Skill Is Not Enough

Surely the average club sportsman doesn't require a fitness program - even those with ambitions of winning competitions? 

After all... Sportsmen aren't athletes... right?

Make no mistake - Sportsmen (at any level) ARE athletes, I am yet to find a sport that doesn’t require a great deal of athleticism.

Strength, power, flexibility, balance, core stability, body awareness, endurance... they're all physical traits that every consistent sportsman (even the fair-weather players) must possess.

The sports industry is littered with gadgets and gimmicks for increasing performance. Yet for all their claims and guarantees most remain independently unproven. Compare that to a basic fitness or sports conditioning program...

I’ll use Golf as an example. After 5 weeks of completing 15 minutes of very simple home exercises 5 times a week, golfers increased their club head speed by an average of 24%. While it could be argued that club head speed is only one small facet of a golfer's overall game, it is highly correlated with a player's handicap. In other words, the lower a player's handicap is, the higher their club head speed at impact tends to be. In fact, a 24% increase relates to a reduction of 4 shots off a golfer's handicap. This is just one of several studies that proves the benefits of conditioning for golf.

For the more serious sportsmen, conditioning can no longer be seen as an unnecessary add-on to their practise routine. Just as a committed amateur athlete spends time on their technique AND their fitness, so must the sportsman who demands to be the best they can. There is a caveat however...

In order to improve performance in any sport, training must be specific to the demands of the game involved. 

Of the few sportsmen who do appreciate the importance of physical training (sadly it is only very few), most still make the mistake of following a general fitness routine.

If you want to consistently perform at a higher level, you need to take a different approach. Not a more complicated approach and not a more time-consuming approach, a more specific approach.

Paying for Public Parks

Personal trainers, nannies and even dog walkers could face paying thousands of pounds a year to use public parks for business.

Hammersmith & Fulham council have initiated charges of £350 - £1,200 Personal Trainers and I'm sure that it won't be long until many other boroughs and Councils follow suit.

The council's ruling suggests that anyone making money or conducting business in the park will be charged for its use. The fear is that this could become a national concept of charging for open air natural public facilities. It's another revenue stream for the councils but I ask the question, if all participants pay council tax, why then be charged further costs to utilise something that has essentially already been paid for?

I have utilised public parks to train junior football teams and have often utilised the same facilities for private athletic development sessions to young British athletes. I do not charge or charge very little to cover my expenses. I could be forced to regress from charitable sessions as it would be far from cost effective to continue.

Michael Hainge, of Hammersmith & Fulham parks department, said the council is anxious to use parks to fight obesity, but wanted "to ensure programmes were not simply aimed at those already inclined towards exercise". The council said: "Anyone can use our parks free, including personal trainers. But as soon as personal trainers start making money out of the park, they are running a business and need a licence."
Where does this idea end? If I reply to some work related emails on my phone while in a park, am I technically running a business and should I then technically be charged?

I work on trains, should I pay a premium to use my seat as an office space?

I use the roads to drive to places of work, should I pay a premium to do this as I'm running a business?
I pay my Income Tax, Business Rates, Fuel Duty, Road Tax and Council Tax.
Is it fair that I pay for public facilities, again...?

It´s not as if parks are saturated with personal trainers. It may make the council money but it hurts small business. Also, how many people would be out there exercising without a trainer?

The PCT figures published for the first time by the DoH set out the cost of diseases related to being overweight or obese in 2007 and how much it will cost at local level in 2015 if we take no action.

It is estimated that the cost to the NHS in England of obesity in 2007 was £4.2 billion and would rise to £6.3 billion in 2015.

Start charging people for abusing the health service and I will happily pay to use a public park...

Negative Calorie Foods: Fact or Fiction?

Negative Calorie Foods: Fact or Fiction?

All food has caloric content, so the term “negative calorie foods” may sound misleading. Some scientists say that since some foods are harder for the body to digest, the net effect of eating them creates a calorie deficit. In other words, the body burns more calories processing negative calorie foods than the foods actually contain. In theory, the more of these foods you eat, the fewer calories you take in, making them great for those trying to lose weight. However, negative calorie food diets are controversial, and not everyone agrees that negative calorie foods even technically exist. In any case, the fruits and vegetables on the following list are still healthy foods that should be included in any balanced diet.

Berries

Berries are unique among fruit and vegetables in that they contain moderate amounts of protein. Protein is extremely important in dieting, and many people forget they need it, preferring instead to sacrifice heavier foods in favour of those that are relatively empty of nutritional value. Most berries are tasty enough to eat on their own, and since they’re already “finger food” they’re easily portable. They’re rich in antioxidants, Vitamin C, and a host of other nutrients that boost your immune system (something else that’s good). Cranberries and blueberries help flush out your system, and are often used in the case of bladder infection for just that reason. Blueberries are also known, along with raspberries, to contribute to sustained eyesight. All these factors mixed with an extremely low calorie count (at an average of just 50 calories per cup for most berries) make berries a highly desirable negative calorie food.

Fruits and Citrus

At an average of less than 40 calories per fruit, citrus is extremely lightweight for the amount of space they can fill. Loaded with Vitamin C and high in fibre, citrus fruits will help even out your digestive system, and in high enough amounts, even flush it. While not the greatest thing to think about when talking about food, when talking about healthy eating, it’s like the Holy Grail. Adding citrus fruits to your foods will greatly increase your chances of getting that weight off and staying healthy in the process.

Melons

Melons are fantastic summer filler foods with probably the biggest calorie deficit you can get. Since they’re mostly water, they help keep you hydrated which in turn is great for every single bodily function. On top of that they usually run at around 20 calories per wedge, which would be the same size as a 40 calorie citrus fruit or an entire cup of berries. It wouldn’t be very sustainable consume melons alone; they should be part of the trio throughout the day along with berries and citrus.

Vegetables

Ah vegetables. Loathed or loved, they’re just plain good for you, in every way. Everyone knows celery as a nearly-zero calorie food already, but it wasn’t until recently that it became an obvious poster child for negative calorie foods. The real kicker is that celery may be very, very low calorie at only 5-8 calories per stick, but most other veggies follow not too far behind it. Vegetables mix the best (nutritional) qualities of citrus, berries and melons by holding mostly water-weight, containing decent amounts of protein, loads of fibre and they’re rich in nutrients. With all that going for them, all you need are the taste buds to match and you’re all set to follow an extremely effective healthy eating regime.

How I Live

Everything is a matrix that I function inside of, there’s about 10 miles of atmosphere at the Equator, and five miles at the poles. That’s the matrix we all survive within. You apply your knowledge to that, and figure out how to survive. I’m limited to my intelligence, physical ability and mental strength every day. That’s my matrix.
What's yours?

The Importance of Hill Training for Long Distance Runners

When training for a marathon or any long distance race you are most commonly told to focus on training that increases the amount of miles that you run. Another important aspect of training is to include a long run into your weekly schedule especially leading up to the day of the race. However, there is one aspect of training that is equally important and which you should also focus on and that is building strength. Building strength is very important for increasing your endurance levels during the race. Without building strength into your legs, arms and lungs you will run out of steam half way through the race.

One great workout for building strength is running up hills or gradients. You will find that with many marathon races that the courses are usually flat however, with any city or town there is usually a hill which you will have to come across sometime. Therefore, it is better to be prepared for it are you will find that it can take a lot of power and energy out of you.

When you are doing your weekly training look to include a few hill runs to build up your strength and endurance. This will also add variety to your workout routine and keep boredom at bay. If you are lucky enough to live in a hilly area then take full advantage of them. Set a specific routine where you focus just on hill climbing and then use the flats to slow and cool down.

If you live in a flat area then you may have to do a little investigating to find a hill. I live in a flat area and my nearest hill is 8 miles away. However, I target that hill and the surrounding area to do my uphill sessions and I use the 8 miles to and from as my warm up and cool down sessions. If you are limited to one hill as I am use the hill to do repetition workouts. This means I run up the hill at a pace and then slow down to a light jog or walk on the decent to recover. After doing intensive hill workouts it is advisable to take one or two days off for recovery.

When running up hills you want to use your whole body. This means swing your arms back and forth with plenty of force. It is important to lean your upper body forward towards the hill. Leaning backward will make you unstable. When you reach the top or brow of the hill try not too slow down but keep up the pace.

Always seek a doctor's advice if you have a medical condition before doing any form of new exercise.

A Boxers Workout

Boxing Session

"Boxers and their trainers know there’s little benefit to having enormous muscles. "
There’s no denying that boxers like David Haye have incredible physiques, and while you may never want to step into the ring and take a Audley Harrison-style battering, you might want to get in shape just like a boxer.

Boxers and their trainers know there’s little benefit to having enormous muscles. Instead, an effective boxer will have excellent core muscles, be toned from head to toe and have stellar cardio. Boxers at all levels have to be supremely dedicated to rigorous training both in the gym and outside it; just doing a portion of a boxer workout will do wonders for any average guy looking to shed a few pounds or tone up. If you need proof of what the training can do for non-fighters, take a look at how Will Smith, James Franco and Matthew McConaughey turned out.

This boxer workout can be done at a gym, a boxing club if you’re more ambitious or even at home. Try it three times a week and you’ll see results before long.

Here’s how to train like a boxer:

The Warm-Up
In any workout, it’s important to get the muscles stretched and warmed up before doing anything too strenuous. To begin your boxing warm-up, take a few minutes to get your blood flowing (jogging in place, jumping jacks) before you dynamically stretch your entire body, especially the calves, arms and back.

Then, it’s time to get your heart rate up, and there’s no better way than through skipping - a traditional part of the boxer workout. If skipping isn’t something you’ve done since primary school, you might be a little rusty. Simple jumping jacks are a good alternative until you’re comfortable with the rope, but it’s best to just dive right in. Many beginners make the mistake of jumping too high and tiring themselves out. Lift your feet no more than an inch off the ground, and get comfortable with the rope by going slowly at first. Eventually, you’ll be able to increase your speed, then alternate feet. Soon, you’ll feel comfortable doing crosses, leg raises and double jumps, and maybe even trying to skip backward.

The skipping part of your warm-up should last at least 10 minutes.

Keep Your Heart Rate Up
A common phrase in boxing, and indeed in any fight sport, is: “One more round.” The men are separated from the boys in the final round, because they’ve put themselves in the best position to win through great conditioning. By the late rounds of a fight, victory is achieved more through one’s conditioning than by fight skills alone. To that end, your boxer workout should now be governed by threes and ones: three minutes on, one minute off. This structure simulates a typical boxing round, while giving you short breaks when they’re needed.

To keep your heart rate up, move into some circuit training that will strengthen your various muscle groups. With three minutes on the timer, mix in some push-ups, sit-ups and jumping jacks, doing 30 seconds of each, repeated.

Once you’ve done a simple round or two, you can add more challenging elements to your workout, like burpees, which will build the core muscles and make you more explosive. To begin, lower into a squat with your hands in front of you. Then, place your hand on the floor and kick your feet back so that you’re in the push-up position. Quickly kick back into the squat position and jump as high as you can from the squat. The key is to get full extension, but also do this exercise as quickly as you can.

Throw Some Punches
If you go to a gym where you have some space - or perhaps you’re following this workout at home - simple shadowboxing will have your arms, chest and back burning before long. I can’t teach you how to box in a few short paragraphs, but try different punches in different combinations to really work on your upper body. Throw jabs with your off-hand, and work through hooks, uppercuts and straight punches. Keep your feet moving; you should feel a burn in your calves before long.

If you have gloves, hand wraps and a heavy bag at home, here’s an exercise that will build muscle and shed calories (again, work for three minutes at a time, and you can break that three minutes into six 30-second intervals). For your first 30 seconds, throw assorted punches at the bag. Then, throw straight punches as quickly as you can, not worrying about power. For the final 30 seconds, throw power shots as hard as you’re able, then repeat all three. For a change, you can substitute in any other activity for 30 seconds (try push-ups, jumping jacks or whatever you feel you need).

Cut To The Core
Boxers build their core muscles to protect against punishing body shots; you can build yours to look and feel better. These exercises can be done at your gym, or at home if you have a medicine ball. It’s important to use a medicine ball that’s not too heavy, but at the same time pushes your body to its limits. A 5kg ball is suitable for those weighing under 75kg and a 8kg ball is good if you‘re heavier.

Sit on the ground with your legs straight in front of you, and hold the ball on the ground beside one hip. Now, keeping your legs as straight as possible, lift your feet off the ground a couple of inches. Hold your legs up and move the ball across your body, touching it to the ground next to each hip. Do this exercise in intervals of 50, making sure not to let your heels touch the ground.

Next, move to a wall, and with your knees bent at 90 degrees, “sit” with your back against the wall (you’re not actually sitting on anything). You’ll feel a burn in your abdominals right away, but you can augment the workout by holding the medicine ball straight out in front of you. Remembering to move slowly, you can lift the ball above your head, and then return it back in front of you. If this exercise is too tough, try a lighter ball.

If you have a workout partner, there are plenty of core drills with the ball you can do together.

Cool Down
Just as you should never go from a sprint to a dead stop, it’s not a good idea to end your boxer workout abruptly. Once you’ve had enough - or worked for the desired length of time - skip for another 5 to 10 minutes, then finish with a full set of stretching. This entire workout is one that is easily done in 45 minutes, though you can add weight work to extend it.

Training and Sex - The Answer

As Rocky once so eloquently put it:

“Hey, Adrian, I’m serious now. There’s no foolin’ around during training, understand? I wanna stay strong.”

The myth that a great performance in bed the night before a big bout will translate into a poor performance in the ring is probably as old as competition itself. The idea behind the abstinence comes from the notion that the act of ejaculation reduces testosterone, the hormone of both sexual desire and aggression in male athletes. Coaches and supporters of the belief will say that a man looses his vital energy and decreases his pugnacity every time he ejaculates. 

The tradition of abstinence is particularly strong in power sports, such as boxing, where aggression is considered a valuable trait. Many boxers continue to practice the no sex clause before a fight.

This idea has become so popular that athletes in other sports have also opted to stay away from “scoring” the night before a big game. Mike Ditka, former coach of the Chicago Bears, told his players on the eve of the 1986 Superbowl: "You can only play this game once. If wives and girlfriends can't wait, tell them to take a cold shower." Most recently, soccer coach Fabio Capello limited the access his players had to their wives and girlfriends (aka, WAGS) during the World Cup to one day after each game. 

Even current UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre has a strong perspective on sex and training:

"...iconic fighter Rocky Marciano would excuse himself from the marital bed for months before a bout. Marciano was the only heavyweight boxer to retire undefeated. " 

Genesis Of Sex And Training Idea
Greg Whyte, professor of applied sport and exercise science at Liverpool John Moores University, says that Ancient Greeks came up with this idea. According to Whyte, Ancient Greeks were fervent believers that sexual activity would sap energy, lower testosterone and reduce aggression in men. The famous Greek philosopher, Plato, was the first to tackle the issue when he wrote about Olympic champion, Ikkos of Tarentum.  According to the literature, Ikkos prepared for the 84th Olympiad in 444 B.C. by eating large quantities of wild boar, cheese and goat meat, but restrained from sexual activity, fearing it could diminish his strength.

According to a Newsweek article, the Romans disagreed with the notion. In A.D. 77, Pliny the Elder wrote that sluggish athletes were revitalized by love-making. Since then, the idea that sex can impair physical performance has gripped the minds of athletes for centuries. 

In the middle of the 20th century, legendary boxer Muhammad Ali reportedly went two months without sex before a big fight, claiming it made him unbeatable in the ring. Ali is considered one of the best fighters of all time; his record stands at an impressive 56 wins in 61 fights, with 37 knockouts. 

Most recently, Manny Pacquiao has stated publicly that he separates himself from his wife when he trains for a fight. He only has contact with his wife during chaperoned visits. Pacquiao is considered by many in the sport as the best welterweight fighter of all time.

Throughout the centuries athletes have been disciplined to give up sex and have an early night before a competition. But is there any critical evidence to suggest that sex has any repercussion on athletic ability?

The Research
According to Ian Shrier, sports medicine specialist at McGill University, there are only two possible ways that sex before a competition can affect your performance. First is the idea that sex can make an athlete tired and weak the next day, which has been disproved. The second is that sexual activity the night before affects your state of mind. This latter potential effect has yet to be tested.

According to Shrier, sexual activity before a competition has no influence on a man's grip strength, power, balance, endurance, lateral movement, reaction time, or aerobic power.

ESPN decided to test the myth on the show Sport Science. A professional male and female fighter were tested on cardiovascular endurance, lower and upper body strength and power using impact sensors designed by the United States Boxing Association. The fighters were asked to abstain for a day in order to run the first series of tests and then after engaging in sexual intercourse with their spouse, the athletes were retested. The results indicated that physiologically, testosterone levels were higher in both the male and the female fighter after having sex. According to the numbers, the female boxer’s punch registered at 632 pounds of force pre-sex. She then registered 876 pounds of force after sex. That’s almost a 30% improvement.
More Evidence (Or Lack Thereof)
Tommy Boone, exercise physiologist at the College of St. Scholastica in Duluth, Minnesota, and author of Sex Before Athletic Competition: Myth or Fact, says there is no evidence to support abstinence before a match. In 1995, Boone conducted a study that challenged 11 athletes to a treadmill test. Some had sex 12 hours before the test and some abstained.  According to Boone, there was no difference in performance between the groups.   

A man's body does undergo some physical changes during sex, which include a rise in heart rate from 70 bpm at rest to up to 130 bpm when active. But compared to the exertion required during a soccer match, sex requires less than 25% of the aerobic effort, says Boone, and it lasts for much less time.

Scientists have found that, in general, sexual intercourse between married partners expends only 25 to 50 calories. That’s about the energy it takes to walk up two flights of stairs. In fact, one of the most credible studies on sex, conducted at Queen’s University in Belfast, asserts that having sex reduces the risk of heart disease and improves overall fitness.

Yet, many athletes continue to believe the myth. Athletes think of sex as an exercise that can fatigue the body and reduce aggression.  

Science has proved that lovemaking is not a very demanding exercise. Furthermore, going without sex for a long period of time can even drop your testosterone levels says Emmanuele A. Jannini, professor of endocrinology at the University of L'Aquila in Italy. Jannini has done extensive research in the study of bodily secretions.

He dismisses the assertion that sex the night before a competition has a tiring effect on an athlete.

Twenty Five Running Tips

Whatever your running ability, there's something here for you

	If your arms go forward, your knees will go forward – that’s how our bodies are made

Whether you’re a tremble-kneed beginner or a foot-sore veteran, it’s never too late to learn more about the world’s oldest form of fitness.

1 Watch your footing
‘Make sure your heel strikes the ground first, rather than the ball of your foot,’ advises Sajjad Afzal, a podiatrist to UK athletes. ‘Run smoothly and rhythmically.’ If you hit the ground with the side or the ball of your foot, it will roll. This has a domino effect on the rest of the body and can cause common running injuries such as shin splints, ‘runner’s knee’ and back pain.

2 Be style conscious
See a specialist to improve your running style. It could be a coach or a podiatrist, but even a member of staff in a good running shop will be able to analyse the way you run and offer tips.

3 Get pumping
Move your arms more. ‘If your arms go forward, your knees will go forward – that’s how our bodies are made.’ ‘If you have a bigger range of movement with your arms, your legs will have a greater movement too. And if you move your arms really quickly, your legs will move really quickly!’

4 Judge your pace
It may sound obvious but if you want to run a fast marathon or 10k race, you first have to learn how to judge your speed and maintain consistency. ‘Paula Radcliffe knows by the way her foot strikes the ground how fast she is running and will hit that mile marker at five mins 15 secs, or three to four seconds either side of that, every time,’ says Munroe. ‘Start by running three eight-minute miles in a week. The next week try to beat that. If you do this you’ll get quicker.’ Over a period of time you will learn to work out your speed.

5 Be progressive
Don’t train too hard too soon. If you do you will increase your risk of injury or plain, simple fatigue. Many newcomers give up because they’ve tried to go too far, too fast and have failed.

6 Work it!
That’s no excuse to slack. Work hard and remember that you get out of running what you put in.

7 Test yourself
Compete in races as part of a plan to gauge fitness, progression and race pace. Putting races in your calendar will also force you to train harder.

8 See the bigger picture
Don’t ignore the rest of your body. Running doesn’t just require strong legs and a good pair of lungs. To hold your body in the right running posture over the distance requires strong core stability. Do a weekly session of circuit training to make sure the whole body is getting a workout. A session should include press-ups, crunches, jump squats, burpees, reverse curls, split jumps and running on the spot with high knees.

9 Lift weights
Do resistance training, too. Machine exercises that will help your running include leg extensions, leg presses, hamstring curls, shoulder press and abduction work. Do three sets of between ten and 12 reps.

10 Shake up your training
Try Fartlek training. Developed in the 1930s, this is a less structured form of interval training, and something you can easily do while out on your runs. The idea is to run flat out, jog for a while, then sprint again. If you want something a little more structured try this programme. Pick two trees about 30 metres apart. Run 60 per cent of your top speed or maximum heart rate and jog back. On the second go, run at 70 per cent and jog back and then at 80 per cent and then back to 60. Do this for ten minutes.

11 Go hill running
The only way to improve your running fitness is to stress the lungs and your muscles – and there’s no better way to achieve this than on an energy-sapping hill. Run up at three-quarter pace, jog down, run up at three-quarter pace, jog down… you get the idea.

12 Be careful out there
Do everything within your power to avoid injury. Start your sessions with a light jog or a few minutes on the treadmill. Then warm up gently. Run hard during your workout and cool down fully afterwards.

13 Raise those knees
Avoid injury too by practising ‘functional mobility exercises’. Examples are high knee walking, high knee cantering and lunging. These will help your ‘running muscles’.

14 Know your heart
Work out your true maximum heart rate (MHR). The standard way to work out the rate is to subtract your age from 220 but if you’re serious about training, there’s a much better way. After a warm-up, run for three minutes as hard and as consistently as you can, then rest for two minutes, and then run again for three minutes at your max. Count your heart rate. This is your true MHR. Unless you’re a beginner and you’re still building up your fitness levels, run at between 75 and 87 per cent. ‘This will give you the greatest fitness benefits.’

15 Keep a record
Be anal – start a training log, whether it’s on a notepad or a computer. It’s a good way to boost confidence because it shows a series of quantifiable gains – or it will if you’re doing everything right.

16 Join a club
There’s nothing like peer pressure or the presence of a proper coach to bring out the best in you. There are running clubs all around the country from serious athletics clubs to those designed to help people get fit for the first time to seasoned pros.

17 Partner up
Running becomes much easier when you have a friend to spur/nag you on.

18 Stay hydrated
Drink even if you’re not thirsty. ‘The body has a poor thirst mechanism,’ says Adam Mead, senior dietician at Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital in London. ‘When you’re thirsty it’s already too late. If there’s even a five per cent drop in hydration levels your performance will tail off.’

19 Know your fluids
Hydrate with water if your run is less than 15 miles. Use a sports drink if it’s longer. Take on fluid every 15 minutes of exercise.

20 Get snacking
Don’t run on an empty stomach. ‘About 60 to 90 minutes before a run, have some fruit.’

21 Eat right
Base your meals around carbs such as pasta, rice and potatoes. You should aim to eat about 70 per cent carbs, 15 per cent protein and 15 per cent fat. ‘During any physical activity you use a crucial fuel called glycogen, which comes from carbohydrates. You need to make sure you’re eating sufficient amounts. You need protein to build new cells and muscle.’

22 Do your sums
Be scientific about it. You should aim to eat five grammes of carbohydrate and one gramme of protein per kilo of body weight per day.

23 Eat as soon as you’ve run
This will aid recovery. Something like a banana is ideal because it has a high glycemic index (GI) and will give an immediate boost of energy. For your main meal, eat carbohydrates with a low GI – those that release energy slowly – such as sweet potatoes and brown or Basmati rice.

24 Chill out in the bath
Forget having a hot soak after a run. It’s the worst thing you can do because it encourages the micro-tears in your muscles to bleed out, which increases soreness. Have an ice bath instead. It’s what most top athletes do because it helps flush lactic acid out of the muscles and boosts the immune system. Unless you have half a tonne of ice to hand, run the tub with cold water and jump in for about five minutes.

25 Take a multivitamin…
Athletes require more minerals and vitamins than the average person thanks to the stresses of running. Each stride can cause tiny amounts of damage to the red blood cells in the feet, and running also produces damaging free radicals. Vitamins and minerals can help mop them up.

Debunking the Myth Of the Fat Burning Zone

Many exercisers are under the mistaken impression that fat is only burned at specific exercise intensities and hence weight loss will only occur if you always exercise at these moderate effort levels. Nothing could be further from the truth! Losing body fat and keeping it off permanently requires a carefully planned exercise program that features aerobic AND anaerobic workouts, as well as careful attention to diet and performance nutrition.

Fat is used for fuel during exercise at a variety of intensity levels. At rest and at moderate heart rates, your body's preferred fuel choice is fat. As exercise intensity increases, you burn progressively more glucose. At anaerobic threshold heart rates, you burn almost entirely glucose and very little fat.

How AEROBIC Workouts Promote Fat Loss

To achieve permanent weight management, you must TRAIN your body to prefer fat for fuel 24 hours a day. This is accomplished by building an aerobic base. Your body is like a computer: when you train it to burn fat during low intensity aerobic workouts, it learns to do this around the clock. You must also fuel your body with healthy, nutritious foods at the right times to prevent metabolism problems that result from exercise-induced caloric depletion. The main mistake people make is restricting calories at crucial times: before, during and after workouts. Restricting calories and training will NOT result in permanent fat loss - it will result in energy level fluctuations, poor recovery and increased stress response to workouts. When you eat healthy, supplement properly and build a strong aerobic base, you are ready to enjoy the fitness and weight loss benefits that anaerobic workouts provide.

How ANAEROBIC Workouts Promote Fat Loss

Even though you are not burning much fat during a high intensity workout, these workouts are still crucial to the success of your weight loss exercise goals. The intensity of anaerobic exercise stimulates an increased demand for calories and an elevated body temperature. These factors generate an increase in your metabolic rate (the rate at which you burn calories) that lasts for several hours after your workout. Since your preferred fuel choice at rest is fat, you will burn more fat around the clock because of your glucose-burning workout! However wonderful this sounds, many exercisers take shortcuts that sabotage the weight loss benefits of high intensity workouts.The round-the-clock increase in metabolism caused by an effective training program is the only true way to lose weight. Consider that during a vigorous hour of exercise, you burn between 500-800 calories. A tall glass of orange juice and a bran muffin get you nearly back to even. Many exercisers skip the aerobic base training and go right for the high intensity workouts. When you ignore base training OR engage in too many anaerobic workouts, your body learns to prefer sugar for fuel (like a computer, remember?) 24-hours a day. Excessive anaerobic training compromises your fat burning system and causes you to crave sugar, especially at night. Fat stays on your body and your brain tells you to consume sugar all day!

But what if you don’t consume sugar all day?

What if your will power can beat the sugar cravings?

Food Cravings and How to Beat Them

Cravings can be defined as the intense longing for a particular type of food and are something that more than 60% of the population have had. Are these “all in the head” or is there some explanation to why we crave?

Nutritional Reasons

It may be that some cravings are related to nutrition. This is certainly true when it comes to carbohydrates and low blood sugar. Low blood sugar can affect appetite fairly quickly, leaving you hungry and craving carbohydrate type foods. This doesn’t explain cravings for high fat sugary foods in place of carbohydrates such as pasta or potatoes.
It is likely that the craving for high fat, sugary foods is due to the palatability of these. Fat helps carry flavour, which is why high fat foods taste good. Sweetness is a flavour that humans were born liking, while other flavours are acquired.

Dieter’s Cravings

Food cravings are also common in dieters. Diets often focus on deprivation of certain foods and cravings for “forbidden” foods become strong, particularly because the food is labelled as “forbidden. When resistance to temptation gives way, guilt more than often follows. To avoid this situation, don’t label foods. Look for smart alternatives. For example, when craving fries, don’t go for fast food, buy a packet of oven bake low fat fries and have a small portion.

How to Beat Cravings

The trick is not to beat it, but to go with it in a more healthy way. Saying no when you really feel like something is likely to resolve in a binge later on. A good tip is to wait 20 minuets. If you’re still having a craving, allow yourself to have a small portion. For example, a mini candy bar rather than a giant one. This will give you a taste without going overboard on fat and calories. Another tip is to find a healthier alternative for your craving. Feel like something crunchy and salty? Instead of chips, go for a small handful of pretzels. Although these are still high in salt, they are low in fat.
Watching your portion size and swapping choices will allow a little taste without going overboard.

Running Hurts

The Truth is that Running Hurts.
No one gets faster without meeting their personal pain barrier straight on. No amount of junk miles, fun runs or affirmations are going to get you over the hill at the five mile mark in a 10k. However, what will pull you through is solid prep with hard hill runs and interval work.

I'm back, and I am going to be stronger than ever.

What we do, defines us.

I've been away for a couple of months, I'm sure you've all missed my pearls of wisdom. Or not, whatever.
So, here is the story:

Roughly 8 weeks ago and while playing cricket, I was struck with the ball during my batting innings. It was quite a big impact and the ball proceeded to travel across the boundary rope for four runs after connecting with the right side of my noggin.
The following day, i was due to fly to Barcelona which I did and while there was greeted with the most painful, intense of all headaches upon landing. I continued without a thought as I always do with medical issues that do not prevent me from moving. I worked all of Sunday and fell into a well deserved sleep Sunday evening.
Monday morning, I woke and was greeted to the continued headache and a bleeding inner ear. I had a shower, collapsed in the shower and woke a few minutes later. At this point I became increasingly concerned, I completed my work in Barcelona and flew home with a matter of urgency to see my Doctor.

I arrived at my Doctors surgery and he referred me to a specialist immediately, after a few scans and some poking and prodding I was told "Remain in hospital and we'll monitor the severity of your condition before taking action." I should say that at this point I had not been informed of any possible condition or injury.

I was going insane, I left the hospital shortly afterwards and while signing large quantities of disclaimers decided that I had to help myself if I was going to get any answers.

I did just that, I researched possible conditions, experts in their field and made my way to the neuro centre of my private health company and insisted to put in contact with Dr x who I was sure would be of assistance. He was, I owe him my life and large proportion of my sanity. Dr x is a leading consultant within neurosurgery and informed me after more scans, tests and examinations that I had a Subdural Heamotoma.

A subdural hematoma or subdural haematoma (British English), also known as a subdural hemorrhage (SDH), is a type of hematoma, a form of traumatic brain injury in which blood gathers within the outermost meningeal layer, between the dura mater, which adheres to the skull, and the arachnoid mater enveloping the brain. Usually resulting from tears in veins that cross the subdural space, subdural hemorrhages may cause an increase in intracranial pressure (ICP), which can cause compression of and damage to delicate brain tissue. Subdural hematomas are often life-threatening when acute, but chronic subdural hematomas are usually not deadly if treated.

I was subsequently operated upon two weeks ago. Due to British regulations, we were unable to obtain a license to have my favored procedure done in the UK as it is not accredited here. I therefore travelled to Switzerland where I met two surgeons from an institute in America who performed the surgery. I use the term favored procedure as my options were as follows:

1. Regular drainage for the remainder of life to ensure pressures never build to high. (Permanent plugged hole in head and life affecting ramifications)
2. Open brain surgery, removal and cauterisation of Heamotoma. (12 weeks in intensive care following operation and risk of irreversible damage to my shape and facial recognition processing capabilities)
3. A new, innovative, non invasive, rapid recovery and 100% success rate from survivors. (Little known about long term affects and three from fifty six people have died during surgery)

I chose option three, it has been a success, an expensive success but I've finally been given the green light to begin training again.

I'm excited.

Personal Trainer Vs Gym Membership

Emphasis on fitness is in the limelight like never before. Size zero is in vogue and the uber lean, skinny models and movie stars have gained the status of demi-gods. With this passion for looking good and the desire to keep up with the current fashion, people have started focusing on fitness and are ready to spend to achieve that perfect body. In chasing dreams of the lean, toned look, people are in a mad rush to join a gym and workout extremely hard.

However, all this media hype for toned bodies and high fashion has started a positive train of thought in people. As a result of this increased awareness, people are turning health conscious and cutting down on junk food. Packaged food is being replaced by fresh, home made food which is of high nutritional value. Vegetarianism has touched the lives of people around the globe. In addition to all this, a five day workout at the gym has become a vital part of the daily routine. In fact so much that office-goers utilise some part of their lunch break to get a quick, sweaty workout.

With this entire fetish for exercise and workouts, fitness centers have become jam packed with people. A gym is not so beneficial as compared to getting a personal trainer for oneself. In the former, one gets puzzled as to where to begin with so many equipments to work upon. Also, the individual may not use the correct posture or may use the equipment in the wrong way, which will result in not having the desirable effect on the body. Time is a crucial factor too, since not everyone can spend hours at the gym. In such a scenario, it becomes tough to choose the right equipment, as one cannot use all the machinery daily. This results in a half-baked, poor workout schedule.

To solve this problem, a personal trainer is any day a better choice than enrolling in a gym. A fitness trainer would guide you through all the exercises and the prime focus becomes the individual. Also, he would design specific workouts which have high quality effect. With his vast knowledge, you would have the best of combinations of various exercises like strength training and cardio, which burn fat at a rapid rate. If you are strapped for time, he would make you do a particular set of exercises with more repetitions which would consume lesser time. Exercises at gym do not give out the proper result, if the correct sequence of using the equipments is not followed.

Lifting weights, without a proper trainer is risky as it can cause damage to the spinal cord or a injury. A good personal trainer would mix cardio exercises with rejuvenating activities like aerobics, yoga. On contrary to workouts at gym, this would make the workout fun and cut out boredom. If you have a particular problem like back ache or arthritis, he would carefully avoid all those exercises which may cause it to aggravate further. Instead he would introduce into your workout, different exercises which would give the same benefits as those exercises to be avoided would give. This makes it different from working out in a gym, as one may get puzzled about the exact function of a piece of equipment.

In a nutshell, the variety and uniqueness of workouts performed will have a good effect on the body. As you exercise with interest and enthusiasm, soon the results will start showing on your body. Whereas a dull and drab workout at a gym may not give the required result, the zeal to exercise doubles if done with a personal trainer, who is the constant source of guidance.

So, walk down the fitness trail to be healthy, fit and fine.

The Fat Burning Zone

Debunking the Myth Of the Fat Burning Zone
Many exercisers are under the mistaken impression that fat is only burned at specific exercise intensities and hence weight loss will only occur if you always exercise at these moderate effort levels. Nothing could be further from the truth! Losing body fat and keeping it off permanently requires a carefully planned exercise program that features aerobic AND anaerobic workouts, as well as careful attention to diet and performance nutrition.

Fat is used for fuel during exercise at a variety of intensity levels. At rest and at moderate heart rates, your body's preferred fuel choice is fat. As exercise intensity increases, you burn progressively more glucose. At anaerobic threshold heart rates, you burn almost entirely glucose and very little fat.


How AEROBIC Workouts Promote Fat Loss

To achieve permanent weight management, you must TRAIN your body to prefer fat for fuel 24 hours a day. This is accomplished by building an aerobic base. Your body is like a computer: when you train it to burn fat during low intensity aerobic workouts, it learns to do this around the clock.

You must also fuel your body with healthy, nutritious foods at the right times to prevent metabolism problems that result from exercise-induced caloric depletion. The main mistake people make is restricting calories at crucial times: before, during and after workouts. Restricting calories and training will NOT result in permanent fat loss - it will result in energy level fluctuations, poor recovery and increased stress response to workouts.

When you eat healthy, supplement properly and build a strong aerobic base, you are ready to enjoy the fitness and weight loss benefits that anaerobic workouts provide.


How ANAEROBIC Workouts Promote Fat Loss

Even though you are not burning much fat during a high intensity workout, these workouts are still crucial to the success of your weight loss exercise goals.

The intensity of anaerobic exercise stimulates an increased demand for calories and an elevated body temperature. These factors generate an increase in your metabolic rate (the rate at which you burn calories) that lasts for several hours after your workout.

Since your preferred fuel choice at rest is fat, you will burn more fat around the clock because of your glucose-burning workout! However wonderful this sounds, many exercisers take shortcuts that sabotage the weight loss benefits of high intensity workouts.

The round-the-clock increase in metabolism caused by an effective training program is the only true way to lose weight. Consider that during a vigorous hour of exercise, you burn between 500-800 calories. A tall glass of orange juice and a bran muffin get you nearly back to even.

Many exercisers skip the aerobic base training and go right for the high intensity workouts. When you ignore base training OR engage in too many anaerobic workouts, your body learns to prefer sugar for fuel (like a computer, remember?) 24-hours a day.

Excessive anaerobic training compromises your fat burning system and causes you to crave sugar, especially at night. Fat stays on your body and your brain tells you to consume sugar all day!

But what if you don’t consume sugar all day?

What if your will power can beat the sugar cravings?

Food Cravings and How to Beat Them
Cravings can be defined as the intense longing for a particular type of food and are something that more than 60% of the population have had. Are these “all in the head” or is there some explanation to why we crave?

Nutritional Reasons
It may be that some cravings are related to nutrition. This is certainly true when it comes to carbohydrates and low blood sugar. Low blood sugar can affect appetite fairly quickly, leaving you hungry and craving carbohydrate type foods. This doesn’t explain cravings for high fat sugary foods in place of carbohydrates such as pasta or potatoes.
It is likely that the craving for high fat, sugary foods is due to the palatability of these. Fat helps carry flavour, which is why high fat foods taste good. Sweetness is a flavour that humans were born liking, while other flavours are acquired.

Dieter’s Cravings
Food cravings are also common in dieters. Diets often focus on deprivation of certain foods and cravings for “forbidden” foods become strong, particularly because the food is labelled as “forbidden. When resistance to temptation gives way, guilt more than often follows. To avoid this situation, don’t label foods. Look for smart alternatives. For example, when craving fries, don’t go for fast food, buy a packet of oven bake low fat fries and have a small portion.

How to Beat Cravings
The trick is not to beat it, but to go with it in a more healthy way. Saying no when you really feel like something is likely to resolve in a binge later on. A good tip is to wait 20 minuets. If you’re still having a craving, allow yourself to have a small portion. For example, a mini candy bar rather than a giant one. This will give you a taste without going overboard on fat and calories. Another tip is to find a healthier alternative for your craving. Feel like something crunchy and salty? Instead of chips, go for a small handful of pretzels. Although these are still high in salt, they are low in fat.
Watching your portion size and swapping choices will allow a little taste without going overboard.

Good Luck.

A letter to the media regarding 'A Man, His Bike and Some Crampons'

A Man, His Bike and Some Crampons

Dear Sir/Madam,

In May next year I will be undertaking the challenge of a lifetime, cycling from John o’Groats to Land’s End and climbing the three highest peaks of Scotland, England and Wales along the way. I will be taking on this challenge solo. The route totals over 1900km of cycling, 17km of climbing and with a vertical assent of 2963m it’s no mean feat.

Although this journey has been completed before, it has not been done under any significant time restraints. I have therefore set myself the challenge to reach Land’s End in less than ten days; the Guinness World Records have confirmed that this has never been attempted.

I am 23 years old, I have a degree in bio mechanics and I work with up and coming athletes providing training programs, support and education on a daily basis. I have chosen to dedicate this adventure to a charity close to my heart, SportsAid, which works with and provides funding for both able and disabled athletes, aged 12-18 years old. I have a target of £50,000 and with your assistance we will together help the next generation of young British sports men and women succeed.  You can read more about SportsAid on their ‘About US’ page.

I believe that this event has the potential to be extremely successful and I think you will agree that I need a significant level of media promotion and publicity to make this possible. I am confident that with your media experience and coverage you have the ability to help me make this impact on an exponential scale. 

My contribution to SportsAid is important and well worth the effort. Your help with this would be invaluable, whether it be a small article, a news piece or some other form of promotion.

If you would like to join me in supporting this outstanding event, please reply to me and we can discuss the possibilities.

Thank you for considering my request for your support. If you have any questions about the event ‘A Man, His Bike and Some Crampons’ please do not hesitate to call me. I hope that together we can make a really
positive impact and raise a really valuable sum of money for SportsAid.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Kind Regards

Matthew Page

A letter asking for help regarding 'A Man, His Bike and Some Crampons'

A Man, His Bike and Some Crampons

Dear Sir/Madam,

In May next year I will be undertaking the challenge of a lifetime, cycling from John o’Groats to Land’s End and climbing the three highest peaks of Scotland, England and Wales along the way. I will be taking on this challenge solo. The route totals over 1900km of cycling, 17km of climbing and with a vertical assent of 2963m it’s no mean feat.

Although this journey has been completed before, it has not been done under any significant time restraints. I have therefore set myself the challenge to reach Land’s End in less than ten days; the Guinness World Records have confirmed that this has never been attempted.

I am 23 years old, I have a degree in bio mechanics and I work with up and coming athletes providing training programs, support and education on a daily basis. I have chosen to dedicate this adventure to a charity close to my heart, SportsAid, which works with and provides funding for both able and disabled athletes, aged 12-18 years old. I have a target of £50,000 and with your assistance we will together help the next generation of young British sports men and women succeed.  You can read more about SportsAid on their ‘About US’ page.

I believe that this event has the potential to be extremely successful and I think you will agree that I need a significant level of media promotion and publicity to make this possible. I am confident that with your media experience and coverage you have the ability to help me make this impact on an exponential scale. 

My contribution to SportsAid is important and well worth the effort. Your help with this would be invaluable, whether it be a small article, a news piece or some other form of promotion.

If you would like to join me in supporting this outstanding event, please reply to me and we can discuss the possibilities.

Thank you for considering my request for your support. If you have any questions about the event ‘A Man, His Bike and Some Crampons’ please do not hesitate to call me. I hope that together we can make a really positive impact and raise a really valuable sum of money for SportsAid.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Kind Regards

Matthew Page

Bodyweight Training

Bodyweight Training

Bodyweight training is one of the most effective ways to burn fat and build muscle. When our weight gets to a certain level many of us decide that we need to join the gym or purchase training equipment. However, it is actually possible to train using your own bodyweight and achieve similar results. Many people neglect the potential of bodyweight training and in this blog I intend to change that and make you aware of the benefits bodyweight training has to offer.

Bodyweight training can help improve your physique by starting with as little as 15-20 minutes work a day. As you get used to the training you should allocate more time which will in turn yield more impressive results. To ensure that you are getting adequate training time you need to make bodyweight training part of your daily schedule. Maybe you could get out of bed 20 minutes earlier or perhaps you could watch TV for 20 minutes less each day. As your bodyweight training progresses you should be able to come up with more creative ways to fit in your training times. If the appearance of your body is important to you then you will always be able to find the time. Stick with it, do it every day and you will begin to notice surprising results.

One of the main concerns with bodyweight training is the frequency with which you exercise. Many people think that you should exercise 3-4 times a week or every other day. This is partially true. People who participate in high intensity, high volume workouts require the additional rest between training and therefore should only train 3-4 times a week. However, bodyweight training is much less intensive. If you train for 15-20 minutes each day.

So now that I have introduced you to bodyweight training and its benefits you are probably wondering what do I actually do? Well there are plenty of exercises you can do but I’ve outlined one of my favourites below:

THE BURPEE CHIN UP COMBO:
 - To begin stand under a chin up bar
- Slowly squat down, bending your knees and keeping your back straight.
- Place your hands on the floor in front of you.
- Kick back with your feet so that you are in a push up position.
- Do a push up.
- Jump your feet back under your chest and stand up rapidly.
- Grab the chin up bar with your palms facing towards you.
- Do a chin up.
- Squat back down and repeat.

Try and keep this up for 15 minutes and you will quickly realise how tough bodyweight training can be. If you do this exercise every morning you will start to notice changes within the week. It will help you burn fat and build muscle in a very short space of time.

Bodyweight training has almost limitless possibilities, it does not stop at this one exercise. If you get onto the BetterTrained website here http://www.bettertrained.co.uk/ there are lots of great bodyweight training ideas and plenty of advice and exercises that you can use in your own routine.

To progress with your bodyweight training set a feasible goal for each week. Once you achieve it set a new one for the next week. As long as you put in the effort you can burn fat and build muscle without attending the gym.

Treadmills? Good, bad or indifferent?

Treadmills? Good, bad or indifferent?

I’m often asked whether it is ok to run on a treadmill rather than outside. My answer is usually different to each person because it depends why they are asking me the question. There are pros and cons for each. So here are my general thoughts on the subject:

Running outside is better than running on a treadmill when:

You plan to do or have entered a running event

If you are aiming to do an event running outside then you need to get used to running outside. A treadmill helps you run since there is a continual ‘pawing back’ motion through the belt. Effectively part of the running motion is done for you therefore you do not develop the strength through this section. You will over-develop some muscles relative to others which will make it feel increasingly harder for you to run outside if you get too used to a treadmill. It can be easy to convince yourself not to run outside when it is, say, raining hard or blowing a gale. But if you train for weeks or even months for one event only to wake up on that day and discover a downpour then what are you going to do?

When the session you want to do is a long endurance one

Whether a long run for you is 30 minutes or 3 hours it can be really boring doing it on a treadmill. Running outside tends to pass quicker since you have a variety of views and terrain to keep you occupied. In addition, usually our longer runs are a training session for some kind of distance event so I refer back to the last point! Also consider long training runs for half or full marathons where you need to learn to drink and / or eat on the run. If you’re going to have to carry things in the event then the place to work out what is best for you is on a training run in similar conditions.

When you want to consolidate your running

I usually include in my clients training programmes a regular ‘run as you feel’ run. This allows you to pull all your running training together. It may mean pushing hard up a hill because you feel strong or really letting the run stretch out on the flats because you feel flexible. It lets your body respond to its muscles and your fitness while allowing you to just enjoy running (which should be the number one reason we all do it!) with no fixed agenda or target. This is much harder to do on a treadmill as your legs respond to the pace of the machine, rather than your pace being a response of your mind and body.

When you plan to run an off-road event

A treadmill has a flat, smooth and bouncy surface. It doesn’t ‘feel’ the same as grass, sand, gravel or mud under your feet. If you are planning an event on non-road surfaces then you need to get used to running on these surfaces. It is good practice to run on various surfaces anyway since the differences in terrain gives your lower limbs a better strength and stability workout. This means all the supporting, smaller muscles around your ankles and knees are worked more, making them stronger and keeping you more resistant to injury.

When the weather is nice and you have spent all day inside
Speaks for itself really! Why would you want to stay cooped up inside with lots of other sweaty bodies when you could be outside in the fresh air?

Running on a treadmill is better than running outside when:

You are returning from an injury and want to try your running out

Running outside to some extent will strengthen your muscles up but from time to time we can suffer from injuries and niggles. If you have had a set back then it is often worth building your running back up on a treadmill, especially if the injury has been caused by the impact of running. Treadmills nowadays all have shock absorbers to lessen the impact. In addition it is easier to just stop the session completely if needs be when you are on a treadmill, than if you are outside and discover you can’t run anymore when you are 3 miles from home!

When you only want to include a little bit of running in your overall workout

If you run mainly for fitness or you do a lot of cross training then you may want to just include a short running section within an overall cardiovascular workout. Logistically it makes much more common sense to just do 10-15 minutes on the treadmill than to ‘faff’ about going outside, coming back in and so on!

When it’s icy outside

Save yourself a broken leg and use the treadmill instead! 

When you are trying new trainers ou

Most good running shops will allow you to bring their trainers back after a test run as long as you don’t use them outside. Proper trainers are the best running investment you can make so be sure that they feel right for you.

I am a fan of treadmill running when there is a specific purpose to it. I include one treadmill session a fortnight in my own programme, but given I am doing 5 or 6 running sessions a week the proportion of treadmill running is quite small. Since my clients don’t have the need (or insanity!) to do so many sessions I tend to discourage them from using treadmills often, for the reasons I have stated above.

So, when all is said and done, if it’s a case of a treadmill run or no run then I’d pick a treadmill one every time!

Have fun,

All the best,

Matthew Page

Diving into the gene pool

As athletes rely more and more on technology, where does talent end and science begin.
Ever since the first Greek Olympics in 776BC, athletes have been pushing the boundaries of human physical potential on track and field. But now experts believe we have finally hit our limits and the human body can’t achieve more, and this is where science steps in.

I've explored the contribution of science to sport – with recent scientific developments including genetic testing to maximise training schedules, and shark-like swimming costumes to reduce drag in races. They’ve discussed in a line is drawn being between where talent stops and science begins.
Many experts, including those who trained the comedian David Walliams for his cross-Channel swim, believe that athletes, competing in track and field events in particular, have now reached the limit of natural human performance. In these sports, science will have the greatest contribution to future medal tables, where even a small enhancement in performance could make a big difference. Here are some of the scientific advances that may give sportsmen and women the edge.

WINNING GENESOne day scientists may be able to pick the winner of a race before it has even started, by looking at the competitors’ genetic make-up to see which one carries “performance genes”.
In recent years researchers have identified genes that confer athletic advantage, and some are now suggesting that genetic profiling for so called performance genes could be used to identify the athletes of the future. For instance, the ability to use oxygen efficiently is key to having the winning edge in all sports, as it keeps muscles going for longer. Some people carry a mutated version of a gene called EPOR, which results in an abnormally high number of red blood cells – the main oxygen transporters of the body. People with this mutated EPOR gene have more oxygen whizzing around their body, helping them to carry on working longer and harder than others. Researchers identified an entire Finnish family with this EPOR mutation, several of whom were championship endurance athletes, including the gold medal cross-country skier Eero Maentyranta.
It is likely that athletes able to break records in the future will be such physiological “outliers” – people who naturally possess extremes of normal body biology, which also happen to enhance performance. For instance, one helpful gene is called ACTN3. It comes in two variants, one of which makes muscles more suited to endurance events, and the other to sprint or power events. One American company has even started to offer people the chance to have their genes tested for performance-enhancing variants – at £50 a pop – to find out which sport they are genetically suited to.
So will we see genetic profiling by talent scouts? I’m dismissive as rediretcting athletic aptitude is incredibly difficult. There are too many genetic variations and environmental factors involved to make accurate predictions.

CHEMICAL ASSISTANCESome common enhancers, which might be called an appliance of science, are drugs such as anabolic steroids and EPO, the hormone that promotes red blood cell development. These are banned, although athletes tend always to be one step ahead of the regulators, using new undetectable drugs. The long-term effects of the use of such substances are unknown.
Some technologies, however, such as simulating the effect of training at altitude by placing an athlete in a pressure chamber, are not banned. This increases the number of red blood cells by making the body think it’s in a low oxygen environment, making it step up blood cell production. Nor is taking sodium bicarbonate before competition banned. This acts as a buffer in the blood, helping to prevent the build-up of lactic acid that causes burning muscle pain.

HIGH-TECH KITWe’ve already seen the impact that science can have on world records through advances in technology. In the 1990s, new materials science made it possible to use carbon fibers to build bicycles with characteristics that had never been seen before. An early example was Chris Boardman’s Lotus monocoque carbon frame, which he rode in the Atlanta Olympics in 1996. In the one-hour speed event, Boardman was able to travel 7km farther than the legendary Eddie Merckx had achieved 30 years earlier. But riding a standard A-frame bike, he managed only a paltry 10m more than Merckx.
Materials science makes a contribution to sport in many other ways, from shoes that let people bounce higher, to “go-faster” swimming costumes. Some cozzies, for instance, mimic the skin of a shark, making the swimmer more streamlined and reducing drag. High-tech equipment won’t make super-athletes out of mere mortals, but, it can make the difference between winning and losing for those at the peak of their game. “You need talent and preparation,” says Alan Currie, the psychiatrist for the UK Athletics team. “Self-motivation is integral to success, if you want to reach the top.”

Is your body built for sporting success?Have you got the perfect physique for sport? No matter what science can create to enhance our body’s performance, the basics have to be there, and this means having the right body shape for a sport.

One for the boys or the very hard core girls.

Build an All-Sport Body

Lay the foundation for a year of muscle growth with a versatile training tool: the power cage. Most men shy away from the power cage, so you won't have to wait in line to use it. You'll improve your strength, mobility, and endurance with this simple routine. Do the workout three times a week, resting at least a day between sessions.

Perform the exercises in succession, and then rest for 60 seconds before repeating the circuit once or twice.

1. Barbell Duck-Under

Set a barbell at waist level on the supports of a power cage, and stand with one hip next to it. Take a long stride beneath the bar, then duck underneath. Stand up on the other side, and repeat the motion to return to the starting position. Go back and forth until you've passed under the bar 8 to 10 times in each direction.

2. Reverse Push up

Sit on the floor under the barbell with your legs straight, and grasp the bar with a shoulder-width grip. Hang from the bar so only your heels touch the floor. This is the starting position. Pinch your shoulder blades together and bend your arms to pull your chest to the bar. Pause at your highest point, then lower yourself. Aim for 8 to 10 repetitions.

3. Front Squat to Shoulder Press

Load the barbell with a weight you can press overhead 8 times. Holding the bar on the front of your shoulders, bend at the hips and knees. Pause when your thighs are parallel to the floor (or lower), and then press up and push the bar overhead. Lower the bar to your shoulders. Do 8 reps.

4. Pull-up to Hanging Leg Raise

Grab the pull-up bar at the top of the cage with your palms facing away from you. Pull yourself up until your upper chest is as close to the bar as you can get it. Holding that position, bend your legs and bring your knees in toward your chest. Lower your legs, then lower your body to the starting position. Aim for 6 to 8 reps.

Good luck.

Break through a fitness plateau

Break through a fitness plateau. A few tips and tricks to keep training interesting.

I was stuck. Thousands of biceps curls for months on end, and nothing. Not even half an inch. My arms had simply stopped growing.

I took the Taoist approach: I quit trying. Instead of doing direct arm work, like curls, I concentrated on my chest, shoulders, and back, hitting them with heavy-lifting sets of chinups, rows, presses, and dips.

That's when it happened. My arms inflated.

Truth is, I hadn't really stopped working my arms. I was working them harder than ever—by association. The exercises I was using for my chest and back were also enlisting my biceps and triceps, stimulating more muscle fibers in different ways than with the arm isolation exercises.

My realisation:
Changing the training approach is the trigger for blasting through a frustrating fitness plateau, in either muscle or strength.

Weight loss plateaus

Weight-loss plateaus have many causes. Let's assume you've ruled out under eating (which triggers fat storage) and excessive stress (which releases cortisol, inhibiting fat loss). Your metabolism could just need a workout of its own: One intriguing plateau buster comes from a 2004 University of Colorado study, which linked increased "energy flux," or the total amount of calories your body processes in a day, to increased metabolism. Working out harder and eating more — while keeping the overall balance the same — could improve your ability to break down food.

A better way to blast your arms

Ditch the dumbbells and grab a Swiss-ball. Get down on the floor and assume a standard push-up position, with your hands resting on top of the ball. Keeping your hands planted, slowly roll your wrists onto the ball, followed by your forearms; stop when everything up to your elbows is touching. Slowly reverse the movement. Do only three sets of three repetitions in the beginning, and gradually build up to three sets of five. "This blasts your triceps because you have to stabilize the ball along with controlling your downward movement, it'll work the muscles better than any free-weight arm exercise can."