As human beings, we like to think that we’re special. Not just in an individual way but collectively as a species living on planet earth we are definitely unique when we look at every other living thing around us. We are special because we are by far the most intelligent organic things that have ever…
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So, you’ve got over the initial hump of making the gym a habit. You’ve been past the honeymoon period where lifting that first weight felt amazing, and you’ve got past the 2 month sticking point where most people give up (normally around the middle of February). You can call yourself a regular gym-goer and you’ve…
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The world of professional sports has recently been very kind to the media industry, in that there seems to be plenty of scandal to write about. Specifically, the question of doping and performance enhancement. There has been the ongoing saga of Justin Gatlin’s ‘moral’ eligibility to compete after serving two drug bans, exacerbated by his…
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The internet could rightly claim it’s place as one of, if not the most, useful and game-changing inventions in human history. I was talking about this with someone the other day. As an individual today with access to the internet the opportunities open to you are literally endless- no where in the world is too…
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I shut the car door, hands shivering slightly as I turned the ignition and then the heaters to full blast. As the layer of ice on the windshield slowly began to thin, I shut my eyes for a few seconds, considering whether I wanted to do this. It was 1am. The past 20 hours had…
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Strength-to-weight ratio refers to the amount of weight you can lift proportional to your bodyweight. Much like calling someone the best ‘pound-for-pound’ boxer it means that despite the myriad different body types, shapes and sizes we can still have a meaningful method for comparing each others strength. So for example the heaviest deadlift ever is…
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If there is one take away message the fitness and especially the supplement industry wants you to digest, store and tattoo onto the inside of your eyelids, it’s the fear of losing your gains. This can be applied to any form of training where progressive improvement is involved, but it’s particularly prevalent in the Narnia-esque…
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“4 weeks to massive muscle program!” “Gain 10 lbs of muscle in 4 weeks!” “Get lean in 4 weeks” “How to lose 20 lbs in one month!” These are all genuine headlines I’ve pulled from fitness magazines and a quick Google. I think we’re all familiar with the style: a quite big number (lbs of…
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There are not a lot of things in this world that are completely useless. Even chocolate teapots can be both edible and presumably delicious. The smith machine however doesn’t even fall into this hallowed category. It’s actually a step below it; not only does it have no discernible utility it actually does more harm than…
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Everyone struggles for motivation sometimes. Here are some of the things I have found myself thinking about when I’m walking to the gym that always help me get in the mood to make a potentially lacklustre session into a positive one. 1. Live in the present I always find it a bit cheesy when people…
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