THE FIRST NATIONAL MAGAZINE FOR UNIVERSITY SPORTS...ONLINE, EVERY MONTH
SPORT AND LIFESTYLE ON AND OFF THE PITCH
Student Sport Magazine January 2014 - Edition Thirteen £FREE.
the world university winter games trentino 2013
emily dibble interview exclusive
roll of honour short course ++ full nutrition for swimmers
hill sprints for hard and horrible mega gains!
endurance how to survive the cold hell of tough guy with editor, matt walsh
15 minute chest blitz
//
harder faster stronger
lengthen your sporting life with yoga...Plus more!
ss14
+brandnew
ad
swimming championship
an smith’s revie t s s w! ida
teamssm
The Thirteenth Edition January 2014
meet roman
mascot & poster boy
job title
matteditor @mattwalshssm editor@studentsportmagazine.com
WELCOME to Edition 13 of Student Sport Magazine,
The First National Magazine for University Sport.
It’s a new year and I’m sure you’ve all been tearing away at the gym to destroy all evidence of beer, cheese and chocolate. This edition should see you back to full health with plenty of workouts and training tips. We’ve got coverage from the Winter World University Games from Trentino in December, full honours for the BUCS Short Course Swimming championships at Ponds Forge and a review of the beautiful Stan Smith trainers! Also, Badminton England have just launched ‘Battle Badminton’ which is a brand new format of game play. It’s a cracking game and gets you fit! Even better, you can sign up for FREE using the code ‘SSM OFFER’, but places are limited and you only have till March. Check it out!
loves steak, Sleep & jess ennis hates long walks & rom-coms Editor Sub Editor Artwork Editor PR Design Business Director
@romanssm
Matthew Walsh Luke Shield Matthew Heard Lucy Taylor Ryan Benedict Nathan Gray
Journalists & Contributors Ash Quinlan • James May • Bowen Revill • Sam Headley • Emma Hart • Vicky Ashdown • Lucy Harvey • Joe Redmond • George Gigney • Simon Kemp • John Findley • Tom Henman • Luke Stevenson • Alex Sehgal • Will Aitkenhead • Tom Parry-Jones • Ryan Paine • Alister Houghton • Rob Weitz • James Scholey • James Taylor • Andrew Sixsmith • Emma Bird • Chris Kerr • James Long • Anthony Bowyer • Michael Baker • Josh Elderfield • Catherine Robertson • Sean Maloney • Ben Strutt • Richard Browne Photographers Front Cover Image - Matt Bettega Simon Rowe - www.simonroephotography.co.uk FISU - Giacomello Foto, Enrico Pretto, Pierre Teyssot, Elena Bazzanella, Roberto Bombardo, Daniele Mosna, Beppo Cadrobbi.
subscribefree sendyourstories join teamssm! www.studentsportmagazine.com
editor@studentsportmagazine.com team@studentsportmagazine.com
© The Student Media House Ltd 2012. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be used or reproduced without the written permission of the publisher. The Student Media House Ltd. is registered in England and Wales (Registration Number - 08723068) with registered office at Oakhill House 3 Royal Gardens, Bowdon, Cheshire, WA14 3GX . All information contained within is for information only and is, as far as we are aware, correct at the time of publication. The Student Media House Ltd. cannot accept any responsibility for errors or inaccuracies in such information. Any unsolicited information sent to us is automatically granted, by you, with a licence to publish your submission, wholly or in part on all media platforms owned or operated by us. Any material you submit is sent at your risk and, although every care is taken, The Student Media House Ltd, its employees, agents or subcontractors will not be held liable for any loss or damage. Health & Training. The Student Media House Ltd. is not qualified to issue medical advice and any instructions provided herein should in no way act as a substitute for such advice. Please seek medical advice for injuries, medical conditions and before starting any new sport or training routine. If you feel pain or discomfort whilst carrying out any physical exercise you should immediately cease training and consult a doctor, physician or healthcare provider.
CONTENTS EDITION 13/JAN 2014
14
BATTLE BADMINTON
18
10 more songs for your ipod
iPod
Lovesport? write for teamssm!
SSM Playlists Weights Running Patriotic
send 500 words on your team, club or sport to:
team@studentsportmagazine.com
20
the first national magazine for university sport online...every month!
TESTING YOUR TENACITY
HILL SPRINTS
4 the art of yoga
Lengthen your sporting life.
34 Athletics with team surrey
We look at one of the fasting improving clubs in the country.
36 Training in pairs
Collective benefits.
38 Quick guide to survival
Basic maintenance for your student body.
8 World university winter games trentino 2013 32 Emily dibble exclusive 24 BUCS Short Course Swimming 27 Roll of honour 28 Nutrition for Swimmers
18 A story of Endurance 20 Hill sprinting 22 15 minute chest blitz
> > >
MENU
13
SSM PLAYLIST
cover Product review with p12 adidas’ stan smith’s
articles by Josh Elderfield
Lengthen your sporting life with... YOGA! you’re thinking: Middle aged women with roll mats searching haplessly for their ‘inner-self’...our outlook is less philosophical! The concept of yoga has over time evolved arguably from an art, or a method of meditation, to a regular feature of an athlete’s training regime. Just a few years ago, fitness enthusiasts probably wouldn’t have considered yoga as a part of their programme – today, however, yields a completely different story. Yoga is now a mainstay on the schedules of most health clubs and sports centres, and is continuing to grow in popularity. More and more people are discovering the myriad of ways that yoga can be used to improve athletic performance - from increasing mental concentration and improving flexibility and balance, to preventing common injuries and honing skills in a particular sport.
4///Studentsportmagazine.com
Yoga, like any other form of physical exercise, brings both benefits to an individual’s body, as well as mind. Many of the ‘postures’ in yoga systematically work all the major muscle groups including the back, neck, shoulders, deep abdominals, hips, glutes and even ankles, feet, wrists and hands. With this broad range of muscle groups which yoga reaches out to, there’s no surprise it’s becoming more commonplace in leisure centres and proving popular
yoga has become one of our primary therapies for stress management C. Noel Bairey Merz, M.D. The Preventive and Rehabilitative Cardiac Center, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.
in case you were wondering Yoga began in the East as a spiritual practice with great emphasis placed on meditation but since being trafficked to the West, yoga is favoured by many as a physical practice with a focus on general health and
w h r a r s t s
Lengthen your sporting life
well being. In some cases it has been attributed to the reduction in blood pressure and shown to increase mental resilience to psychological stresses. It is considered to yield improvements in strength, endurance and
Relaxing Music
flexibility; with some reports that it can reduce the risk of injury. Dictionary Asana - Postures Chakra - Wheel of energy Dharana - Concentration
Dhyani - Meditation Niyamas - Observances Pranayama - Breathing Pratyahara - Withdrawal of senses Samadhi - Absorption Yamas - Restraints
Studentsportmagazine.com///5
articles
research
Go Interactive Wellness
Comparison of Active Stretching Technique and Static Stretching Technique on Hamstring Flexibility. Meroni et al (2010) A 2011 study published in the Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine revealed that those who engaged in active stretching, such as that done in yoga, could achieve and maintain a greater level of flexibility with a notable increase in the range of motion. Yoga was also linked to an improvement in circulation and breathing. A 6-week stretching program with subjects divided into 2 groups with group 1 performing active stretching exercises and group 2 performing passive stretching exercises. Results: After 3 weeks of training, the mean gain in group 1 (active stretching) on performing the active knee extension range of motion (AKER) test was 5.7o, whereas the mean gain in group 2 (passive stretching) was 3o (P = .015). After 6 weeks of training, the mean gain in group 1 was 8.7o, whereas the mean gain in group 2 was 5.3o (P = .006). Twenty-two subjects were reassessed 4 weeks after the cessation of the training with the maintained gain of ROM in group 1 being 6.3o, whereas the maintained gain in group 2 was 0.1o (P = .003). Conclusions: Active stretching produced the greater gain in the AKER test, and the gain was almost completely maintained 4 weeks after the end of the training, which was not seen with the passive stretching group.
6///Studentsportmagazine.com
amongst both general fitness enthusiasts, and elite athletes. Charlotte Thomas, a Sport and Exercise Science student at the University of Huddersfield, regularly attends a yoga class and points out further benefits it can have on an individual. “What I’ve learnt from yoga is that it relaxes your body, but not only that, it also helps you to understand that a certain position can help strengthen your bones and muscles,” she said. As mentioned, yoga plays a huge role in preventing injuries, and so is another main implication why we are hearing about elite athletes taking to the exercise matt. And British middleweight boxer, Darren Barker has said he uses yoga for exactly that reason, having spent 12 months out of the sport with a hip injury earlier in his career. “I have had a lot of hip trouble which has been welldocumented,” he said.
“I’ve incorporated yoga into my training. The flexibility and breathing awareness has really benefitted me.” Mentally, there are just as many implications which reflect why athletes would choose to include yoga in their training regime. “Sports people use it because it gets them out of their normal discipline, away from football, Rugby and the likes,” said Thomas. “It’s not about competition, but selfdevelopment. It also helps build a kind of commitment to something that needs to be continuous; you have to put your mind in to it. It teaches you how to concentrate. “It’s also about mental balance,” she added. “It’s not about ‘if I do this exercise it’s going to be hard and hurt the next day. It’s about thinking of the benefits it will have and relaxing your mind. Travel with your mind somewhere else.” Many reading this might not necessarily
1. apples
A little hydration and a spike of sugar with nutrients to see you through!
2. Almonds
With vitamin E, potassium and magnesium for stamina.
3. Raisins
Good source of natural sugar great for before and/or during a break.
know what a typical yoga session involves, other than sitting cross-legged with your eyes closed, so I asked Charlotte what goes on in her class. “I bring an exercise matt, I start by making sure I free my mind from any problems or issues I’m going through, essentially just disconnect from life and connect with the session. “Then we’ll begin with the poses, usually we’ll vary them each session, and this is the main part of the class. We’d conclude by spending two minutes laying down, closing our eyes, thinking about nothing at all, and just relaxing.” So yoga it seems is both preventive and therapeutic, and has shown to offer both physical and mental
benefits to the body and mind. Yoga is distinctly different from other kinds of exercise as it generates motion without causing strain and imbalances in the body. Therefore the practice is an ideal complement to other forms of exercise and an extreme advantage to any sport. This new form of exercise has been embraced by a range of sports, with footballer Ryan Giggs incorporating it into his training, and rugby league side Wigan Warriors also trialling it in their regime in the past, but Darren Barker admits it is a different step for a boxer to try it. “I can’t imagine seeing Sylvester Stallone doing a
‘downward dog’ in Rocky,” he said. So gone are the days it seems of yoga being perceived as just a meditation tool, but instead today as an established characteristic of an athlete’s training programme; providing both physical benefits to their sport, as well a sense of peace of mind ahead of their performance in an otherwise pressured arena.
Studies suggest that yoga is a safe and effective way to increase physical activity, especially stregth, flexibility and balance.
Lengthen your sporting life
3 pre-yoga foods
NHS England
Amanda D
Studentsportmagazine.com///7
Richard browne
the world university
winter
games
The Winter Universiade
Beppo Cadrobbi
The World University Winter Games in Trentino, Italy (11-21 December 2013), will be fondly remembered by all members of Team Great Britain (GBR), and it was an event which saw the number of impressive performances from the team, the headline result being Men’s Curling’s silver medal. The Games, the second largest multi-winter sports
event after the Winter Olympics, are organised by the International University Sports Federation (FISU), and British Universities & Colleges Sport (BUCS), as the UK member organisation of FISU, is responsible for delivery of the GBR team at the event. The Trentino Organising Committee had a short time to put the event together after
the original hosts, Maribor (Slovenia), were forced to pull out because of financial issues, but Trentino did not fail to deliver, in terms of the venues, sports provision and the overall experience for participants. From a GBR perspective, the team’s main medal hopes rested with Curling after the Women’s team had won gold at
trentino 2013
the last games in Erzurum, 2011. Those hopes were not disappointed, with both GBR teams, skipped by Kyle Smith and Hannah Fleming, defying their relative lack of experience to reach the semi finals of their respective competitions. The Women’s team were knocked out by Russia at the semifinal stage, and then pipped to bronze by
“The Winter Universiade is an international sporting and cultural festival which is staged every two years in a different city. It is only second to the Olympic Games. The programme of the Winter Universiade currently includes 6 compulsory sports (10 compulsory disciplines) and 1 or 2 optional sports chosen by the host country.” - FISU
FISU
Daniele Mosna
Giacomello Foto
Studentsportmagazine.com///9
miniat. Illa con utet nulput
Roberto Bombardo
Switzerland, but the Men defeated Canada 7-4 to ensure they would win a medal. In that final match they were outgunned by a more experienced and ruthless Swedish side, going down 5-8, but the silver medals won by the team indicate that its members – Kyle Smith, Thomas Muirhead (both Scotland’s Rural College), Kyle Waddell (City of Glasgow College), Cameron Smith (Scotland’s Rural College) and Derrick Sloan (Robert Gordon University) – look set for a very bright future. Another standout performance came in Snowboard Cross. Three of GBR’s four athletes qualified
10///Studentsportmagazine.com
for the knock-out stages of the competition, and Tom Bankes (Open University) raced brilliantly to make the last eight. Having narrowly missed out on a place in the last four, he took second in the Small Final to ensure a
Elena Bazzanella
sixth-place finish. In Cross-Country Skiing, Callum Smith and Sarah Young (both University of Edinburgh) posted competitive times within a very strong field and look in good shape for the rest of this season; Smith’s 50th place in the Men’s Individual 10km and Young’s 53rd in the Women’s Sprint the pick of their results. In Ice Hockey, the Men’s team finished in 12th place but the tournament was made memorable by the courageous defence shown in the opening match with Russia – goalkeeper James Flavell (Northumbria University) making an astonishing 72 saves – and then the two excellent goals scored in the final game against Japan. The Women’s team, meanwhile, gave the USA a real scare – losing by just one goal (1-2) – before beating Spain 3-1 to take fifth place in the tournament. Saffron Allen (Solihull College), who had recovered from a serious spinal injury in time for this event, was the team’s top scorer with five goals in six matches. The GBR teams matched – and in some cases exceeded – expectations, and each athlete took away special memories, with Trentino 2013 sure to be one of the highlights of their sporting careers.
Pierre Teyssot
Matt Bettega
Giacomello Foto
www.universiadetrentino.org www.bucs.org.uk www.fisu.net Get more student sport.
Enrico Pretto
Crisp
Reviewed
Stan Smith
One month into the new year, adidas unveil the latest SS14 version of the Stan Smith Classic... has become one of adidas’ top selling shoes in history. f you’re thinking: ‘Stan Sport technology being Smith? Weird name what it is, Stan’s shoes are for a pair of trainers’ not really recommended for just get on the google the tennis court nowadays machine and search for but why would you want to Stanley Roger Smith. In risk that? short, he graduated from the University of Southern The Spring Summer 14 California, won a sh*t load line has 3 iconic colours of tennis trophies and has with sustainable (dolphin been immortalised, not in friendly) premium quality stone, but by way of adidas materials. trainer. Too early to say how Starting life in the 70s as a long they will last you but tennis shoe, the Stan Smith whether 3 months or 3 years, you’ll look cracking.
I
launched by adidas Jan 2014 Available in store now in White shoe with heel tab or reverse from £67 www.adidas.com
Price Legacy Look practicality overall - It’s worth it for the colour
by Miniclip It’s pretty much a The home of satisfactory repeat classic but time wasting. a procrastinative obsession can be from £Free yours for free with 8 App Store Ball Pool! It is what it is...but with the line guides it makes it simple for an opponent
to drop 7 and break your heart. Put plainly: errors will cost you! Tip: It helps to rotate your screen so that you are looking down the cue, despite the fact that you may look like a dick.
THE
Playlist FUEL • YOUR • RESOLVE
iPod SSM Playlists Weights Weights Running Running Patriotic General
>> > >> >
JAN 2014 Rather Be Clean Bandit ft. Jess Glynne
Happy Pharrell Williams
Braveheart Neon Jungle
Timber Pitbull ft. Ke$ha
Hey Brother Avicii
Million Pound Fuse ODG
Control Matrix & Futurebound
Turn back time Sub Focus
MENU
Animals Martin Garrix
Alive Chase & Status ft. Jacob Banks
Calling all students! Can you find new players to play, then face the challenge? issue and accept challenges Fuel your competitive streak online to ‘battle’ it out on and enter a brave new world court for bragging rights in of badminton game play with matches where you set how, when and where you play. Battle Badminton. Student Sport Magazine has teamed up with BADMINTON England to offer you FREE* sign up to Battle Badminton - a bold, new court time opportunity that takes social badminton to the next level. Battle Badminton lets you
You can select any court anywhere in England as home ‘battleground’ and even decide what rules and scoring to play to – as long as your opponent agrees! Get online to build your profile and log your ‘Battle’ score each time you play to collect points then
rise the ranks on local and national leaderboards. Create your own leaderboard to compete in with friends, engage in banter on and off court, and earn your rightful place! There are 9 Battle Badminton ‘status’ levels to achieve and new features to unlock the more you play! Use Code: ‘SSMOffer’ for your free membership.
Challenge • Improve • Conquer www.badmintonengland.co.uk/battle join today for free. Enter code:
ssmoffer *FREE SIGN UP promotion is valid until 31 March 2014 or whilst free promotional places are still available. Not suitable for players who play to league club, county standard or compete in badminton circuit tournaments.
newfeature HARDER
faster
STRONGER
16///Studentsportmagazine.com
Simon Roe Studentsportmagazine.com///17
HARDER
Testing your tenacity a story of endurance
By MattWalsh
Dabe Murphy
Matt Walsh, editor for Student Sport Magazine, talks about the challenges of endurance racing.
It may be staying in an ice bath, holding a plank for more than 2 minutes, beating a PB time or staying in the library to complete an assignment. Everyday, as a student, you are faced with multiple challenges, they may vary in importance and complexity but one thing remains the same, it is a challenge. Challenge me to staying in an ice bath for the longest period of time and I win, however, when it comes to studying in the library or pulling an all nighter to get the assignment finished, I would always lose. Not once during
my time at university did I complete a full all night session. It’s not a strength of mine, I just couldn’t do it. Knowing where I stand with bathing in ice, there’s nothing much more satisfying than watching a friend/rival break (mentally not physically) when lowering themselves into the cold. I was training for Winter Tough Guy and knew that I’d need to get used to the cold water, from which there is no escape. Before I knew it the housemates had built me a makeshift ice bath. It took a good hour to fill it using various pots and pans from the
with a week to go I was slightly worried about my lack of training, both physically & Mentally.
Steve Gray
So, with a week to go, I was slightly worried about my lack of training, both physically and mentally. I assured myself, as long as I could remain mentally stable I will complete it. With the encouragement of the housemates (which I suspected was morbid curiosity in disguise), I was to spend 5 minutes in the ice bath (wheelie bin frozen over). Each minute I would be fully submerged for 10 seconds before climbing out, pummeled with water to the face (housemates again) then run down the road for about 1km and repeat the whole thing again. I did it 5 times to get used to the cold water and running whilst soaking wet. to set off to an assault course that starts off with Anyway, after this 1 a 10k run followed by a training session I felt that torturing assault course. nothing could defeat me, that I was not born, but instead forged. The only thing to stop me
I completed the course in just under 3 hours, the 10k was a breeze, in and
focus. Soon after, I face planted the water and things were starting to go downhill fast. I was then faced with full immersion under several logs, brutal it was. Vast amounts of people missed this bit out and I remember looking towards a man sat on the bank in a foil blanket just sobbing. I went straight for it, under the first log was instant brain freeze, second log straight after and I was struggling to keep my head above the water, I lost control of my body, the third log was difficult, I just remember a marshall shouting ‘Under or Over’. Boom, under I went, no chance of me going over this I thought to myself. Well, the feeling after that third log, well there wasn’t one, I just remember leaning on the side of the lake holding my head. Not sure exactly what happened after that but it was probably the most mentally demanding challenge I have faced.
fuelling your endurance race If you are used to long endurance training then you should know the score, but many will be taking on tough guy or tough mudder to just have a crack at it. You are going to be going through hell for 2-5 hours depending on fitness and your glycogen levels will be severely depleted after about 90 minutes. You need carbs and one of the best ways to get them is energy gels and sports drinks. Solids can be ok but must be small and easy to digest. completing Winter Tough Guy would be death. I repeated the Ice Bath routine in the days prior to the event, occasionally enjoying a beer or two at the same time. I was ready mentally, but I hadn’t ran more than 5k in over 2 months and was about
out of the water filled trenches, electric shocks were ok too, climbing the 30ft A-frames were difficult but I was gaining confidence and having friends cheering for me at around half-way gave me a boost, but I lost
Physical strength is important but mental tenacity is the driver inside you. Test yourself on a regular basis to improve your internal resolve, it can be the difference between completion or failure, winning or losing.
TOughtips Mental Strength/Toughness can be developed in different ways and is a popular topic in recent years to assist you in life and competition; whether you need to bounce back against defeat, recover from injury, hit a new PB or just drag your a*se to the gym!
#1 TestYourself
Keep things fresh. If you’re stuck in a routine mix it up abit. Change your training schedule, up the weight a few kilos, run a bit faster up that hill. You may just find some new benchmarks.
#2 GymBuddy
Find one. It will increase productivity, ensure you don’t skip sessions and help you train harder.
#3 MakePlans
Don’t just go at it and see what happens. If you know what you want to improve be strategic. Short, mid and long-term etc; but don’t use them as an impetus for selftorture. If you have a bad session or miss a target, have the mental maturity to address what went wrong.
#4 +veThinking
Wallow if you want but don’t expect results. Positive thinking is having self assurance in your ability to win. And you don’t play to lose.
#5 SelfAssess
Have a moment to reflect, seek honest critique from others or look over statistics from your last sessions. What worked? What didn’t? What next?
harder
Kitchen. I let it brew for a couple of nights to allow a nice thick glacial layer to develop.
FASTER Elevate & accelerate
build speed
s dia pta ut vitiis
s t n i r p with hill s 10o
You can run for 20 minutes on a flat treadmill but have your eyes ever been drawn towards the ‘+incline’ button? If you, like many others, have exercised your curiosity in this untrodden fitness feature, you may have found that the cocky version of your inner monologue has vanished over 30 seconds as you wonder how a seemingly insignificant increase of 1%, on simulated terrain, can make your thighs burn with the resemblent temperature of David Moyes’ collar on a saturday. We have heard people say that they do hill sprinting because ‘it’s fun’...trust us, they’re talking b*llocks! Sure the results are enjoyable and when you complete your last set you feel invincible, but be under no illusions, it will hurt... alot. That shouldn’t bother you though. If you’re really looking to make drastic improvements to strength, speed, agility and any other physical attribute, you already know that hard work lies ahead of you.
20///Studentsportmagazine.com
Who is it for? UK Athletics coach, Brian Mackenzie explains:
common sense is all you should need. Forgive the obvious, but if you want lots of short intense sprints pick your steepest hill, “It’s ideal for those athletes who if you want three or four longer depend on high running speeds and continuous sprints pick a eg. for football, rugby, basketball, flatter one. cricket and even runners.” Hill sprinting falls into the The correct incline category of High Intensity Unless you plan to get a spade Interval Training and is reported and a protractor to build to have yielded incredible results yourself a hill, you are going to for non surgical fat burning have to scout some potential alongside the development of hills nearby. You can get overly fast twitch muscle fibers and scientific about it but a little recovery times.
short & Steep workout The Hill: Takes 5-15 seconds to run up with 10-150 gradient. The Session: Anaerobic. When you finish a sprint, walk or jog to the bottom to allow a slight recovery but don’t hang around at the bottom - Straight back up! The Effect: Improves ATP+PC energy system which governs short, powerful movements in muscle fibers.
Warm up Have a steady jog for a couple of minutes along with some stretching. You don’t want to snap an achilles tendon. Session From a standing or sprinter’s start, explode and do not let up until you cross a marker. (Lamp post, gate or manhole etc). Walk or jog back down, when you hit the bottom, turn and sprint. 8 - 10 reps using the walk/jog down as your rest.
FASTER JSeft
medium & Moderate workout The Hill: Takes 30-45 seconds to run up with 5-100 gradient. The Session: AeroAnaerobic combination. Concentrating on stride length and form. Ensure you are covering plenty of ground without sacrificing driving force. Look for a Warm up Same rules apply. Use deep lunging stretches to loosen up the legs in anticipation of an increased stride length. Session Standing start at the bottom of the hill, count yourself down in your
greater lift in the knee, maintain upright running position. The Effect: Builds muscular endurance and tolerance of lactic acid, which is going to hit you during the second half of the hill.
head and go! With a longer run ahead you may be tempted to reserve energy to reduce the anguish of the next few sets...don’t! It’s still a sprint. 8 - 10 reps using the walk/jog down as your rest.
Lovesport? write for teamssm! send 500 words on your team, club or sport to:
team@studentsportmagazine.com
the first national magazine for university sport online...every month! Studentsportmagazine.com///21
stronger Whether you’re In between lectures, got a train to catch or you need a last minute pump for a night out, clockin at the gym and blast it!
by Sam Stem
the15minute
chestblitz
1. BENCH THE BAR No, this isn’t a 3SETS 75REPS 45sREST misprint, and yes, you do have to do shoulder width 75 reps...thrice! and lower the Make sure bar to the nips, you’ve done squeeze your the obligatory chest to raise stretching and/or the bar upwards whichever preuntil arms are training rituals you extended and usually observe repeat. and get in position on a flat bench. TIP: Gripping the With an unloaded bar a little looser bar, which weighs will help you isolate the lift to about 20kgs, grip your chest. a bit wider than
DEFINED
Pectoralis major is the official name for the chest muscles found either side of the breast bone (hence the common nick name: ‘Pecs’) Its main job is to bring the upper arm inwards across the body, a movement that is known as horizontal adduction. The Pectoralis minor is a thin, flat muscle found underneath the major and the primary functions include stabilisation and depression.
2. the triple blast No speed session would be complete without a brutal super-set! This round you are going to do 8 incline dumbell presses followed by 8 pressups followed
immediately by 8 incline flys. Set the bench to incline, you’ll need two sets of dumbells that are around 80% of your one rep max to start with. After you complete
super
3SETS 8REPS 30sRest
a full set, treat yourself to 30seconds rest, up the weight and continue. TIP: Don’t be scared to ask a stranger to spot you. It’s normal.
3SETS 8REPS Assume position
0sREST on a decline bench and start with the heaviest TIP: Have the dumbbell you dumbbells in can lift for a your hands before you take challenging 8 reps. position on the bench as it Loosen grip can be tricky to to isolate the grab them off chest, control the floor which the descent of can often cause the weights until injuries. you bottom out and squeeze chest to push the
dumbells back up to the top. Coordinate your arms to ensure that both sides of the chest is worked equally. Without rest, and after each set, pick up a set of dumbbells which are 4 kilos lighter and repeat. Gather yourself and get ready for the finish.
4. Failure Finale FAILSETS 10REPS 5sREST
Feeling good? Prepare to be destroyed. Some argue that ending a gym session by failing can be mentally traumatic but it’s
surely a crime to leave the gym without maxing out, even if you’re only there for 15 minutes.
Get in press up position. 10 reps, rest for 5 seconds and repeat until you lose the fight against gravity. Good Sesh!
stronger
3. Pyramid decline-Press
fact The chest is made up of two seperate muscles which is why we train it from different angles (ie. flat and incline) and alternative motions (ie. flys)
BY emma bird
bucs short course swimming & honour The first weekend of December provided everyone down at Ponds Forge with an early Christmas gift of fast-paced racing. This year’s BUCS Short Course Championship was one of the most competitive to date, with a total of 19 BUCS Records falling over the three day meet. The weekend finished with Loughborough ultimately claiming yet another BUCS title; undoubtedly helped by podium places in all bar 2 events, an impressive achievement! This left the likes of Bath, Edinburgh, Stirling and Swansea to battle it out for the remaining places. Swansea ended up placing second with over 40 points between the third
placed team, Bath. It was a real battle for third however, with Edinburgh losing out by only 4 points. Strong displays across the weekend by Northumbria, Manchester Met and Sheffield Hallam meant they were rewarded by places in the top ten overall universities. The racing kicked off on Friday night, with the only points races being the Men’s 1500m Freestyle and Women’s 800m Freestyle. Two impressive races, with Jack Burnell of Derby University claiming the Men’s title and setting a new BUCS record by over 5 seconds. Eleanor Faulkner also set a new record by just under 3 seconds in the women’s event, while also being
pushed all the way by Aisha Thornton of Loughborough University. Saturday night saw a huge number of exciting finals with more records to broken. Kicking off the session with a new BUCS record in the 200m Freestyle was 2012 Olympian, Rebecca Turner of Sheffield Hallam, followed closely by fellow 3-time Olympian and BUCS veteran, Caitlin McClatchey of Edinburgh. Turner was back in the racing pool later on in the evening, in the 200m Backstroke, where she claimed victory by over 2 seconds and placed second in the 50m Backstroke behind Charlotte Bryan of Swansea.
rs list Kathryn Johnstone of Heriot Watt was another saturday multi-champion, claiming Gold in the 50m and 200m Breaststroke. Johnstone managed to grab the finish in two tight races, and was also rewarded in the 200m event as she posted a new BUCS record. Other record breaking performances on Saturday came from Loughborough swimmers Emma Wilkins, Rachael Kelly and Sophie Smith, in the 50m Freestyle, 100m Butterfly and the 400m Individual Medley respectively. Wilkins also claimed silver in the 100m Butterfly in a close finish with Kelly. The women’s day 2 events concluded with the 4x50m Freestyle relay, which finished with Loughborough claiming yet another gold with Stirling and
Simon Roe
Edinburgh in silver and bronze place. The men’s events on day 2 saw two double record-breakers for Loughborough, Adam Barrett and Andrew Weatheritt. Barrett had an impressive 3-second victory in the 200m Freestyle over 2012 Olympian Ieuan Lloyd of Cardiff Met and Joshua Walsh of Stirling. Later on in the evening Barrett claimed another record victory in the 100m Butterfly, beating Thomas Greenfield of South Wales and Lloyd with impeccable style. Weatheritt claimed victory in the 50m Breaststroke, breaking a long-standing record set by Darren Mew, and beating 2012 Olympian Andrew Willis to the title, among others. He then won gold in the 50m Freestyle, breaking yet another BUCS
record, along with Richard Shafers and Jack Thorpe from Edinburgh. Other impressive, and record-breaking, performances of the night came from Olympian Willis in the 200m Breaststroke and Ryan Bennett in the 200m Backstroke. Willis won Gold for Team Bath by over 3 seconds, beating Laurent Carnol of Loughborough and Nick Quinn of Edinburgh along with a widely talented field. Bennett of Stirling won a close battle between Liam Knight of Loughborough and Matt Johnson of Bath to claim the gold medal and BUCS record. The final race of the night saw Loughborough’s Men take the 4x50m Freestyle relay title, matching the efforts of their women’s team, with Stirling and Swansea taking silver and bronze. Studentsportmagazine.com///25
Sunday continued in a similar record-shattering storm as the heats session saw two new Disability World Records set in the Men and Women’s 200m Butterfly. James Hollis from Loughborough University and Eleni Pappadopoulis from Manchester both set new world records in their respective S10 categories. The performances in the finals session continued the record-breaking trend; Barrett broke another two BUCS records along with Emma Wilkins. Barrett begun the evening taking the 100m Freestyle title and record, a few races later he was back in the 50m Butterfly storming to gold by a huge gap of 1.5 seconds over team-mate Weatheritt. Wilkins also took the 100m Freestyle title, new record, and, like Barrett, returned to take the 50m Butterfly gold in a new record time.
Other notable women’s performances included Sophie Smith taking gold in the 200 Individual Medley in a new record time, as well as being 6 seconds ahead of the field. Charlotte Bryan from Swansea followed up from her win the previous night with a win in the 100m Backstroke ahead of Loughborough duo Kathryn Willis and Katrina Alder. Alys Thomas from Swansea took gold in the 200m Butterfly, finishing 1 second ahead of Rachael Kelly and Charlotte Bryan. On the men’s side of things many athletes who had performed well on the previous night managed to return and claim more medals for their teams. Ryan Bennett won gold by 1.5 seconds ahead of Liam Knight and Joe Elwood of Loughborough. Matthew Johnson stepped up to win the 200m Butterfly gold by
2 seconds over challengers Jay Lelliott of Bath and Sam Straughan of Loughborough; and Thomas Greenfield took gold in a tight race in the 200m Individual Medley ahead of Cameron Brodie of Stirling and 2012 Olympian, Lloyd. In the final events, Loughborough cemented their dominance with both men and women’s Medley relay teams winning gold medals. These results were the final additions to the points scores which meant Loughborough were 133 points ahead of their nearest rivals Swansea. A truly conclusive end to BUCS Swimming in 2013 and we look forward to next month’s BUCS Long Course as athletes from across the country will descend once more upon Sheffield with a real threat of more recordbreaking performances.
the first national Lovesport? magazinewrite forfor teamssm! university sport online...every month! send 500 words on your team, club or sport to:
team@studentsportmagazine.com
BUCS SHORTCOURSE 2013
ROLL OF HONOUR
Men’s Open 200m Freestyle Team
Loughborough Women’s Open 200m Freestyle Team
Loughborough Men’s Open 200m Medley Team
Men’s Open 200m Breastroke
Loughborough
Andrew Willis (Bath)
Women’s Open 200m Medley Team
Women’s Open 200m Breastroke
Loughborough
Kathryn Johnstone (Heriot-Watt)
Men’s Open 100m Backstroke
Men’s Open 50m Freestyle
Ryan Bennett (Stirling)
Andrew Weatheritt (Loughborough)
Women’s Open 100m Backstroke
Women’s Open 50m Freestyle
Charlotte Bryan (Swansea)
Emma Wilkins (Loughborough)
Men’s Open 50m Butterfly
Men’s Open 200m Backstroke
Adam Barrett (Loughborough)
Ryan Bennett (Stirling)
Women’s Open 50m Butterfly
Women’s Open 200m Backstroke
Emma Wilkins (Loughborough)
Rebecca Turner (Sheff Hallam)
Men’s Open 200m IM
Men’s Open 100m Butterfly
Thomas Greenfield (South Wales)
Adam Barrett (Loughborough)
Women’s Open 200m IM
Women’s Open 100m Butterfly
Sophie Smith (Loughborough)
Rachael Kelly (Loughborough)
Men’s Open 100m Breastroke
Men’s Open 50m Breastroke
Chris Steeples (Manchester Met)
Andrew Weatheritt (Loughborough)
Women’s Open 100m Breastroke
Women’s Open 50m Breastroke
Kathryn Johnstone (Heriot-Watt)
Kathryn Johnstone (Heriot-Watt)
Men’s Open 100m Freestyle
Men’s Open 50m Backstroke
Adam Barrett (Loughborough)
Ryan Bennett (Stirling)
Women’s Open 100m Freestyle
Women’s Open 50m Backstroke
Emma Wilkins (Loughborough)
Charlotte Bryan
Men’s Open 200m Butterfly
Men’s Open 200m Freestyle
Matthew Johnson (Bath)
adam Barrett (Loughborough)
Women’s Open 200m Butterfly
Women’s Open 200m Freestyle
Alys Thomas (Swansea)
Rebecca Turner (Sheff Hallam)
Studentsportmagazine.com///27
articles
The guide to aquatic nutrition
Sustenance for Swimmers By Ben Strutt
UNIVERSITY Ben Strutt; MSc, PGDip, BSc (Hons). Ben Strutt holds a Masters Degree (MSc) in Sports Nutrition where his research focussed on the effects of weight management intervention on skeletal muscle mass among severely obese children. With an interest in sports specific nutrition and the science of supplementation and a BSc (Hons) in Sport and Exercise Science with a Post Graduate Diploma (PGDip) in Applied Human Nutrition, he developed his knowledge of worldwide nutritional issues such as poverty and malnutrition. Having previously worked as a PE teacher, Ben is a regular contributor to nutritional media and also has plans to set up a nutrition consultancy in the future.
Levels Avicii
Turn Me On Subscape
Killing In the Name of
Rage Against the Machine
www.universitynutrition.co.uk 28///Studentsportmagazine.com
Obtaining correct nutritional elements for swimming can be problematic. The old adage of not swimming on a full stomach rings true, yet it’s important to be well fueled for performance in the pool. Research has suggested eating 30 minutes or less before entering the pool can be detrimental to performance due to the body still being in digestion mode; meaning important blood flow will not reach the working muscles because the body will be focusing on digesting the previous meal,
BEFORE AN EARLY MORNING TRAINING SESSION Many high level and recreational level swimmers train first thing in the morning. With this in mind and remembering that it is important to be properly fueled prior to training, eating before an early pool session could be problematic owing to fact that is it not ideal to swim on a full stomach. This does not however
inevitably leading to a stitch or stomach cramps. So what is the solution? Not eating anything prior to swimming seems the answer but this is not the way forward. Swimming, racing and training at a fairly high level is a glycogen and nutrient draining activity and is a reason why people generally feel very hungry once out of the water. It is therefore important that the swimmer is adequately fueled before a race or training which means timing and type of food is important to success.
mean getting up at foods with ridiculous o’clock carbohydrates in the morning to with a higher eat (remember glycaemic index sleep is as equally being preferable. important as a Alongside this, limit good diet). What it the amount of fat in means is this early this meal. Fat slows morning pre-swim digestion time meal needs careful which is something consideration. to avoid this close Swimming an hour to training. Similarly, after eating is avoid too much acceptable if correct protein with this foods are chosen, meal as it also slows furthermore it digestion time. It is is better than however important swimming devoid of to include some any food. In fact this instance Having a hot drink as soon as it is best to you get out of the pool can opt for easily reduce hunger pangs. digestible
left at the end of your swimming lane to be sipped along with your water to stay hydrated and energised.
IN SUMMARY Leave an hour d g an between eatin training. Keep fat intake in low and prote moderate ie Try a smooth
FRUIT SMOOTHIES Blitzing faster digesting fruit such as ripe bananas alongside skimmed milk and honey will ensure that your stomach has a head start before you drink it.
For IMMEDIATE RECOVERY AND POST SWIM BREAKFAST
Arguably, what you eat in the 10-30 minutes once you finish your training session is the most important meal of your day. At this time, it is important to restock your glycogen stores and obtain protein to aid muscle recovery.
university nutrition
protein to aid muscle synthesis. An example of a protein source would simply be milk in a smoothie or yoghurt on some fruit. If you really can’t stomach whole food then a carbohydrate sports drink would also be acceptable. Once at the pool, water should suffice, unless your morning training session lasts for over an hour. After this time, a sports drink can easily be
In this instance, serving size immediately postswimming should be approximately 15-20g of complete protein and approximately 1g of carbohydrate per kg of body weight. It may be best to split this meal into two, the first part immediately after your training session and the second as part ...
research
Simon Roe
This research conducted in 1968, despite its age, proves a contradiction to the ‘eating and swimming’ debate. As with most things, you should understand your own body’s responses and act accordingly.
12 male swimmers swam just under 200m once per day for 16 days after eating a large meal (673g). Each swimmer performed under rotating experimental conditions which involved a postmeal rest interval
of 30 minutes, 1 hour 2 hours and 3 hours. It was concluded that performance was not affected by any time interval between eating and swimming. No stomach cramps were reported Some cases of stomach nausea occurred, most of which were in the 30 minutes interval group. Effect of food consumption on 200yard freestyle swim performance. Singer & Neeves (1968)
Studentsportmagazine.com///29
articles ... of breakfast 45 minutes - 1 hour post training. For the first part a protein drink plus some fast digesting carb sources will be ideal. Once again, this could be in the form of a fruit and milk smoothie or simply a 350-
FAST CARBS > Jelly Beans > Pretzels > Steamed White Rice > Water Melon > Pineapple
500ml serving of flavoured skimmed milk. This meal will invariably be digested extremely quickly and used by your body to restock glycogen stores. Swimming is associated with extreme hunger pangs, aggravated by the reduction of core body temperature from the cooler water. Research suggests providing a hot beverage for swimmers post training assists in reducing such hunger
sustained energy release until your next meal.
IN SUMMARY al into Split your me 2 parts ing 1. Fast digest ein carb and prot es after 15 minut slow 2. Whole food, source release carb ats with healthy f fter and protein a 45minutes
sports drink, fact ripe bananas, Michael Phelps was reportedly white bread eating around 12,000 calories and jam etc, per day during vigorous Olympic alongside swimming. a whey Consume your last protein drink. An meal before evening intake at this time is hour later, have training approximately preferable because some whole foods two hours before the energy supplied is consisting of plenty of not necessary prehitting the water. protein and fibrous However, if you know > Tuna sleep and may help > Low fat Greek yoghurt vegetables. At this you will be unable with weight control. > Beef, turkey, chicken time, protein sources to eat until relatively However, if you feel > Salmon (oily fish etc) containing plenty of close to training, opt particularly drained, > Mixed nuts healthy fats would for the same foods even after your > Peanut Butter be advisable (beef, you chose prior to immediate post swim > Multiseed bread salmon etc) because your early morning feed, it is a sign that they will take longer swim. After your swim, > Wholegrain rice your body still needs > Beans and pulses to digest, leading to follow the same plan glucose intake. In > Spinach a ‘drip-feeding’ of as the post-morning this instance, opt for amino acids to reswim but slightly alter > Peppers slower digesting carb > Carrots synthesize muscle the timing of your sources such as oats > Broccoli throughout the night. carb intake – in this and rice. > Apples & oranges Reducing your carb instance, consume
The rest of the day and evening training.
most of, if not all of your carbohydrates immediately post swimming (15 minutes after training) in the form of fast digesting carb sources, such as
pangs which could also prevent over eating and unwanted weight gain (this is especially apparent in relation to open water swimming). The second part is the perfect time to stock up on slow release carbohydrate foods, some healthy fats and a decent amount of protein. If you have the time, eggs on wholemeal toast with baked beans and some avocado is a great option which should provide
GOOD FOODS
30///Studentsportmagazine.com
Lovesport? write for teamssm! send 500 words on your team, club or sport to:
team@studentsportmagazine.com
the first national magazine for university sport online...every month! Studentsportmagazine.com///31
BY WILL AITKENHEAD
University of She
Naked calendar shoots, organising dinner events, standing in the rain watching their University rugby side slog it out on a wet Wednesday and sitting in endless meetings are just a few of the jobs that any Sports Officer at a University must be prepared for when they apply for the job. Becoming a Sports Officer at any University provides the perfect opportunity for those that love sport to begin their working life in a passionate, sport-loving environment. So for Emily Dibble, the current Sports Officer at the University of Sheffield, it was a no-brainer when it came to applying for the job. Sitting down and talking to Dibble, it is obvious that her passion for sport is easily translated into a clear and dynamic plan that is already well on its way to having a real impact on sport at the University. “I knew how much can be gained from taking part in sport whilst at University,
and I wanted to be able to give something back and to help improve the provision of sport at all levels, as well as encouraging as many people as possible to get involved,” she said. Having been heavily involved in the Women’s Cricket Club, throughout her three year Biology degree, and sitting on the Sports Committee in her final year, Dibble had no second thoughts after first entertaining the idea in year two. She took over the reigns from Luke MacWilliam in the summer and has not looked back since, saying that the experience has already exceeded her expectations. Here’s what she had to say about the first few months: “I am constantly learning so many valuable skills and meeting some fantastic people. I love being able to commit time to meeting all of our wonderful sport clubs. “Its great to be able to support our students in their sporting endeavours, be that representing the university or
just trying something new,” she added. It’s not all been plain sailing though and Dibble admits that there are just not enough hours in the day to cover every single aspect of sport across the University. “One of the hardest things is balancing working on my objectives with the many meetings that we, as sabbatical officers, are expected to attend. “I seem to rarely be in the office. It can also be frustrating trying to explain why sport is worth investing in, as I feel it can provide so many benefits to our students and the University. Luckily, attitudes seem to be changing, and the importance of sport as part of a university career is increasingly recognised.” Which leads the conversation onto a key aspect of her aims for the year: focusing on disability sport throughout the University. She holds a real passion and belief that such a target can be achieved in only a year. “Despite the success of the
Emily dibble, biology graduate, cricke
with sheffield Sports Officer
Emily dibble
Images by Andy Smith
Paralympics, the legacy does not seem to have hit Sheffield and we have no disability sports provision,” she said. Adding that: “I am working with our Disabled Students Committee to address this and work out what we can provide.” Other aims include strengthening the Sport Sheffield community and encouraging links across the city. An important battle she has also been fighting is to ensure that Sport Sheffield take student views into account and aren’t seen purely as a business with the sole intention of making money. The event that any Sports Officer in Sheffield will always be remembered for is of course Varsity. Bigger than ever before last year, the University of Sheffield finally won the cup back from their Hallam counterparts for the first time in ten years and Dibble already admits that she is already feeling the pressure of retaining the crown.
seems essential to repeating that success again in 2014. “It’s a group effort. I will do all I can to support our teams, provide them with what they need, and ensure the events run smoothly. And I trust them to go out there, train hard and get the job done. “We have some fantastic talent in our clubs and hopefully this year we will demonstrate again just how well we can perform.” Plans are well underway for this year’s competition with the biggest news being that the Skiing and Snowboarding competition was held abroad in the Alps following continued problems with the Ski Village. After the closure of Don Valley, a venue for the Rugby is still
to be confirmed and the finale is looking likely to be Ice Hockey at the Motorpoint Arena rather than Football at Hillsborough as in previous years. “All in all, it looks set to be as fantastic a competition as always, and a real showcase of the amazing sport played here in Sheffield,” said Dibble. “I will also never forget the minute I heard we had won Varsity last year; it was the best feeling imaginable,” she added. Dibble will be hoping to get her hands on the trophy once more this spring, and etch her legacy as a Varsity winning Sports Officer into Sheffield’s history.
The importance of teamwork
et enthusiast and access to sport champion.
University of Sheffield
effield
talkingSport
the rising r The University of Surrey in recent years has been fiercely ascending the rankings of further education over recent years, but forget its academic status; it’s the sporting community which is really on the rise. Home to the prestigious Surrey Sports Park which hosts a multitude world class sporting events every year, it’s hard to find a Surrey student that doesn’t at least relish a casual Sunday morning swim in its Olympic size swimming pool, taking part in one of its over 100 fitness classes, or more importantly perhaps kicking back in the sauna after that tough work out…
“what better way to break the ice than with an hour long mud-covered, rainsoaked cross country run?!” However one Surrey club really pushing forward this year is Team Surrey Running and
tea
Athletics, which provides all University of Surrey students the opportunity to train casually and competitively in running and athletics. A 30 athlete strong team, the majority of our athletes meet twice a week to run as a group on various routes around Guildford with different members leading the run each time; we encourage stable members to take on varying levels of responsibility in the club, be that organising socials or learning to drive the union minivan, everyone has their part to play! As a relatively small team, our members get to know each other very quickly and very personally; like they say, what better way to break the ice than with an hour long mud-covered, rain-soaked cross country run?!
athlete’s access to track and field training sessions, somewhere we haven’t necessarily excelled in the past. Training with our local athletics club Guildford and Godalming and creating team gym sessions to include weights and plyometric work will build us up in both strength and technique over the cold winter season, taking us through to BUCS Indoor Championships in Sheffield in February where we plan to strike like never before.
This year at the club we are super excited to welcome our freshers and get cracking firstly with the cross country season. We are planning to compete in the various London Colleges League races across London and then of course BUCS Cross Country Championships in Stirling, Scotland!
Team Surrey Running and Athletics club President and sprinter Jake Hollins comments “Having just gained sponsorship with Fitstuff running shop and The Running School, we are so excited to share these new privileges of discounts and coaching sessions to all of our athletes be them just starting out or hard-core competitors. Although working with those who have trained and competed
As for track and field, we’re undergoing a major boost of our
“we plan to strike like never before.”
sporting news...
runners of
Team Surrey Running and Athletics are pushing for growth and success and look ahead to the BUCS Gatorade Nationals next month!
am surrey... in athletics previously might be easier, you do gain a real sense of satisfaction by being able to bring our sport to complete beginners”. “If we continue to pull together as we have over the last couple of years, I believe that we can become one of the most popular teams at here at Surrey” comments Vice President Oli Carrington. “As long as our athletes are enjoying keeping fit and beating their PB’s we couldn’t as for much more as a committee!”
The multisport event took place for the first time ever in 2013 at Leeds Metropolitan and the state of the art facilities of Surrey Sports Park make for a perfect arena of national competition. University of Surrey President and Vice Chancellor, Professor Sir Christopher Snowden said:
“I am delighted that the University of Surrey has been selected to host BUCS Big Wednesday 2014. In the University’s Surrey Sports Park we have a superb venue with world class sports facilities which I’m sure will provide the perfect setting and atmosphere for both athletes and supporters alike. We are all both proud and excited to The University of Surrey was last be hosting this prestigious year announced to be the host of student sporting event and we the annual BUCS Big Wednesday look forward to welcoming all which will take place on the 26th of finalists to Surrey in March.” March this year.
surrey to host big wednesday march, 2014.
Speaking highly of The University of Surrey, the CEO of BUCS, Karen Rothery remarked: “Surrey Sports Park offers some of the best facilities in the country and I am absolutely delighted that BUCS Big Wednesday 2014 will take place there. BUCS has been watching and promoting the creation of Surrey Sports Park since 2008 so it is fantastic that one of our biggest competitions now gets to use the amazing facilities.” BUCS Big Wednesday superseded the team sport element of the BUCS Championships and will see teams competing for the BUCS bullion in Rugby League, Netball, Basketball, Squash, Football, Lacrosse, Volleyball, Fencing, Badminton, Waterpolo and Table-tennis.
articles
calling all loners...make a friend and get to the gym!
Training in pairs. by Will Aitkenhead
US Pacific Fleet
M
otivating yourself to get out and do some exercise is always the hardest part. On a cold, dark morning the idea of putting yourself through pain and suffering in the gym is often not always top of anyone’s priorities. Most people have a desire to be active and get fit. Many students joining University for the first time will have joined their Uni gym or fitness centre in the first few weeks of moving. After the first few weeks, however, people start to get bored and will stop going.
By doing this it makes working out a more social and fun environment and you feel a greater sense of responsibility to your work out buddies. So how can you motivate yourself? Well, one of the easiest and simplest ways is to work in pairs or groups. Find somebody else who wants to
suffer and suddenly it becomes a whole lot easier. Group sessions (e.g. spinning, circuit training) are great ways of getting fit, and cashing in on the camaraderie. Most gyms include classes in your subscription or charge a heavily discounted rate and some sports clubs take advantage of this and book sessions for the
two finger spot more of a psychological boost than physical assist:
If your partner is struggling on a rep, press the outside of their elbows gently with both index fingers...
36///Studentsportmagazine.com
hidden power
whole club. This not only ensures the increase of general fitness throughout the club, but it is also a great way to get to know people and how they react in a tough situation - A team’s hardest workers are soon revealed during a tough spinning session! Sheffield University Cricket Club has taken advantage of this especially and whilst many don’t associate cricket as a sport that would require the top fitness levels, it is about more than just the workout.
“It’s hard work but if this is what it takes for us to get the edge over our opposition then bare in mind that it will be worth it!!!”
research We investigated whether a virtually present partner would influence participants’ motivation (duration) during aerobic exercise. Participants were split into three sections: Coactive “A key barrier to achieving recommended (alongside but independent), conjunctive (Competing) and intensity and duration of physical activity individual (Alone). is motivation.” Participants exercised on a stationary bike at 65 % of heart rate reserve on six separate Aerobic Exercise Is Promoted when days. Individual Performance Affects the Conjunctive participants Group: A Test of the Kohler Motivation exercised significantly longer Gain Effect. concluding that a partner will boost aerobic performance. Brandon & Irwin et al. (2012) A study published by the Society of Behavioural Medicine was focussed on observing the impact (if any) of training with a superior partner on the performance of aerobic exercise.
example. There are also loads of strength moves and workouts that you can only do with a partner, such as
tip Concentrate on how many repetitions your gym partner has left...it’s bloody annoying when you count wrong! In terms of weight training there are also huge benefits to training in pairs. Obviously, in terms of safety, if you get in any trouble lifting heavy weights then it is much better to have somebody there to help you out and spot you on the bench press for
partner press-ups and leg tosses, these are great for your core strength and good fun to do. A gym buddy will also provide competition for you and push you that little bit further than if you were training on your own. We
all know how easy it is to skip that last set or give up too easily when the reps start getting tough but the pride and competitive animal inside you will ensure that your weaknesses are suppressed. If you both straining to be better than the other it’s only going to help you in the long run. So next time you are in the gym or struggling to get out of bed, have a look around you. There are bound to be people in your halls who are having the same motivational issues and together you should find it a lot easier to tackle them. If you can’t
training in pairs
Last year’s club captain Chris Hooper was particularly keen to stress the importance of group gym training, “Fitness is a big part of the modern game and a very important part of our preseason training programme. These sessions are great for team bonding.
find anybody, then sign up for that spinning class, you won’t regret it... entirely anyway!
Lovesport? write for teamssm! send 500 words on your team, club or sport to:
team@studentsportmagazine.com
the first national magazine for university sport online...every month!
Studentsportmagazine.com///37
articles
The quick guide to ...base level maintenance for a sporty life as a student.
survival
Sepehr Ehsani
The life of a university sport star is a demanding life indeed. Lectures, fixtures and socials, not to mention the hours of time spent balancing training, homework and fifa. What ever’s keeping you busy, make sure that you are well equipped with the nutrients required to fuel your lifestyle.
Levels Avicii
Turn Me On Subscape
Killing In the Name of
Rage Against the Machine
www.yourstudentbody.com
By Your Student Body We all know that a balanced diet is essential for a healthy lifestyle. When training, your body goes through a lot of stress; physically, neurologically and emotionally. All the more reason to keep your body in tip-top condition. After strenuous exercise a protein shake is recommended to aid recovery. Whey protein Isolate is the purest form of whey protein and fastest acting protein containing essential branched chain amino-acids that are vital in muscle growth and repair- so if you’re in the
Wednesday is just as important to a student athlete as that last lecture on a Friday to help set you up for the weekend! Wednesday is game day. The time to shine and bring back the big ‘W’. Its what you’ve all been waiting for!
“Women can use protein shakes without running the risk of turning into a vascular beefcake.“
market, look for one containing ‘whey protein isolate’. Women, taking supplements is fine! A protein shake does not equal Miss Olympia and your dress will still fit without the risk of an inconvenient Hulk style metamorphosis .
fact
Unsaturated fats, found in oily fish, nuts and seeds etc, can help lower cholesterol and provide fatty acids that keep your body healthy.
Isotonic drinks will help to replenish the salts lost during sweat and re-hydrate the body. After a long night on the dance floor, you will have lost a considerable amount of fluids. Prescribed: Nail a Lucozade before bed.
2. Yolks Egg yolk contains cysteine, which breaks down acetaldehyde (which is a the pesky bugger behind hangovers). Other foods such as bananas and kiwis are rich in potassium, which is lost during alcohol intake. Prescribed: Forget the kebab, put two eggs in a jug, microwave for 2 minutes, nail a banana for pudding.
3. Sleep
After a day of sport and a night of heavy drinking, you may find yourself amongst the vast majority of athletic libertines - in a festering state of regret, attempting to piece together the collection of hazy action replays of you chugging each and every tequila, sambuca and jager bomb like it’s nothing…It’s at this point that you may realise that you feel like sh*t! Waking up after a ‘good night’ may even consist of a
“If you can't outplay them, outwork them.” – Ben Hogan
Fellowship of the rich
Sleep is the killer. Ensure yourself a good 8 hours after a night out and you will reap the rewards, especially after your Lucozade and Egg supper! Prescribed: Zzzzzzz! etc.
trip, or two, to the bathroom as you put your face where your arse should be and hurl out a compound mix of donner meat, marinated in shots and stomach acid. You look for signs of face graffiti whilst swilling a cap full of mouthwash and upon exiting the bathroom you come to the realisation that you are not even in your own house. The possibilities Prepare yourself for morning warfare with these top tips.
your student body
1. Isotonics
Levels Avicii
Turn Me On Subscape
Killing In the Name of
Rage Against the Machine
subscribefree sendyourstories join teamssm! www.studentsportmagazine.com:
editor@studentsportmagazine.com team@studentsportmagazine.com
the first national magazine for university sport online...every month! 40///Studentsportmagazine.com