Runners usually talk about muscles in terms of quads, glutes and hamstrings. Exercise physiologists, on the other hand, talk about muscles in terms of fast-twitch and slow-twitch fibres - which is one of the reasons why physiologists aren't invited

A runner’s body is like a tent on a windy hillside. The poles are your big muscles – the quads, hamstrings, glutes and abs – that keep you upright and moving. But to keep the tent stable, you need ropes and pegs.These come in the form of your

If your goal is simply to stay fit ad healthy, these shortyet thorough workouts will boost heart health, build bone density and strengthen muscles."Runners often think that the more they run, the healthier they'll be," says Bill Pierce, co

After a long run or race, your legs, back and shoulders can feel very tight. Practising a few simple restorative yoga poses can help you regain your range of motion, reduce the swelling in your legs and improve blood circulation to  help speed your recovery. Do this sequence usin...

:Strengthen the heart.Open capillaries, speeding energy to working muscles and flushing away waste products from tired ones. “Long runs build a better plumbing system,” says Galloway.Strengthen leg muscles and ligaments.Recruit fast-twitch muscle fibres to help

Plyometrics n. A type of exercise training designed to produce fast, powerful movements and improve the functions of the nervous system, generally for the purpose of improving athletic performance. Or, if you like, the more explosively you can move

our 30s both the muscle tissue and tendon part of the calf muscle are subject to age-related changes. The changes in the connective tissue, which is the non-contracting part of the muscle, probably cause most of the problems.Your injury suggests you

, and what can I do to improve them?A There are four abdominal muscles, and the so called ‘six-pack’, or rectus abdominus, that so many people desire is actually the most superficial of these. There are three sheets of muscles, each progressively deeper

Q. I train four to five times a week, including hills and a couple of interval sessions. However, each time I increase my training, by even a modest distance or pace, my muscles are too stiff and sore to undertake the next day’s session. What can I

injuries. However, any pre-run stretching must be gentle: stretching cold, stiff muscles carries the risk of strains. It’s also thought that overstretching can cause a muscle to act as though it is at risk of tearing, therefore tensing up to counteract that