When the #whgetsfit Winter Fitness Challenge rolled around, I knew I wanted to do something that would get me out of my weight-loss plateau, teach me a skill and not make me want to claw my eyes out (looking at you, treadmill). When I started boxing and Muay Thai at True Muay Thai, I had no
Running
I came, I listened, I conquered… Danielle Weakley pulled on her lycra, threw herself into SWEAT 1000 repeaters and onto treadmills and came out fitter, faster, stronger. “Summer Is Commmmming” You know the expression summer bodies are made in winter? Well, smug arses, this year so do I! I have a stupid relationship with exercise.
Men’s Running’s Adam Stephens asks Jane Howard more about Iyengar Yoga and how it can help improve your running Jane Howard passed her Iyengar teacher training in 2002 and currently teaches four regular classes a week. Among the high profile sportsman to do this form of yoga include current Wales Manager and Man United legend
WORDS: Adam Stephens Here are five mobilisation exercises for runners from rehabilitation specialist personal trainer Jack Healy. The first three exercises mentioned are for your warm up routine and the last two can be used during you’re warm up or cool down period: Alternating side lunge This exercise helps strengthen key running muscles such as the
Adam Stephens explains how to stay cool when the temperatures rise Set an early alarm and beat the heat! The best time to run is early in the morning between 6-7am. For example, parkun Founder Paul Sinton-Hewitt says this is when he does most of his runs in the balmy summer in preparation for his
Waiting around for motivation to kick in can be a losing battle. In a meh mood? When all the motivational memes have failed, try one of these strategies for getting the job done. 1. Give It 10 Feeling mentally drained and not in the mood is not necessarily a sign that your body is too
Stunning Surf Essentials Even Beach Bums Need Craving a beach holiday? An entire lifetime by the ocean? Us too. By Michelle October | 23 August 2018 SHARE THIS ON Photograph by Unsplash Craving a beach day? A whole beach holiday? An entire lifetime by the ocean? Us too. We’re all about surfing in winter (it’s
Confession: I’m a fitness editor and I’ve never done a headstand. Yeah, never. I do yoga pretty regularly, and I like to consider myself well-versed in the practice: Warrior II? Chair Pose? Full bind? You got it! But any time the instructor calls for this intimidating inversion, I freeze. (Yeah, I’ll just hang over here
Steeplechase is a hard man’s event. Saucony UK athlete Ieuan Thomas takes us through what it takes! 1) You’ve set PBs this year over 3000, 3000SC and 10K on the road. What three things would you say have most contributed to this? a) A solid winters training. I train as a 10k runner during the
Mountain climbers are an amazing, quick and nifty way to get your heart rate up, which is why they’re so loved by group training instructors. “You can add them to any workout between resistance sets to keep your heart rate elevated; it’s not the kind of exercise you want to do in isolation,” says biokineticist
My running partner will be the first to tell you that I’ve never really “trained” for a race. He called my marathon training half-arsed and tells everyone I barely committed to real time on the road ahead of my first Two Oceans Ultra (56km) last year. Which, I reckoned, I was pretty disciplined about. We
The grand finale of Survivor SA is upon us: 39 days of fierce competition, scheming, intense workouts and very little food. Character-building stuff with the ability to bring out the best and worst in anyone. Toni Tebbutt managed to hang on for 30 days. Survivor was tough, but the return to reality is a challenge
Brenna Coupland is not your average trail runner come personal trainer; in fact, she’s not your average anything. From cycling through Africa (just to get to know her new home), to cycling pretty much everywhere (she doesn’t own a car), there are many stories associated with this inspirational human. Currently, she’s racing and training for the
When I started boxing I was looking for something to help me deal with life’s stressors and also something fun to get me moving again. I hadn’t exercised for what felt like two years (in reality, I reckon it was 2.5 years). Many things were to blame: family obligations, moving provinces, an ankle injury, overtime
Be honest: how many of you take rest as seriously as you do training and nutrition? When you’re preparing for a race, it’s easy to forget to get enough shut-eye – but it’s just as important as a tough training session in terms of your overall preparation. Think of your schedule as three key components:
Hooray for ab exercises that don’t require holding a plank or banging out crunches! This particular move even lets you lie down, but you won’t be counting sheep – it does a number on your midsection, obliques, upper back and shoulders. “This move trains your abs to work like an anchor: you have to hold
Cracknell on cross training In terms of whether you are going for sub-3, 4 or 5 marathon, the one thing I would always say is never run on a niggle. Running is a weight-bearing exercise and it is only going to get worse. Don’t look at cross training as a day off running. Make sure
You know that girl on the elliptical who sticks it out for an entire episode of This Is Us, slogging away at the same pace for the whole thing? (Maybe you even are that girl…?) Welp, sorry to break it to her (you?), but she could be spending a lot less time in the gym each
Got leg issues? Don’t we all. And I’m not just talking to those of you struggling with excess weight. For those like me, whose skinny pins stand only a 50/50 chance of keeping me upright when confronted by a medium-strength gust of wind (no joke in CT), this leg series is everything. I’m talking toning
I recently squeezed a whirlwind Euro trip into two weeks: Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, France and Belgium. And while I can’t say my diet was exactly what you’d call ‘balanced’, I did try my best to keep my fitness in check. Here are a few lessons I learnt along the way… Book your own trip
Bonolo Mahlangu is a self-proclaimed fitness freak… And after scrolling through her Instagram, we totally believe her. It’s a page oozing with exercise, health and a whole lot of body confidence. Bonolo’s Journey Bonolo is not newly acquainted with fitness. “I’ve always been a sporty person. Back in school, I played netball and I ran
Whether you skipped a few days (okay fine, a few weeks) at the gym before making your triumphant return or decided to try out a new HIIT class instead of your usual yoga routine, you may have experienced that dreaded muscle soreness 24 hours later. (Yeah, as in, even putting on your shoes or standing
Thought yoga was just about twisting your body into weird and wonderful Insta-worthy positions? Nope. Here’s how practice gives you more than flexibility gains… Your Brain What seems like a slow start – breathing deeply in and out – actually fires up your prefrontal cortex, your brain’s centre for higher thought. You just got smarter:
There are many reasons to start running. For Zanele, it was a way to escape the heartbreak and tears. In 2010 her father took his own life. Running became Zanele’s coping mechanism to deal with this tragic event – and the depression that came with it. “I started with 5km runs; then, about four years
“Operation #bodygoals starts on Monday,” says me every other Friday of the year. I’ve always found it difficult to stick to an exercise regime. I start out great, full of motivation, then skip one day and the next thing you know I haven’t worked out in weeks. For our #WHGetsFit staff fitness challenge, levelling up
One of the favourite moves prescribed by Kayla Itsines and group fitness instructors everywhere, the straight-legged jackknife or V-up, as it’s also referred to, is a great way to tighten tummy muscles, but this move is not for everyone. “The V-up is a very difficult move to do for beginners,” says Level 1 CrossFit trainer