Bodydoctor Health & Fitness

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/322841
The Government should abolish VAT on all fitness services, & gym fees that are intended to improve, protect, maintain and restore physical, mental and emotional health. This should enable the fitness industry to lower prices to encourage people to exercise, and could thereby reduce NHS costs.

Petition: Abolish VAT for the fitness industry The Government should abolish VAT on all fitness services, & gym fees that are intended to improve, protect, maintain and restore physical, mental and emotional health. This should enable the fitness industry to lower prices to encourage people to exercise, and could thereby reduce NHS costs.

Do your shoulders slump and round when you walk, sit, or stand?
Do you have trouble keeping your chest up when squatting? Do you get lower back pain when doing rotational movements?
If you answered “yes” to any of those- you may have poor thoracic spine mobility.
After the hips, thoracic spine mobility is probably the most crucial aspect of mobility however thoracic spine immobility is so commonplace people don’t notice that anything is wrong.
Sound familiar if so try this straight arm pullover. With straight arms and a light weight let your arms fall behind your head aiming to get your elbows and ears in a straight line. Make sure the lower back stays flat, hips tucked under and you breath steady and regular. Hold for a minimum of 2 minutes. Benefits will include reduce kyphosis (rounding of shoulder), increase lung volume, and overall healthier shoulders leading to better movement.

Deadlifts come in different varieties but the one thing they all have in common is they are an extremely demanding movement from a structural and strength point of view. When you break it down, there is requirement for movement and static strength at the same time. There needs to be movement at the hips, knees and ankles during the lift and return whilst the spinal flexors needs to be contracted to support the spine throughout the movement.
Essentially, you need to have a good hip and knee hinge to allow the back to stay straight throughout as shown in the first picture. When practicing this, using a stick is helpful to understand the position that back needs to be held in. The worst thing you can do during the deadlift is try and lift the weight with a rounded back as in the second picture. This is a sure fire way to aggravate the discs in the spine and possibly leave you with intense pain.
One big mistake is to attempt to lift a weight you are not ready for. Take a step back, lower the weight and get better at the movement. Practice, practice and practice.

Poor ankle mobility can wreak havoc on the bodies ability to squat properly, especially back squatting. If your ankles aren’t mobile enough you’ll find yourself compromising your bottom position by excessive forward lean and/or rounding of the lower back as the hips are pulled forwards. Incorporate these stretches into your next lower limb session to ensure your body is moving as efficiently as possible. Make sure the toes are elevated in the banded stretch and then hold each stretch for at least 2 mins to ensure the stretch goes into the connective tissue that is leading to that stubborn ankle stiffness.

Cup of coffee to the rescue.
That cup of coffee in the morning could be doing you a great deal of good. Here are 5 things which you can look forward to from a cup of black coffee.
1. Antioxidant boast as coffee is jam packed full of plenty different antioxidants.
2. Increased alertness due to stimulation of the nervous system.
3. Increase in metabolic rate and fat utilisation as an energy source.
4. Decreased risk of heart failure.
5. Better performance in the gym.
A general sense of all round awesomeness may also occur!!!
Just remember, the above is based on a cup of black coffee, not a toffee nut latte with extra cream!

Having shoulder difficulties when overhead pressing or holding a bar in the front rack position? There’s a good chance you are rather tight around the shoulder and possibly into the tricep. This banded stretch is great way to lengthen the triceps right from the points of origin around the shoulder and also allow full flexion at the shoulder which encourages a full range of movement. You don’t need an overly strong band, just allow the elastic of the band to do it’s job in maintaining the tension of the stretch. Enjoy for 2 minutes on each arm.

Tight hip flexors from being sat down too long? With the average person estimated to be seated for 9 hours a day no wonder. Whether you are sat at work, on the bus/train, driving, or socialising you are inevitably in a seated position. This means your glute muscles are turned off, hip flexors active and hamstrings permanently lengthened. Over time this will create muscles imbalances throughout the legs, pelvis, and low back, increasing the load and stress on the joints. To try and alleviate and prevent this discomfort try this modified Thomas stretch.
Sitting on the edge of the bench, lay yourself back, bringing one knee in towards your chest allowing the opposite leg to hang or sit underneath the bench. You should feel a good stretch along the front of the thigh. Hold for a minimum of 2 minutes either side, breathing steady and regular. Do not allow your lower back to lift of the bench.

Body weight is often used as an indicator of fitness progress when people attempt to change their physique. When they don’t see pounds coming off of the scales each week, they tend to get a little discouraged.
Recognising what your body weight consists of is of vital importance. Muscle, fat, water, bone, organs and other tissues. Tracking body weight is only a useful measure if the person needs to make a weight category or knows how their weight makes a difference to physical performance i.e. running.
Here at Bodydoctor we don’t focus on the scales, we measure using callipers and a measuring tape. This not only allow us to track your progress objectively, it will give you a great insight into the effect your training is having on specific hormonal sights on the body.
As long as you maintain regular practice and have structured workouts, you’ll have clarity about how much you’ve achieved, and exactly what you’ll need to do to reach your goals.