Men's Fitness Guide

Edited by Nick Hutchings Art Editor Camille Neilson Chief Subeditor Jo Williams Words Max Anderton, Mark Bailey, Damian Hall, Nick Hutchings, Ben Ince, Richard Jordan, Matthew Ray, Sam Rider, Joel Snape Photography Joel Anderson, Danny Bird, Glen Burrows, Rupert Fowler, Greg Martin, Tom Miles, Mike Prior, Jason Potter, Pete Webb Illustrations Simon Brader, Sudden Impact Additional photography Corbis, Laurence Crossman-Emms, Finisher Pix, Getty, iStock, marathon-photos.com, Damiano Levati/The North Face, Sven Martin, Lauren Mclean, Manu Molle/Haute Route, packshotfactory.co.uk, Janos Schmidt/ITU, Thinkstock, Juan Trujillo Andrades, Owain Wyn-Jones Managing Editor Chris Miller Art Director Ped Millichamp…

The power of the gym to improve almost every facet of your sporting performance cannot be denied, but training outdoors – under cerulean skies and surrounded by lush greenery – adds a certain joie de vivre to your workouts that even the plushest indoor training facility can’t hope to match. And if you’re taking on a race or outdoor event this summer, working out in an environment similar to the one you’ll be competing in will make you far more comfortable on race day. The aim of this guide is to showcase some of the great outdoor sports you can take on in the UK. Yes, we know summer can sometimes be a cruelly truncated phenomenon, but when the warmer months finally do arrive these isles are among the finest sporting…

Not only is running one of the easiest sports to get started in, it’s also one of the most rewarding. But if you want to get the most out of your sessions, there’s a little more to it than sticking on any old pair of trainers and doing laps of the block. It’s important to know how to tweak your running form to avoid injury, the exercises you can do to build running-specific strength and speed, and how to train for any event you may decide to enter, be it a 10K, half marathon or full 42km. And that’s exactly what you’ll get from this section.…

WHAT KIT DO I NEED? ‘There’s no need to buy a load of expensive kit to start with – all you need are running shoes and some lightweight clothing,’ says Crawford. ‘Go to a specialist running shop to get fitted with the right shoe for your running style because this will reduce your chance of getting injured. For cold weather you should consider getting some running tights, too.’ WHERE SHOULD I RUN? ‘It doesn’t really matter as long as you feel safe, although running on soft surfaces such as grass is marginally better for your joints, because there’s less impact with each stride,’ says Crawford. ‘The important thing is to make sure the shoes you buy are appropriate for the terrain you’ll be running on.’ WHAT TIME OF DAY IS BEST? ‘Going out in the…

YES says Danny Dreyer, co-founder of ChiRunning and an accomplished runner who has completed 40 ultramarathons injury-free in the past 20 years The idea that you wouldn’t want to examine and potentially improve your running form is strange. Not just from the point of view of getting faster but because there’s a tremendous amount of force going through your body with each stride, and injuries among amateur runners are common. I’ve worked with runners for 30 years and have been teaching my own running form since 1999. In my experience and that of most people I’ve taught, ChiRunning reduces injury and augments performance by improving efficiency of movement. ChiRunning uses a mid-foot strike and encourages a forward lean by using gravity to help pull a runner forwards instead of relying solely on…

I’ve been running 10Ks since the age of 16 so I’m probably a little biased, but I wholeheartedly believe that 10K races are the perfect distance for beginners, or anyone who runs regularly but doesn’t fancy running for more than an hour and a half at a time. A 10K may not be as long as a half marathon but it’s still a considerable challenge if you push yourself to get the best time possible. LESS STRESS Marathons are an amazing experience, but they’re endurance events that become a test of pain tolerance and determination. By contrast, 10K races are short and sweet, allowing you to go at a quicker pace rather than just concentrating on putting one foot in front of the other. This means they’re also far less stressful on…