Hoyles Fitness

150 mile warm up !

The life of an endurance athlete is a lonely and painful one. Rachel and I cycled 150 miles from north Cheshire to New Quay in West Wales last week. It is part of our ongoing training for the John O’Groats to Lands End bike ride we are doing for Sefton Village in June 2010. Up to [...]

150 mile warm up !

Fundamentals of programme design

Training is in constant evolution. The search for bigger, faster, stronger, leaner and healthier never ends and constantly throws up a new approach. Ironically, many of these approaches are merely variations on a centuries-old theme. Rather than look snootily down on these re-inventions of old methods, we should look more at what we have learnt [...]

Fundamentals of programme design

FitPro congress 2010 – inspirational

This year was my first ever visit to the FitPro spring convention. I had heard how incredible it was, the quality of the speakers and the enthusiasm and inspiration delegates come away with. This article is a short summary of my initial thoughts, with more detailed articles to follow. The convention is held at Loughborough University [...]

FitPro congress 2010 – inspirational

Cranking Up

Starting last year, my girlfriend Rachel and I decided to undertake a physical challenge for charity – last year was the Three Peaks challenge. We could raise money by other means, but a physical challenge is infinitely more appealing than a sponsored event involving no real physical effort. It is also an opportunity to [...]

Cranking Up

Upstream medicine

I was recently invited to a think-tank of forward-thinking exercise professionals (before you think it, I was surprised to get an invite too!) and one of the topics on discussion was ‘upstream medicine’. The term upstream medicine refers to the use of diet, exercise and a general healthy existence as a means to avoid preventable lifestyle [...]

Upstream medicine

Whey Protein

Whey protein is protein that is isolated from whey, a by-product of cheese manufactured from cow’s milk. Whey protein typically comes in three major forms: concentrate, isolate and hydrolysate. Concentrates contain a low level of fat and cholesterol but generally have higher levels of bioactive compounds, and carbohydrates in the form of lactose they are 29%-89% [...]

Whey Protein

Weight Training

Weight training simply refers to training with weights. These can include Free Weights, Weight Machines at your gym, or even just your Body Weight in exercises such as Push-ups. There are many different ways you can train with weights, including High Intensity Training, Super Slow, High Volume Training, and German Volume Training Weight Training Tweet This Post

Weight Training

Weight Machines

Weights machines are resistance-exercise stations with a fixed action. Most weights machines have one or two uses, but there are others that have a variety of attachments and handles that allow the user to perform a multiple exercises. As with any piece of equipment, there are pros and cons. Some argue a forced range of movement [...]

Weight Machines

Water Intake

Water intake is the amount of non-diuretic fluid we take in during the day. Water intake has to be monitored in order to make sure we take in the right amount. During periods of intense sweating, we need more water to replace fluids lost. It is possible to over-hydrate though. In long distance endurance events, some [...]

Water Intake

Warm-Up

A warm up is a short period of exercise (usually cardiovascular in nature) that is performed before exercise. It is designed to gently prepare the muscles, joints, nerves and cardiovascular system for the more strenuous activity that awaits them. Warm-ups are usually tailored to the activity about to be performed, for example a gymnast would [...]

Warm-Up