A lot of fitness trainer’s today talk about a concept called functional strength or functional fitness. In fact as a trend you could place it up there with Zumba for group exercise and low carb dieting for nutrition. In a lot of centres you will find “functional” training for everything from sports performance toContinue reading “The Myth of Functional Training For Sport”
Category Archives: strength and conditioning
Standing on the Shoulders of Giants: Ian King
Last Wednesday I attended a lecture by Ian King on Athletic Preperation Strategies for Elite Athletes given by one of the worlds best strength and conditioning coaches Ian King. Now Ian King is not a name that you may not have not necessarily heard. He isn’t quite as media friendly as a lot of otherContinue reading “Standing on the Shoulders of Giants: Ian King”
Strength is a Skill…
In any physical endeavour the ability to perform at your best is oftren desirable. In fact challenging yourself to hit new goals be it pull ups, press ups or any exercise is pretty much the driving force of all the programmes I write. Even for those with the goal of just looking better if youContinue reading “Strength is a Skill…”
Types of Body Fat…
Fat cells are distributed all around the body and are not necessarily inert from a metabolism standpoint. Fat storage is defined in to the following categories: Essential Body Fat This serves as a protection for organs, the immunity and inflammatory responses, the structure of hormones, insulation for nerves and the brain. This totals around 3%Continue reading “Types of Body Fat…”
4 Overated Exercises (And How To Make Them Better)!
What goes in an exercise programme is usually a mixture of opinion, fact and experience of the person writing that programme. Now that does not mean the more experienced you are the more relevant your exercise choices are. In turn qualifications mean nothing without practical experience. What follows are 4 exercises that you may commonly seeContinue reading “4 Overated Exercises (And How To Make Them Better)!”
Why Posture is Important: Part 3- The Lower Back…
The lower back is commonly the focus of “core” training and posture. With around 80% of individual’s experiencing some form of back pain it has become a massive focus for trainers more orientated towards rehab. With national health service initiatives running programs for lower back care for back pain resolution it is an issue for aContinue reading “Why Posture is Important: Part 3- The Lower Back…”
Why Posture is Important: Part 2- A Crash Course in Hip Anatomy…
This is a follow on from Part 1 where we discussed the fundamental benefits of postural balance and keeping the spine in a neutral position. The concept often over viewed in most back care programmes and core training workouts is that specific postural issues such as pain, tightness or discomfort in movement are often notContinue reading “Why Posture is Important: Part 2- A Crash Course in Hip Anatomy…”
Why Posture is Important: Part 1…
Why is Neutral Spine Important in All Exercises? Three natural curves are present in a healthy spine. The neck/ cervical spine, the mid-back/ thoracic spine and the lower back/ lumbar spine. The neutral alignment is important in helping to cushion the spine from too much stress. Learning how to maintain a neutral spine position alsoContinue reading “Why Posture is Important: Part 1…”
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