Weightlifters and divers offer a lesson for business in risk and reward
Singapore 2010 Youth Olympics/Flickr, CC BY-NCWhat do elite weightlifting and diving competitions have in common with top-level money management or pharmaceutical development?In all of these diverse...
View ArticleNarratives about South Africa’s black athletes need to be reclaimed and retold
Ron Eland, at far left, in Great Britain's 1948 Olympic team. The stories of Eland and other black athletes must be told.Pic taken from Haliday, J. (1950). Olympic Weight-lifting with Body Building for...
View ArticleWhy your New Year’s resolution to go to the gym will fail
Gyms start to empty as more and more people give up their New Year's resolutions.AP Photo/Sang TanCome January, 40% of Americans will make New Years resolutions, and nearly half of them will aim to...
View ArticleFitness gurus and ‘muscular Christianity’: how Victorian Britain anticipated...
Weightlifter Eugen Sandow might be compared to a Victorian fitness 'influencer'. Wellcome Images/ Wikimedia Commons, CC BYThe Victorian era is often remembered as an age of industrial innovation,...
View ArticleProtein powder, shake, and supplement: how much can our body actually use?
Do we really need that post-workout shake?Syda Productions/ ShutterstockOnce only used by bodybuilders, more and more people are using sports supplements as a regular part of their health and fitness...
View ArticleStrength training is as important as cardio - and you can do it from home...
ShutterstockWe often get bombarded with the message “regular physical activity is the key to good health and well-being”. To most of us, when we hear “physical activity”, we typically think of aerobic...
View ArticleSupersets save time in the gym – which may help you reach fitness goals faster
Superset exercises should target opposing muscle groups.Dreams Come True/ ShutterstockResistance training is an increasingly popular way to build strength, lose weight and get in shape. But despite its...
View ArticleHow quickly do we become unfit?
Becoming 'unfit' happens a lot faster than it takes us to get 'fit'.New Africa/ ShutterstockGetting in shape isn’t easy. But after all that hard work, how long do we actually maintain it? Turns out...
View ArticleThe story of Milo Pillay, the strongman who lifted a bar for South African...
Milo Pillay (The Sun newspaper 1951).National Library of South AfricaA vast international body of literature exists on sports under apartheid. Yet there’s hardly any scholarship on South African black...
View ArticleHow do Olympic athletes stack up against invertebrates? Not very well
Andreas Karyadi / ShutterstockOlympians spend years training to be the best of the best. Scientists and sportspeople have spent decades researching the mechanics of the human body to ensure our elite...
View ArticleHow colonial history shaped bodies and sport at the edges of empire
Ron Eland, a South African Olympian who would go on to represent Great Britain in the 1948 Olympic Games.Ron Eland Private Archives/Author suppliedSince the 1990s, studies of sport have tended to focus...
View ArticleHow your genes influence whether a certain type of exercise works for you –...
Some people may adapt to certain types of exercises more quickly than others.NDAB Creativity/ ShutterstockGenetics have a significant influence on many aspects of our life – from our height and eye...
View ArticleWeightlifting: how beginners can get started this new year
Weightlifting isn't as intimidating as it might look.PHOTOCREO Michal Bednarek/ ShutterstockWeightlifting has become increasingly popular with people looking to get in shape. Not only can it be a great...
View Article‘Training to failure’: debunking claims this popular weightlifting technique...
It may not be better than other methods for building muscle.Master1305/ ShutterstockResistance training (such as weight lifting) is an effective way to increase muscle size and strength, which is...
View ArticleTucker Carlson pulls from an old playbook as he stokes anxiety about a...
Bodybuilder Charles Atlas sought to turn Americans from 'Chump to Champ.'Lee Lockwood/Getty ImagesPromotions for “The End of Men,” Fox News host Tucker Carlson’s forthcoming documentary, lament “The...
View ArticleWeekend warrior workouts: here’s how to make the most of them
Here's how to make the most of your weekend workouts.photobyphotoboy/ ShutterstockMost of us know we need to exercise more. Yet finding the time to work out is often easier said than done. For most,...
View ArticleLift heavy or smaller weights with high reps? It all depends on your goal
ShutterstockSo you want to lift weights but aren’t sure where to start. You scroll through your Instagram feed looking for guidance – but all you see are fitness influencers touting the idea you either...
View ArticleBulking and cutting: is it safe for your metabolism?
People may use 'mass gainer' shakes during the bulking phase to help build muscle.Prostock-studio/ ShutterstockIf you’ve ever spent any time online trying to figure out the best way to build muscle or...
View ArticleHow often should you change up your exercise routine?
Photo by Cliff Booth/Pexels, CC BYPeople asking for exercise advice are usually looking for a simple answer. Do this over that. Do this many of that thing, for this long. Get these gains. In reality,...
View ArticleWhy weightlifting is beneficial before and after the menopause
Loss of muscle mass and a slower metabolism are just some of the physical changes caused by the menopause.Gyorgy Barna/ ShutterstockMany women begin experiencing symptoms of the menopause around age...
View ArticleAm I too old to build muscle? What science says about sarcopenia and building...
ShutterstockSarcopenia is the progressive and accelerated loss of muscle mass and strength as we age. The term was coined in the 1980s, and the condition has been recognised as a disease for less than...
View Article‘Shy girl workouts’ aren’t just a great way to get fit – they may also help...
Many young women find the gym to be intimidating.oneinchpunch/ ShutterstockSocial media is full of fitness trends. While some of these are outlandish or verging on dangerous, others are actually...
View ArticleNew study: much of what we’re told about gym exercises and resistance...
ShutterstockWhen you lift weights, why are you doing what you are doing? Who told you to train that way – coach, a personal trainer, an online exercise guru? And where did they learn how to prescribe...
View ArticleSteep physical decline with age is not inevitable – here’s how strength...
Resistance training can take many forms and can be individualized to suit a person's needs as they age. Jamie Grill/Tetra Images via Getty ImagesRaise your hand if you regularly find yourself walking...
View ArticleCardio or weights first? A kinesiologist explains how to optimize the order...
Resistance and aerobic training each offer unique benefits.vgajic/E+ via Getty ImagesWhen you enter the gym, which way should you head first? Toward the treadmills and spin studio to get your sweat on...
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