fitness

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fitness

If you need fitness tips for getting in shape, these fitness articles will help you reach goals you have set for yourself. How can you overcome muscle soreness? Here is a wealth of health and fitness research provided by experts who place physical fitness as a top priority. To browse our library of free sports training articles, browse using the categories on the left or use the search box.

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Ladder Drill Hopping Two Forward One Back

Ladder Drill Hopping Two Forward One Back

This drill is great for developing uni-lateral (one foot) coordination as it challenges the movement skills of athletes. Hopping drills are also great for developing lower leg strength and power.


Strength and fitness training: how using a weighted sled can improve your performance

Sled training provides a number of training opportunities to develop performance


Strength and fitness training: the weighted sled

The weighted sled provides a number of training opportunities to develop numerous facets of fitness. It is versatile enough to develop anaerobic and aerobic fitness and is therefore a suitable means of training for many athletes.


Fitness training for female athletes

Female game players need high fitness levels as well as technical and tactical skills in order to reach the top


Energy systems: aerobic and anaerobic training

Training the right energy system in relation to your sport will ensure optimum performance


Rugby Training: Secrets of the Rugby World Cup Players

Scotland's Rugby Fitness Coach shares his rugby training tips


Fitness Training for Rugby Union

Rugby conditioning: the fitness standards rugby players and coaches should be aiming for


Increase Vertical Leap and Improve Jumping Ability with Plyometrics

Plyometric Exercises to Make You Jump Higher and Further


Sandbag Shoulder Press Throw

Sandbag Shoulder Press Throw

Sandbags are an effective low cost alternative to medicine ball. This drill is alternative to the conventional shoulder press with a barbell, expect you accelerate through the movement allowing for greater power development. You can adjust the weight of the sandbag to suit your strength goals.


Ladder Drill: Two Feet in Each Rung

Ladder Drill: Two Feet in Each Rung

A progression from the One Foot in Each Rung drill, challenges the speed of co-ordination of the athlete. Have the athlete perform the drill correctly by asking them to start off slowly to get a feel of the movement.


Fitness training survey results

Peak Performance fitness training survey shows you don’t need the gym for sports training


Asthma in athletes

Beta(2)-agonists used to treat asthma do not confer any performance advantage in athletes


Health and Fitness: Heart Disease

How much exercise protects against heart disease?


Active Recovery Uncovered

When active recovery doesn’t work


Preventing Osteoarthritis

Does sport set us up for arthritis in later life? And can anything be done?


Reduce Muscle Fatigue with Probiotic Supplements

Probiotics combat fatigue problems in athletes


Physiology performance parameters

Athleticogenomics – the gene genie is out of his bottle


Low-intensity workouts lead to weight loss

Exercise intensity and weight loss


Half-time nutrition – what’s best for maximising fulltime performance?

Half-Time Training for Team Sports


Diabetes - how it affects sports and how to combat it

diabetes and sports performance


Vibration Training and Performance

Can vibration training enhance Sports Performance?


Half Time Strategy - Temperature

Coping With The Effects of Temperature on The Pitch


Cycling Training: Aerodynamics and Stamina

Don't Let Drag Interfere With Your Cycling Training


Body Fat and Running Performance

Optimum Running Performance and Body Fat Levels


Heart Vitality Training and Heart Rate Monitors as Aids to Athletic Performance

Athletic Performance - keeping your cardiovascular system in shape


Research Round-Up: endurance, ergogenic drugs, hydration and vibration

endurance, ergogenic drugs, hydration and vibration


Building Speed and Endurance

Building Speed Before Endurance: time to turn convention on the head?


Sports News: Injury Treatment Evidence?

Injury research and clinical practice


Stretching, Performance and Injury Prevention

Pre-exercise stretching - is it time to tear up the old rule book?


Sports Science Glossary Part 8

Sports Science Glossary Part 8


recovery

Recovery: what is the best strategy?


child protection in sport

Child protection in sport


football fitness

Football fitness - The role of personal fitness in team success


soccer fitness training

Soccer fitness training: Endurance training boosts performance in the field


Aerobic Training vs. Strength Training: do they cancel each other out?

Concurrent Training, interference effect


Running: the importance of race pacing

Race Pacing


Plyometric Exercise | Power Training

Plyometric Exercise and Power Training


Fitness Testing: Four simple ways to keep a check on your overall fitness levels

Fitness Testing


Lactic Acid: a fitness assessment to measure your lactate levels

How to keep an eye on your lactate acid levels


Ergogenic Aids: can increasing oxygen levels improve sports performance?

Ergogenic Aids


Periodisation training ensures athletes experience regular fitness and performance improvements

If you want to improve your performance, you can’t train in the same way all the time


Musicians and exercise: how to avoid stage fright

Physically fit musicians may cope better with stage fright


Fitness training: how to design a sports-specific fitness programme

The principles behind designing a sports specific programme and the training methods that should be employed


Preparing for competition: tapering produces positive competition results

Tapering - pre-competition training


Fitness workouts: how to increase your VO2max

New vVO2max workouts lead to impressive gains in fitness


fat burning zone

Fat burning zone - Why athletes, fitness enthusiasts and slimmers should steer clear of the fat burning zone


Anxiety before a competition can lead to insomnia

How crucial is a good night's sleep before a major event?


Exercise equipment: what is the best fitness machine in the gym?

The best exercise machines to improve your fitness.


Fitness for football

Fitness For Football: Endurance training boosts performance in the field


VO2 Max: can veteran athletes prevent a decline in aerobic capacity?

The role of aerobic exercise in the veteran endurance athlete


Aerobic exercise: everything you need to know about Maximal Lactate Steady State Pace

An easy way for runners to estimate Maximal Lactate Steady State pace


Super set training: improve your motivation and fitness levels at the same time

Super set sessions will help you run, cycle, or swim for longer and faster.


Aerobic capacity: how to boost oxygen uptake

Endurance coach Olaf Astrand states that maximum oxygen uptake can be improved by up to 20% if a work rate of above 80% is achieved


Karate v aerobic dance

Karate and aerobic dance are increasingly popular - but apparently dissimilar - activities. While the goal of aerobic dance is improved fitness, karate is usually used to increase self-confidence and one's ability to protect oneself, and the actual fitness benefits associated with karate have been considered to be fairly modest.


Vo2max

Vo2max Defined: For years V02max has been referred to as a gold standard of aerobic fitness. It is simply a physiological index that can be measured while you are exercising.


Muscle soreness

Muscle Soreness: Tough workouts promote heightened fitness, but they can also lead to so much muscle soreness that athletes are unable to train effectively during the days after a rigorous session. To promote more consistent training and to limit muscle damage, exercise scientists have searched for ways to prevent excessive post-workout soreness.


Training: altitude or sea-level

Training: Altitude Or Sea-level: In related work carried out by researchers at the University of Copenhagen, competitive rowers who trained at sea level achieved significantly greater gains in fitness, compared to rowers who trained at altitude.


Sequencing in Training 1

Sequencing In Training 1: Get your training in order: how sequencing determines your overall fitness


Sequencing in Training 2

Sequencing In Training 2: Get your training in order: how sequencing determines your overall fitness


sports injuries benefits

You may not appreciate it at the time, but an injury can teach you a lot about how your body works


Return-to-form workouts

Return-to-form Workouts: The quickest way to get your fitness back after a lay-off is to find a three-minute hill.


Fat, fitness and performance 2

Fat, Fitness And Performance 2: Let's face it. Even though carbohydrate is the key fuel for athletic performance and slimness-seeking athletes usually avoid high-fat foods as much as possible, you do need to include some fat in your diet


Methods, fitness, lung function

A critical look at recent research into training methods, fitness needs and lung function


Squash, age, fitness and risk

Squash, Age, Fitness And Risk: New research conducted by T. Reilly and D. Halsall at the Centre for Sport and Exercise at Liverpool John Moore University has shown that regular competitive squash has considerable health benefits but that older recreational players should approach the game with due care.


Conditioning

Conditioning: Next to cross-country skiing, running is the best type of fitness training for all sports.


Aerobic fitness: a training programme to boosting your VO2 Max

Improving fitness levels by boosting your VO2 Max


exercise | weight loss | fat

If the pounds come off deceptively easily, beware! It's not fat that you're losing.


running form | biomechanics | running style

Running form: How you can become a better runner without increased fitness - with the right form.


athletes diet

Athletes Diet: The triathletes who ate nearly twice as much, yet gained no weight, and improved their performance times by 8 per cent.


Aerobic system: interval training to improve fitness

Aerobic Interval Training: You can vary the intensity, the work period and the rest period but which combination is most effective?


exercise bike trianing when injured

Exercise Bike Trianing When Injured: The best workout to maintain fitness when you're injured.


Quantifying intensity

Quantifying Intensity: How to use heart rate to quantify your fitness training intensity.


Summer training

Summer Training: Training in warm weather is definitely not the same as training in cooler temperatures. There are many "tricks of the trade" - practices which can make your warm-weather workouts much more comfortable and much better for your overall fitness.


Summer training

Summer Training: Training in warm weather is definitely not the same as training in cooler temperatures. There are many "tricks of the trade" - practices which can make your warm-weather workouts much more comfortable and much better for your overall fitness.


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