UK FITNESS SCENE
Personal trainer to get pit crew in top gear By Louise Cordell RED BULL’s Formula 1 racing team has taken on a personal trainer to help get the pit crew in top condition for the competition season. James De Montfort has been creating specialised workout routines and drills for the team to help them maintain the peak fitness needed for the job. He said: “It is really all about fine tuning those essential skills. “Most important is hand and eye coordination, so after assessing their speed and how they perceived distances I created a series of drills to keep their reactions sharp. “Also essential is core strength and flexibility, needed for movements like changing the tyres, so I included plenty of work on equipment that would help those areas.” The team have been working out in the newly built Red Bull gym on a range of Nautilus stations. Their routines have also been tailored to include plenty of cardio work - as stamina is particularly important to cope with the high stress atmosphere and working while wearing fire-resistant multi-layer suits and balaclavas.
James added: “Before the car comes in their heart rate is very high, but their fitness, strength and reactions all still need to be at optimum levels. “We conduct mental as well as physical drills to keep them focussed and use equipment like the Nautilus Schwinn bike to get them fatigued before the routines to test them when they are tired.” James is now creating individual programmes for the crew that they will be able to carry out while they are on the road, to make sure they are in top condition before a race. He is also set to start working with the whole Red Bull team throughout the site so that everyone from the drivers to the designers can benefit from being fitter and in better condition. He added: “Everyone here works in a naturally competitive environment anyway, so I use when creating the programmes to keep them focussed. “I try to make the workouts as interactive as possible and vary the drills to keep them on their toes. “I also reassess everyone every two months to keep on top of their progress which is great for motivation.”
Cystic fibrosis patients encouraged to join unique exercise scheme ADULTS with cystic fibrosis are being encouraged to take part in a unique exercise programme to help them manage their condition. The 12-week start-up exercise programme at Llandough Hospital, near Cardiff, will also educate patients to help them exercise independently. A similar scheme has been running in Birmingham for the last year. Although regular exercise can help
improve lung function, unlike other gym users, people with cystic fibrosis must be careful not to push themselves too far. Declan Weldon, general manager of healthcare for sponsors Air Products, said: “We’re aware of the problems and challenges that patients have accessing gym facilities. “Doing this programme through the hospital where patients attend seems a much better way of tackling this issue.”
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