Say you leave a big, thick rubber band in a fridge, for a couple of hours. Now say, you take it out and start yanking on it. It wouldn’t come…

Singapore is no stranger to downpours. If you live here long enough, you find yourself having to choose between skipping conditioning runs and running events year-round and especially in December,…

Deciding to run a marathon is no small feat. It undoubtedly takes up a lot of courage and stamina to be able to challenge your limits physiologically and psychologically. The…

We don’t have to tell you that old wives’ tales are as prevalent in Singapore as they are elsewhere on the planet. Your mum may have shared these crazy OWTs…

Ever wondered what’s the main difference between a competitive martial artist/fighter and runners especially endurance runners or even casual but active marathon and long distance runners? Apart from the different goals of the former being about finishing timings and the latter about being better than an opponent in reaction, the differences are that mainly martial arts especially modern Mixed martial arts (MMA) training is very anaerobic in nature much like sprinters’ training.

There are many fitness programmes out on the market today, and new programmes are emerging every now and then. While the moves and techniques might vary, the fundamentals of each programme is still the same—have fun and improve health. Previously, we introduced a series of new and interesting workout and fitness programmes. Today, we introduce 10 more especially beneficial to runners. See if any of them appeal to you!

Are you looking for something new, interesting, novel or unique in a workout program to complement your current running and conditioning program? Perhaps you’re bored with everything you’ve seen and tried at studios, gyms and recreation centers and you would love to change things up by adopting a personal program that fills in the physical toning areas not currently addressed by your current routines.

According to Wikipedia, any race can be considered an obstacle race if participants are required to overcome physical challenges that, by their very nature, are defined as obstacles. We’d need a huge amount of space here list all of the obstacles that fall under this umbrella, but here are a few of the most-often employed barriers: mud, trails, walls, water, fire, barbed wire and any combination of barriers that require one to test their strength, endurance, dexterity and mental acuity.

Weightlifting or running? It’s always phrased as an “either or” decision. But here’s the problem: it shouldn’t be. Runners should incorporate weight training into their fitness regimen. You may scoff at the idea of disrupting your cardio routine, but including a weight-lifting program can take your running to a whole new level.

Vertical marathons share some similarities with regular marathons, in that they both are endurance sports which will test your limits physically and mentally. The difference lies in the distance. Standard marathons are 42 km long and typically take 3-4 hours to finish, while vertical marathons take place over a relatively short distance, and depending on the height of the building, can be completed anywhere from less than 10 minutes to 30 minutes to complete. The world record for the Swissotel’s Vertical Marathon’s 1336 steps is a breathtaking 6 minutes and 46 seconds!

As a member of my high school and college running teams, I was one of those rare runners who raced 5ks during cross country and 400 metre hurdles on the track. I needed a way to build flexibility in my hips to clear the hurdles, while increasing strength in my calves to run up on my toes for speed. When my coach suggested I start doing sets of backwards running, I thought he was joking. He actually wanted me to run in reverse. Sound silly? Maybe. But it can really be a beneficial addition to your exercise regimen, whether you are training to finish your first marathon or simply to improve your overall health. In my case, I believe it was what enabled me to compete in such different events for eight years without suffering a single injury.

There are almost always two main groups of people when it comes to running. Those who love the outdoors on one faction and the other who runs on a treadmill at their regular frequented gym. While training my client sometimes on treadmill in the gymnasium and at other times in the outdoors of Ang Mo Kio, I was posed the question: “Is there really a big difference?” What is then the difference in terms of pros and cons of each option?