Stay cool & warm up

If you’ve ever had a crack at weightlifting, only to find yourself aching horrendously for days afterwards, then one of two things could be at fault. You’ve either gone too heavy, too soon, or not warmed up sufficiently to prepare your body for lifting weights. This key component of your workout, which could be anything from light cardio, stretching, or lifting very small weights to warm up your muscles, can not only make your workout more effective – but also improve recovery in the hours and days afterwards.

Keep it simple

When you take a moment to think about it, strolling over and picking up a dumbbell is actually simpler than fiddling with an electronic control pad on a treadmill or cross trainer. But part of the apprehension can come from seeing people already there and apparently getting on with weight lifting as though it’s the most natural thing in the world. However, there was a point in their well-sculpted lives that they were also absolute beginners, so start with smaller weights and don’t worry what anybody thinks – they’ll all be far too focused on themselves to care!

Plan your workout

It won’t take you much time to find the ‘ideal’ workout you’re looking for online. Whether it’s bigger arms, stronger legs, or more definition in your chest or back, there are plenty of videos and plans close at hand at any time. Although you may find that some movements are beyond you, at least for now, it will give you an idea of how to navigate yourself from a free weights bench, to a bench press, and so forth, following an effective process that’s designed to get the best from specific muscle groups. Research has shown that the formulaic nature of weight lifting could provide the added bonus of improved cognition, over time.

Ask for advice

Yes, you could spend a few extra quid on a personal trainer, who would be able to show you what, when, how and why to lift weights (while guiding you through the weights rack in the process) – but you do have other options, too. Seasoned weightlifters don’t generally mind ‘spotting’ their peers, from time to time, and may offer their own advice completely free of charge. There are also the likes of weight loss camps at home and abroad, local boot camp groups, and online PTs who specialise in tailoring programmes for their clients, albeit from a distance. And, with a little extra advice supporting you in your own fitness journey, you may just find that the distance between you and the weight rack becomes far easier to fathom as you progress.

1. Understand nutrition

Cyclists are an elite bunch, but there are many who underestimate the importance of good nutrition. You need to eat small, frequent meals with plenty of non-refined carbohydrates throughout the day to help build up glycogen ahead of training. If you need a quick energy boost, a burst of refined energy such as an energy bar or gel can help give you some much-needed power. If you’re riding for longer than two hours, eat every hour to keep you fuelled.

2. Implement strength training

While you need to be careful not to be carrying too much weight, a good weight room program can help you increase speed and power in a way unrivalled by other methods of training. Implementing squats, lunges and deadlifts into your routine can help give you legs like Sir Chris Hoy and increase your pedalling power.

3. Train intervals

Interval style training is the ultimate way to increase your speed and emulate sprints come race day. Repeatedly climbing a hill, slowly cycling down and heading back up again builds up a unique kind of endurance and ability. If you’d like to perform intervals on a longer route, pedal normally for five minutes, then power to top speed for two, back to normal for five and repeat.

4. Improve your posture

A simple trick that is easy to implement, improving your cycling posture is vital for a better, faster ride. Wind resistance drags your speed down and stops you achieving your max potential. Reduce resistance by lowering your body position. Lower your body closer to the bars and tuck your elbows in to increase an aerodynamic form.

5. Hydrate!

One of the most overlooked aspects of cycling is hydration. Cardiovascular activity reduces your blood volume and makes your heart work harder. To combat this, you need to take in plenty of fluids throughout the day. When you’re riding, energy drinks are a good way to get some carbohydrates and liquid. Aim to drink a bottle every hour when pedalling hard.

Preparation

It’s all in the preparation! Start preparing for all your Christmas indulgences now. Eat clean and train hard for the last few remaining weeks leading up to Christmas. Counter balance those units of alcohol and block of chocolate now so you can enjoy them guilt free over Christmas. By preparing now, you’re also saving some of the hard work you need to put in over January to get back to your best.

You only need 15 minutes to stay healthy in winter. Please read these fantastic tips from Alex Harris, commissioning editor of Men’s Health magazine. Survive winter and emerge healthier than ever!

Don’t shop on an empty stomach

It’s a well known saying and it’s true. We can’t avoid and nor should we, the Christmas parties and drinks. It’s a time to let your hair down and enjoy yourself and we can help ourselves at home by not shopping on an empty stomach. If it’s not in your cupboard, then it’s not going in your mouth! You’ll get plenty of people buying you boxes of chocolates and bottles of wine anyway so save your cash and your waistline by only buying the essentials.

Do plenty of walking

Sunlight is good for fighting off winter fatigue. We all feel it – all you want to do is curl up on the sofa and watch Miracle on 34th Street! Before you do, open those blinds and maybe have a brisk walk around the block to shake off those cobwebs. Also make your home environment as light and airy as possible so turn on those Christmas tree lights.

Get plenty of Vitamin D in your body

Vitamin D gives us healthy bones and teeth. Vitamin D also helps us fight off winter fatigue (see tip above). The sun is a good form of Vitamin D but it’s limited over the Christmas period and in the UK in general! Foods like fish, eggs and cereal are all great sources of Vitamin D so stock up now.

Please follow these four simple tips and enjoy your festive break. Merry Christmas!

Stay fit and healthy with cycling

To start with, cycling builds muscle tone and strength. Contrally to the normal perceptions of many, cycling is essentially not really a fitness activity as such but the exercise helps in strength building in a holistic way since the activity involves nearly each and every part of your body. In addition, cycling helps a lot in increasing muscle function as you can exercise easily with less straining. Cycling regularly helps to strengthen your leg muscles and works wonders in enhancing the mobility of your knee joints and hip. Cycling builds stamina and it is greatly effective in this especially due to the fact that it is something that most people really enjoy.

Health experts will also tell you that cycling helps a lot in improving cardiovascular fitness. This is mainly due to the fact that cycling helps a lot in making your heart bead steadily and boosts your cardio vascular fitness in a remarkable way. Since cycling makes use of a large group of muscles in the legs, it is able to raise the heart rate to greatly benefit from fitness and stamina. In addition to this, cycling also eats up calories and it is a perfect way to shed out those unwanted pounds and boosts your metabolism in a major way. And most importantly, cycling reduces stress as well and depression while remarkably improving yourself esteem and well being. Cycling gives you a chance of getting in touch with nature and feeling the breath of earth.

Importance of selecting the correct clothes and footwear for cycling

Wearing cycling specific clothing and footwear makes your ride comfortable, whether you are cycling on the road, commuting to/from work or hitting the trail. Bike styled wear can really help a lot in making you perform much better and also ride longer as well. Checkout Fat Birds for a wide range of bikes, road bikes, mountain bikes & cycling clothing. Cycling also reduces your level of fatigue and improves your stamina while making you engage in the activity for a prolonged time period. If you are using clipless pedals, opt for shoes, which work well with your cleats and then match your cycling style. It is even much better that you seek lightweight shoes with a durable sole to offer you ample tread for gripping the trail when needed. When cycling in a rainy or wet day, consider using shoe covers or toe covers as well.

Thanks for reading,

As Suzanne Nottingham, a spokesperson of the American Council of Exercise, put it to Weightwatchers: “Walking outdoors in winter is extremely invigorating and almost meditative. It’s like you’re part of nature, walking in the midst of howling winds, blowing snow and a bright sun.”

Make your winter hike as comfortable and enjoyable as possible by following these handy tips:

Kit yourself out in appropriate clothing

There is a good chance that you will be caught in a rain or snow shower while exploring the great outdoors throughout the winter.

Be prepared for such changes in the weather by wearing appropriate clothing for the time of year. A thick fleece will keep you cosy no matter how low the temperatures dip, while thermal clothing will give you that extra layer of warmth.

A little more thought will have to go into your choice of boots though. You will want the footwear to be suitable for climbing steep hills and traversing muddy terrains and streams, while also keeping your feet warm and dry. Merrell boots achieve all of this, on top of looking extremely stylish, and are available in a raft of designs at Millet Sports with free delivery.

Ensure you are seen

The days are shorter during the winter, with very little daylight when the sky is grey or the weather is misty and foggy. Therefore, it is very important that you are always seen when out on a hike.

Attempt to stay on paths dotted with streetlights or clearly marked tracks if you are heading out into the countryside. It’s recommended that you take a jacket with reflective strips or a hi-visibility vest to ensure you catch the eye.

Check your route

While you shouldn’t need to worry too much if you are just walking to a local park or around a neighbourhood, you will want to check the weather forecast before hiking across one of the UK’s mountain ranges.

Fortunately, the Met Office regularly updates its online mountain area forecast chartto ensure you know when it’s a good time to head on a trek and when it is best to plan a different walking route.

Building muscle mass is something everyone should consider when trying to keep fit. Whether you visit the local gym, go running every day or decide to take up a contact sport, it’s important that your body has the strength needed to get you through each session without succumbing to fatigue.

Top tips

Every muscle mass-building routine should be intense, rhythmic and set to a strict timetable. This will ensure that you get the best possible results from your workout.

There are a number of sure-fire routines to help you build muscle mass effectively and flawlessly. To get you on the right track, here are a couple you could try to help get you started:

Routine one

Preferred mainly by gym members, this one has pretty much all bases covered. It involves:

• Taking three off-days a week: this allows for effective recovery from intense workout sessions and ensures some sort of continuity
• One day working on the chest/triceps/shoulders
• One day working on the legs
• One day for the back/biceps
• One day for the calves/abs

Training each muscle group over the course of a day every week is shown to be effective, but a whole day for muscle recovery isn’t necessary.

Routine two

This is used by many athletes to help build up muscle mass, and has pretty good results. This routine involves:

• Two sessions for the legs
• Two sessions for the upper body
• Three off-days

This is easy to understand, plus recovery time is ample enough to restore energy levels for each session. During each session, they can focus on different parts of the body, which provides a little flexibility.

Nutrition

As far as building muscle is concerned, supplements can help. Whether in the form of energy drinks such as Craze from Driven Sportsor whey protein drinks, they can help to boost you when you need it the most pre or post-workout.

*Image source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gym.jpg