Fitness, strength and lifestyle blog
This year, the focus of Mental Health Awareness Week is 'body image'. Here's how resistance training can not only help you improve your body image, but your overall mental wellbeing as well.
Do carbs really deserve their much maligned reputation? Or is it time that we changed our thinking and embraced carbohydrates in our daily diets?
A lot of people attack cardio because they don't believe it delivers the benefits it should; but it's an essential aspect of overall fitness.
I wonder how many women have been told not to get 'any bigger' when they get into resistance training? I know how many times it's happened to me - and it's four times too many.
There's a reason #neverskiplegday is a thing on social media; lots of people do. It's one of those gym sessions most people would happily swap for back day, chest day, arms, or in fact any other upper body day you can think of. Why? Because leg day is tough.
You may consider them a small part of your body, but the benefits of having well-defined and strong shoulders shouldn't be underestimated.
With the right training and nutrition, it is often said that the average man can gain around 1-2lbs of muscle per month and the average woman around 1lb. Ignore the 'quick fixes', it's patience you need to exercise
'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.
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.
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
'What weights should I be lifting?', 'what is a drop set?', and 'should I be worried about DOMS?' Starting out on a programme of resistance training can be intimidating for both men and women, especially when faced with a barrage of jargon. What's more, the weights section of a gym can often feel unwelcoming, meaning many people avoid this important aspect of training. In an attempt to make all newcomers feel more confident, here are some answers to some frequently asked questions.
