I've written a lot about exercise. A lot about training. A lot about the best systems for muscle growth and slimming down. What I've not covered very much (if at all) is rest, and its absolutely essential role in exercise. Training may act as the stimulant to growth and development, but sleep is when the adaptions actually take place. But what counts as adequate rest?
'Hitting the wall' is a feared term in endurance circles. But it can happen to a lesser extent in weight training as well. It's that point in training where you feel like you can't go on, where taking just one more step or lifting one more rep can seem impossible. Unless you're an elite athlete, it can happen to anyone, including me. So how do you cope?
It can feel like hard graft for little personal reward training a body part that you rarely see unless you're straining in the mirror. But giving your back a good workout is not only sensible from a health perspective (think good posture and core strength) but also from an aesthetic perspective, for anyone lucky enough to behold your impressive lats.
Why do you weight train? Having spend a good portion of my time writing advice articles on resistance training and fitness programmes, I thought it would be worth looking at how and why I got into weight training. Everyone has a different story, and this is mine. How did you find your passion?
The sun may be in hiding, but that doesn't mean your guns have to be as well. There are many different exercises out there that promise to isolate different areas of the arms, but the simplest exercises are often the most effective. Here are five of my favourites.
"I don't lift weights because it's too intimidating", "I wouldn't know what to do", "people would judge me". I hear the same reasons time and again from women who are uneasy about weightlifting in the gym. Here are my top tips for addressing gym anxiety.
Three weeks to shredded! Get beach-body ready in two weeks! Six pack in seven days! How realistic do these sound? Clearly not realistic at all. Yet, following a chat with a fellow PT this week, there are many people who think and want it to be otherwise.
Fed up with sit-ups and crunches? There are many other ab exercises that are equally - if not more - effective in building core strength and muscle definition. Here are my four favourites.
It's 6pm: you've finished work for the day and are looking forward to hitting the gym. You've been working hard and the results are paying off. Yet, despite all this, the second you set foot outside, your motivation starts to wane. Sat at your desk- eyes glued to an Excel spreadsheet - the gym had seemed like a welcome break, but now, when the alternative is a warm house, the sofa and a slice of carrot cake, getting sweaty suddenly doesn't seem the best option. So, is there anything you can do to tackle your demotivating inner voice?
Where once it was legs (and then abs), having a well toned posterior is the new 'thing' in women's fitness. Everywhere you look, Kim Kardashian-esque asses are proudly displayed, often accompanied by a set of exercises you, YES YOU! should use to achieve the desired level of pertness, roundness and size. While it goes without … Continue reading Five of the best glute exercises
