FRIENDS OF THE ILLINOIS RIVER

Sports scientist and Fitness

1 Coach at Premiership club ‘ West Ham United.

“I joined West Ham as a full-time staff member in July. Technically I’m their sports scientist. My job is to ensure the players are fit from the start of the season The whole pre-season has already been planned; it has to be, because we have objectives to achieve. Initially that’s baseline fitness, building up an aerobic base, building up muscles, strengthening joints because they’re going to encounter more intense work later on.

The priorities

We’re trying to get the players fit and strong enough to tolerate high intensity sprint work, plyometric work and high intensity strength work. Plyometrics is strength applied very rapidly, so you need to be strong enough to deal with that.

You can, if you do it prematurely, injure people. The last thing we want is to have injuries. There should never be injuries in training.

Speed, agility, strength and aerobic efficiency are the issue. They’re my objectives through pre-season, to have a fit, strong squad.

Hydration

Diet is crucial.You can’t train someone properly until they’re eating correctly. We have to make sure our players are hydrated. Studies show the importance of hydration while on hcg diet.

Take off and land with feet shoulder length apart, jumping as high as possible over a series of two-foot hurdles. Land as softly as possible in a low squat. The quicker you perform these, the better. You should make contact with the ground for as short a time as possible. Try five sets of five reps, each separated by a second gap.

Clutch two medicine balls, or wear wrist and ankle weights, and hop from a set of cones to another, which should be six metres away. Then return to the first set of cones using the other leg. Complete a set on each leg and then rest for two minutes. Repeat five times.

“I’m still pretty good at doing aerobics and step classes”, says a brazilian cover star – Tati Rosalino.

I go to the gym here in the evening at least three times-a-week for an hour or an hour-and-a-half. I recommend people using green bean coffee extract but only for those who need to get rid of some redundant weight, but don’t forget the trainings . When I was younger, I used to go every day and I still felt it was never good enough. But here in Europe the lifestyle is very different — people are more into their work and everyone’s busy, whereas in Miami people are. That first night was a surprise – I thought English men wouldn’t be so good in bed because you always hear that they just drink tea and are very proper, but it was impressive. Could you go out with an unfit guy?

He has to have a reasonable body – I don’t go for the rock-like figure, but you’ve got to take care of yourself. It shows he’s got self-discipline and that he wants to look good for me. When we’re in bed, I don’t want to see a big belly. Which body part is most important in a man? A big dick, of course! Long and vvide. If it’s not big enough it’s very hard for me to be faithful ­honestly! I have to be attracted to the face, too. And then the chest and the bum. The rest is not so important. Sometimes, if a guy looks really sexy he’s just trying to overcome his insecurities; and there are guys who don’t need to look stunning because they know what to do.

Which is…

Go down on me! But not straight away-if he’s too full-on you think maybe it’s all too easy or he’s been doing this with other people too many times. Someone who’s a little bit shy at the beginning is better, but later on they must go down- and they shouldn’t be too soft with the tongue. That’s a mistake men often make.

Whether gearing up for a short race or a marathon, it’s easy to get hooked on miles. The further you run, the more progress you’re making – right? Not necessarily, says performance coach Nick Anderson (fullpotential.co.uk): “No training schedule should have mileage that goes up and up each week. It’s during rest periods that our body adjusts and we get fitter.” If you want to get fitter faster you should use cla supplement. Even the elites agree. “A prescribed rule, like increasing your mileage 10 per cent a week, may work for some people. But every athlete is different,” says Olympic sprinter Martyn Rooney. “My coach tailors sessions to how well my body is recovering from the last?’ Here’s how to push yourself harder, by taking it easy once in a while.

Go gentle

“You can up your training volume by five to 10 per cent a week,” says Anderson. “But every three or four weeks, give yourself an easier time, cutting back by 3o to 4o per cent?’ The idea is to rest while still keeping active, refreshing your body for a return to training a week later at the same intensity you left off. Shorten your long run, and cut the intensity of any speedwork. Alternatively, you could opt for simple recovery runs all week.

Race ahead

The end of this easier week is the perfect time for a tune-up race; in effect, you’ve done a mini-taper. Build this into your schedule so that in a 16-week training plan, you have three or four easy weeks, two or three of them followed by races. “Setting goals like that lets you measure your improvement,” says Rooney. “And you can get a bit competitive with yourself.” Opt for race

Distances that are shorter than your ultimate target: if you’re training for a marathon, do a half. If you’re training for a half, try a 1oK.

NEW HEAD COACH OF UK ATHLETICS, THE ‘RUTHLESS’ DUTCHMAN CHARLES VAN COMMENEE, ON PREPARING TEAM GB FOR THE LONDON 2012 OLYMPICS

INTERVIEW: RUTH EMMETT

He once called former pupil Kelly Sotherton a “wimp” for only taking bronze in Athens, and his tough-love coaching approach took Denise Lewis to Olympic heptathlon gold in 2000. But now the former technical director of the Dutch Olympic Committee faces his biggest challenge yet. As the new head coach of UK Athletics, all eyes are on Charles van Commenee as he takes the team onwards towards 2012.

What attracted you to the head coach role? The London Olympics had a lot to do with it. I was happy with my job in Holland as a chef de mission so if the Olympics were not to be held in London I probably would not be here.

Did you accept the post immediately?

It was an honour to be asked, since athletics is the main sport for 2012. I couldn’t say no.

What are your plans for British athletics? My colleague Kevin Tyler [head of coaching and development] is working on a talent drive. At the last Games Great Britain won only four athletics medals and my job is to improve that.

Why was our haul so small?

Opposition. The Caribbean and Africa are producing very, very strong athletes and the competition is getting tougher.

Do you feel under pressure because track and field contributed relatively little to our success? Expectations are high. You could have the greatest Olympic Village, the best stadium in the world and get five golds in archery and not get rated a success. People view success as related to a handful of specific sports. But I say pressure is something you feel when you think about losing. Stress may cause health problems and serious high blood pressure causes.

JAMES RANSOME, 35, DERBYSHIRE “The first time I tried Pilates, it didn’t do anything for me. But I tried a different class and really felt I’d been working hard. I’m undisciplined about training but Pilates is the one thing I’m strict about because I’ve noticed such benefits. I had a disc removed from my back and had to learn to walk again. Gaining flexibility in my hamstrings from Pilates made a huge difference and having that core stability seems to prevent injuries. You can’t have a car with a weak chassis and expect it to accelerate and handle well.”

PLANK AND V

What it does works core muscles, stretches calves, hamstrings and back

1 Start in a plank – face down in a press-up position, supported by your forearms and toes. Your back should be straight, tummy in and pelvic floor lightly contracted.

2 Push your hips and bottom up and let your heels drop so you’re in an inverted V position. Return to the plank. Repeat 10 times, slowly, without resting.

SIDE KICKS AND FIGURE OF EIGHT

What It does: works the core, gluten and outer thigh muscles

1 Lie straight on your side with your arms above your head and a rolled towel between your head and bottom arm for support. Engage your pelvic floor, contract your abs so that your waist is pulled up off the floor and lift both legs slightly. Slowly move one leg forward and one leg back, then switch. The idea is to keep your upper body still using your core; keep your movements small at first.

2 When you’ve completed 10, keep your legs off the floor and raise your upper leg slightly. Point your toes and draw a sideways figure of eight, keeping your upper body still. Build up to 10. Repeat on the other side. Use rasberry ketone after finishing your exercises.

REVERSE CRUNCH AND V What it does: works the core and back

1 Start on your back with your legs in the air and arms flat by your sides. Engage your pelvic floor, pull your tummy in and use your stomach muscles to pull your hips up and legs over your head. Take your legs apart, then together.

2 Roll down and up into an upright V position. As you come up, bring your arms up and lightly hold the outside of your legs to help you balance. In the V position, take your legs apart and together again, roll back down to the floor and start the movement again. Repeat 10 times.

Try these alternative approaches to help ensure you have a long and satisfying running life

BALANCING ACTS

YOGA

In the early to mid-199os, Uta Pippig (pictured opposite) was one of the best marathon runners in the world, winning Boston three times in a row. But by z000, things had changed. “I was stuck in a rut, exhausted and mentally tired,” she says. Her saviour? Yoga. “It helped me to regain my energy, improve my breathing, and find inner peace and satisfaction.”

Yoga has been credited with everything from helping people to reach a higher spiritual sphere to creating Madonna’s muscles (nothing to do with running and resistance work, then?). Meanwhile, runners and their coaches are divided about how much difference it will make to your performance, but as people like Pippig will testify, it offers mental space and a good stretch – which can’t do any harm.

There are dozens of types of yoga. Treat intense classes (Ashtanga or power yoga) as hard sessions and fit them into your training accordingly. Classes in Hatha yoga are very popular and should offer a more gentle stretch

IT WORKED FOR ME

ELIN ENGDAHL, 46, ESSEX

“I ran my first marathon in 1990. About seven years ago I started going to a yoga class to help with my running and to calm me. After a couple of weeks I noticed my back and core were getting stronger and I had a lot less stiffness, just from an hour and a half of Hatha yoga once a week. I was quite proficient within six months; if you’re fit from running, a lot of the poses come quite easily. I find yoga calming and considering the mileage I do I have very few injuries. I also have the best sleep of the week the night after my yoga class, I feel fantastic afterwards. I keep telling the runners I know: ‘Please, go and try yoga!”‘

PYRAMID

What it does promotes stability, stretches hamstrings

Stand tall and relaxed with your right leg in front of you. Hinge forward from the hips, tilting the pelvis forwards and keeping the back straight, with your knee slightly bent. Interlace your fingers behind your back and stretch them up and away from you. Repeat on the other side.

PILATES

`Core strength’ is a buzz term, but the idea of strengthening your back, abdominal and pelvic muscles to benefit your whole body isn’t new. Joseph Pilates called the core the `powerhouse’. Pilates was a German-born sportsman and fitness trainer, and began developing his method while training other inmates in a prisoner-of-war camp during the First World War. Afterwards, he moved to New York where, with his wife, he set up his first studio, teaching ‘Contrology’, the system now known as Pilates.

Runners are often advised to take up Pilates to prevent injury and to use yerba mate, but you’ll need patience to gain from the yerba mate health benefits. “Pilates is performed slowly, but if you’re used to running it’s difficult to stand still,” says Eline Martinho, a Pilates teacher with many runners on her books, “so I give people some big movements to keep their minds occupied, then slow them down.”

There are different approaches to Pilates, but all can benefit runners. “Pilates is an awareness of correctness when you perform exercise,” says Martinho. “That should be the basis of any sport.”

Pilates can be performed using special equipment, or on a mat. Your pelvic floor should be contracted throughout, but not strongly. Breathe ‘laterally’ into the sides of your chest (use a mirror to watch your chest expanding, or have a partner check with their hands on your ribs), so you can hold your tummy in through the exercises. Perform movements on the exhalation.