Author Archives: Rachael Lowe

About Rachael Lowe

Once called the Queen of ePT Rachael is probably the world's most internet savvy physiotherapist and has built some of the most popular and largest physiotherapy websites online. Away from work she runs, climbs, skis, cycles, horse rides, scuba dives, windsurfs you name it!

Why we injure ourselves skiing and how to avoid the dangers

November 15, 2016 by Rachael Lowe
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Ski and snow boarding injuries
Despite this skiing and snowboarding are enjoyed by many worldwide we know that there are inherent risks.  There have been a number of studies that have looked at the incidence and severity of ski and snowboarding injuries. Overall injury rate for skiers has been reported as 3 injuries per 1000 skier days[1][2]. According to the National Ski Areas Association in the USA[3], during 2002-2012 about 41.5 people have died skiing/snowboarding per year on average.  Serious injuries (paralysis, serious head, and other serious injuries) occur at the rate of Continue reading →

5 ways to become a stronger skier

November 1, 2016 by Rachael Lowe
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Getting fit for skiing is one of the most common pieces of advice that we physiotherapists give to anyone that we know is going skiing.  To avoid injury and elevate your enjoyment preparation is more than just fitness training…. Do some training If you do one thing this winter to prepare for your ski trip, do some training!  It doesn’t really matter what you do but make sure that you start it early and include a variety of strength, endurance and balance exercises.  Being fir Continue reading →

Improve your cycling performance by knowing the science

July 18, 2016 by Rachael Lowe
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Nothing beats a bit of science for making those marginal gains to performance.  We can often easily get this information from the media that summarise scientific findings into methods that we can easily apply at home to our bike and activity.  Sometimes however it’s fun to have a read of the research and find the science that relates to our own specific performance requirements.  So if you like delving into the research in search of performance improvement you might be interested in a few of these. Continue reading →

3 simple but important exercises for cyclists

May 4, 2016 by Rachael Lowe
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The main goals of any strength and conditioning programme for cyclists should be to improve performance and prevent injury.  For this you need to establish good form, increase power and develop endurance.  These three but simple exercises are a good place to start. Thread the needle As cyclists we spend a lot of time in flexion, hunched over our bike for hours on end.  This can cause problems with and stiffness in the thoracic spine and shoulders.  Threading the needle is a great flexibility exercise to undo Continue reading →

Strength and conditioning to improve your cycling

April 6, 2016 by Rachael Lowe
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long distance cycling endurance
If you’re serious about your cycling you’ll integrate a couple of interval sessions into your training week, but have you ever thought about strength and conditioning?  Common in most other sports and the secret tool of the pros, this approach to training doesn’t get much attention in cycling, but it’s set to explode!  Be ahead of the game and learn how to use strength and conditioning exercises to improve you cycling. A year-round strength and conditioning program for a cyclist is an essential aspect of training for every level of rider Continue reading →

Fundamentals of Core Exercises

November 10, 2015 by Rachael Lowe
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core exercises for running
Quality of core exercises are key.  Unless we are doing them correctly we are not going to get the full benefits and reach our full potential.  We have talked about the importance of core previously and we always have a core section in each of our BeFitApps programmes.  Core exercises are a fundamental part of your training what ever your sport. So when we are doing core conditioning exercises it is very important to do them correctly.  If they are not performed correctly we will Continue reading →

Join in With SkiFit LIVE on Periscope!

October 28, 2015 by Rachael Lowe
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Taking advantage of new technology, the SkiFit team will be hosting a live SkiFit session on live broadcasting app Periscope this November. Skiers and snowboarders who are serious about getting fit for their snowsports holiday can tune in on Tuesday 17 November at 19.00 GMT (20.00 CEST) and enjoy the 30 minute SkiFit LIVE class with Neil Maclean-Martin from the Clinique du Sport in Chamonix, France. Skiers in California, Colorado or Canada can even join in on their lunch-breaks! Neil has been running hugely successful SkiFit Continue reading →

The Importance of Core Conditioning

October 27, 2015 by Rachael Lowe
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core muscles
Core conditioning is essential in preventing injury and maximising overall athletic performance.  Although strengthening one’s core is extremely beneficial most of us only focus on our sports specific training and as a result completely neglect core conditioning. Many sporting injuries can be prevented by strengthening the core musculature.  Not only this but core conditioning can improve efficiency of movement and athletic performance.  You will move better, feel better, look better and perform better. But what is “core”? The trunk of the body is considered the core and is comprised Continue reading →

It’s Time To Get Fit For Skiing! Here’s Why?

October 1, 2015 by Rachael Lowe
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We all know that we should get fit for skiing, maybe we’ll even manage a few of the exercises that we see in the magazines, a wall squat here and there or some single leg dips and hops.  Have you ever thought about why?  Why do we need to be fit for skiing? Well we’re here to give you our clinical reasons why. Skiing will be easier. When you’re fit and strong it all just becomes a little bit easier.  With a strong core supporting your spine Continue reading →

SleepFit: The Forgotten But Most Important Performance Tool

August 21, 2015 by Rachael Lowe
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sleep for training recovery from exercise induced muscle soreness (doms)
When we think about improving our sporting performance traditionally we have considered fitness, strength and nutrition but rarely have we paid much attention to our sleep.  Until now. Sleep fitness is rapidly becoming one of the hot topics in high level sports performance with the likes of  Manchester United and Team Sky even having their own sleep coach! Getting enough good quality sleep is crucial for athletic performance.  When we sleep, our bodies repair themselves as they take time to recover well from sporting activities.  Studies show that good Continue reading →