The Guardian

I start “Controversy over Core Training”!  I still get people asking me about this and have been subject to alot of half witted attempts to discredit me, only, as time has gone on, to see my views confirmed by other experts and emerging scientific study.  I was the first person to claim that the “True Core” is not in the abdomen, but in the hips.  Anyone you see claiming this as their idea has stolen it from me (imitation being the sincerest form of flattery!).  If you are still doing “hundreds” at pilates, find another place to train.

Anyway, make your own mind up here.

The Guardian, again

If you think that paying lots of money to the local boutique gym is going to make to super fit, and that 45 minutes in the hot tub followed by 30 minutes in the sauna constitutes a proper workout, think again! In this feature, we talk about alternative (and infinitely superior) ways to train that will convince you to never again set foot in a gym. Don’t think you can get into amazing shape without the gym? Give it a go, you’ll be surprised.

Challenge those preconceptions right now!

The Daily Mirror

Following on from The Guardian article above, this is another piece about training without a gym, although this time the focus was exercises to do in the home.  This was a popular topic for a few months, and I had a number of calls asking about alternative training.  Which I am a big fan of, in case you did not get that.

Turn your home into a gym here

The Guardian Guide to Massage

As part of the prestigious “Guardian Guide” series, I was asked to feature in a piece about the scientific evidence for soft tissue healing from a sporting perspective.  I did an interview lasting over 45 minutes, sent the reporter pages of scientific studies, complete with “layman” explanations of what the studies concluded, and even contacted research institutions to clarify points.  And all they feature is some banal one liner from me (which i am not even sure i said!).  Still, this is how media stuff goes.  The big interesting point in the article is about the potential effect on back pain, which as my clients will attest, is incredible. Read it now!

The London Paper

This piece discussed the various “hazards” associated with high fashion, to coincide with London Fashion Week.  Heels, bags and pants can all be a hazard – so be warned! This was a very visual piece, and featured photos of Kate Moss, Victoria Beckham (in the most remarkable heels!) and Fearne Cotton.  Slightly less alluring was the pictures of Bridget Jones’ big pants, but it made me laugh.  See if you are a dedicated victim of fashion.

ShortList magazine

This is actually the second of two ShortList articles, the first one being about fitness training for boxing (which I cannot find right now to put up).  This deals with the Holy Grail for fitness training – big biceps.  My approach to biceps is that, where possible, they should not be trained in isolation, since this provides far more of a functional workout.  Name me one movement that we do as humans that only use the biceps?  That’s right, there isn’t one, so why train them like that?

The eagle eyed of you will notice that I advocate barbell raises, which are seen as an isolation movement.  Well, I’ll see your eagle eyed-ness, and raise you a spot of pedantry, since I also tell you to “stand up“, thus making the movement far more functional.  It’s all in the details here.

Daily Express

This was a fun one – I was asked to gaze into my crystal ball and predict the fitness trends for 2009.  There were a whole lot of other people predicting things to do with Toys, Holidays, Gadgets, Hotels, Film, Socialising, Fashion, and Hair, which I have not included here (just wanted to make it clear that the whole article was not about me…).  In retrospect, I was bang on about the bikes (I actually said in the original version that it would be specifically track bikes – which it was, big time).  The running bit was also spot on, as anyone seeing people running in the Five Fingers shoes will attest.  Maybe I need to run a stall at the local circus….anyway, read now what I said then would happen now.

Running Free

I have a couple of features in Running Free, (which is so good it is positively a crime that it is a free magazine), once about preparing for the Marathon, and another about how running makes you a better lover (really, it’s all in the glutes).  I’ll post them later!

Women’s Fitness

Jolly hockey sticks?? Err, not if you are serious about your hockey and follow my training tips.  Hockey stopped being a casual pursuit for young ladies along time ago.  Both men and women will find my advice about fitness training for hockey useful…especially if you are still only running for 30 minutes twice a week for your training.  Hit the astroturf with advanced techniques right now!