under your hips. Keeping your back straight and chest up, sit back into your hips and grip the bar. Take a deep breath in and hold it as you push your hips forward, keep your arms straight and lift the bar so it travels a vertical path along your body

SWIM: Warm-up: 4 x 75m with bilateral breathing. Main: 10 x 50m steady with 30 seconds rest between efforts, then 100m fast (record your time). Cool down 6 x 50m bilateral breathing SWIM: 3 x 100m warm-up. Main: 75m, 100m, 125m, 100m, 75m all with 40

Q During a recent race, while I was running very comfortably, my heart rate suddenly shot up to nearly 40 beats above my usual level and remained there for the rest of the run. At no time did I feel ill or even out of breath, but understandably I

, the diaphragm moves back up and stretches the ligaments that attach it to the liver. The constant short stretching of these causes the cramp - and the sharp pain. Stitches are common among novices who haven't established proper techniques and who tend to breathe

water-proof plasters and make sure you wear flip-flops on the bank.Learn 'sighting', or aiming for a target in the distance. To prepare you for swimming towards a buoy in a race, practise bilateral breathing - breathing on both sides - and lifting your

and protein." Nick Anderson, running coachUse marathon yogic breathing"The ujjayi or 'victorious' breathing technique, employed in Hindu and Taoist Yoga practices, engages the core and allows deeper breathing. Visualise a string attached to your navel

. Carrying poor posture from your working day into your training regime will place extra strain on the leg muscles and can contribute to back pain and shin splints. Running tall makes it easier to run efficiently and control your breathing.For a quick fix

and sitting on your feet with the tops of your feet against the floor. Gently lift your knees off the floor and hold for 10 seconds. Do this four times and repeat on alternate days.2. The Mistake: Poor Breathing Timing"If your technique or timing is off when

as Speedo Swim Fins, £19.99) to add flexibility.7. Don't waste breathGasping for air every time your head nears the surface is a great way to drown. Instead, make each breath count. Emphatically exhale the air from your lungs (all of it, not just 90 per cent

breathing, not being afraid to increase the pace if you feel particularly positive." To dissociate, focus more on your surroundings – the sounds, sights and smells – and let them distract you temporarily. "The most successful runners switch between the two