Fitness is far more than simply exercising on a consistent basis. Fitness has a variety of components and there are many ways it can be measured. With a solid understanding of this topic, individuals can address those aspects of their life that directly impact fitness.
physical fitness is defined as ‘the ability to carry out daily tasks with vigor and alertness, without undue fatigue, and with ample energy to enjoy leisure-time pursuits and respond to emergencies.’ Based on this definition, fitness involves everything from getting out of bed to hiking to performing CPR.
In the past men hit the weights room with the primary aim of bulking up, but today the main fitness goal of many is to “get lean” – namely to strip away the fat in your body to reveal the array of muscles beneath. Think Brad Pitt in Fight Club or Cristiano Ronaldo at any…
Playing sport isn’t just about burning calories. It’s a great way to socialise or simply something to enjoy for the sake of it. But if your main aim is shedding calories, boxing might be your best bet. Research from supplement brand Forza has found that boxing burns 800 calories an hour, more than any other…
Before you roll your eyes and scoff, hear this: Some of the biggest, baddest dudes in professional sports get taken to task with a little bit of Pilates. For instance, Marquise Goodwin, an Olympic track-and-field athlete and a receiver for the San Francisco 49ers, takes Pilates classes at the Austin, Texas-based studio Dancers Shape. “With the…
While barbells, dumbbells and kettlebells all help when you’re looking to bulk up, it doesn’t take a stacked weights rack and hours in the gym to build strength in your upper body. Next time you have half an hour free at home, try this workout and you’ll see exactly what we mean. Sports nutrition brand…
It can take a few sets to get the hang of it, but the kettlebell windmill is a super effective core-strengthening exercise. With the weight positioned overhead, your rectus abdominis and obliques have to work double time to keep the kettlebell stabilized. And because of that stabilization, you’re gonna feel this move in your shoulders,…
People in Hong Kong take more daily steps on average than people in any other country in the world, racking up 6,880 a day, according to Stanford University research that analysed data from smartphones. The research found that the least active country of those measured was Indonesia, where people managed a paltry 3,513 steps a…
You may know Chevy Rough as a coach on the BBC documentary Mind Over Marathon, where he helped people with mental health difficulties run the London Marathon. Or perhaps you know him from Coach’s Facebook Live stretching session after last year’s Royal Parks Half Marathon. Or maybe you’ve seen his name on the schedule of…
With dry chalk covering the palms of my hands and sweat running down the side of my face, I took one last look in the mirror to check my form before bracing bending over the bar. I was about to deadlift 450 pounds — a one-rep personal record — and a goal I thought I…
Most novice lifters follow the “more is better” philosophy in an attempt to build quick muscle. But doing umpteen exercises at the gym is a recipe for burnout and, worse yet, injury. Instead, learn to lift smarter with elevator reps, a training technique that focuses on prolonged time under tension instead of hitting every machine…
We all know guys who sweat it out in the gym every day but still can’t get a six-pack. You can work out all you want but if your diet’s not on point, you won’t see results. As they say, abs are made in the kitchen. The problem is, many of us don’t know what…
One of the biggest mistakes new weightlifters make is only doing exercises they like — and that almost always means their hamstrings, glutes, and lower back get neglected. This rookie training mistake could lead to a host of problems down the road, including muscle imbalances and, as a result, back pain. But there’s good news:…
Deep down, everyone who hits the gym would love to see their abs (by the way, you can only make that happen when you clean up your diet). But here’s the secret: If you’re still doing crunches, you could end up tweaking your back and neck. Instead, try hanging moves. They’ll keep your back straight,…
THE BACK. IT’S a muscle group that, when adequately beefed up, can make a skinny guy look as brawny as your gym’s resident bodybuilder. Add a stack of back muscle onto a guy who’s already bulky, and he’s going to look like a total monster. But, for some guys, the standard “back day” workouts just…
Certain exercises are more technically demanding than others, and learning how to perfect them takes some time. Getting “comfortable” with certain movements can sometimes allow a lifter to “slip” into form that’s less than perfect. Not to worry, we’ve got your back. The Rookie Mistakes series serves as a call to action for lifters of…
FITTER FLYING Finally, an actual incentive to show up at the airport early. Roam Fitness, created by founders Cynthia Sandall and Ty Manegold, is the first fitness company to open gyms past airport security where, let’s face it, we could most use it. While there is only one current facility at Baltimore Washington International Airport,…
