Many people crank up their core workouts looking for a flatter, more toned tummy—and hey, nothing wrong with a little vanity mojo! But if getting visible abs is your only focus when it comes to training—and you’re doing a million sit-ups to get there—your plan might backfire. “The core isn’t one muscle; it’s a relationship

I’m that person that enters every Facebook or Insta competition. And sometimes it pays off. So when I saw that Embark Training was giving away an entry to the Cape Cross Triathlon Stage Race, I entered straight away. I didn’t exactly read what the race entailed, where it was, distances… And then a few days

It feels like you should be handed an award when you decide to step up your running game (hello, you just dominated 10 whole kays!). In reality, you might just be left with some nasty shin splints—especially if you go all in too soon. “It’s one of the most common things I see in my

Dancers have the most incredible bodies. Fact. And with Strictly Come Dancing UK in full swing, we’ve all been eyeballing those gorgeous ladies in the shimmer and heels. Oti Mabuse is back at Strictly for her fourth year running, and this time she’s competing with cricketer, Graeme Swann. She’s been in touch and shared a

Have you been trying to sculpt Jennifer Garner-like arms for months (umm…did you see Peppermint), yet not seen any improvement? Don’t throw in the towel (or stop those push-ups). Top trainers say there are so many common mistakes women make when trying to get toned arms—but most of them are easily fixable. Whether you’re lifting the wrong size weights or

As someone whose competitive running these days is confined to whatever happens to be the local parkrun that week, it was with no small amount of trepidation that I entered the adidas City Run Shoreditch 10K at the eleventh hour – mainly to keep our Fitbit-powered running team company. I need to confess that my

Got bingo wings? Well, Annie, get your guns with this simple and effective move: the triceps extension. PSA: those oft-ignored soft-and-squishies behind your biceps need more TLC, especially if you want to get more definition in your arms. That’s because they’re made up of three components and are the bigger parts of your upper arms,

There’s no denying the benefits of cardio — it’s good for your heart and lymphatic system, it improves fitness and it burns fat. Problem is, traditional cardio is just so damn boring! Fortunately, these cardio moves from Shedding For The Wedding, a comprehensive weight-loss programme for brides-to-be and their bridesmaids, are the perfect alternative. Add

Here at WH HQ, we’re all about self-love, but we totally get that sometimes it’s easier said than done. For Monika Du Plessis, comparing herself to other women led her down a path of under-eating and cardio addiction… Cardio Obsessed Monika began working out the gym when she was 13 years old. She also participated in

“Are you going for a run?” The receptionist in my hotel looked genuinely confused as I headed out of the door in full running kit. After all, it was almost 11pm – a time when many young Genevois are only just starting their evening – but the 110km LG Trail from Lausanne to Geneva in

When it comes to buying workout trainers, the pool of choices is pretty wide and it’s easy to get bogged down in the technical details. Thankfully, there are go-to tips for finding the best shoe for your foot, and now we’re revealing our actual favourite shoes: the ones we keep grabbing, over and over again, the

Hundreds of thousands of pounds were raised in York today as over 10,000 runners pulled on their trainers to celebrate the sixth running of the Asda Foundation Yorkshire Marathon. The streets of the historic city were a cavalcade of colour as the runners made their way around the scenic course cheered on by enthusiastic spectators

Summer is finally here! And with so many events popping up, it’s hard to know what to look at next. Worry not, dear reader, here are some fun alternative ways to stay active this summer… Hand-picked by yours truly. Summer Event No 1: Afterdark Invasion: Zombie Edition Do you have plans for Halloween? If you

The moment we enter a race, the likelihood is we’ll have a target in mind. It might be a conservative one or you might be looking to put your personal best out of sight, but it will be a target nonetheless. For anyone running this weekend’s adidas City Run in Shoreditch (www.adidascityruns.com), having a target

This fitness move, the renegade row, could hold the key to a smoking-hot midsection – if you do it right. Allow us to break it down… Quick, stand up using just one leg. Falling over or wobbling? You might wanna work on your stabilisation – and renegade rows are one of your best bets. “They’re

Does an outdoor “fit-venture” sound like fun? Obviously. But worrying about your phone constantly dying? Not so much. Then there’s also packing all the gadgets and devices you’ll need for said adventure. Read: Cellphone, charger, GPS tracker, fitness tracker, music player – the list goes on. Mission. But before you head back to the couch,

When it was suggested that Women’s Health put together a team for the Discovery Tough Mudder obstacle race, I was the only one jumping up and down at the opportunity to get scratched up and dirty. Apparently, the mud baths and tree climbing that made up my childhood are not everyone’s cup of tea. Stoked to relive

Treadmill running is a bit like Marmite – you either love it or you hate it. There doesn’t seem to be much middle ground. I even own a treadmill and yet, for months on end, it sits there, gathering dust and being used as an impromptu rack for drying washing. I’d always had a similar

Going for a fitness assessment is terrifying. I know because I, along with the rest of the WH team, recently went for a Discovery Vitality Fitness Assessment as part of the #WHGetsFit challenge. It wasn’t my first rodeo. And as medical examinations go, the test itself is actually not bad at all – after all,

Running alone can be dangerous. Even a survey from the States quantified that fear: women are more than twice as likely to say they’re afraid to venture out at night on foot. Which is tough because cooler dawn and dusk are the best times to lace up. The Run Angel is designed to mitigate some

It’s tough to give exercise your all – and get excited about it, nogal – when you’re plagued by niggles and injury. Here’s how to recognise that you’re over-trained… 1. You Feel Flu-ish “Overtraining leads to burnout which is horrible! You have flu-like symptoms due to adrenal fatigue,” says Aneeka Buys, Virgin Active master trainer

Want to improve your recovery and performance? Try compression wear. MR talked to Cindy Liu, General Manager of Merchandise – Compression at 2XU and James Broatch, Research Fellow at the Australian Institute of Sport, about just why you should dress to compress MR: How has technology moved on in compression wear? CL: Muscle support remains

If you’ve decided to start running, you need a pair of actual running shoes designed for the sport. Hitting the pavement in your fave sneakers that look so hot with jeans is not a good idea. Firstly, your fave sneaks are going to get really worn really quickly (noooo!). Secondly, running in shoes that weren’t

5 Signs You’re Pushing Yourself Dangerously Hard During Your Workout You could be nearing total burnout. Women’s Health | 27 September 2018 SHARE THIS ON Photograph by Alora Griffiths/Unsplash Use this metre to gauge your daily and weekly workout intensity so you know whether you’re pushing yourself too hard – or not hard enough. To

Marathon training is no joke—especially when it leaves you with scabs on your armpits or under your boobs. And I’ve experienced both. During one particularly long, sweaty summer run, I knew my sports bra was rubbing a little too roughly against my skin. But chafing be damned, I finished that run and decided to take care of

Nicole Jefferson was in her late twenties but felt as if she had the hips of a senior citizen. It seemed as if something in her hip was constantly catching and snapping. Pain pinballed from her lower back to her groin to her hip. Short jogs—something that should have been a breeze for the former