Nobody wants to get injured, inside or outside of training. It hurts. It dampens progress. And it prevents us from participating in the activities we enjoy. To avoid this costly accident, some supposed experts swear against performing certain movements—you know, the dangerous ones. Which are those? Turns out, none, really. Avoiding injury shares no parallel … Continue reading KNOWING THY BODY: AVOIDING INJURY ≠ AVOIDING EXERCISES
Surrounded by several other key muscles, the hip is a crucial component to any runner's anatomy. Weak hips affect form while running, which can drag down speed and efficiency while increasing rates of injury, according to USA Track & Field physical therapist Jerrica Thomas. “You can lose a lot of power if you have weak … Continue reading Hip Exercises to Improve Posture and Running Performance
There are many reasons people get involved with sports: improving physical health, relieving stress, building and strengthening social bonds. And there are just as many reasons to get better at sports, too. The brain generally does not appreciate stagnancy; anyone will grow bored of sitting on their thumbs too long. Failing to improve at a … Continue reading You Are What You Train: On the Principle of Specificity
The beautiful nation of Switzerland has a history of novel inventions, including Velcro, Cellophane, and the World Wide Web. One that the country is lesser known for, but no less enriching to our lives, is the parcourse. The concept of the parcourse is simple: exercise stations spaced out along a nature trail. Its origin dates … Continue reading The Parcourse: An Old Movement Returns with New Swagger
Throughout my life, I have seldom been good at anything on first try. If you, like I, are human, your experience may be similar. Hockey players do not take theirfirst step onto the ice, race down the rink and snipe a wrist shot to the top corner, pumping a fist in the air as the … Continue reading Overcoming Fear of Failure Through Sports
Running a marathon and sprinting the hundred metre dash use the same muscles—but not in the same way. There are big differences beneath the surface. One difference is in fibre types: slow twitch and fast twitch. These fibres are both muscle, but that's all they have in common. Indeed, they both look and act different. … Continue reading Understanding the Difference Between Fast and Slow Twitch Muscle Fibres
I started my fitness journey the way many do: utterly clueless. High school was the next chapter of my life and I knew that I wanted to look and feel good about myself. My first foray into a gym was as a young teenager with no athletic prowess to speak of. Weightlifting seemed cool and … Continue reading What a Personal Trainer Can Do For You
