August 2016

Fitness
your feet and not go forward of
your toe line.
3. At the bottom point, squeeze
your bum.
4. Breath out as you stand up,
pressing through your heels.
Bring your arms to your side.
As well as toning your legs and
bum, squats improve mobility,
burn lots of calories and
improve your core and posture.
Summer reading guide
Looking for something to
read on the beach? Natural
Born Heroes by Christopher
McDougall (who wrote Born to
Run and fuelled the bare-foot
running trend) is a great holiday
paperback. It wraps up the story
of daring-do resistance to Nazi
occupation of Crete with an
examination of the ‘’non-diet
diets’’ that are the most exciting
movement in nutrition at the
moment.
Roger Love, a local personal trainer,
continues our A-Z of fitness with... Q
(It’s not all about the) quads
The quadriceps – the large
muscle group in the thighs – can
be trained brilliantly with one of
the major building-blocks of any
exercise regime, squats.
But only firing your quads will
be limiting to your success and
raise the risk of injury. You want
your hamstrings (back of legs)
and glutes (bum) to work, too.
To make sure your glutes fire
during a squat, pause at the
bottom point and squeeze your
bum – and keep the squeeze on
as you stand.
The basic squat
1. Stand with feet shoulderwidth
apart and toes pointed
forward or up to 15 degrees
outwards.
2. Take a breath in, as you bend
your legs, push your bum back
as if you are sitting on a chair.
Bring your arms up in front of
you. Go down until your knees
are at a 90 degree angle. Your
knees should stay in line with
We’re Working Out by Al Kavadlo
is a great introduction to the
New York-based bodyweight
guru’s methods, covering
his philosophy and big five
exercises – pull-ups, push-ups,
squats, lunges and step-ups – in
an unpretentious, engaging way.
It’s a small book that packs a big
punch (if a little pricey).
If you are looking for summer
cooking inspiration, try A Modern
Way To Cook, the second
bestseller by Hackney’s Anna
Jones. It’s packed with practical,
healthy vegetarian recipes.
Roger Love is a personal trainer
based at Netil House, Westgate
Street, Hackney. hackneypt.com
34 LOVEEAST