Standing at a height of 6ft 3”, the reigning champion, Usain Bolt will be aiming to add to his impressive collection of six Olympic Gold medals. Currently holding both the World and Olympic records in the 100m sprint, Bolt’s successes have often been pinpointed to the height advantage he holds over his fellow athletes.

Having longer limbs, Bolt is not only able to hold his speed for a longer distance but his legs can also help to propel him to the front of the field.But taller athletes who compete in track events aren’t the only ones who benefit from having longer limbs.Swimming, Basketball, Volleyball, Boxing and Tennis are just some of the other Olympic sports where taller players hold an advantage over their smaller competitors.

Is there any way I can lengthen my limbs for sport?

Although your height and the length of your limbs are mostly genetic, there is still a way that you can make them longer. This is through a medical procedure called limb lengthening. There are differing version of limb lengthening surgeries, such the Guichet Nail which is a small screw, and more older but common techniques using telescopic rods inserted into the cartilage of the bone which then pulls it apart very gradually, one millimeter a day.

New living bone then grows along it to fill the gap and muscles, nerves, arteries and the skin also renew themselves.The process has also been a huge success in China and the US, where certain limb lengthening surgeries, such as Dr Guichet’s, that boast you to resume sports such as cycling in the same day.

There are also a number of success stories from people that have benefited in having this type of surgery from professional cyclists to recreational runners. So whether you are looking to improve your performances or one day even compete against the likes of Lebron James at the Olympic Games, limb lengthening may benefit you.

How does having longer limbs benefit certain sports?

Generally, sporting ability plays a huge part in how good people are at certain sports.

However, in most cases, longer limbs have many benefits that provide an extra edge over fellow competitors.

In the NBA (National Basketball Association), the average height of the players competing is listed at around 6ft 7” and in basketball, having longer legs and arms is extremely advantageous. Taller players are often thought to hold an advantage because when they shoot the ball at the hoop not only does it have less distance to travel but they will also be closer to the rebound.

Their ability to reach higher into the air also increases the likelihood of them being able to block other people’s shots. Standing close to 7ft, Hakeem Olajuwon is the NBA’s all-time blocks leader, proving that longer limbs are an advantage in Basketball.

Longer legs and arms are also favourable when it comes to competing in swimming. Whilst many believe this to be a main factor in the amount of drag a swimmer has to overcome in the water, many studies have found that it doesn’t necessarily increase with height.

Instead, taller swimmers who have bigger legs and arms tend to have bigger muscles, hands and feet to propel them through the water faster. You only have to go back as far as eight-time Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps to see how much of an advantage longer legs and arms can be.

Get Out in the Garden

It might sound like an ‘old person’ thing to do (sorry Dad), but it’s extremely satisfying to maintain a garden you like, and it gives you the option to grow some fresh food for yourself while staying active. A weekend hauling bags of mulch and digging holes will certainly test your strength and stamina, and the fresh air certainly won’t hurt. Gardening is also great for keeping your stress levels down and giving you time to think, both of which are great for your health.

Yoga Class

Yoga is great for flexibility, strength and balance, all of which will help improve your fitness in other sports, too. It can also be a great social opportunity, and it has been found that participating in hobbies alongside a “buddy” will increase the likelihood of you sticking to it.

Dance Lessons

Going to dance lessons with your partner will have you both up and moving around while learning to do something you can both enjoy.

Join a Running Club

This one kinds of sells itself! It’s literally exercise, but running as part of a group is a great social activity, too. Find a running club near you and get involved; whatever your fitness level is, most social groups have ways to tailor group runs so that everyone’s involved.

Go on Hiking Holidays

What better way to spend a Saturday? There’s a real primal sense of achievement to seeing a big hill and managing to get to the top of it. Take some friends, a picnic, and make a weekend of it in a new part of the country.

Practice Paintballing

It’s a stereotypical stag weekend favourite, but many paintball providers (like this one in Essex) are offering regular paintballing packages for all sorts of people in order to help them practice and increase their fitness. You’d be amazed how much cardio is required to play a full day of paintball.

Get Golfing

Skip the golf cart and you can end up walking 10km while you and your friends get 18 holes in.

A hobby is, by its very definition, something that is fun and that you look forward to. Whatever you choose to do should get you up and moving around, using your brain, and either has a social element or a sense of real achievement. Try a few of the suggestions above, and let us know how you get on!

A runner’s diet should consist of mainly carbohydrate. At least 60% of the diet should be carbohydrate and a conscious effort should be made to include anti-oxidants like vitamin C in the diet. This is because long-distance running and high-levels of training can produce ‘oxidative’ damage or stress on the body, which in turn can lead to a compromised immune system. This can be achieved by having a nutritious diet full of organic fruit and vegetables on a daily basis. For health reasons, medium and low glycaemic index carbohydrates which effect blood sugar levels gradually should be consumed on a daily basis, and high glycaemic (sugary) carbohydrates consumed only before, during and after a run.

Sports Drinks

If you are competing in a race or a marathon, never try something new on the day. It is important to have a structured approach to nutrition and try any new drinks, supplements or interventions during training. Before embarking upon a long run, or a competitive long-distance race, consume about 500ml of water two hours before the start. This should optimise gastric emptying so that more water can be utilised during a run or race. If possible sip on a sports drink leading up to, and during a long distance run. It is important to sip the drink, as the body can only make use of around 150ml every 15 minutes. A sports drink should contain electrolytes and glucose or maltodextrin.

Glucose and electrolytes should be included in a sports drink to help replace what the body uses and loses in sweat during a run. In addition to this, glucose and sodium can optimise absorption of water by the small intestine via a process known as active transport. It is possible to make your own sports drink by adding a pinch of salt and either glucose or maltodextrin powder to water. Add 25-50g of carbohydrate powder to every 500ml of water. It is possible to add fruit juice or squash/cordial instead of carbohydrate powder, but this will likely contain more fructose than glucose. As fructose takes a lot longer to digest, it is not ideal for a sports drink. Incidentally, glucose powder is a lot sweeter than maltodextrin, so I would recommend the latter.

In ultra-long distance events, too much water without any additional sodium, could in theory cause a condition known as hyponatremia. This is another reason to make the diet in general, as well as a sports drink, high in electrolytes. Himalayan salt and coconut water are great sources of electrolytes. Test your body’s tolerance to food and drink high in electrolytes, as some sensitive individuals have been known to experience stomach cramps after drinking large quantities of coconut water for the first time. If you struggle to take on board large amounts of water during a run lasting more than one hour, energy gels are also an option to top up carbohydrate levels so that you don’t ‘hit the wall’ and have to rely on the body’s fat stores for energy.

Post Run Nutrition

It’s good to get in the habit of weighing yourself before and after a run; this is a good marker to let you know how much fluid to consume to completely rehydrate. You should consume 150% of what has been lost in sweat, so if you weigh 2kg less after a run, than before it, you should consume (over a number of hours) 3 litres of water; again with some sodium and glucose added. Do the pee test and make sure your pee is clear 30 minutes after you’ve finished drinking the water.

Insulin levels are elevated for up to 2 hours after exercise. This is the best time to replenish muscle carbohydrate/glycogen stores and to consume high glycaemic index carbohydrates. The addition of protein to a post-run drink may also enhance recovery, as it helps to speed up repair and recovery of the muscles. Chocolate milk has been shown to be a great post-run drink as it contains protein, sugar and sodium; although many nutritionists argue that whey protein is more effective than milk protein in terms of optimising recovery.

1. Mix it up

A treadmill and even an elliptical offer you tremendous control over both your speed as well as your effort.  Thus it is possible to mix several things up on these stationary machines. You can mix it up by increasing your incline for the first few minutes, activate your calves and quads, and decrease the decline for hamstrings and so on.  By doing so, you will be targeted several different body parts and making the most of what the machine has to offer.

2. Get into the flow

If you just keep going and going hard on the treadmill or elliptical without really paying attention to what is happening to your body, then you might feel fatigue and tiredness soon enough. Thus it is rather important to break up the high intensity workouts and create a flow from easy to hard. This will prevent you from hitting rock bottom and fatigue early on.

3. Don’t hang on

Another step that can help you make the most cardiovascular fitness equipments like treadmills and elliptical are to avoid hanging on in the middle of the session. If you are feeling tired, then rather than holding onto the rails or falling off balance, it is better to switch the machine off and get down for a few minutes. This is important as far as safety reasons are concerned.

4. Mimic a race

Often we tend to go lazy and slow when we are on these machines but in order to max it out and feel the energy, you must try to mimic a race. Tempo runs, track repeats as well as long runs can all be done on a treadmill. You can make use of the treadmill’s automatic elevation options irrespective of whether you are seeking a change of pace or trying to run in a new challenging condition.

5. Avoid adding weights

Adding weights onto the machine may help you build muscle but it always poses the risk of putting you off balance. Weights can dry up your energy fast and may even lead to injury

6. Avoid the fat burn setting

Most elliptical and treadmills have the fat burn setting but this setting must be avoided because you are always going to burn more fat by running faster as compared to running slower.  So run faster and your fat burning will double.

Although an investigation is still underway into the player safety and neck protection, it is not only cricket officials alone who seriously reconsidering the safety of all those involved in the sport, with sales of cricket helmets soaring in Australia, with some stores reporting a 70% increase since the tragedy occurred.  This fatality has been somewhat of a reality check and has affected both amateurs and professionals alike, many of whom are upping their game immensely in terms of protective gear and looking after their own safety, even in sports you may not have considered to be a danger. Whether you’re crazy about cricket or serious about swimming, here are just a few ways in which to ensure you’re as safe as you can be when partaking in your favourite hobby.

Cricket

Despite already having a large amount of protection in place already, understandably the cricket world have stepped up and increased the way in which they keep their players safe. More now than ever it is essential that you kit up correctly and ensure you’re sufficiently protected whether you’re simply training or taking part in a match. It’s evident that something as simple as a stray ball can cause unimaginable damage, and so from helmets to pads to gloves, stocking up on high quality cricket protection from a company such as Talent Cricket is the best way in which to prevent further tragedies.

Running

Jogging is becoming increasingly popular with the young and old alike, allowing you to truly unwind and clear your mind after even the most stressful of days. Unfortunately, due to current time of year both the mornings and evenings are fairly dark, yet these are the times of day we are often restricted to such activities, and many of us choose to run on poorly lit roads and roadsides. Dressing appropriately is a huge part of safety when jogging, and wearing high-vis clothing will ensure any approaching motorists can see you clearly and in sufficient time to slow down safely is a must.

Cycling

Whether you’re cycling indoors on a track or outside on a road, a good quality helmet should be your number one priority when you set off on two wheels. Similarly to those who jog, if you’re choosing to use the main roads for your cycling ventures, then high-vis clothing as well as sufficient lighting and reflectors are highly recommended – especially when doing so at night.

Thanks for reading,

What Do You Want to Achieve?

Before undertaking any form of regular exercise, it is advisable to decide exactly what you want to get out of your new fitness regime. Is it simply a matter of increasing your overall fitness level or do you wish to lose weight and achieve a toned appearance? Decide how much time you can devote each day to your fitness activities and what impact it may have on your other daily routines. It is important to set yourself some sort of measurable goal so that you have something to aim for. Fitbug Orb is ideal for measuring your ongoing performance and gauging how close you are to your ultimate objectives.

The reason it is important to decide beforehand just what you want to get out of your fitness regime is that running and walking are two very different beasts. If you are completely new to exercise, the activity of running is really not for you. The high-impact intensity of a solid run will simply put too much strain on a body that is ill-prepared for such an activity. Running is better suited to those who possess a decent level of fitness to begin with.

The Benefits of Running

It has been scientifically proven that running burns more calories than walking. Those with a calorie counter will be amazed at what can be achieved by embarking on regular runs. As you use up to two and a half times more energy running rather than walking, it stands to reason that you will burn more calories. An average person burns 800 calories per hour running, while walking for the same period of time burns 300 calories.

The Benefits of Walking

Despite these facts, walking still has a number of benefits too. As the act of walking is less high-impact than running, you are much less likely to suffer from injuries such as hamstring strains, knee complaints or shin splints. In addition, walking is highly beneficial in a spiritual sense. The slower pace of the activity allows you to take in more of your surroundings, emptying your mind of worries in the process. It is still a good way to lose weight too, so keep your fitness app to hand to measure your progress.

Running and walking are both highly effective forms of exercise but which is best for you depends on your personal fitness level and abilities. Beginners and those less physically able will benefit from regular walks, while those of a more advanced level will achieve more by running.

As I found out the hard way last Christmas, realising your potential through running can give you a sense of satisfaction. Not everyone can run a marathon or even a half marathon for that matter. It takes a lot of dedication not only through training but through your nutrition too. If you’re interested in learning more about training for your first marathon, you can read some of our marathon tips here.

The EMF

One event that has caught my eye over the years is the Edinburgh Marathon Festival or the EMF for short. It’s an annual festival in the month of May and it attracts over 30,000 runners. The festival has several races available for all ages and abilities. These include the Marathon, Half Marathon, Team Relay, 10k, 5k and junior races.

The Edinburgh Marathon will kick off an extraordinary year of sport across the country with a line-up that includes the Commonwealth Games in July and the 40th Ryder Cup in September. The Edinburgh Marathon has a fast, flat route and is one of the fastest in the world. Edinburgh was recently voted the second best destination in the UK for a city marathon.

If you’re still not convinced then why not read some of the EMF runner’s comments from last year?

Accommodation

If you’re planning on entering the festival then suitable hotel accommodation is very important. Here at 4Ever Fitness, we’d like to recommend the following two hotels. The Holiday Inn Edinburgh hotel is situated midway between the airport and the city centre. The Holiday Inn Edinburgh – City West hotel is located only 1.5 miles from the city centre and only 2 miles from Edinburgh Castle. Both of these hotels have perfect positions and are well respected hotels too.

Get Social

The EMF are being social so if you haven’t already done so, it’s definitely worth liking them on Facebook and following Mr Hairy Haggis on Twitter. There will be plenty of updates popping up over the coming weeks I’m sure. They also have an EMF Instagram page, so share your pics with using the #edinburghmarathon. So get social and make friends today!

Running Tips

If you are interested in running at the EMF then you may wish to read some of our running tips here. By following some of our advice you could shave valuable seconds off your PB. Realise your potential in Edinburgh!

Thanks as always for reading,

Happy New Year! Over the Christmas period I’ve had my feet up. I’ll tell you all shortly about how my latest charity challenge went, it was eventful to say the least! I’ve also been thinking about doing my very first triathlon. Here are my thoughts:

When it comes to preparing yourself to take part in a triathlon, there is a need to ensure that you are fully focused and motivated. Over the course of the training for a triathlon, many people find that their focus falls solely on this activity. This means that many people will have a triathlon on the brain for much of their build-up to the race.

This means making some sacrifices and it means you may need to explain your training to others. If you have a wife, partner or close family, you need to try and balance the need to train with the need to see and look after them. This is definitely an area where triathlons need to have a complete focus in their life, so it helps to make sure that your friends and loved ones are on board as quickly and as comprehensively as possible.

One of the best ways that you can become fully focused on what a triathlon entails is to look at the equipment on offer and ensure that you have the right gear. There is a lot of clothing and equipment to choose from but there are some items that are more important than others. For instance, you definitely need to have access to a bike to take part in a triathlon. However, while there are many different styles of bikes to choose from, you want to choose a bike that is ideally suited to the terrain and nature of the event.

The right bike can make all the difference

This is where choosing from the range of time trial bikes may be of greater benefit to you. These bikes are slightly different from standard bikes in that they have handlebars or aerobars which reduce drafting. When it comes to time trials, cyclists are not allowed to draft, which places a greater level of importance on lowering the amount of aerodynamic drag of the rider and the bike. This style of bike can give you a much needed boost when it comes to taking part in the cycling event of a triathlon. There is not too much of a market for time trial bikes and triathlon bikes on their own but the popularity of both of these events ensures that the market which combines both of these elements will of be interest to many people.

When it comes to making the most of cycling, you also need to ensure that your diet is fully committed to the cause. A triathlete needs to take in the proper fuel to ensure that they are fit and ready for purpose in the build-up to the race. Training and taking part in a triathlon requires a great deal of training, which means that there is a need to be focused and to have enough fuel to get you through increased levels of work and commitment. This is where there is a huge need to tailor your diet and to ensure that your life is focused on getting the best training and performance levels.

Thanks for reading,

I’ve just pulled together my first training video and it’s gone down really well. Most of the people who I was expecting to take the piss out of me, have actually said they thought it was done really well. I’ll take it and if I can inspire a few other people along the way, it’s all good!

The foundation of the video was the run up to Total Warrior. Some of the training I’m doing for this event is featured in the video. I wanted the video to start slow, introduce a few motivational quotes and then nail it. The music was key. It starts with The Wheat from Gladiator and then follows The Contender. Both tracks were written by Hans Zimmer, he’s a legend in my eyes. The main focus of the video is to inspire. I wanted to get across a wide range of body movements, boxing, weight training (including kettlebells) and plenty of running. I also wanted to get across I’m not afraid of a bit of rain and I like to get creative to my workouts.

Those of you that have been following my blog will know I’m big on motivation and I swear by quotes and philosophy. When I posted this up on my Facebook page I didn’t know what reaction I’d get. The title of the video was simply “Some of you may smile. Some of you may laugh out loud. Some of you may be inspired.” Overall the response was very positive. I even had a few people private message me to say how much it inspired them. Thanks again.

Thanks,

Those of you that have read my blog will know that I’ve recently signed up to a weekly 5k run. It’s a not for profit organisation that helps to organise free weekly timed 5km runs around the country. These take place every Saturday morning and it’s also really helping with my training routine. Our times at the moment are ok but there’s room for improvement.

Back to the article, ways to help improve your running in four easy steps. Do you ever feel you’re dragging yourself outside to run? Or maybe your times are getting worse rather than better? Follow these four simple steps and we’ll help you get back on track and improve your running performance.

1. Join a running club

If you aren’t already a member of a club you should consider joining one. Motivation is a massive thing for me and running with others is a great way to keep you motivated. You can also learn a lot about running from some of the more experienced runners in the club. I’m not in a running club but I do go running with friends.

2. Set some running goals

Why do you run? Is it just for regular exercise, get or stay in shape or to lose weight? Are you running an event like a marathon soon? Setting specific goals for a weekly or monthly target will also help you stay motivated.

3. Look in your fridge

For those of you that are running to lose weight and are not seeing the results you should be. How many times have you heard the phrase ‘you are what you eat?’. Well it’s true and your diet may well be affecting all the hard work you’re putting in at the gym or out on the track. If you want to see some real and deserved results then take a quick look in your fridge.

4. Track your runs in a log

If you don’t know where you are at, how will you know where you’re going? If you record your runs, this gives you something to compare and you may be surprised at how much progress you’ve already made. I’m currently using a Nike+ SportBand and it provides excellent motivation for me. It tracks my time, pace and calories from every run. If you’re not tracking your runs in a log, then give it a try.

All the best folks and please keep us posted about your results!