Editors Note: This post is written by Lisa Spooner, aspiring trainer and one of the fittest Brits in Australia! Running mad and aiming to do her first marathon in 2010.

Did you know we have just experienced our hottest decade on record? While many of us love the heat, training in hot and humid conditions can have serious repercussions. What are the effects of training in the heat and what are the signs and symptoms of heat illnesses??

Anyone exercising in hot conditions are prone to heat illnesses. Conditions such as heat stroke and heat exhaustion are common, especially if you are unfamiliar with the warning signs. The key to avoiding them? Recognise the symptoms and follow the basic guidelines!

What are the main types of heat illnesses?

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Tagged As: Heat and exercise, Heat exhaustion, heat stroke

Do you sometimes feel uninspired to train? Even with a goal or event in mind, you still find yourself training without gusto or skipping sessions. One way to snap you out of this very vanilla phase is to land yourself a training buddy. Like any healthy relationship there can be ups and downs, but the journey is always much more fulfilling when you are sharing it with someone.

Recently I ran the Melbourne Marathon. I had the most incredible weekend, not just because I scored a PB of 3hr 16min but because I shared the experience with my new training buddy Michelle Bridges. Although we’ve been friends for many Read more…..

Tagged As: exercise, Marathons, running, Weight loss

Editors Note: This post is written by our elite performance specialist Andrew Verdon. Andrew has completed a Diploma in Exercise Science, Certificate IV in Fitness, Level 1 Strength Coaching Qualifications with ASCA. He is currently completing a Post Grad Diploma in Applied Science (Elite Sports Training) and will go on to do a Masters in Recovery.

The well known “30 minutes a day” exercise guidelines were released back in 1995. These guidelines have recently been updated and new guidelines for physical activity  were released by the ACSM.

The ACSM is the American College of Sports Medicine. It is the peak body for sports medicine in the world and is the  largest sports medicine and exercise science organization in the world with more than 20,000 members.

The new guidelines for health adults under 65 years are:

• The basic recommendations are:
• Do 30 mins 5 days a week of  MODERATE intensity cardio or
• Do 20 minutes a day of VIGOROUS intensity cardio, and
• Complete STRENGTH training twice per week

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Tagged As: Exercise guidelines, fitness, Health, Strength training

What’s your training program like? Do you focus on increasing your miles each week, maybe a bit of speed work here and there, and of course a token stretch at the end of each session? Well hats off to you because unlike 85% of the population at least you are doing something! But whether you are an amateur runner or a competitive athlete, adding a resistance session each week might just be the thing you need to take your further, faster and with fewer injuries.  This article looks at the reasoning behind resistance training for runners and identifies the top resistance training exercises all runners should do.

What is Resistance training for distance running?

Conventionally we think of resistance training as weights machines, dumbbells, slow movements and heavy weights (with lots of grunting).  Resistance training for runners is quite different. It’s about loading the muscles in a manner that replicates running to improve their strength power, endurance and most importantly coordination. It’s about identifying the weaker muscles in the body and developing them to prevent injury. It is NOT about building unnecessary bulk or damaging already fatigued tissue and I must stress that incorrect resistance training can tighten you up and slow you down.
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Tagged As: circuit, injury prevention, Resistance training, running, swiss ball

Editors Note: This post is written by our elite performance specialist Andrew Verdon. Andrew has completed a Diploma in Exercise Science, Certificate IV in Fitness, Level 1 Strength Coaching Qualifications with ASCA. He is currently completing a Post Grad Diploma in Applied Science (Elite Sports Training) and will go on to do a Masters in Recovery.

Some recent research has further emphasised the need for a proper cool down after intense exercise. Japanese researchers looked at the effect of  light activity after an intense exercise session on rugby players. While they found it difficult to validate the of  impact any physical recovery on the players they did find the recovery work acted as a mood booster and left the players with a positive feeling afterwards.

Why would this happen? I think even though the positive benefits reported were mental there is still a  physical process going on here. I do believe a proper warm/cool down  mentally gives you a chance to “switch” off after an intense engaging workout or session.

Physically the light exercise will enable the waste products  produced (during the chemical processes of energy creation) to be removed more effectively and will flood the blood supply (including the brain) with freshly oxygenated blood.

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Tagged As: cool down, exercise, firness, Workout

Many people who have a dream of running a marathon push it to one side because they are filled with the fear that it’s too much training, they don’t have the time, or they aren’t fit/strong enough. Well I am here to dispel that fear by showing you in the simplest way possible a training program for anyone who can currently run 10km without stopping. If you are an experienced marathoner wanting to run a PB (personal best) then this program may not be detailed enough for you. But if you are a first time marathoner, or an amateur, then this program is exactly what you need to get fit enough to complete 42.2km.

The five ingredients for a successful marathon training program

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Tagged As: fitness, marathon, running, Training, Weight loss

If you’ve been stuck in an exercise rut, repeating the same old exercises, with barely any results, then maybe your body needs to be shocked by something new and different. Cross training is a workout that constantly changes, working all systems in the body from musculo-skeletal and cardiovascular. What’s the benefit? A body like Jose and Juanita over there, fit and strong with the explosive power of a leopard!

What is cross training?

You can read the dictionary definition of cross training, however, I like to call it the ultimate ‘Smash-em-up’ session! You know those days when you’ve got pent up stress, or you are feeling down, they are the best days to get into that gym (or lounge room) and go NUTS! Crank up the music, don’t worry what other people may think (security may be called) because when cross training you do whatever it takes to get your heart leaping out of your chest, and sometimes that means going crazy!!

Cross training is the combining of different exercises for different parts of the body that will improve strength, agility, fitness, and power. It usually involves big compound movements where multiple joints are working at once which elevates the heart rate giving the person a cardiovascular and strength workout at the same time. Explosive movements, such as jumping, build strength and fitness at the same time which is the ultimate aim.
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Tagged As: Cross training, exercise, fitness, strength, tone, Weight loss

Editors Note: This post is written by contributor Vin Miller. Vin is a certified health practitioner who is passionate about helping people get the most out of life. If you’d like to learn more about maximizing your life through health, fitness and perspective, visit his blog at NaturalBias.com

In our fast paced modern world, we are busier and more stressed than ever before. In my last article, I discussed how less obvious sources of stress can accumulate and gradually break down the body. Today, I’ll discuss some practical ways to alleviate stress and prevent it from destroying our health.

As I discussed in the previous article, eliminating unwanted sources of stress is the best solution, but isn’t always possible. The following suggestions will help you alleviate and offset the stress that you can’t avoid.

Reframe Negative Thoughts

We all have a choice in how we perceive and respond to any situation. While you may think your day is ruined because of trivial frustrations that are a common part of every day life, Nick Vujicic views every day as a blessing and an opportunity even though he has no arms or legs. Similarly, Viktor Frankl managed to find meaning and fulfillment from the treacherous conditions he endured in Nazi concentration camps. The point here is not to make you grateful for not having it as bad as these people, but rather to make you realize that there is positivity to be taken from any situation.
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Tagged As: energy, Motivation, Stress

Editors Note: This post is written by contributor Vin Miller. Vin is a certified health practitioner who is passionate about helping people get the most out of life. If you’d like to learn more about maximizing your life through health, fitness and perspective, visit his blog at NaturalBias.com or read about vin on the About Page.

There is much more to stress than the mental frustration that most people associate with it. It’s bad enough that the fast pace of modern life exposes us to significant amounts of anxiety and frustration, but what most people don’t realize is that it doesn’t end there.

Stress is often regarded as a negative state of mind, but that’s not always the case. In fact, we need it to survive, and in some cases, it results from a positive occurrence. It’s when we experience excessive amounts of stress on a regular basis that it becomes a problem.

The Physiology of Stress

Our autonomic nervous system controls many of the functions that keep us alive without us thinking about it. Breathing is one example of such a function that is essential to staying alive but impossible to forget. The autonomic nervous system is split into a parasympathetic branch and a sympathetic branch.
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Tagged As: exercise, nervous system, Stress

Editors Note: This post is written by strength and body shape specialist JC. JC is a writer, fitness enthusiast, former athlete, strength training and diet consultant. He has over 10+ years experience in the field of fitness and athletics and he began strength training at the age of 14. You can read his full bio on the About page or visit his blog www.JCDFitness.com.

Have you experienced a setback or injury that caused your training to take a back seat for a while? Ever had to lay off of pressing or another particular movement and noticed a significant reduction in muscle size? Perhaps you have been training for a while and notice that certain muscle groups have developed or are developing faster than others.

Everyone is different and genetics play a huge role in how we all develop in terms muscle growth. For instance, my quads and glutes will grow if I just dream about squatting, however my shoulders and calves are a different story. I have to give them some extra attention and effort when planning my training to ensure a proper stimulus.

In todays article I will cover body part specialization and how you can use it to your advantage when building a well rounded physique. I have been a student of Lyle McDonald’s work for about 2 years now and what I am presenting today is an assemblage of information I have gathered from his forums about training and in this case, specifically for hypertrophy.
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Tagged As: Muscle growth, specialization, strength, weights