, 10 Burpees (5 Rounds for time) Advanced Row 500 Meters, 10 Burpees (5 Rounds for time)