functional training

Functional fitness essentially means carrying out exercises that mirror the movements we have to do every day. The aim is to make us more efficient in our everyday movements particularly when our bodies are called upon to be strong or fast, for example-carrying our shopping, climbing the stairs or even running for a bus.

Why Functional Fitness Matters

People work out for many different reasons. It may well be to shift some weight, look better or feel fitter. But what about working out because it will improve your

Should you use weights and if so what weights? Should you squat on a machine and if so which one? Also, what’s the best form? Here we explore all you need to know about squatting.

Why Squat At All?

Squatting is hugely important to us as humans. Why? The main reasons are that it is "functional". We need to be able to squat to lift anything heavy from children to shopping to changing a tyre. It builds muscles all over our body. It clearly focuses on the lower body muscle groups but squatting triggers anabolic stimulation which helps trigger muscle development throughout the body. Squatting also develops connective tissues in our knees and hips. This means that all our tendons and ligaments grow thicker and are less likely to tear when stressed. Squatting keeps your flexible, can help you burn fat and finally can give you a great shaped but!

Squatting in itself is quite a basic move but the devil is in the detail as to where you should position your toes, how far apart your feet should be and how much weight you should use. But let’s start with the feet.

Positioning of Feet

You may have been told different things over the years regarding the position of your feet. Do you have your toes facing forward in line with your hips, or facing out? Experts now seem to agree that the answer lies in your body and what it is you are trying to achieve. In terms of your body then if your hips naturally rotate out you may find it more comfortable to have your toes pointed slightly out.

In terms of benefit if your toes are slightly pointed outwards then you can achieve a deeper squat but if your toes point forwards then you can generate more power into the squat. Overall it appears to rest upon how you feel comfortable and what you do with your toes when you walk. In summary there is no right or wrong here, it’s all to do with what your feet and hips naturally do and what kind of squat you are trying to achieve.

How Wide Should Your Feet Be?

There are really three basic positions of width, medium, wide and narrow, and all play a role. Let’s start with the medium position.

This is where you squat with hi

Research published in the journal Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise by the University of Stirling suggests that people who do fewer repetitions during

By full body, we mean exercises that require you to use many muscles and joints at the same time. We think the following five fit this bill and should give you

How Do You Monitor Core Stability? It is widely believed that core stability work is important as it reduces injury and improves performance but what scientific evidence is there to support this theory?

A study by Chaudhari carried out in 2011 with a group of 75 healthy professional baseball pitchers, used a measurement device which allowed the observation to be made that professional baseball pitchers with poor core stability did not perform as well as those with better lumbopelvic control. Thereby providing some scientific evidence to support this belief.

In order to achieve maximum athletic performance, control and strength of the body's back, abdominal and hip muscles is essential. However the question remains, how can we tell if core stability is being maintained?

The measurement device used in the Chaudhari study provides audible feedback to alert the user when the body

Physical Company have joined forces with Future Fit to offer bespoke training to fitness professionals on a range of gym equipment. What this means is that if you are a fitness trainer and you are upgrading your skills with Physical Company training equipment you can then sign up to training workshops supplied by Future Fit.

Why Team up with Future Fit Training?

To date Physical Company has offered

The Bear Grylls survival race which kicks off  in August in Cambridge has officially teamed up with Jordan’s Fitness. Who is Bear Grylls? To many Bear Grylls is the face of survival and outdoor adventure. He was a soldier in the SAS where he perfected many of the skills that he teaches today.

Bear Grylls aim has been to encourage as many people to develop their physical and mental strength by taking part in a series of challenges. The survival race will enter its second year and includes 4 events in Cambridge, Manchester, Edinburgh and London.

What is the Survival Race?

The Cambridge event will include jungle,

The Energie Group have signed a two year exclusive deal with Jordan Fitness to supply their UK Health Clubs - Fit4less, Energie Fitness & Energie Fitness for Women.  

Who Are Fit4Less?

Fit4less have had something of a meteoric rise. They started in 2003 as a single club and now boast 100,000 members and 100 clubs.  Energie is the market leading fitness franchise group in the UK. The franchise group includes Fit4less, Energie

Anytime Leisure Rebrands to Origin Fitness,  Anytime Leisure, the Scottish based fitness equipment supplier has rebranded and will now be known as Origin

The choices available if you are looking for fitness equipment are simply huge.  Fitness equipment falls into three main categories – cardio, strength, and accessories – and the possibilities are huge for each.

Cardio equipment tends to be the biggest, most expensive fitness equipment on the market.  The most popular options include treadmills, stationary bikes (upright and recumbent), cross trainers, rowers, steppers, and climbers.  Each has their advantages.

Working Your Lower Body