Pride Battle

Whether you’re a seasoned pro, or budding boxer, there’s now a sleek new kit range out to keep you looking good as you throw those punches. 

Developed by Ricky Hatton himself, the new collection of boxing and leisure equipment is being distributed as part of a new alliance with Jordan Fitness, one of Europe’s leading suppliers of functional equipment. This comes as part of a move to make boxing more accessible, as a sport and means of fitness for both men and woman of all abilities. The range includes everything from gloves to punch bags – all you need to train like Hatton himself. The four-time world champion founded Hatton Boxing – the developer of the range – helping to further his supreme involvement in the world of boxing. Having now roped in Jordan Fitness to help supply British boxing enthusiasts with only the best in punch kit, it looks like Hatton will feature strongly for years to come.

Running for Better Memory

For all of us trying to keep fit, but skipping out on our morning run, have a little think about this – running has now been shown to improve memory. Although researchers are still trying to figure out why exactly this is the case, several studies have pinpointed a link between certain proteins and exercise-induced neuron growth. The latest protein – discovered by the neuroscience team at the National Institute on Aging in the US – is Cathepsin B. This magical memory booster has been directly traced from the muscles to the brain in the serious of studies they conducted with mice. So how much running do we need to do exactly to reap these brainy benefits? According to van Praag, senior author and neuroscientist, consistency is key. So pull out your running shoes and stop with the excuses – if you’re notoriously forgetful, then your memory could use a little exercise.

Muscle Strength Improvement

You might be the world’s most regular gym goer, but if you’ve hit a plateau in your quest for better muscle strength, then you’ll want to keep reading. The latest research to come out of the world of fitness tells us that engaging in short, explosive leg contractions is the most effective way to strengthen muscles. Led by Dr Folland, Reader of Human Performance and Neuromuscular Physiology at Loughborough University, the study compared short, explosive contractions lasting less than one second directly with sustained contractions lasting three seconds. The former increases strength by assisting the nervous system in ‘switching on’ and activating the trained muscle.  The latter is more effective for those of you looking to gain muscle mass as opposed to strength. This is very good news for those of looking to increase our strength, as it means less time and energy spent.

Next Level Body Monitoring

Star Trek fans listen up. It looks like the tricoder – the device used in the series to scan and gather information about places and living things – has now been brought to life. However, in real life this wearable technology is being used to measure biochemical and electrical signals in the human body simultaneously. The ‘Chem-Phys’ patch is the first device able to measure a person’s fitness levels and heart function at the same time. It keeps track of the levels of lactate, a biochemical indicator of physical activity, as well as the heart’s electrical activity. Co-project leader Patrick Mercier, of the Jacobs School of Engineering at the University of San Diego, talks of the current gap in the market for a wearable able to measure both electrical and chemical signals, and that this real-time body tricoder is one step closer to a device able to offer measurements for chemical, physical and electrophysical signals continuously throughout the day. Trek fitness fans go wild!

Posture Perfect

If you’re not a Pilates person or Yoga enthusiast, then you might not have been paying much attention to your posture while you workout. Turns out it’s actually pretty vital for avoiding injury, and getting the most from all that hard work in the gym. So how do we become more clued up on our body posture? While most have been using video gait analysis, there’s now an even better method called ViMove. This smart piece of tech can give you a detailed picture of your movement and posture using wireless motion sensors attached to your body. For those keen on the treadmill, improving posture can result in faster times, further distances and less fatigue. According to leading stretch gurus and personal trainers, bad posture is our body’s way of taking the easy route, avoiding use of the weaker muscles by focusing on the stronger ones. Time for a posture consultation, we think.

Coffee Benefits the Liver

While more and more of us have been steering clear of caffeine, some have been looking for reasons that allow us to put our favourite cup of Joe back on the menu.

A recent study has found that drinking more coffee might actually help to reduce the kind of liver damage associated with overindulging in food and alcohol. Reviewing nine previously published studies, researchers concluded that drinking two additional cups of coffee a day was linked to a 44 per cent lower risk of developing liver cirrhosis. With a combined head count of 1,990 patients across all studies, these findings offer some delightfully caffeinated insight into the benefits of our favourite brew. However, researchers warn that this does not offer a green light to load up on sugary lattes topped with whipped cream. Keep it simple with filtered coffee, safe in the knowledge that your liver is happy.