By Jason Dougherty, Athletes’ Performance

No equipment? No problem. Harness the power of your own body weight. It gives you the freedom to exercise on the go and offers a variety of other benefits, regardless of whether you’re a beginner or a pro. Here are a few of the key benefits of training without equipment:

1. Awareness. Training using your body weight as resistance can heighten your awareness of how your body moves, its range of motion, and your movement patterns. Use these workouts to improve your posture and movements and focus on mobility and stability.
   
2. Convenience. Whether you’re traveling, pressed for time, or don’t have access to a gym, training with your body weight allows you to fit in an effective workout anywhere.
   
3. Efficiency. Eliminating the need to change equipment or move between machines makes it easier to go from one exercise to the next in less time. This swift exercise style provides a new challenge to muscular and cardiovascular strength and endurance.  
   
4. Flexibility. The variety of exercises that use body weight are endless and can be combined to create short or long workouts. These exercises can also be modified to fit anyone’s fitness level from beginner to pro.
   
5. Fun! Mixing up your workouts keeps training fun. Use your creativity to build your own workouts. Not only can breaking up your routine help you fight back against exercise slumps, it can also keep you motivated.
   
6. Scenery. Training without equipment allows you to go the park or out in your yard for a change of scenery and some fresh air.

Start training using your body weight with miCoach non-equipment workouts, which you'll find under Men's and Women's Training areas. 

By Jason Dougherty, Athletes’ Performance

A game of rules and etiquette, tennis is all about tradition. This tradition works well for the game, but there’s room for some modern changes in training. The most successful players use interval training to tackle the toughest tournaments, especially the notorious clay courts at the French Open. Clay courts, like those at the French Open, slow you down, making it even more important to change speeds and recover quickly. Interval training can improve your game whether you’re playing clay, grass, or hard courts. Here’s why.

Matches aren’t just about rushing the net for a volley or racing to return a lob, they also involve waiting for the other player’s serve and slower ball returns without much running. Interval training is essential as part of any tennis training plan because it recreates the natural stop-and-go style of play. Interval training mimics this by using a pair of specific speeds, one slower and one faster. Working between the two intervals allows your body to work hard and fast for a period of time and then rest.

As your body begins to adapt to this training, the rest intervals decrease. Over time, this makes your body stronger and more capable of working harder for longer periods of time with less rest. This translates into quicker movements on the court, shorter recovery time, and the ability to move between plays more efficiently.

Consistently training, both on and off the court, to develop greater efficiency can give you the competitive advantage. You’ll be more capable of fighting the effects of fatigue to remain explosive and ready make a play at any stage of the game, set, or match.

Develop your competitive advantage, condition your body to compete at the highest level, and build your capacity to win with the miCoach tennis cardio plan.

By Kerry Greer, Athletes’ Performance

Whether you’re a seasoned exerciser or a recovering couch potato, assessing your current fitness level using the miCoach assessment or another assessment can help you get the most out of your exercise program. Not only will taking an assessment provide you with a clear understanding of your current fitness, but it can also help define your goals and keep you moving toward them. Below, Joel Sanders, a performance specialist at Athletes’ Performance, shares three of the most important ways fitness assessments can help you.

1.  You’ll get a baseline view of your current fitness level.

Kickstart any new training program with a fitness assessment. This will provide you with a baseline to see your current fitness level. It will also give you something to compare your improvements to over time.

2.  Assessments can help motivate you.

Timing of your assessment is critical for meaningful results. Take your initial assessment prior to your training plan, and then follow up with an assessment every four to six weeks. This gives your body time to adapt to and benefit from your training plan. “It’s easy to get stuck on weight loss or appearance and get discouraged,” says Sanders. Focusing on fitness improvements like endurance and strength shows that you’re making improvements, even if they aren’t visual yet, which can improve motivation. 

3. Evaluating your assessments helps tweak your program.

Comparing your assessments lets you see how far you’ve come as you progress toward your ultimate goal. If the progress or results aren’t what you expect, you can adjust your program to reach your goals.

Do your zones fit? Take an assessment run, select your training plan  and see where miCoach takes you.

By Athletes’ Performance

Wilson Kipsang Q&A

Wilson Kipsang, you are the men´s defending champion here at London Marathon. What‘s the part of the London Marathon course you enjoy the most?

“Normally the final miles of a marathon just hurt! In London, that´s totally different as you‘re running past these extraordinary, historical buildings along the River Thames. When passing Tower Bridge and the Tower of London, don’t hold back. It´s still tough, but the impressive view helps ease the pain!”

The world’s largest marathon with its challenging course and beautiful views drew nearly 38,000 runners last year. As you prepare to join the masses for the London Marathon, use the tips below to make the most of each mile and ensure that you don’t miss out on any of the spectacular views along the way.

Start Line: There are three different start lines, and it can take up to 15 minutes to get to the start line. Don’t rush. Your timing chip will start collecting time when you actually cross the start line.

Mile 2: This is where the runners from all three start lines converge. Save your energy and don`t try to zigzag through other runners to gain meters. You`ll need your energy later in the race.

Mile 4: Stick to your race plan, get in a rhythm, and relax, even if the huge crowds give you the  motivation to run faster in this slight downhill part of the course.

Mile 6: You’ll pass Greenwich Campus and the Cutty Sark in this stretch. As you approach Cutty Stark, be careful as the course tightens.

Mile 8: Enjoy this quiet section of the course. Check your pace (a third of the marathon is almost done), hydrate, and find a smooth stride.

Mile 10: As you leave the Docklands, pace yourself along with the other runners. This area can get crowded, so be aware of your surroundings.

Mile 12: Tower Bridge is one of the ultimate highlights of the London Marathon course. Soak in the view and the energy of the spectators but stay on your pace.

Mile 14: You’re just over halfway done! Grab water along the route and push toward this bustling portion of the course lined with skyscrapers. 

Mile 16: With just 10 miles left to go, the runners around you may increase their pace. Keep calm and keep a steady pace as you pass through this quieter stretch of the course.

Mile 18: The course leads you through the narrow roads near Canary Wharf and Canada Square. Watch your footing in this crowded area as runners may drop off and slow down.

Mile 20: A typically calm part of the course with few spectators, use this part of the course to ease your mind, refocus, and push through the last 6.2 miles.

Mile 22: As you approach this stretch running back along the highway where you ran mile 13, you’ll leave the Isle of Dogs. You’re so close to the finish line!

Mile 24: After passing the Tower of London, the course leads along the River Thames with a scenic view of the London Eye and Big Ben. If you`ve saved enough energy, take advantage of this flat stretch and speed up. There are two final water stations between miles 24 and 25, so hydrate for a boost of energy.

Mile 26: Take in the view of the Houses of Parliament, St. James’ Park, and Buckingham Palace on this final stretch to the finish line at The Mall next to St. James’ Place. Take in the cheering crowds and celebrate your success as you run the last bit of the course.

What you do before the race will impact your success. Read “What to Drink to Perform Your Best” and use the miCoach single workout "Long Warm Up“ to prepare on race day.

By Edwina Clark, Athletes' Performance

Water makes up 60-70 percent of your body, and it plays an essential role in everything from your brain and organ function to joint lubrication, temperature control, and weight loss. It’s also essential for peak athletic performance. To find out if you’re dehydrated, look at your urine. Ideally, it’ll be a clear or pale yellow, which means you’re hydrated. A dark yellow color indicates dehydration, while a darker cloudy color means you’re severely dehydrated and should seek medical attention.

How Hydration Impacts Performance

For every 2 percent loss of fluid, physical and mental performance decreases by 20 percent. Below are some of the ways hydration affects physical and mental function.

• Boosts brainpower. Studies suggest that fewer areas of the brain are active when you’re dehydrated, and slight dehydration can also impact your mood.
• Increases metabolism. Water is involved in metabolic reactions that help oxidize fatty acids, break down large molecules into smaller ones, and release stored energy. Dehydration slows these reactions, which decreases energy and performance.
• Protects muscles and joints. Dehydrated muscles are inelastic and hard, increasing the risk of tears and strains. Water helps prevent injury by lubricating joints and muscles and acting as a cushion to reduce the risk of joint trauma during exercise.

• Aids in lung function. Water moistens air moving into the lungs and helps transport oxygen to working muscles. When you’re dehydrated this process is less efficient and performance drop.

Daily Hydration Needs

For a regular day, drink ½ an ounce of water for every pound of body weight. For a 180-pound person, that’s 90 ounces of water per day. A good rule of thumb is to drink one bottle of water (10-20 ounces) every three hours or every time you eat a meal or snack if you eat frequently. Create your own hydration plan by figuring out how much water you need, factor in the bottle or glass size so you know how many times to refill, and plan your drinking strategy around regular daily occurrences like lunch and bathroom breaks.

Recovery Hydration Needs

If you exercise or play sports, your hydration needs depend on the intensity and duration of activity and your goals. “It’s just as important to be strategic with your nutrition and hydration as it is with your training,” says Amanda Carlson-Phillips, vice president of nutrition and research at Athletes’ Performance and Core Performance. When the intensity and/or duration of your activity increase, you burn more fuel and need more fluids to rehydrate.

Once you’ve determined what you should drink, figure out how much to drink. While everyone’s sweat rate is different, the standard recommendation is 7-10 ounces of water every 15 minutes during exercise. For a sports drink, choose one with 30-60 g of carbs and 400-800 mg of sodium and drink it every hour to refuel. To determine your specific needs, weigh yourself before you work out, keep track of what and how much you drink, and weigh yourself post-workout. The goal is to lose no more than 2 percent of your body weight. Use the chart below as a hydration guideline.

For sport-specific hydration, see the chart below.

Put your hydration knowledge to the test and improve your fitness with the miCoach Learn to Run plan. If you’re an experienced runner, hydrate properly to push your body one step further and use the miCoach Run a Race – Marathon plan to run longer, faster, and stronger