Joining the Fitness Writers’ Association

Last night, I was at the launch of the Fitness Writers’ Association, a new industry membership group here in the UK which aims to unify the communications arm of the fitness industry, bringing together those of us who write about it and those of them who supply it, lobby for it, train people in it and otherwise contribute to the products, services, ideas, campaigns and trends which make up the sport and fitness industry.

What a great idea! I don’t quite know why nobody’s thought to put something like this together for us before now (similar things exist for the health industry, for example). Three cheers for the lovely Cheryl at Action PR and Fiona at The Running Bug (and a few other hard-working ladies) for coming up with the idea and driving it forward. The result of their efforts was unveiled last night, at the rather swish Dolphin Club in London.

We were treated to canapes and champagne (of which I had none being 7 weeks out from my comp ) before the first of the speakers took to the floor. Fiona and Cheryl introduced the Fitness Writers’ Association, explaining why it had come about, why it’s needed and what it will develop into (events, education, training, contacts, a network of experts us writers can go to for information/ideas/leads/comment, as well as fantastic links with the FIA).

Then we heard from the Dolphin Square Fitness Club, who gave a thought-provoking talk about the legacy the 2012 Games will leave behind… and why it might not have the impact we’d like to think it will. Is the Olympics actually inspiring us to become fitter? Do the Games significantly encourage uptake in sport? What social/cultural shifts do we need to see in Britain to turn us from a nation of spectators (bums on seats) to participators (bums off seats!) The emphasis was on how we, as the writers serving the sport and fitness sector, can help make the legacy of the Games a lasting and positive one.

Then David Stalker, CEO of the Fitness Industry Association, talked about how we absolutely must link this fantastic opportunity – our Olympic Games – with much wider health and fitness goals and programmes in this country. The time is now, he said. We have to get it right. Dave is a passionate speaker and advocate of getting the entire population healthier through activity, exercise and fitness. He and the FIA have strong, respected links with Government, Public Affairs and Policy, huge corporates, the medical industry and the education sector. I have heard him speak in small settings like this many times now and, each time, I feel very honoured: this is a man who has direct links into, and is helping to drive, some of the most important health/wellness/fitness campaigns in Britain and here he is sharing it with us. Thank you David.

Lastly Dr Jess Leitch of Run3D in Oxford talked to us about the latest in high tech gait analysis and how this is helping our Olympic athletes – and those of the future – train, compete and continue on with their sport with as little injury as possible.

Then it was time to chat with the other writers, Editors, freelancers and inhouse people who’d been invited to this inaugural FWA event. I decided I definitely wanted to join – I get asked to join quite a lot of networking things, memberships groups and industry bodies, but the FWA is the only one of its kind and I think it will be very important to our industry.

Thank you to Cheryl and Fiona for organising, to Ruth, Dawn and all the others who helped make the night a success, and to Richard, Mark, David and Jessica for speaking.

You can follow the Fitness Writers’ Association on Facebook and contact join@fitnesswritersassociation.com if you’d like to ask about joining.

Joining the Fitness Writers’ Association is a post from The Fit Writer blog.

Nicola Joyce – the Fit Writer – is a freelance copywriter and journalist who writes for the sport and fitness industry. Her main website is here.

MYZONE makes movement measurable

How do you measure your training progress? Are you a pen & paper type, do you use some kind of app, or are you a committed Garmin & laptop combo kinda guy?

Recently I went to the launch of MYZONE, a really exciting new way of measuring exercise, which can already be found in several gym chains (and is being rolled out across lots more). MYZONE’s strapline is “making movement measurable”, and that’s exactly what it does. You wear what appears to be a heart-rate monitor strap around your chest and… that’s it. No watch, no USB stick (just as well, since I always lose those and never remember which one is for my Garmin), no faff. Just the chest strap.

The idea is that gyms, or workplaces, sign up to the MYZONE system, and members then get access to MYZONE. You’d then register your belt to the MYZONE cloud and, whenever you’re in the gym (or wherever your MYZONE “hub” happens to be), the info stored in your belt is uploaded to the cloud.

So, what does MYZONE measure, exactly? After all, haven’t we already got pedometers, heart rate monitors and all manner of sat-nav based systems?

MYZONE has developed MEPs (MYZONE Effort Points) as a metric for measuring activity. MYZONE users gain MEPs by spending time in the five effort/intensity zones, which are initially set based on each person’s maximum heart rate. The more effort you put in, the more points you earn. But a long walk would soon boost your points, too. And that’s the point: the MYZONE system measures everything, whether you’re in the gym or not. For people with coaches and PTs, this enables your PT to get a true look at what you’re up to in all those training hours when they’re not there with you.

As well as the MEPs, MYZONE calculates calories burned, duration and time of activity. Every time you’re in the gym, you pop on bioimpedence scales, and your account is updated with weight, muscle mass, body water %, metabolic age, body fat % and other important values.

All of this automatically get recorded on your own online account, and all you have do to is “clock in”. No fiddling about with synching things or finding a USB stick and charging various bits of kit up all the time.

The chest strap stores hours and hours of data, enough that you could go on holiday for a fortnight and have all your data safely stored ready to upload when you get back. You can log in to see your account anywhere in the world.

For coaches/PTs, it’s a great system for gaining a truly valuable insight into your clients’ progress 24/7. For gyms, it’s a great USP, creating a real sense of community and giving you a differentiator. For workplaces, it’s a brilliant employee benefit and shows dedication to the whole employee wellness thing.

As for me, I hopped on a spin bike at the press launch and got to see how the system would look in a gym setting. Only the MYZONE participants who were “in the building” were shown on the big screen, so I could see how hard the people on the bikes next to me were working, and which colour zone we were all in. It creates a really good sense of camaraderie, competition and community. I really wish my gym was signed up! Maybe one day In the meantime, watch out for MYZONE coming to a gym (or, if you’re really lucky, an employer) near you. I’ve a feeling it’s going to be big!

MYZONE makes movement measurable is a post from The Fit Writer blog.

Nicola Joyce – the Fit Writer – is a freelance copywriter and journalist who writes for the sport and fitness industry. Her main website is here.

Interval training at Fresh

OK so I lied about no more photos of me training for a while. When I wrote that, I forgot that I was due to go and train at Fresh, a gym and athletic conditioning facility newly opened in Shepperton.

Fresh contacted me through Twitter and invited me along to train with S&C coach Mike Lovett, on one of my HIIT days. Sure thing, I said. Put me through my paces. Let’s just say the drive home was…challenging. I kind of wished I was driving an automatic. It’s been a long time since my quads have felt like that!

To back up a bit: Fresh is just a couple of months old. It’s a big facility and combines traditional gym floor stuff (cardio machines, resistance machines and free weights) with athletic conditioning equipment in a lovely big space. There’s a scaffold, suspension training equipment, Olympic lifting, squat rack, kettlebells, battling ropes, punchbags and lots more.

I met Mike, my designated trainer, who asked me what I wanted to get out of the session. He already knew I was 14 weeks out from my figure comp (it’s taken me a couple of weeks to get this blog post up!) I’d told him I do plenty of heavy lifting but have little space or equipment with which to do really good conditioning sessions.

First of all, Mike led me through a warm-up focusing on mobility and dynamic stretching. He then revealed my circuit to me: five exercises focused on whole-body movement patterns (lunge, squat, pull, push and rotation)…and told me I’d go round five times. 45 seconds on, 15 off, and a bonus rest between sets. Eek!

Here’s what I did (with coach Mike’s explanations)

1) Lateral strap-shuttles
“Plyometric loading of the legs in a semi squat position whilst support the posture with the suspension straps, this exercise is great for heart rate training and really gets those legs full of blood”

2) Rope drives
“Using a 30kg heavy-duty rope, the aim is to get the whole body firing up in sequence with triple extension from ankle, knee and hips, an explosive power endurance exercise which will challenge the whole body”

3) Squat jump to hangs
“A favourite exercise of mine, great for separation and definition in the quads! Using a frame around 7ft high: stand directly under the frame in a squat position and explosively jump up and catch the pole above. Hold in an isometric position for 2 seconds. Let go and land softly in a full squat and simultaneously explode back up to the frame and repeat for the duration. A fierce explosive exercise!”

4) Get ups
“The aim of this exercise is simple: get on the floor from a standing position and – as quickly as possible – get up again. This usually involves a high tempo work rate including a squat, press up and lunge, and works both concentrically and eccentrically in all movements.

”

5) Endurance punch bag work
“Nothing gets the heart going like a little boxing. Using a 35kg hanging bag, I had Nicola punching high and hard for prolonged periods. This was challenging and got the heart rate up massively whilst keeping Nicola focused on the target throughout.” (I concur… )

My heart was pounding and I was completely knackered after that lot, but it was a clever circuit which fooled me into carrying on.. the 15 second rest period was just enough recovery for me to forget what the fuss was all about, and one or two of the exercises were just easier (not “easy”, just “easier”..!) enough to convince me I could make it through another round.

The exercises Mike chose for me got my heart rate up, worked my entire body and blasted me from all angles – lateral, explosive, triple extension and all that good stuff. I asked him to explain why he chose them:

This session was designed specifically for Nicola going into a HIIT training day. Although many people associate HIIT with treadmills/rowing machines, this session was purely based on body weight exercises challenging every muscle group by keeping the heart rate raised with short rest periods which in turn results in a fantastic HIIT training session. My aim was to work on an explosive basis, ensuring maximum force in every movement, this was evident with the load and explode squat jump and hangs.

Nicola was great to work with and really put in a fantastic effort throughout, already looking in great condition for her upcoming figure competitions. It was a pleasure to train Nicola and give her some guidance on training structures.

Without question Nicola got the HIIT workout she requested and also went away with some new ideas towards training.

Nicola, I hope you enjoyed the experience at Fresh and we look forward to seeing you again.

Mike was a fantastic coach, calling out words of encouragement all the way through and saying just the right thing to keep me going. One of my favourite was during the squat jumps/hangs: “Load up that squat and explode out of it…it will really get some separation going in those quads.” Yes please, sign me up!

Fresh is a great facility and well worth a visit if you’re in the area. As well as training in the indoor facilities, the team do a range of classes, outdoor sessions and are about to start dedicated triathlon training sessions at an open-water swimming lake. So, whatever your sport or fitness goal, do check them out if they’re in your patch.

Thank you Mike and the rest of the Fresh team, the session was great (and took me a while to recover from!) and it was a pleasure to see your facility.

You can follow Fresh and Mike on Twitter, and Fresh on Facebook.

Interval training at Fresh is a post from The Fit Writer blog.

Busy weekend (part 1: IFBB Grand Prix)

Last weekend was a busy one! I’m going to split this blog post into two, actually. Part one covers my Saturday: I headed into London to the Excel Centre (driving from Berkshire to the Excel Centre….both the DLR and Jubilee lines were down!) where the IFBB Grand Prix was being held for the first time.

I was there primarily to meet an Editor (hi John!) but thought it would be a great opportunity to nosy round the expo, grab some free samples and immerse myself in the world of bodybuilding. I’m still so new to it, everything’s an eye-opener.

It was a fun day! Here are some photos which I thought might amuse, entertain and inform.

I met Jamie Eason, US fitness model and competitor who was on the bodybuilding.com stand. She was absolutely lovely, so sweet and seemed genuinely happy to talk to everyone who wanted a photo with her (and there were hundreds!) She asked me about my comp and gave me some sweet advice. Nice lady!

Here are a few huge chaps

This is Robby Anchant, top UK amateur bodybuilding competitor and all round nice guy. I asked him for a photo just cos he was a huge guy who happened to be walking past and I thought it would be funny for the blog. We ended up having a right giggle. I suggested we “get our guns out” and he told me he’d rather we didn’t as he was afraid I’d show him up. “My arms aren’t really my strong point,” he said. LOL! Here’s the photo we ended up with:

But I quite like this one too because of my face?!

The IFBB Grand Prix didn’t just concern bodybuilding: there was also strongman (which has always fascinated me!), MMA (no photos, but I saw Dane Bowers next to the cage – I assume he was commentating rather than fighting?!) and BMX/stunt riding.

I didn’t stay around for the actual show, which is a shame as I would have loved to watch. I must see a show before my own show dates roll around – I know I’d learn so much from watching pros and seasoned amateurs up on stage.

Oh, and here’s my stash of freebies – minus the four of five sachets and packets of stuff I’ve already consumed. Yum! Tee hee!

Stay tuned for part 2 – on the way home from the Excel, I picked up my friend and coach Kat Millar who came to stay for..er…just under 24 hours (we’re busy ladies!) and we packed two training sessions in during that time. Photos and training updates to come!

Were you at the IFBB Grand Prix? Did I say hello to you?

Conditioning training at Locker27

I mentioned last week that I’d been invited to train at Locker 27, an athletic facility in Weybridge, Surrey. It’s about time I told you about the session (and the facility). It’s a fantastic place to train and I only wish I could get over there more often. Two sessions a week at Locker 27 athletic development and I’d be in tip-top condition for my comp, I can tell you!

Locker 27 is what I’d call a proper “old school” training facility, although there’s nothing dated about it. On the contrary, the equipment is fantastic and the knowledge of the three coaches is bang up to date. But the Locker 27 guys have built the facility, and the training they offer there, around the solid foundations of real athletic conditioning. Everything they do is functional and aimed at increasing sporting performance. They focus on the basics: of technique, of programming and of progressive training. The training they do looks simple, but is tough. The Locker 27 guys know that if it ain’t broke, there’s no point trying to fix it, and so they underpin all their training sessions with all the good stuff – Olympic lifts, bodyweight movements, intervals, conditioning circuits.

Here’s the blurb from the website as written by its founder Matt Church:

At Locker 27 we provide the basis and foundation for athletes/sportspeople/fitness fanatics to achieve their goals and increase their performance. The pathway from physical competency to performance training is tailored to prepare the individual for the complicated, comprehensive, robust skill set required to reach their potential.

“The Locker” provides a very different training experience compared to a commercial gym. All components of sports conditioning are combined and can be applied to anyone who wishes to push the boundaries, whether for sport or for healthy living.

Locker 27 was born 31 years ago. It is a culmination of experience and lessons from the sporting world both positive and negative that have shaped the philosophy and services received at the “Locker”.

The name Locker 27 comes from my first ever locker at school. I have very fond memories of these early stages of my sporting development. I was lucky enough to be surrounded by people who ignited my passion for all aspects of sport and exercise. At Locker 27 we want to be part of that ignition process.

So, what about my session? I met with Steven Rudkin, a co-director of Locker 27 and asked him to put me through my paces. On my training programme for the day was interval training, and I was secretly hoping Steve would get me to do a variety of things I just can’t do in the limited space available to me at my local gym. I wasn’t disappointed!

Steve devises my session and writes it up so he can count my reps

After a fantastic warm-up which focused on mobility and glute activation (hurdle walks, band side-steps, crawls, lunges, medicine ball woodchops and ball slams, skipping, etc), Steve revealed my circuit...5 exercises, working for 45 seconds with 15 seconds rest, and a bonus 60 seconds rest between after the completion of the fifth exercise. I was to do the sequence 3 times. Doesn’t sound too bad, does it? That’s what I thought…until he told me what the 5 exercises were:

1) “wall ball”: essentially a push/press, squatting down and then launching a 5kg medicine ball up against a wall in front of me, over and over again

2) sledge hammer: whacking a massive tyre with a sledge hammer over and over again as hard as I can

3) burpees jumping straight up into wide-grip chin ups (then down again into the burpee…and so on)

4) rope slam: continually ‘slamming’ a 2inch rope up and down for the 45 seconds
and

5) flipping a 44kg tyre across the room, running back to the start line after each flip

If that still doesn’t sound too bad, here is some video footage of me doing some of the exercises. I’m a bit embarrassed about these as 1) I didn’t know Steve was videoing and 2) they’re from the end of the session when I was tired – hence the complete inability to do any real chin ups (I’m just jumping up and lowering myself down by this stage).

I asked Steven to explain why he chose the five exercises for my circuit. He said: “These kind of athletic movements mimic the way we need to move during sport and help us build power in those big movements. Two things are often neglected in traditional gym-type training: triple extension (at the ankle, knee and hip) and the posterior chain. They’re both really important for athletic performance, no matter what your sport is. After all, every sport demands ground reaction forces from those three leg joints so we need to learn how to transfer power from the ground up and drive it through the legs and hips.”

After I’d recovered from this short but killer “raw conditioning” session, I asked Steve to assist me with just one set of dumbbell chest presses, because I never have anyone to help me during my own sessions, and I wanted to see if I could actually press more than normal if I had someone there to help me get the dumbbells up in the air. Sure enough, I was able to go up to 2x20kgs (I can usually only manage 2x18kgs because I can’t lift anything heavier to the start position!) I think I could have gone heavier but 20kg is the biggest dumbbell they have at present. Steve then checked my squat and deadlift form and said it was all good, which was great to hear.

I absolutely loved my session at Locker 27 and would like to thank Steve for inviting me and taking me through the session. If you are able to get to Weybridge to train, I strongly recommend you try the facility out.

Triathlon readers – you could try Locker 27′s dedicated Computrainer sessions (you can take your own bike) – at the moment, only Locker 27 and the triathlon centre in Manchester offer the sessions.

Conditioning training at Locker27 is a post from The Fit Writer blog.

How to engage with fitness journalists and bloggers

I mentioned in a previous blog post that I recently spoke at the FIA (Fitness Industry Association) Communications Forum in February. I was asked along in my capacity as a freelance journalist and blogger (although I also do copywriting) and my brief was to talk about how the delegates could find, engage with and make the most of fitness journalists and bloggers.

People in the room included PRs responsible for sport and fitness brands, inhouse marketeers of the same and operators of gyms, leisure centres, facilites and events.

Here’s the outline of my talk. I hope you might find it useful. Please remember it’s just my opinion and based on my experiences as a freelance sport and fitness writer. If you have any questions, I’d be happy to answer them to the best of my ability - just leave a comment.

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Freelance journalists are positioned somewhere between the editorial staff of publications and the PRs and marketing personnel of fitness brands, products and events.

I’ve been freelancing since 2004. A quick rundown of my personal backstory:

- I was made redundant and moved out of London at the same time
- I’d always wanted to work as a journalist and sport was the obvious niche as it’s my personal passion
- At the time, I was a few months away from my first English Channel swim and I realised that, if I couldn’t successfully pitch sports Editors with a first-person article about Channel swimming, I would never make it as a freelance sport journalist!
- I did pitch that article idea, got a couple of commissions and worked my way up from there

I’ve now written for a range of consumer magazines and NGB membership magazines, including:
220 Triathlon, Triathlete’s World, Women’s Running, Body Fit, Good Housekeeping, Practical Parenting, Coast, The Olympic Review, Swimming Times (ASA), Tri News (BTF) and the inflight magazines of easyjet, Air Malta and BMI. I’ve also contributed to a couple of books – one produced by The Observer last year (for which I wrote two chapters) and one (as a ghostwriter) which last week hit the no.9 spot on Amazon’s bestseller list.

My niche is sport and fitness, particularly triathlon, running, cycling, swimming and open-water swimming and any fitness issue relating to women in sport.

On a personal level, I do a lot of sport: I was a swimmer as a child and at University, then took up running and ran for a club. I then threw cycling into the mix and took up triathlon. Latterly I learned to love road riding in its own right and have done sportives. My absolute niche is as an open water swimmer: I’ve swum the English Channel twice as a solo swimmer, and once (there and back) as a relay. I’ve also swum Windermere and around Jersey. In somewhat of a shock departure from all of that, I’m currently training for a bodybuilding competition – a bit of a change!

In addition to journalism, I work as a copywriter, helping companies and brands communicate by writing them clear, persuasive wording for marketing and sales: websites, brochures, newsletters, email marketing and content for social media (blogging, facebook, Twitter etc). I also write a sport, fitness and training blog – The Fit Writer.

What’s the process behind a magazine commission?

There are two ways in which a magazine article can come about: from a pitch from the journalist to the editor, or from a commission from the editor to the journalist. The latter usually (but not always) happens when the editor already knows the journalist’s by reputation, or if the journalist has previously written for the publication.

Pitched
How do we come up with ideas? We will keep an eye on the market, read (online, blogs, forums, Twitter, magazines etc), research, listen, talk. When we pitch an idea we don’t have to have case studies or experts but it strengthens the pitch to be able to mention that we will be able to find these. We will want to put together a strong pitch that is pegged on a news item or something else timely. Case studies and human interest angles are always good.

Commissioned
If we get a commission from an editor, we will usually need to find case studies, expert comment and/or products to fit the brief. We may have to do this extremely quickly. We will not want to let the editor down! Whilst we will want to meet our deadline and our wordcount, it will be just as important that the work we file meets the brief, so we will not want to pad the feature out with “almost but not quite” ideas, weak case studies or incomplete information. We will therefore be looking for PRs or marketeers who can help us by getting spot-on product information or putting us in touch with fantastic experts or case studies.

Kit/product tests
As a note – in my experience, kit tests are always commissioned. So we will never be able to pitch an editor the idea of testing a single product as a straight test. That kind of feature always comes from the editor as a commission so, if you want to get your product in front of an editor, you need to send it to them first and then they will send it to one of their freelancers to test.

Blogging is a different matter . We are the editors of our own blog and those of us who have chosen to do kit tests/product tests on our blogs can be contacted directly with product information to see if it is a good fit for our blog focus and our readership. It has to be your call as to whether or not you think blogs are a suitable outlet for your product or your client, but consumers are increasingly turning to blogs for an authentic peer-to-peer voice when looking online for reviews and feedback.

Who does a freelance journalist work with?

Editors
They are our “bosses” in a way. They pay our bills, they have the power to commission us – or not. We want to keep them happy!

PRs
Can be worth their weight in gold but can make things more difficult than they have to be. Fantastic PRs are a real find and should be treasured! I think it’s silly to perpetuate the “journalists vs PRs” dynamic, as PRs often hold the key to great stories, fantastic ideas and compelling case studies. They are also the route to brilliant quotes from respected experts.

Marketeers
In-house marketing representatives of fitness brands, companies, products can be as useful as PRs but often seem less clued up about how to work directly with journalists and often seem a little “hidden away”. I wish more of them were more active in interacting with us. They can help by keeping us informed about new product developments, lists of events and any press opportunities. If you don’t tell us about it, we probably won’t know until it’s too late!

Product owners/entrepreneurs
Sometimes have a hard time connecting with us but need us – and we need them! They do need to understand what we need, though, which brings me on to my next point.

How can you make the most of freelance journalists?

We want to work with you and hear from you, but you need to know what we need – and what we don’t need – when a deadline is looming. Here are a few tips.

Dos and don’ts

- Do contact us, but only with information we have previously stated we’ll find useful or which will fit the commission we’re working on
- Don’t send information which doesn’t fit the bill, no matter how strongly you feel the magazine should feature it

- Do note our deadline and tell us honestly if you can help us meet it
- Don’t promise anything you can’t deliver

- Do send complete information, images, case studies, contact details
- Don’t send information and then disappear off the face of the earth (at least let us know who else in your team we should speak to)

A good relationship can last a long time

When we find PRs or marketeers who feed us great ideas and help us do our job, we want to keep hold of them! Personally, I am always happy to meet PRs a few times a year to have a mutual thrashing out of ideas, to tell them what I’m working on and to hear which clients they’re working for. As an example, I recently met up with a PR at a tradeshow we were both attending. I took part in a challenge one of her clients was running at the event (and blogged about it) and then talked to her for over an hour. She told me about her latest clients and suggested some really exciting, useable ways I could work them into pitches. As a result, I came up with at least four pitches on the way home, one of which was accepted and one of which is being considered. I really value that PR and will always read her press releases and take her phone calls.

What makes a good press release?

We’re always aware that editors get hundreds of pitches per day. Similarly, be aware that we get hundreds of press releases. Here are a few tips to help yours be amongst the ones we read and keep hold of:

- it’s not enough to have a product, you need to understand what we need in order to work that product into a magazine article
- we need an angle and a story to support the product
- newsworthiness is good – peg the press release on something topical or timely
- a spokesperson or ambassador is helpful
- case studies, stories, real people are always useful – but they need to be genuine and we potentially need to be able to interview and photograph them
- images need to be high res and labelled
- please don’t forget the basics – dates, contact details, names, ages, prices, RRP, where to buy…

What kind of news interests us?

This will depend on the journalist and their niche but, generally, anything related to a news story or event is better for us to pitch, as is anything with a strong human interest angle, a great set of quotes, a solid expert or spokesperson, and of course anything truly new, fun or innovative which hasn’t been done before! (Not asking for much, are we…!)

What do we need from you?

When we approach you:
- understand our deadlines
- tell us honestly if you can help in time or not
- full and complete information
- access to interviewees
- high res images
- (potentially) product to test

When you approach us
- relevant information which fits our niche (ie don’t send information about golf to an equestrianism journalist unless they’ve asked for it)
- friendly, helpful – meetings are good
- make sure you spell our names properly and don’t BCC with someone else’s name!
- personal details are good (Hi Nicola, I saw your feature about wetsuits in 220 Triathlon recently…)

How to find a journalist or commission
- Twitter – search the hashtag #journorequest
- website Responsesource
- Networking – online and “real life”

Thank you – please do keep in touch with me and send me information about any relevant products, events, interview opportunities or brand developments. I am happy to consider product/kit tests for my blog, and guest blog posts. I am also available for advice or practical help about copywriting for sport and fitness.

How to engage with fitness journalists and bloggers is a post from The Fit Writer blog.

Giving it a tri

I hope you’ve had a nice weekend. I had lots of family over today, including my Auntie Rose, who has decided to take up triathlon. Now, it’s terribly rude to talk about a lady’s age but, if I tell you that I’m 33, you can probably work out for yourself that my Auntie is not quite a teenager. So I think it is fantastic that she is training for her first triathlon.

Auntie Rose and my little sister 20+ years ago yesterday – sorry both of you, ha ha!

Auntie Rose is no couch potato – she’s a good swimmer and plays tennis (very well, I’m told) regularly. But triathlon is quite a challenge for anyone.

Before lunch, she picked a few products from my cardboard boxes of items I’ve kit tested for magazines (PRs, if you want them back, please just ask – Auntie Rose has only borrowed them). And, over lunch, she picked my brains about the mysteries of brick sessions, transitions, race belts and lock laces.

I’m thrilled to be able to help her out and can’t wait to cheer her on in her first race. And I’m delighted to have someone else sporty in the family!

I’ve asked her if she’ll do a few guests posts on this blog as her training progresses. If there’s any part of the learning curve you’d like her to write about, please let me know.

Did you take up a particular sport later on in life? Would you ever consider doing a triathlon?

I’ve got an exciting day lined up tomorrow with one big bit of kit to test and a talk to give at an industry event. I also owe you a blog post about fitness kit I’ve tested this week – some interesting stuff! I’ll blog again soon…

Giving it a tri is a post from The Fit Writer blog.

Guest post: Lisa Loves To Run on injury prevention

Today’s guest post is from Lisa of Lisa Loves To Run. Lisa left the corporate world to pursue studies and a career in sport, health and fitness. She is about to graduate this year in Sport Therapy FDSc. Her real passion lies in injury rehab and conditioning. She’s also a Level 7 football referee (and tells me that, yes, that does include refereeing 22 men during senior matches!) With many of you training for spring marathons and the upcoming triathlon season, I asked her to write about injury prevention.

Over to Lisa.

Nell McAndrew and Lisa at the Jane Tomlinson York 10k in 2010

Running is like hand writing; we all have our own style. Having said that, as a runner myself, a couple of things do stand out as linking us all: the thought of getting injured and the effect it would have on us.

Whether you’re running for the first time or an old hand, you need to take several factors into account. Here’s my advice.

Common running injuries affect the knee area. The balance of muscle strength between the quadriceps and hamstrings is crucial to injury prevention, as these two groups go some way to supporting the knee.

That old saying “prevention is better than the cure” is one that I truly believe in. This is why a training plan will help prevent injury.

How? A training plan will take into account your training season and goals you may have and break them down into smaller, manageable chunks. Additionally, it will help you to consider the type of training you should undertake: the intensity rate, the duration and rest periods. Not only that, it’s such a simple tool!
A training plan can be quick and easy to put together, so use your diary, kitchen calendar, iPhone or anything you fancy so you can remember and keep track of your performance. The objective is to write down a structured plan that will enable the goal to be met.

As we already know running uses the legs, but how much thought do you give to your core?

Not only should your training plan include cardio work to either improve distance or speed, it should also include some core work. This will help decrease lower back injuries, running posture, alignment and balance.

Rest and recovery are crucial to any type of training plan. There are in fact two types of recovery: Passive Recovery and Active Recovery. Passive is as straightforward as just taking the day off. Active, however is simply exercising but doing something a little different, like working on those hamstrings with a Swiss ball, strengthening the quads by performing some sets of lunges, swimming or a class at the local gym. Studies have shown that the latter will accelerate recovery more than passive.

Active recovery, adequate rest and core strengthening, all pencilled into a wider training plan which will give you an overview of your race season. Putting a plan like this together is easy, yet so effective, and is a great injury prevention and performance enhancing tool.

Thank you, Lisa, for sharing some of the expertise you’ve gained from your studies. I know I’m guilty of not stretching enough and, although I always like the sound of active recovery, I never seem to have the energy. Perhaps your post will give me a nudge in the right direction!

Guest post: Lisa Loves To Run on injury prevention is a post from The Fit Writer blog.

The Fit Writer meets Matt Roberts (The Workout Mix 2011 review)

Do you train with music? When I just ran (and swam), before I was a member of a gym (imagine!), I used to be sniffy about training with earphones in. “But what about the beautiful sounds of nature?” I’d ask. “Why not lose yourself in the silence?”

Nuts to that. I can listen to nature when I’m walking the dog. Nowadays, the only training I do without music is cycling and swimming, both for rather obvious safety reasons (although I have reviewed a number of waterproof MP3s for triathlon magazines, but the old-school swimmer in me still thinks swimming to music is a bit…radical )

It’s a sad day for me when my iPod runs out of charge partway through a gym session or a run. Whether I’m listening to podcasts (great for long, steady runs) or the warblings of Beyonce and co, I find that having something to listen to really does motivate me to keep going or to try harder.

Which is why I was happy to go along to the press launch of a new CD. Now before you think “what’s going to be great about this?”, bear with me. First of all, this CD (well it’s three CDs actually) is far more than just music. It’s a really good deal and I’d probably buy it if I hadn’t been given a promo copy (thank you, Leila). Secondly, it’s been done very cleverly, with folk like you and me in mind. Let me tell you about it.

The Workout Mix 2011 is 3 CDs of current music (original artists) mixed to give you 45-60 minute playlists which gradually ramp up the BPM to suit your workout – building, peaking and then giving you time to bring the pace down. There’s a bonus feature in the shape of a downloadable 30 minute training session from “PT to the stars” Matt Roberts, and you also get a free Fitness First gym pass and access to a training plan. It’s a great package, I think, and will be very reasonably priced. Two of the CDs are for cardio workouts and the third is for strength work or endurance sessions. I’ve been listening to them for the past couple of weeks and really really like them.

I met up with Matt Roberts, the personal trainer who was involved in the creation of the CDs and the bonus extras. We chatted about training, music and motivation.

The Fit Writer: Why do you think music helps so many people with training and mental performance?
Matt Roberts: I think it’s an instinctive thing; we move in time to the cadence and rhythm of music. Without realising it, music can help you speed up. On the other hand, some music can flatten your performance and decrease your motivation. So choose your tunes wisely! It goes right back to music being used in gym classes, but it works for running and solo gym workouts in just the same way. The music builds until it reaches an overload point where it helps you push harder, go faster. With these CDs I’ve made sure the tunes build up really naturally, then peak, then decrease gently. They’re between 45-60 minutes, ideal for most workouts, and there’s stuff in there too for interval training (see the website).

TFW: How does the bonus feature – you motivating the listener during their session – work?
MR: I’ve done a voiceover which motivates you, keeps you going and pushes you a little, whilst giving you useful tips. It’s essentially like having me there doing some PT except I’m just in your ear! I’ve taken everything I’ve learned about what motivates PT clients and put them here: we know that clients work harder with me (or whoever their PT is) talking to them and working alongside them. The idea is that it will give you a lift and bring something to your session which you might struggle to find if you were going it alone. It takes what I do with my own clients and puts it onto a download for anyone to access.

TFW: You’re from a sprinting background, aren’t you? How do you manage to fit in your own training these days? What sort of thing do you like doing?
MR: I always make time to train – partly because I have to (I couldn’t be a PT and not train myself) and partly because I absolutely love it and really miss it when I don’t do it. I feel much more energised when I train. I work from 6am to 8pm most days and am really busy, but I just make time for my own training. I try to get a session in at least 4 days per week, and I make sure I work really hard during that time.

TFW: And what’s on your playlist?
MR: All sorts! I have a very eclectic mix. Kings of Leon, Coldplay, Black Eyed Peas, David Guetta… I make lots of playlists, particularly for running. And, yes, I do use the CDs myself! The music is all really current and it’s a fun mix.

TFW: I blogged about fitness trends recently. What do you think will be big in 2011?
MR: The TRX and other suspension trainers are brilliant and will continue to be a hot bit of kit next year I think. They’re suitable for anyone and can be put to so many diverse uses: home, the gym, hotel rooms – you don’t need much space. You can use them to get a really decent full body workout in and they’re a brilliant fallback if you are pushed for time/space/kit. I also think everyone should have a good HRM with GPS: it gives great feedback and is a good motivational tool. There are a lot of apps out there which I think will be huge once they’re perfected. None are quite there yet but I think apps in general will be the biggest thing in the industry in the near future.

TFW: It’s really cold today. I hate being cold. How do you get around training outside when it’s snowing and icy? Or is it tough luck?
MR: (laughs) There’s always something you can do, regardless of temperature and weather, and that’s what I tell my clients. It’s important to do cardio outside if you’re training for a specific event which demands that kind of training. But, of course it’s OK to head inside and replace that session with something else. A gym gives you that flexibility. And you know what? If you can’t get outside to run, don’t worry about it. Just relax, enjoy an extra bit of rest, or come up with some other way to move. Your fitness isn’t going anywhere in just a couple of days. Having said that, I used the recent snow to give my clients some really challenging sessions. Doing drills in the snow certainly shakes things up! So I’d say, if possible, adapt and get on with it. Get the correct kit and clothing and off you go. I bet you’ll be glad you went once you get out of the door.

Thanks for your time and advice, Matt. It was nice to meet you.

Tell me about your MP3. What’s your favourite playlist? Which podcasts do you listen to? Does a really funny song ever come on whilst you’re in the middle of a workout (This happens to me loads, I swear I don’t even put those songs on there in the first place…)

The Fit Writer meets Matt Roberts (The Workout Mix 2011 review) is a post from The Fit Writer blog.

Fitness trends for 2011

It’s a great time of year for setting goals and thinking about shaking up your fitness routine. I’ve got a big change and an exciting goal up my sleeve which a few of you already know about. The rest of you will know just as soon as I have a firm date to attach to the goal!

What are your 2011 fitness and sport goals? Are you aiming for an event, wanting to try a new sport, or setting yourself more private and personal goals?

I blogged here about Leisure Industry Week earlier in the year, where I sat in on the FIA (Fitness Industry Association) keynote, which was packed with thought-provoking ideas and updates about the direction in which the industry is heading.

This month, I asked those in the know to tell me what they thought would be fresh and exciting in 2011. Here’s what they had to say:

Nigel Wallace, Director of Training at Lifetime, a national training provider in the fitness industry thinks: “Traditional gyms will evolve with a shift towards niche facilities that target specific demographic groups. The gym will be a hub of fitness and advice rather than a prescriptive home for ‘this is what you need to do…’

“The future of the fitness industry is behaviour change management. iPhone apps allow, and will further develop, exercise routines to extend beyond the typical hour-long face to face sessions. For example, when a client goes on holiday, their PT can contact them, motivate them and update their training programme via the apps.”

Ben Jones, Teaching and Curriculum Manager at Lifetime (and a nutrition specialist) adds: “There is going to be a trend towards genetically modified foods. We already have the technology to add artificial vitamins and minerals to food. Crops will be made with higher protein quantities/fewer calories, There will need for increased education around obesity – better regulation and signposting.”

Rob Beale, Group Health and Fitness Manager at David Lloyd Leisure says: “2011 is going be even better with new classes starting and more of a focus on children’s fitness, as we all work together to improve the health of the nation and get people active. Improving children’s fitness has never been more important with childhood obesity increasing at an alarming rate. Health and fitness operators will look to provide better facilities for children and look to educate them and their parents better.

“Triathlon is Britain’s fastest growing sport and we predict an increase in triathlon based activities. Triathlon clubs will be run in all David Lloyd clubs.

“Indoor group cycling will be transformed by the introduction of a new class – Adidas Zone Cycling, inspired by Sir Chris Hoy and Victoria Pendleton. Exclusively at David Lloyd Leisure, this class will take you on a journey around The Velodrome and get your heart pumping.

“We also predict that more health clubs will affiliate themselves with injury specialists and sports medicine professionals to offer members an extra service and help members to make the most of their time at the gym.”

I’ve got my eye firmly on nutrition at the moment. Dr Nina Bailey, a nutrition scientist, thinks EPA will be big news. “An omega-3 fatty acid generally associated with fish oils, it’s emerging as a natural product that, when taken in high enough doses (1-2g/daily), can have a profound positive effect on mood. Being hailed as ‘mother nature’s antidepressant’, regular intake of ethyl-EPA supplements may be the answer, not only to keeping Winter blues at bay, but also providing clarity through its brain boosting powers, to help us focus on achieving our January goals.”

I think kettlebells will continue to be a strong trend for 2011 – and you know all about my love of the ‘bells!

You’ve already had my review of the Gravity Training System, and I do think that total body training will be popular in 2011. What’s not to love? It saves time, hits the entire body, provides cardio and strength. Gravity classes like the one I did use your own bodyweight and a variable incline to deliver muscular endurance, cardio endurance, strength, agility and flexibility. If you’ve got a Nuffield Health Club near you, lucky you – give a class a go (search gyms here).

There are also some great new fitness DVDs coming out which I’m going to be reviewing soon, so stay tuned for those (I’m taking a stack of them away with me to wintry Wales for New Year).

Music and its effect on training and performance is an area I’m really interested in. Who doesn’t love a brand-new playlist on the MP3? There’s a new CD aimed at runners and gym-goers which I’d like to tell you about. I’m going to blog about it in more detail soon but, for now, I’ll just mention that The Workout Mix 2011 is a great package (ideal for a pressie actually) – not only do you get 3 CDs of (bang up-to-date, original artist!) music mixes but you also get free passes to Fitness First, access to the website with bonus features and training tips, and a bonus 30 minute training session led by Personal Trainer Matt Roberts. The CDs are cleverly done with each mix of music ramping up in BPM tempo over a 60-minute period to keep you motivated and pushing through your training session.

What do you think? Are there any bits of kit, new classes or forms of technology which you see shaping your workouts in 2011? Let me know; I’d love to hear about them.