JM Personal Training

Well done Sam today in her first half marathon in Nottingham! From no exercise for 3 years in January to running the Robin Hood Half Marathon 9 months later. Well done! Sam is raising money for a good cause: www.justgiving.com/schoolforparents

Be sure to donate!

Few action shots from see you again soon!

Few recovery and daily maintenance stretches here post sprints. Try these stretches and moves to benefit mobility, flexibility and posture. Using my resistance band to stretch the chest here. Hold each one 30 secs or so, 3 sets on each.

"During Ni’s reign as head coach Kazakhstan has amassed the worst doping record in world weightlifting, with 32 positives since the 2008 Olympics. "

http://uk.reuters.com/article/us-olympics-rio-weightlifting-m-69kgshor-idUKKCN10M00U

Weightlifting: Doping questions raised as record-breaker Rahimov takes gold for Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, who lost five Olympic titles from 2008 and 2012 through retrospective doping positives, won their first gold of the 2016 Games when Nijat Rahimov broke the clean and jerk world record in the men’s 77kg category.

Linking to the previous posts point of 'how far is too far' in the world of doping, I have made a piece on caffeine which explores the science behind this day-to-day substance. Here are some points to consider:

- Caffeine and dopamine (neurotransmitter), working together, acts to switch off the pathways that limit motor activation signals to the brain= better performance.

- when it comes to running or cycling, (post 5 mins), caffeine can increase the time to exhaustion by as much as 25%.

- Caffeine does not affect adrenaline levels, unlike amphetamines; it affects adenosine (messenger molecule). Adenosine normally prevents exercise from continuing. Caffeine stops it from doing this= better performance.

Caffeine was previously banned until 2004, but how useful would it be banning (in professional sport) a substance so much a part of our day-to-day diet..... and at what level would be acceptable to do so....?

-Two interesting points from this article; at what point does an advantage become too advantageous to be classed for a ban? and cupping itself (not a new technique used) and the real benefits..... (Also the politics of international sport)

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/olympics/rio-2016-michael-phelps-cupping-doping-russian-tv-station-host-anchor-24-a7180176.html

-Doping in sport is defined as “the administration to or use by a healthy individual … of any agent or substance nor normally present in the body … and/or of any physiological agent or substance … when introduced in abnormal additional quantities and/or by an abnormal route and/or in an abnormal manner, … with the purpose and effect of increasing artificially and in an unfair manner the performance of that individual during the period of competition” - http://www.doping-prevention.sp.tum.de/doping-in-general/doping-definition.html

Russia is accusing Michael Phelps of doping because he uses cupping Russian TV has likened cupping therapy to the prohibited performance drug meldonium. Favoured by many in the US Olympic team in 2016, including swimmer Michael Phelps, the traditional Chinese medicinal practice is thought to help the body recover from injury.

First of the Well-being series; effective ways to reduce stress. Try these tips to improve your lifestyle including sleep, training, work and social