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Fitness<br />
Roger Love, a local personal<br />
trainer, continues our<br />
A-Z of fitness with… N<br />
Advertorial<br />
Negatives<br />
If you want a physical and mental challenge –<br />
and the prospect of building more muscle –<br />
try "negatives".<br />
These involve slowing down the phase of<br />
an exercise when the muscles you are using<br />
are lengthening – also called the eccentric<br />
phase – because it is believed this does more<br />
of the micro-damage to the muscles that helps<br />
build size.<br />
Good examples would be the downward phase<br />
on the bench press or the bicep curl.<br />
Most people lift their weights too quickly anyway<br />
and this system generally helps to slow you down<br />
– and because it's tough and disciplined it builds<br />
mental strength, too.<br />
Negatives could be done on their own or as a<br />
"finisher" after the main part of your workout.<br />
To get started, slow down the downward phase<br />
of a press-up. Count 1-2-3 seconds on the way<br />
down and come up on 4-5. Try not to swear in<br />
front of the kids.<br />
Netball<br />
Whenever I work with a client on Highbury Fields,<br />
it's always amazing – and heartening – to see the<br />
sheer number of netball teams passing through<br />
the park towards their matches.<br />
With its short, sharp bursts of cardio – and need<br />
for rapid recovery – it is great for building aerobic<br />
strength and burning calories, and for fine-tuning<br />
balance, agility and co-ordination.<br />
The bumper crowds at matches held at the<br />
Copperbox in the Olympic Park and the fact that<br />
Sky Sports now covers the Netball Superleague<br />
is testament to the game's popularity.<br />
There are leagues all over London, and<br />
a search on Google will reveal a wealth of<br />
opportunities. But a good place to start might<br />
be netbusters.org (which includes<br />
details of sessions at Haggerston School)<br />
or gomammoth.co.uk (which covers Mile End<br />
Stadium).<br />
Nutrition<br />
Whether you want to lose fat, build muscle,<br />
run the fastest race of your life or have more<br />
day-to-day energy, you need to get your food<br />
and drink right. Half the battle is knowing<br />
precisely what and how much you are eating now,<br />
so that you understand what needs to be fixed.<br />
In the past, you might do a written food diary.<br />
The app age has made it easier, with free<br />
resources, such as MyFitnessPal, providing a great<br />
tool to record and analyse what you are eating<br />
and drinking. Then, you can use this data to help<br />
make wise choices in the future…<br />
Roger Love is a personal trainer based at<br />
Netil House, Westgate Street, E8.<br />
hackneypt.com<br />
LOVEEAST MAY <strong>2016</strong> 35
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