Blog entries in 2010/11
T'is the Season of Giving 16-11-2010
We came across this really cool concept called "The Good Gym" which helps connect runners with members of the community who need some help. The general idea of the scheme is to help do some good in the world whilst keeping fit at the same time.
The Good Gym believe that normal gyms are a waste of energy and human potential, without really doing anything useful. Also, that it's real easy to talk yourself out of exercise when you're the only person affected by it but when you add a good cause into the mix you have one more important reason to get fit!
After winning the Social Innovation Camp's first prize in 2008 the cause has continued to grow with a successful pilot scheme. Runners are matched to people in a local area and set a frequency and distance they'd like to run for. They collectively complete a good cause, such as a recent run which also involved lifting bags of soil to the top of a school to help with a rooftop garden.
Check out GoodGym's blog for more information.
On the subject of good causes - a friend is organising a fundraising event and attempting to break the world record for the longest ever game of 5-a-side football. 16 people will be playing for 36 hours straight in May next year and need your support!
Please help support this worthy cause with proceeds going to Guy's and St Thomas' Charity, and donate now at their fundraising page.
New Product - Heavy Grips Hand Grippers Range 12-11-2010
We've added our latest product to the UK Fitstream Store - the Heavy Grips hand grippers range.
The Heavy Grips help you build serious hand, finger and forearm strength and are available in six different resistance levels from 100-350lbs. The heavy duty knurled aluminium design come with a lifetime warranty and are available now for only £11.99 each.
Grip training is an often overlooked element to fitness but a strong grip can be vital to most forms of sports or weight training.
Using grippers and building hand strength is particularly effective for:
- Rock climbing and bouldering
- Weight training / powerlifting / weightlifting
- Racquet sports such as tennis, badminton, squash
- Cricket and golf
New Fitstream exercises added 11-11-2010
Over the last week we've added a selection of new exercises to the Fitstream exercise database and a new section called flexibility, stretching, and mobility exercises.
In this area we'll be posting movements to help you both prepare for and recover from your training, and ensure that you remain agile and mobile.
These exercises will keep you in great condition and help to improve soft-tissue quality. We've just added -
- Thoracic Spine Extension - Improve posture and avoid rounded shoulders by maintaining thoracic mobility using a foam roller.
- Quad roll - Alleviate muscular tension in the quads by rolling the muscle out with a foam roller.
- Hamstring foam roll - Loosen tight hamstring and work out trigger points with the hamstring roll.
We've also added the staple bench press movement to the weight training exercises to build functional upper body strength which includes a quick guide on using resistance bands to introduce progressive resistance to the exercise.
