Ultra-fit magazine 19-5 by Mat Harding

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ultra-FIT MAGAZINE

START YOUR FITNESS JOURNEY Win a fabulous week at the new Champneys Fit Camp worth £1350! Vol.19 No.5 July 2009 £3.99

START YOUR FITNESS JOURNEY

BIKE IT! BMX Track Cycling Mountain Biking

GET BEACH READY The Perfect Rearview

VOLUME NINETEEN NUMBER FIVE

GOLDEN GIRL

Christine Ohuruogu

TRAIN YOUR BODY SHAPE p22 www.ultra-FITmagazine.com

MARATHON TRAINING TIPS POP FITNESS The Saturdays www.ultra-FITmagazine.com ISSN 0957-0624 0 5

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THE ultra-FIT INTERVIEW

Christine

Ohuruogu Picture courtesy of adidas www.adidas.com

Interview by John Shepherd

Christine Ohuruogu - although a house-hold name after her World and Olympic 400m gold medals over the last two years (not to mention a suspension for missing three drugs tests prior to the first victory) is a bit of an empty canvass to many. Not much more is really known about the 24 year old from East London. Yet, she will be spearheading Team GBâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 2012 Olympic track and field challenge and has the small issue of defending her world title in Berlin this August.

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THE ultra-FIT INTERVIEW

caught up with Christine in Los Angeles in March prior to her starting the outdoor season, she’d had a good indoor season over 200m and she was in good spirits, physically and emotionally. I had a slight advantage over some of the other assembled journalists as Christine’s coach Lloyd Cowan was one of my best friends…… in fact he’d asked Christine to divert my incisive journalism (!) when I interviewed her by asking me a

We talk about the forthcoming season, “I have goals, but my most important one is – and I know this might sound dumb - is to get the World Championships and try to enjoy myself. It’s been so intense over the last three to four years,” explained the athlete, continuing, “I think I have achieved more than I ever thought that I would have by this time in my life.” I acknowledge this reply and reflect that very few of Britain’s illustrious previous track and field world-beaters have achieved so much so young (Christine also won the Commonwealth 400m title in 2006). I ask whether she finds it difficult to remain motivated and to keep winning. Christine replies equally candidly, “Yes, I don’t want to be doing the same thing in 5–10 years, just chasing medals. I don’t think I could do that.” I suggest, albeit it somewhat negatively that losing a major title might not be such a bad thing, so that perhaps her hunger could return, just in time for 2012, “Do you think so? I’m still really hungry. With me it’s all about getting to the championships prepared and then when I get there I’ll do what I am best at, racing.” The 400m runner obviously has a steely determination, despite her charm. She knows how to focus and has a great belief in the training that her coach puts her through, “What Lloyd does is keep things (in training) very

You can get to 200m as fast as you can and think that you are winning, but you’ve still got half the race to go… you can win or lose in a step random question about myself and Lloyd from the deep, distant past. The pressure had been made worse by the fact that I had been told by Lloyd to ‘watch out!’. As it turned out I needn’t of worried as Christine asked me the question (which shall remain a secret) and then laughed when she couldn’t remember what Lloyd had told her, the ‘right’ answer should be. Other funnies and a willingness to not take herself too seriously (apart from when it matters) reflected Christine’s bubbly and genuine personality.

simple, basically he tells me to go out and run and that’s all there is to it. I try to remember when I go out on the track, that I have done the work and that there is no reason why I should run badly.” How do you approach the 400m? In the Olympic final you were well off the lead round the top bend, did you think you would win? “The race is not over until you cross the line. I study many races, watch videos and assess different split times, to know that nothing is won or lost until you cross that line. You can get to 200m as fast as you can

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WOMEN’S FITNESS

Get in Sporting

Shape! By Caroline Sandry

Women tend to hit the gym or do an exercise class in order to sculpt their body and/or get fit, whereas men often do sport instead. Taking up a sport increases motivation, can fire up a new passion and is a great way to make new friends, but perhaps more importantly will create a new fitter, more shapely, leaner and better defined body in the process. So how will your chosen sport define you? Check out any athlete in the news, and see how their body has adapted to their sport think marathon runner Paula Radcliffe with her lean body and boyish hips, or tennis player Venus Williams with her powerful thighs and defined arms. Obviously your genetics and your current shape will play a role in how you shape up, but the activity you chose will be the main determinant.

Tennis There are so many inspiring tennis players bodies to choose from – ranging from the stunning Anna Kournikova at the peak of her tennis career, to the powerful Williams sisters or teenager, Laura Robson. All of these women have feminine, athletic, lean yet well defined bodies that are hugely desirable. The all-round fitness required for tennis will shape a great body. Turn to Fit4Tennis to find out in detail how to train (and look like) like a pro – p44

The Tennis player’s body ■ Strong ■ Defined ■ Muscular shoulders and arms ■ Flat abs ■ Developed thighs ■ Rounded bottom ■ Low to medium body fat levels (16-24%)

Hockey Hockey might not have high profile players, but it’s a game that demands speed, agility and power. Qualities that will produce, strong, toned legs and hard as rock abs! I spoke to England players Becky Duggan and Chloe Rogers about their training regime. They explained that they do a lot of weight training, involving squats, sumo squats power cleans, hang cleans, dead-lifts and chins ups. They also do a lot of plyometric (jumping) training, such as, hopping and box jumps. They also do power combination training to make them more dynamic – these workouts combine squats with weights and box jumps, so they’re obviously very athletic and they look it. In terms of schedules, every morning from 8 until 9 the players do circuits,

The Tennis player’s fitness ■ Good anaerobic (stop/start capacity) ■ Good speed ■ Great agility ■ Powerful legs and arms (note need to work on non-hitting side as well) ■ Reasonable level of aerobic fitness To get involved go to: www.wintennis.com or search for a local club at the Lawn Tennis Association website: www.lta.org.uk Picture courtesy of USA PRO

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WOMEN’S FITNESS

Hockey might not have high profile players, but it’s a game that demands speed, agility and power. Qualities that will produce, strong, toned legs and hard as rock abs!

■ ■

which consist of core work, flexibility, hurdle drills, medicine ball, and thoracic (upper back) mobility. CV work normally involves running and sprint sessions, as well as some swimming and cycling. The players only get one rest day a week and even then that’s an ‘active rest’ day and involves an activity such as a swim. The Hockey player’s body ■ Lean ■ Powerful shapely thighs and calf muscles ■ Reasonable upper body development ■ Flat abs ■ Athletic ■ Low to medium body fat levels (12-18%) The Hockey player’s fitness ■ Very high anaerobic (stop/start capacity) ■ Good aerobic base ■ Good speed ■ Good agility ■ Good strength

Sample hockey training exercises ■

■

Shuttle runs – mark out a 5m star shape with cones and sprint between them, running forwards, sideways and backwards, always returning to the centre. This drill develops the frequent, rapid changes of direction that hockey demands. Do: 3 x 30 sec. with 30 sec. recovery. Jump from side to side over a broom handle (or a low plastic hurdle), primarily using your ankles and calf muscles for power. Do: 3 x 10 with a 30 sec. recovery between each set. Hurdle jumps – Jump from side to side over a low hurdle, land, turn and jump back and repeat. Do: 3 x 10 with a 30 sec. recovery between each set. Dynamic circuits. Add star jumps or jumping lunges (jump immediately from right leg lunge to left leg lunge, whilst in the air and jump continuously) into your routine, as well as press-ups and sit-ups and so on.

Note: this type of training is not suitable for novice exercisers or the out-of-shape as it places high demands upon the body, particularly on the back and knees. Core exercises – Do Swiss Ball curls, back extensions and reverse flyes. Aerobic exercise –Do at least one steady state-aerobic training day per week, such as a 60 minute run or cycle at around 70% of maximum heart rate.

To get involved go to: www.englandhockey.co.uk

Plyometric exercises Plyometric exercises involve two rapid-fire muscular contractions, a lengthening one (the eccentric contraction) and a shortening one (the concentric contraction). Think of the recoil of a spring, once it is stretched and released – immense amounts of energy are released - a very similar process occurs in your muscles when doing plyometrics. They are a great way to increase speed, power and strength – see page 88 for more info.

Running Think of runners and Paula Radcliffe or Liz Yelling (Lucozade Sport Running Ambassador’) immediately springs to mind. Paula and Liz like all top distance runners have super lean bodies and very

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MOTIVATION

Listen carefully... How to use self-hypnosis to achieve your sports and fitness goals 30

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MOTIVATION However, scientists have come up with interesting evidence that the mental states that we tend to label as ‘hypnotic’ – socalled trance states, where we’re less conscious of our actions or act on automatic pilot - are actually part of our everyday experience. Indeed, research shows that we’re in these kinds of states for 90% of our waking day, and only fully conscious i.e. attending to what’s going on in the here and now for about 10%. If you think about how much of your time is spent daydreaming, about what you’ve done or would like to do, for example, you’ll soon see the truth in this.

Controlling trance states From my point of view this is good news; if trance is something everybody does everyday, then everybody who comes to see me to improve their sports or fitness performance is already practiced in something that’s going to help them. It’s why most people don’t feel that they’ve been hypnotised; they’re expecting the lights to go out, or to experience something weird, whereas it’s actually just the deliberate use of a process that they experience, for example, when they’re zoned out at a meeting, or thinking in front of the TV.

Three steps to self-hypnosis Induction: This is simply an opportunity to change the state you are in to one where you’re more relaxed. Here’s an easy way to do it quickly: Imagine that getting to a relaxed state is going to take you a number of steps – anything from 5-10 is fine. Rest somewhere comfortably, preferably with your head supported, and where you won’t be disturbed. Close your eyes and pay attention to how relaxed you feel. This is the first step of the journey. Now ask yourself, ‘If I was to relax just enough to get me to the next level (or step), what would change? How would I know that I’ve got there?’ Everybody will be different: you may notice parts of your body getting lighter or heavier, you might see shapes or patterns on your eyelids or your breathing might change. Whatever you notice changing, make a mental note of it. Then repeat the question and be curious about what the next thing will be. Repeat this for the number of steps you decided to take. What you’ll then have is a list of things that are your mind/body responses to the process of relaxing. We all tend to have our own mental process for doing so – just like we follow the same process when falling asleep. By learning what these steps are, all you have to do is to work through them: ‘first my eyes feel heavy, then my breathing slows, then I see the colour purple on my eyelids’ and so on to access your relaxed state. A

STEP 1:

By Cognitive Hypnotherapist Trevor Silvester any people have an overly dramatic perception of what hypnosis is – bordering on distrust in many cases. One of the downsides of being a cognitive hypnotherapist is that people often think that I’m going to make them dance like a chicken or I’ll have a Svengali-like level of control over them! Unfortunately, this misconception can become a barrier

preventing them from realising the great benefits that self-hypnosis can have in regard to achieving their sports and fitness goals.

Daydreaming - or hypnotic state? Opinions vary greatly about what hypnosis is. Some see it as a special state that the hypnotist puts someone into whilst others think that it’s merely something people go along with because of social pressure.

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FITNESS EXPRESS

Get a great

rear Having a perfect rear isn’t just about looking good. ultra-FIT finds out from top trainer Doug Robertson why a shapely bum is also essential for functional fitness oug's depth of knowledge and practical skills have always impressed us and has clients, who include Andrew Lloyd Webber, Bryan Ferry, Richard Dreyfuss, Gaby Roslin and Mary McCartney. He manages to deliver functionally correct training in and interesting, no-nonsense and accessible way. Doug's methods, philosophy and programme come under the catchy heading of www.theperfectbum.com. Despite the levity of the title he tackles the serious aspect of solving people’s postural problems by appealing to their shallower, but usually easier to motivate, vainer side. So why is the bum so important? “I mostly spend my time producing exercise solutions for joint pain. And as most people suffer with backs and knees, I find this largely involves working on their bums and tummies,” explained Doug. Further explaining his rationale he added, “The scourge of modern living is sitting down. Having the hip excessively flexed like this, causes shortening of the hip flexors (muscles at the top of the thighs Ed). This has a couple of downsides. The first is that it stops the hip from extending thus the hip extensors never get chance to work. The second is to turn off the bum muscles by the process of reciprocal inhibition. Once this happens, the spine and hip joints lose the support of the large gluteal muscles. As well as destabilising the spine it changes recruitment

patterns; in particular over activity and tightening of the hamstring and lower back muscles - a pattern that is then compounded by walking and running. As these problems occur in a sequence, they need to be solved in sequence and this is what my philosophy is all about. Release the offending tension,

The scourge of modern living is sitting down. Having the hip excessively flexed like this, causes shortening of the hip flexors reconnect the muscles to the brain, then strengthen them progressively until they work functionally without conscious effort. The cosmetic effect of the routine is a nice firm bum.” And who according to Doug, in his professional opinion of course (!), is the celebrity he considers to have the best bum? “Alesha Dixon, because it’s bootylicious and clearly works!”

The Workout The main functions of the routine are: 1 To loosen the front of the hip joint 2 To reconnect the bum muscles to the brain 3 To target and strengthen specific bum muscles 4 To make the bum muscles function naturally during walking, running, squatting, for example, so they will stay strong with minimum exercise.

Each workout should last around thirty minutes. Do two per week. Once you feel that your bum is working properly, you’ll

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only need to do the upright exercises to maintain this. In which case your workout will last 15-20 min. Again do twice per week. Always warm up and warm down. Perform the exercises as follows without rest between each: Wood chop from knee to shoulder. 25reps, 2 sets each side. The air clam. 12 reps, 2 sets each side.

One leg dynamic bridge. 15-20 reps, 2 sets each side. Wood chop from foot to shoulder. 20 reps, 2 sets each side. One leg squat. 12 reps, 2 sets each leg. Super lunge. 12 reps, 2 sets each leg.

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FITNESS EXPRESS

Exercise Descriptions Start

1 Wood chop knee to shoulder

Finish

Targets: abdominals, lower back, quads, bum and shoulders ✱ Use a 3-10kg medicine ball (start light) ✱ Flex your knees, hip and spine and place the ball to the outside of your right knee, turning your torso to do so. ✱ Drive off your right heel and take the ball over your left shoulder, extending your body as you do so. ✱ Decelerate the ball with your core and bring it quickly back to the start position. ✱ Complete reps and switch to the other side. ✱ Lift the ball with your legs and not your spine. ✱ Progress by introducing more speed and power.

2 The air clam

3 The one leg dynamic bridge

Targets: bum (particularly muscles on the side)

Targets: bum and hamstrings Start

✱ Lie onto your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. ✱ Lift your toes off the floor so that only your heels contact the ground. ✱ Lift your hips into the air and squeeze your bum as you do so. ✱ Keep your body completely still as you straighten one leg at the knee so that you support your body with just one leg. ✱ Bend your supporting knee slowly until your bum touches the floor and then push straight back up, all the while keeping your thighs at the same height.

Finish Start

✱ Lay your head down onto an outstretched arm ✱ Bring your knees toward your chest to about a 45-degree angles. ✱ If you were looking from above your ankles, knees and hips would be directly on top of each other. ✱ Now roll the top side of your pelvis slightly forward toward the floor. ✱ Keep your heels and knees 2cm apart. ✱ Use your bum muscles to lift the top knee toward the ceiling, whilst twisting your leg outward slightly at the same time. ✱ When you get as far as you can without moving your pelvis pause and hold for five seconds. ✱ Lower very slowly.

Finish

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CLIENT & TRAINER

Great shape from any angle

Personal Trainer Paul Swainson uses multi-directional training to get his client Ira Silverman in singularly good shape

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✱ The Client Name: Ira Silverman Age: 45 Job: Runs a catering business which involves lots of lifting and loading You’ve been working with Paul for over a year now, what results have you had from your training? “It’s been brilliant, I’ve dropped 2 dress sizes and I’m really pleased with my shape. I was already quite happy when I began training with Paul but I have toned up and got much

stronger. Paul also keeps a record of my measurements which show my body fat percentage has dropped by over 8%. And I’ve lost 4cm from around my waist. We’re now working on my muscle definition.“ Why did you decide to hire a Personal Trainer? “I have trained at gyms in the past but didn’t really feel motivated. Having Paul booked in my diary for every training session means exercise has become part of my lifestyle. I have to be honest and say the financial commitment was also a motivator – I know I can’t cancel my

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CLIENT & TRAINER sessions or I’ll lose my money! A good way to sum it up would be, ‘I pay to train and the training pays off’. The fact that Paul comes to me also saves me time so it’s a very convenient way to train. The motivation is key. I know I wouldn’t push myself anywhere near as hard on my own, let alone know what I should be doing. Paul knows my limits and will make sure I reach them, but without leaving me feeling overworked. Having said that, I have found myself becoming more active away from our training sessions – I take the stairs rather than the lift for example, and have begun walking regularly. “

What’s the most enjoyable part of the training? “The end of the sessions! Only joking, the best thing for me has been the results and comments from other people. My appearance is very important to me, both professionally and personally, so to achieve my goals and receive the compliments is hugely satisfying.”

Who do you think would benefit from this type of training? “I think anyone who wants to improve their body shape without rigorous gym workouts on numerous machines would love Paul’s way of training. If you’ve not got results from what you’ve tried in the past, it’s worth trying something a bit different. As Paul says, ‘If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got’.”

The exercises you do are very different to traditional exercises, how do you find them? “Some of them are certainly very strange! I was sceptical at first as to how they would benefit me, especially as they are often not that difficult to do (I used to believe in ‘no gain without pain’). However, the results speak for themselves. Paul has explained that working my muscles in different directions provides a constant challenge to them, so they continually improve in strength and tone. Also, whenever I have an ache or niggle, in my lower back for example, Paul always finds an exercise that will relieve it, so his system obviously works.” Paul’s training style is almost exclusively resistance based - does it give you all the results you want? “Well from a body shape point of view, definitely! I am also a lot stronger than I used to be which is important for my work – I am a chef and have to carry a lot of heavy equipment around. Paul structures my training sessions so that I keep moving for the whole hour which means I get an aerobic workout too, and we often do kickboxing pad work which gets the heart going! The aerobic improvements are more for health reasons though, I’m not looking to run a marathon or anything.” How has the training helped you in terms of the ‘feel good’ factor and your energy levels? “I definitely feel better after a workout than before, particularly if I’ve had a stressful day, and I have more energy now than I used to, which again is important for work. The sessions also allow me to ‘switch off’ from work for an hour which is a major benefit for me – it gives me something to focus on and take my mind off everything else. That’s why it’s important for Paul to keep me busy whilst training - so I don’t start thinking about the next day’s jobs! Talking of feeling good, the comments I get from friends give me a huge ego boost. People tell me I look great and ask how I got into such good shape. It’s just as well I don’t want my body to get any smaller as my head is getting bigger!!”

Having Paul booked in my diary for every training session means exercise has become part of my lifestyle

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POP FITNESS

pop Fitness

with the Saturdays Matt Roberts tells us how he made fitness a hit with the all girl-group 62

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POP FITNESS People often assume that being a celebrity somehow makes exercising easier. Ok, granted there is access to specialists in key areas, with whom the wider public might not be able meet, but the reality is that no matter who you are, or how well known you are, success comes directly as a result of hard work and diligence on your part. ver the years, I have had the pleasure of working with a very wide range of celebrities - some young, some old, sportsmen and sportswomen and the much more sedentary. Each has their own unique personal requirements and each has their particular strengths and weaknesses. So, when the hot, rising girl group, The Saturdays, asked me and my team of trainers to train them, I viewed it as a great way to look at how the next generation of pop stars and celebrities are shaping up. There are five girls in the Saturdays, from left to right in the picture, Frankie, Mollie, Vanessa, Rochelle and Una, and their hits include, ‘Just can’t get enough’ and ‘Issues’. They all look fantastic and of course their profession demands energy and fitness, but how fit were they? Mollie and Una both have a high-end sporting background in skiing and swimming respectively, whilst Frankie, Rochelle and Vanessa have all been working hard in the industry for some time and know the demands that this requires. When tested, the interesting thing was that whilst the girls’ fitness was Ok, it was just that, Ok not amazing. In all cases, muscle power was poor to average, which is a major disadvantage when going on a tour, as the girls do this summer. Obviously with their sporting backgrounds, the heart and lung fitness of Una and Vanessa was good, but that of the other girls was average. I thought that this would not be high enough for them to complete their grueling schedule without suffering from exhaustion. Body fat was low, as you would hope and in all five girls, it was much better than our appalling national average. It was in fact 23% which is good, but I wanted to reduce this further to around 21%. Once the tests were done, the discussion that I had with the girls focused very heavily on what they wanted to achieve with their bodies and the work it would take to get there. The overwhelming message was that all five girls, ‘just wanted to be as fit as possible and look really healthy’. This statement is a very good one, as I often find that when working with clients, especially from LA, that the focus is often on reducing size as much as possible.

Their goal of improving fitness is something that I believe the many girls who follow The Saturdays and other bands should pursue. The reason this was great to hear, of course, is that it is always worrying to present to the world a body that is too thin and has not been fed sufficiently. It isn’t healthy. Whilst I support the media presenting images of people looking as good as is possible, I want them to look healthy too. My key focus with the girls was to boost their metabolism improve their muscular strength, stability and function and make them look fantastic! The programme was built around four weekly sessions. Two of these would be done together, with one of the others taking place in one of my studios

- especially when performed in the park. Benches were used for step-ups, and triceps dips and they also did press ups, for example between sets of sprints.

One on Ones As mentioned the one on one sessions were specific to each girl. For example, Una and Mollie needed to focus on core stability, to strengthen their spinal structure and to provide a safety net against re-aggravating injuries created by their respective sporting backgrounds. Rochelle has a terrific physique and the focus was on maintaining the proportions of her feminine natural curves. She’s an hourglass, albeit a small one, which means that we have to ensure that her waistline continues to be accentuated and that her legs need to be worked on to maintain tone around the thighs and hips. She has a naturally athletic shape, which responds quickly to resistance training, so to maintain her proportions we only used body weight exercises, such as walking lunges. Frankie has a very slight shape and we focused on retaining this appearance whilst maximising tone in her arms and legs, whilst creating the best possible shape in her hips. By working on her chest and back we have been creating a body that retains its ‘slight’ appearance but is more balanced and has greater ‘depth’. And by working on the postural muscles in her upper and middle back with exercises such as seated rows and reverse flyes using heavy weights, the balance of her body shape has improved. Vanessa has a great natural shape and her focus involved making her as fit as possible. There was not one isolated area for direct focus with her her programme was more ‘total body’. We also used more endurance based training to keep her shape lean, toned and femininely athletic. Like everybody else, one of the biggest problems the girls face is a lack of time. It’s not true that celebrities have it easy they have jobs just like everyone else. By making time, putting in the right amount of effort and planning thoroughly the girls have achieved great changes in their fitness and with their bodies, in the same way that everyone else can. It just takes no excuses and desire. UF

g fitness is in v o r p im f o Their goal the many e v e li e b I t tha ys something The Saturda w o ll o f o h girls w ld pursue u o h s s d n a and other b and the other in one of the parks close by. One on one workouts with my training team would form the focus of the other two sessions. These would enable the girls to focus on intensive exercise and enable them to work harder in isolation. They would also focus on their unique personal areas of attention.

Group workouts The group sessions were designed in two ways. One was a timed ‘Peripheral Heart Action’ session. This comprised of 45-60 seconds per exercise, with 20 seconds’ rest between each exercise. These alternate between the upper and lower body. Five circuits are completed with two minutes’ recovery between each. Although the exercises used in these sessions varies, the principal of the PHA training remains – this is that style of training is very effective at raising heart rate, metabolism, muscle stimulation and work rate. Exercises included: weighted squats,bench presses, hamstring curls (with stability ball), half pull-ups,jump squats, shoulder presses and single leg dead lifts. The other group session was an interval training one. All five girls performed a series of runs, such as shuttle runs, ‘round the clock’ or hill sprints as a group. These were done at 90-100% effort. We’d use a rest time that was 2-3 times the length of the effort. This is a fairly explosive, high intensity workout and it would also be interspersed with conditioning exercises

The Saturdays www.thesaturdays.co.uk Matt Roberts Personal Training 020 7581 9199 www.mattroberts.co.uk

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PEAK FITNESS

BEAT MARATHON

FATIGUE By Dr. Jason R. Karp, Ph.D.

You’re in the middle of a marathon and suddenly your pace starts to slow and your breathing and legs feel heavy – you’re suffering from the symptoms of physiological fatigue. But the good thing (?) is that you’ll not be alone - even world record holders fatigue – although they just do it at a much faster pace than the rest of us. With the right training you can minimise fatigue slowing you down and stay on the heels of marathon king and queen Haile Gebreselassie and Paula Radcliffe he only way to run faster for longer is to overload your body, to venture into previously unknown territory, so that fatigue occurs at a faster pace. To do this you must train so that your body adapts and physiologically overcompensates. This means that when the same stress is encountered again, it does not cause the same degree of physiological disruption.

Factors associated with running fatigue Limitations in aerobic energy production Since our muscles don’t store much energy in the form of the high-energy

compound Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) for muscle contractions, we must constantly regenerate it. Since the marathon is almost purely aerobic, limitations in the regeneration of ATP due to inadequate blood flow and oxygen use by the muscles contribute to fatigue.

intensity. So unless you plan on running the marathon as fast as Haile or Paula you’re going to run out of fuel. Glycogen depletion and the accompanying low blood sugar level (hypoglycemia) coincide with hitting the infamous ‘marathon wall’.

Glycogen depletion Prolonged endurance performance is strongly influenced by the amount of carbohydrates stored in skeletal muscles (in a particular form known as glycogen), when this begins to run out fatigue will again start to eat into your best efforts. You have enough stored glycogen to last for slightly more than two hours of sustained running at a moderate

It’s all in the mind… Running for so long can cause psychological or neural fatigue, the latter of which is due to changes in the levels of the brain’s neurotransmitters serotonin and dopamine, which increase the perception of effort, and cause you to feel tired – this also inhibits the central nervous system’s command of your muscles.

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PEAK FITNESS Picture courtesy of Polar www.polar.fi

Dehydration When you sweat moderately to heavility you become dehydrated which decreases the plasma volume of your blood, decreasing the heart’s stroke volume (the volume of blood pumped by your heart per beat) and cardiac output (the volume of blood pumped by your heart per minute). When stroke volume and cardiac output decrease oxygen flow to your muscles is compromised and your pace slows. Muscle damage When running 42.2 kilometres your muscles take a beating. Pounding on the pavement causes muscle fibre damage, which means that your muscles will be less able to power your running. Hyperthermia Your muscles produce heat when they contract. Therefore, running for long periods of time increases body temperature, which decreases blood flow to your running muscles since more blood is directed to the skin to keep you cool. This redistribution of blood flow away from the active muscles reduces your body’s ability to regenerate ATP via aerobic metabolism and again puts the brakes on.

Combating marathon fatigue High mileage A high training volume improves many aspects of aerobic metabolism, including the number of red blood cells, hemoglobin concentration, muscle capillary and mitochondrial volumes, and aerobic enzymes, which all means more plainly that you can get more oxygen to your muscles (oxygen is the key catalyst for aerobic energy production). High mileage also seems to improve running economy, the ‘oxygen cost’ of maintaining a given pace. Research has shown that runners who perform high volumes of endurance training tend to be more economical, which has led to the suggestion among scientists that running high mileage (greater than 112 kilometres per week) improves running economy. Economy is improved largely from increases to capillary and mitochondrial density; the former facilitating oxygen diffusion into your muscles and the latter increasing aerobic metabolic capacity. It is also possible that the countless repetitions of the running movements result in optimised biomechanics and muscle recruitment. Additionally, economy may be improved by the weight loss that often accompanies high mileage, which leads to a lower oxygen cost; the growth of slow-twitch skeletal muscle fibers, which are more suited for aerobic metabolism; and a greater ability for tendons to store and utilise elastic energy.

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High mileage also seems to improve running economy, the ‘oxygen cost’ of maintaining a given pace

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GEAR TEST

music on the move By Nik Cook

Whether you’re in a spin class working yourself up into a near hypnotic trance to thumping dance music or pounding the streets to a rock classic, having the right music can make the difference between a ‘so-so workout’ and a great training session.

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GEAR TEST

op sports psychologist (and ultra-FIT contributor) Costas Karageorghis and his team at Brunel University, conducted a rigorous study looking at musicâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s effects on endurance training. Specifically they considered how an endurance task would be affected by listening to motivational music, neutral music or no music. For the motivational music group, the tracks were selfselected by the participants. The test was a mind numbing treadmill walk to exhaustion and, although both music groups out-performed the non-music group, the group with selfselected motivational music easily performed the best. MP3 players allow us to easily put together our own motivational playlists and listen to them. Compared to the old days of portable cassettes and CD players todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s technology is an absolute godsend for active people.

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SIX-WEEK WORKOUTS

12 week

Bikini Body Workout part 2

Part 1 laid the foundations for a great bikini body, now it’s time to up the intensity and melt away the fat and continue to shape up, to look sizzling hot. Instructional Photos: Grant Pritchard www.grantpritchard.co.uk he first six weeks of the programme were all about building strength and raising your metabolic rate by increasing your calorie burning muscle mass. You will have reduced body fat and you’ll be stronger and more toned. If your training beforehand was primarily cardio focussed or you tended to lift light weights for high reps you should have noticed especially big changes. Now’s the time to shock your body safely some more, completely overhaul your routine and really get beach ready. If you’re a new reader or haven’t completed the first 6 weeks, don’t worry as part 2 can be used as a programme in its own right. However, if you’re not heading off to the sun until later in the summer we strongly recommend getting hold of a copy of our June issue and starting from the beginning. As with part one, you’ll be doing 3 gym sessions a week (ideally on Monday, Wednesday and Friday) and you’ll also do a CV session at the weekend. The CV session can be running, cycling, swimming or even a mixture using the different pieces of CV kit in your gym. Go for 60-90 minutes, keeping the intensity fairly low so that you would be able to maintain a conversation. The gym sessions start with a 15-minute CV ‘mini-triathlon’ comprising of different CV exercises, which is then followed by a circuit. This all adds up to great calorie burning potential. The circuit will sculpt great legs with its mix of dynamic and classic leg shapers, such as the multi-directional lunge and the calf raise, respectively. For the upper body there are heavier compound (multijoint) exercises, such as the bench press and isolation exercises, such as the triceps kick-

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back, together they will ensure that your arms and shoulders really shape up. There are also two movements for your core. You will work hard aerobically throughout the whole circuit, to maximise this you should take 60 seconds’ complete recovery between circuits, but then do 30seconds of skipping/or jogging on the spot to ensure that you start each circuit with an elevated heart-rate. This all adds up to great calorie burning potential. For the weights exercises as soon as you can complete the reps and sets indicated

add more weight. But don’t worry if you then fail to complete these sets, as ‘failure is good’. To shape your bikini muscles you need to push into new territory consistently and only by moving beyond existing strength levels safely will you achieve this. Do make sure that you perform all exercises with good form. For the plank add 10-20 seconds and for crunches 5 reps as your fitness improves. This is a total body, high calorie burning and fat melting supercircuit. It’s an intense workout - so allow 48 hours’ recovery before repeating. UF

Bikini Body Workout part 2 Always warm up and cool down after your workout 15-minute CV mini-triathlon, consisting of: 5 minutes row: easy first four minutes then hard final minute. 5 minutes bike: medium resistance alternate minute easy with minute hard. 5 minutes treadmill: first minute easy and then increase speed every minute to end up running hard. 1) Bench Press ..............................................................................10 2) Dumbbell Squat ......................................................................15 3) Triceps Kick Backs ..................................................................15 4) Bent Over Row ........................................................................10 5) Multi-Direction Lunges ..........................................................20 6) Biceps Curl ................................................................................15 7) Overhead Press ........................................................................10 8) Calf Raises ................................................................................15 9) Lateral Raises ..........................................................................15 10) Plank ........................................................................................60 11) Ball Crunches ........................................................................20

reps reps reps reps reps reps reps reps reps seconds reps

Rest: 60 seconds between circuits, then do 30 seconds of skipping/jogging on the spot, before starting the next circuit Repeat the entire circuit 2 more times, including the skipping/jogging on the spot. Keep time between exercises to an absolute minimum.

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SIX-WEEK WORKOUTS Start

Bench Press A great strength builder and muscle toner, that’ll hit the backs of your arms and provide a bit of ‘uplift for your chest! ✱ Go for a slightly wider than shoulder-width grip ✱ Don’t bounce the bar off of your chest ✱ Lower slow and controlled and push the bar up fast but with control

Targets: chest, shoulders and triceps

Triceps Kick Backs

Finish

This exercise will sort out those troublesome triceps ✱ Keep elbow high and upper arm parallel to ground ✱ Don’t swing the dumbbell ✱ Work through a full range of movement

Targets: muscles to the back of your upper arms

Dumbbell Squat

Targets: legs and back

Using dumbbells will allow you to go a bit deeper than a barbell squat – this will maximise the shape up impact on your bum. ✱ Keep your head up and back strong. ✱ Drive up through your heels. ✱ Don’t lock your knees.

Start

Finish

Start

Finish

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GET OUT THERE

BMX Nik Cook re-discovers his inner ten year old as he learns the bump and jump skills of BMXâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ing a few years later.

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GET OUT THERE f you’re of a certain age you’ll remember the BMX craze of the 1980’s – not to mention the iconic bike chase in ET and Nicole Kidman’s screen debut in BMX Bandits! However, over the ensuing years BMX has grown up BMX is an Olympic event and in Shanaze Reade, we have a two time World Champion. Sadly, with a silver medal almost assured at the Olympics, she pushed for gold and crashed out to return home empty handed. However, she’ll be looking to make amends on home turf in 2012. Top riders in the British Track Cycling team that dominated the velodrome so comprehensively in Bejjing spent their early days on a BMX track -

Dylan Clayton &

Sam Foakes

gold medallists Sir Chris Hoy and Jamie Staff both fall into this category. British Cycling recognise the importance of BMX for attracting youngsters into cycling and know that it’ll be one of the most likely breeding grounds for future Olympians. Meeting my two British Cycling GoRide coaches at the newly constructed Platt Fields track my excitement that had been building up over the last week was quickly replaced by nerves and anxiety. I hadn’t realised just how large the lumps and bumps on the track would be and now, confronted by them, I reckoned completing a lap in one piece would be quite an achievement. At least I was in expert hands. Dylan Clayton had been riding BMX’s since the age of eight. His was National Champion at 10, European Champion at 11 and World Champion at 17. He then raced as a pro for 15 years. He’s now coaching as part of the GoRide scheme that encourages cycling in schools, heads the North Region BMX academy and is involved with British Cycling’s talent programme. Working

alongside Dylan was Sam Foakes, another Go-Ride Coach and the 2008 World Number one Flat-Lander (a BMX freestyle discipline). Having kitted me up with a full-face helmet, knee-pads and gloves I was introduced to my steed for the day. One of the main attractions of BMX, as an entry discipline for cycling, is the low cost and simple nature of the bikes. Also,

unlike complicated geared mountain and road bikes there is very little to go wrong mechanically or to maintain. What struck me though was how small the bike seemed and I thought initially that Dylan and Sam were having a bit of a laugh at my expense. However, they re-assured me that it was the right size and I shakily got on board and took an experimental spin round the car park.

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HIS ‘N’ HERS

Understanding the Female Athlete

Triad ultra-FIT makes no distinction between men and women when it come to CV, training, weight training or sport specific training for example, but there is one area (or in reality three) that specifically effect women - the Female Athlete Triad - disordered eating, menstrual dysfunction and osteoporosis is and Hers provides you with the information needed to better understand the Triad and what can be done to combat its constituent parts. Dame Kelly Holmes has been running conferences that specifically address the Female Athlete Triad, as she comments, “It is important that every coach is aware of the implications surrounding the Female Athlete Triad. Too many girls are trying to lose weight, because they think it will make them perform better…” The Female Athlete Triad affects numerous sportswomen and female fitness trainers – particularly those training regularly at high intensities. In fact it has been estimated that as many as 60% of all female athletes will suffer from it at some time in their careers. Professor Anne Loucks

is a world leading authority on the condition, she explains that, “Some athletes with the Triad do not practice disordered

It is important that every coach is aware of the implications surrounding the Female Athlete Triad eating behaviours or restrict their diets and some amenorrheic (stopped periods) athletes do not have the Triad.” This for active women, coaches and personal trainers is a very important consideration.

Disordered eating Disordered eating (or Eating Disorder) refers to a situation whereby the athlete/fitness trainer (Note: in this aspect of the Triad men can be equally affected) develop a negative or compromised relationship with food and their appearance, specifically their weight and body fat levels. Spanish researchers discovered that disordered eating was extremely high in a group of 283 elite female Spanish athletes, compared to non-athlete controls(1). For example, 20.14% had bulimia nervosa – which is a cycle of eating and the forced throwing up of food (this was five times greater than the non-athlete control group).

The biological and psychological reasons for disordered eating Biologically it is argued that neurotransmitters * in the brain are out of balance in those with eating disorders. Additionally numerous psychological disordered eating traits have been identified, for example: ■

■ ■

Coming from a family that has difficulty expressing emotion and resolving conflict Difficulties coping with stress Low self-esteem

Anorexia and bulimia are psychiatric illnesses with specifically diagnosed traits. However, doctors have also

* Neurotransmitters are involved in brain chemistry and function and transmit signals within it

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HIS ‘N’ HERS

Kelly Holmes has been campaigning for a greater understanding of the Female Athlete Triad

defined ‘sub-clinical eating disorders’. These are manifest in people who display some of the traits of the two eating disorders - these may be detrimental to health and are particularly likely to be found in sports and fitness participants. This is because women (and men) who participate in these activities are often subject to great external (and self-imposed internal) pressure to conform to a certain body shape and ‘look’, for example gymnasts and dancers. It’s possible that these athletes may also become convinced that less weight and ridiculously low body fat levels will bring them success.

Disordered Eating warning signs Preoccupation with food and calories Feeling and expressing that a person is fat when they are not Sick or sick smell in the bathroom Mood swings Excess use of laxatives Secret eating Unwillingness to eat in front of others Large weight swings in a short space of time

Avoiding Disordered Eating Men and disordered eating Men who undergo extreme weight loss to improve sport performance, such as boxers or martial artists who need to make specific weight categories can develop sub-clinical eating disorders. Their desire to ‘make weight’ by restricting excessive calorie restriction turns from being an end in itself to a means to an end.

1) Have your dietary needs assessed by a nutrition expert. Research shows that those who control their own eating habits un-supervised are more likely to develop some kind of disordered eating 2) Work with coaches/instructors who do not put unrealistic pressure on you to conform to a certain body type or achieve unhealthy low body fat levels

(under 15% for elite sportswomen and 6% for elite sportsmen) Increase calorie consumption commensurately with increases in training volume If injured or ill don’t significantly reduce calorie consumption because of not training – this may result in not getting all the nutrients needed to repair the injury or recover from the illness. Take expert advice. Choose a fitness or sports activity that reflects your body type. Doing this will prevent a ‘mismatch’ between training and aspirations for your body. To give an example, it would be unrealistic for a large framed woman to achieve the slight frame of a gymnast. If your sport or fitness activity does require you to lose weight – don’t attempt to drop more than 1kg (2lbs) a week When cutting back on calories (and only if essential) – take these from fat and in particularly saturated fat sources Avoid ‘fad diets’

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19-5 p114 £3 promo page:Layout 1 09/06/2009 18:49 Page 114

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