Hoyles Fitness

Stretching

Stretching is the subject of almost endless debate amongst coaches, personal trainers and injury specialists. Conflicting research combined with personal opinion mean the jury is still out with regards to the full benefits of stretching. This article looks at the concept of stretching, and assesses objectively the current thinking on its positive and negative effects [...]

Stretching

Training Smart

Whatever the task at hand, it is always important to use the right tools for the job. Exercise is no different; this article explains how. Imagine a chef trying to chop garlic with a chainsaw instead of a knife – messy. Fundamentally though, a chainsaw and a knife are both cutting instruments; they are just intended [...]

Training Smart

Intensity

Intensity is the all-important factor of how successful any exercise regime will be. If the work is not done with sufficient intensity, then the efforts are almost worthless. It is not the time spent training that is important; it is the quality of the exercise that gauges success. An intense half hour is infinitely better [...]

Intensity

Fat and calories explained

In a world full of conflicting information on diet and fat loss, it is easy to be confused between the difference in fat and calories. This article aims to clear this up once and for all… A calorie is simply a unit of energy. It explains exactly how much energy is contained within a foodstuff. The [...]

Fat and calories explained

You are what you eat

Essentially, to lose body fat and ultimately weight, you have to create a calorie deficit. Exercise will help to achieve this, but obviously you have to be careful from a dietary perspective also. The times when you are not exercising are vitally important- you have to feed your body in a manner that will nourish [...]

You are what you eat

Blood Pressure

What is blood pressure? Why is it significant? What can be done to control it? This article aims to answer the questions, and more. The heart is a muscular pump designed to force blood through our body. Blood is pumped from the heart through the arteries out to our muscles and organs. Put simply, too much [...]

Blood Pressure

BMI - Body Mass Index

Body Mass Index is an equation used by specialists to determine whether or not a person lies within a ‘healthy’ weight range. It is a very common method of evaluating individual people to see if they are under or over weight. The method involves comparing a subject’s weight to their height. By dividing the weight measurement [...]

BMI - Body Mass Index

Bones

Function The Skeletal system is a complex network of bones, joints, cartilage, ligaments and tendons. Collectively, the skeleton provides a stable support frame for the body and offers protection to many of the vital organs. Furthermore, the bones are the factory of blood cell production and allow movement of the body via the joints. The bones [...]

Bones

Why Weight Loss Is Not Important

The human body is an amazingly technical structure comprising of many different tissue types. These tissues are made of different materials and have different densities - they don’t actually all weigh the same! On a daily basis I see lots of people who train to ‘lose weight’. This is all well and good, but they slightly [...]

Why Weight Loss Is Not Important

The lungs

Welcome to the first instalment of a four-part series of articles on exercise physiology! In this first issue we will look at the lungs, finding out the what, where, why, how and when! The lungs are the respiratory centre of the body. They allow us to ingest oxygen which provides the basis for the most fundament [...]

The lungs