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What does the word 'Aptius' mean?
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Where does the picture in the Aptius logo come from?
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I've been doing sit-ups for weeks, but my 'spare tyre' isn't going away... Why?
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I do the same gym twice a week, every week, but I don't seem to be getting any fitter; what am I doing wrong?
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What does the word 'Aptius' mean?
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Aptius is derived from the latin word aptus, which means "connected, prepared, equipped, suitable, appropriate, fitting," according to one latin dictionary. The ending -ius implies a greater amount, so Aptius means "better prepared or equipped, more appropriate". |
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Where does the picture in the Aptius logo come from?
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The image comes from a drawing in the notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci, and is a representation of the ideal proportions of the human body. The dimensions are based on the work of Vitruvius, a 1st Century BC Roman architect. The text written by Leonardo to accompany his drawing can be found at http://www.geoman.com/Vitruvius.html, and there is more information on the image at http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/leonardo/gallery/vitruvian.shtml. |
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I've been doing sit-ups for weeks, but my 'spare tyre' isn't going away... Why?
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There are two common exercise-related fallacies here: 1) Working the muscle underneath an area of fat will remove that fat, and 2) sit-ups work the stomach muscle. BOTH OF THESE ARE INACCURATE! Fat is stored by the body as a whole; there is no direct physiological link between stored fat and the muscle underneath. The only way to make those abs visible is to reduce the proportion of stored fat - this is generally done best by a mixed programme of aerobic and resistance training which works the whole body. An associated issue is that all of us are genetically programmed to store fat in certain locations, so the first place it goes on tends to be the last place it comes off. Secondly, the traditionaly sit-up action involves rather little activation of the surface stomach muscle (the rectus abdominus, or 'abs'); the main activators are the hip flexors (rectus femoris, and iliopsoas). So not only is the theory of doing sit-ups wrong, it isn't even working the right muscles! |
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I do the same gym twice a week, every week, but I don't seem to be getting any fitter; what am I doing wrong?
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All training needs to be based on the idea of periodisation. Unless you vary your training routine every 4-8 weeks (depending on the individual), your body stops adapting and improving. Simply put, you get so used to the exercise you're doing that it no longer has any beneficial effect beyond maintaining your ability to sustain that particular exercise. Just like our brains, our bodies thrive on variety and new challenges. |
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better preparation is the key to improved performance
