Four heart-pumping functional exercises to do with your partner
With Valentine’s Day around the corner, you and your significant other are in for a blast with these four heart-pumping functional exercises to do with your partner.
Going for the snow? Here’s how functional training for snowboarding and skiing can help you
Snow sports season is on, and the best way to get ready for it is by doing some exercises first. Functional training is, of course, the way to go. Check out why.
What is a boutique fitness studio and why are they here to stay?
Boutique fitness studios are blooming all over the world. Today we reflect upon this trend and we give you the reasons why these studios are here to stay.
How can unilateral training help you in your routine?
It conditions your whole body and helps you to avoid injuryDuring regular exercise, it’s all too easy for your stronger muscles to ‘dominate’ the way you move. For instance, you might lean more on your left leg while walking, strengthening muscles in that part of your body while those in your right leg weaken. This can lead to problematic muscle imbalances (that are increasingly difficult to correct, the longer they’re left untended) and possible injury.By making you focus on each limb separately, unilateral training both helps to pinpoint any burgeoning imbalances, directing your attention to which limbs and joints you should focus on when working out. Ultimately, this will push you closer to achieving an evenly conditioned Body. It makes you stronger fasterNobody would blame you for assuming full-body workouts or popular bilateral sports (exercises which you use both legs simultaneously) would be more effective than unilateral training. Exercises such as squats and deadlifts require you to use more of your body at once, after all.But it doesn’t always work that way. In fact, research suggests that unilateral training can promote greater muscle growth than bilateral training. It can also help you to avoid something called ‘bilateral deficit’, where the force of your limbs working together is less than if each limb were working separately.So - why is it so effective? It’s partially due to the ‘cross-education’ that occurs during training. When you work on one side of the body, the corresponding muscles on the other side are stimulated. A prominent study showed that - across 785 subjects - cross-education proved very effective in strengthening muscles throughout the body, increasing upper limb strength by +9.4% and lower limb strength by +16.4%.This is especially good news for athletes undergoing rehabilitation for an injury. It means that, through unilateral training and cross-education, it’s still possible to grow and strengthen damaged muscles, decreasing the risk of atrophy while the injured limb recovers. It develops your core and balanceStudies show that unilateral training can strengthen your core muscles, particularly when performing resistance exercises. This is because you’re using specific parts of your body at one time, making it trickier to balance and working core muscles harder to stay centred and stabilised. A stronger core provides great support for the spine and better protection for your organs, so that’s a big plus.Start your Training directly here.
How to perform the burpee pull-up for explosive power and endurance
How does fitness evolve? Learn how to perform a Burpee Pull Up the EVO way. WHAT The popular burpee exercise inspired the burpee pull-up. The difference is that in this one was added a scalable pull-up exercise to the mix. This exercise combines upper body, core and lower body movements, which effectively increase heart rate. When time is limited, or you want a high-intensity fix, this exercise is the perfect workout Addition.HOW Start In a standing position underneath a high-bar. You can also use a super functional bar if it’s available in your club. Engage the core. Begin the movement by quickly bending down, reaching the hands towards the floor in front of the feet. As you do this, simultaneously jump the legs back and catch the floor in a push-up position Perform a push-up and on the way up, drive the hips up rapidly and drop into a squat position. As soon as you stick the squat, jump up and grab the bar. Use the momentum of the jump and perform an assisted pull-up. Return to standing and repeat continuously for reps or timeWHY The burpee pull-up is a useful progression for anyone who has mastered the burpee and wishes to add intensity without necessarily increasing reps. The jump to a pull-up is ideal for those who are working on pull-up skill but do not yet have the required strength for a full pull-up. The use of the super functional bar, if needed, will modify the height and help complete a pull-up. As strength improves, you can raise the bar progressively. Burpee variations will build high levels of strength, power and cardiovascular endurance in a short space of time – making them excellent exercises not only for improving fitness and athletic performance but also for weight loss.Try this Workout and others at a free trial in one of our Clubs.
The ultimate list of tech fitness gifts to offer this Christmas
With the right fitness tech, you can give your friends and family a greater chance of success in the New Year and beyond. Whether it’s to provide motivation to workout, improve performance, or help promote an overall better quality of life, these top pieces of fitness tech are sure to guarantee lots of Christmas cheer. Fitbit Versa With a punchy, bright screen, sleek design and impressive range of fitness-focused features, the Fitbit Versa is one of the best smartwatches available. Not only will it sync with your phone to receive text messages and alert you of any calls, but you can choose from over 15 exercises, monitor your heart rate, sleep patterns and access all the stat-tracking tools you’ve come to expect from the company who kickstarted the wearable technology craze back in 2013. Apple Watch Series 4 If you own an iPhone (and quite a few of you do) the Apple Watch Series 4 is an attractive and effective fitness tracker. It also boasts a number of exclusive features that you’ll only find with Apple Health. The Series 4 builds upon the successful foundations of the Series 3, adding swim-tracking into the mix, along with improved battery life and unique heart rate notifications that can alert you if there’s anything cardio-related that needs your Attention. Nokia Body+ Stepping on the scales just got a whole lot more informative thanks to the Nokia Body+. These wonderful weighing scales assess your weight, BMI, total body fat and water percentage, as well as bone and muscle mass. If you’re looking to pinpoint where your efforts are going in the gym, the Nokia Body+ will let you know. It can also display the daily weather forecast, meaning you’ll never get caught in the rain if you decide to go for a run. Samsung IconX wireless earbuds Nothing helps motivate you more mid-run than your favourite playlist. But imagine if your headphones could detect your workout, track your calories and deliver banging tunes at the same time? Say hello to the Samsung IconX earbuds. These nifty little cans are controlled with simple taps and swipes without having to take out your phone. They’re also completely wireless, so you won’t have to worry about any wires getting in the way of your Workout. A perfect present If you’d like to give the gift of analysing workout data, monitoring sleep patterns or simply breathing new life into tried-and-tested exercise regimes, these top bits of tech can help any lucky recipient power past their previous best.
