His training skills help professionals prepare mentally and physically. So whether you’re taking part in a 5k run or a marathon, Jon knows what you need to do to get you prepared for your run.
And if you’re taking part in the BUPA Great North Run he will be taking part in the BUPA Great North Sport and Fitness Show day on Sunday October 1, so you can come along and meet him.
"My philosophy is simple, what we get out of life depends on our perspective.
"If you focus on the negative aspects of your journey you will be drawn towards them, and away from the motivational and inspiring aspects that get results.
"What better way is there to achieve results than by helping yourself to help others?
"I feel honoured that Marie Curie Cancer Care has invited me to be their official health and fitness expert and look forward to helping you and the charity on their activity events."
Jon Trevor, Celebrity trainer (pictured)
Jon Trevor’s top ten "fit tips"
To help you achieve a safe and enjoyable BUPA Great North Run, and other distance running challenges, here are Jon's top ten ‘fit tips’ based on some of the most popular questions asked.
If you have any further questions you would like answered, send an email to Jon Trevor.
- Inhale to excel – power your breath by practising simple breathing techniques when running. Read more >>
- Getting ready – there are several training formats readily available, here is a basic one that I find effective. Read more >>
- Thirst efficiency – our body functions efficiently when hydrated, drinking water can offset fatigue, cramps, aches and pains. Read more >>
- Feet first – one of the most important considerations is your foot attire, this is your first defence in preventing wear and tear. Read more >>
- Shop smart – as your footwear is the most important bit of running kit to get right, don’t allow shop staff to hurry or pressure you. Read more >>
- Made to measure – technology and trainers go hand in hand these days, even down to gender-orientated footwear. Read more >>
- Fit feet – the best way to test new trainers is to run in them before you purchase. Good shops will always accommodate your request. Read more >>
- RICE – most of you should know of the Rest, Ice, Compress and Elevate formula for muscular injury, but why ice? Read more >>
- Hit hard – the treadmill is great it certainly reduces the risk of impact injury what we professionals call “controlled environment”. Read more >>
- Buttock benefits – running efficiently requires the conditioning and collaboration of many muscle groups. Read more >>
Power breathe
First and foremost your body needs oxygen and as you work harder it needs more oxygen. As blood oxygen levels diminish, a chemical is released and the muscles start to cause pain.
This message to the brain stimulates your lungs to increase your breathing rate to try and get more oxygen to the muscles and as result you get ‘out of breath’. This is why training your breathing, as well as your body, assists the muscles and aids physical activity.
Getting started
Think about where you are breathing from? The chest and shoulders (called clavicle breathing), or the stomach?
You should be breathing from the stomach (the diaphragm). The diaphragm is the main muscle used to draw oxygen into our lungs. As the diaphragm moves downwards to inhale, the internal organs are pushed outwards, hence the stomach expands.
The aim is to do some deep breathing exercises. When your breathing is shallow, it is a sign of stress. That is why yoga is so good for you, as it trains you to breath deeper and to minimise your physical stress levels.
Try this simple exercise three times a day. As a guideline you should aim for around three to four breaths, in and out, within 30 seconds, perhaps at breakfast or on the way to work. Don’t try it while driving though, as you may feel light headed for a while.
- Standing or sitting with your knees hip width apart, place your thumb towards the back of your lower rib cage and your index finger pointing towards your breast bone. Point your elbows backwards.
- Keep your head up and take a deep breath, as deep as you can, as your belly extends. Slowly breath out to the count of five until your umbilicus is as far inward as possible.
- On your very last exhalation of breath try to tighten your belly, as if you were about to protect yourself against a strike, this is to ensure you have fully expelled any used oxygen.
NB. Your spine should remain upright as you maybe tempted to lean forward on breathing out. If you feel any pain you must stop, if you feel light headed, don’t worry, it is more than likely your body is not used to taking all that extra oxygen, it will pass.
If you continue to feel uncomfortable with any increased physical activity you should always consult your doctor or health care professional.
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Next step
Once you have mastered this breath control technique you will be ready to put it into practice. When you run, try and focus on how many strides you take during each breath. You should aim to take slower, longer strides with deeper breaths. Maybe start with a three-stride count to every out-breath and increase the number of strides gradually over a few weeks.
Give it time, as you train your body will become more efficient and it will start to feel more comfortable and more natural.
Remember, keep upright with your arms moving forward and back to the sides and not across your front, this will aid breathing and correct posture while running.
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Getting ready
There are numerous training formulas, and most people settle on one, or a combination, that suits them personally. My advice is that you use the most favourable training format that works with the majority of my clients, described here. And if you have another way to reach your target fitness level for this event, that’s fabulous, so long as we get it right and enjoy a great day.
If you have any questions about your preferred technique, send an email to Jon Trevor..
Tried and tested
One of the oldest formats for improving physical fitness is periodisation training.
The goal of this type of exercise program is to optimise training during both short and long periods of time, enabling athletes to reach peak physical performance at a particular point. The same concept works for your goal - helping you maximize results in a minimal amount of time.
The programme below is a twelve-week back-to-basics programme with simplicity in mind, based on a tried and tested formula. The numbers on the graph relate to the numbered list below.
Getting it right
- Get kitted out with the right footwear, hat, sunglasses, water bottle, sun factor etc. Think about risks of injury, plan your running routes and check it out in a car or on a bike first. Note the mileage and possible rest points, if your course takes in parks remember to plan your training considering daylight hours.
- Walk-jog-walk-jog-walk-walk-jog. Listen to your body but build on your walk-jog regime cautiously. Be active for as long as possible as this is the time to focus on your aerobic endurance.
- Don't worry about pace, don't worry about how much you can run, just do as much as you can.
- Start thinking about pace and time during your longest runs, and remember to reward yourself, maybe by celebrating your first the six mile marker.
- Keep your weekly mileage up as much as you can, include speed and hill work.
- This is the most difficult phase to get right. You must take into account that rest aids recovery. However, take too much rest and power could start to fade from your legs. Reduce your training as much as necessary so you are well rested for the day of the run while not reducing your fitness level.
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Thirst efficiency
Q: Dear Jon, I have been told when you’re thirsty you have already started to dehydrate?
A: Yes that’s correct. However by the time you feel thirsty you are already dehydrated. I suggest you should not allow yourself to get to the thirsty state.
Keep hydrated, drink small amounts often, and remember that if you are active whilst dehydrated, your heart is put under more strain than necessary, as it has to work much harder to pump a thicker blood volume around your body. Water is more than just a thirst quencher.
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Feet first
Q: Dear Jon, after a run I feel slight knee pain for some time after?
A: Research from the Medical College of Wisconsin shows that the wrong shoes may contribute to the development of stress fractures.
There is the old saying “no pain no gain”, but I say don’t even go there, if you feel any pain, stop.
The first course of action is to have a look at your footwear. Have you the latest fashion trainer? How old are your trainers? How does your body react to impact upon it? Some feet turn in, some out, and the same goes for knees. And does one side of your hip drop more than the other?
If in doubt get it checked out…before it checks you out, many specialist running stores offer running assessments and can advise on the very best for your foot shape and strike. The right trainers are often less expensive than fashion footwear, in fact I would say you’re better buying two good pairs and wearing on alternating runs.
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Shop smart
Save your shopping for the afternoon - feet swell during the day, so this will ensure you don't buy too small.
"It's worth taking your current pair with you," advises Dr Ron McCullock, consultant podiatric surgeon from the London Podiatry Clinic. "The wear pattern can give some clues about your gait and whether or not it was an appropriate shoe for you. And remember to take the socks that you'll be wearing for your run."
If you wear orthotics, take them along, too. Be prepared to try on lots of pairs before you make a decision, and don't allow the shop staff to pressurise you. It sounds obvious, but always try on both shoes and move around in them, too.
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Made to measure
Many brands - including ASICS and Nike - are now offering women-specific trainers, to cater for the different foot shape and gait pattern.
According to Nike's research, women have broader forefeet, a narrower heel, longer toes and higher arches than men, so they've designed shoes specifically to fit the female foot, and to cater for the different biomechanics caused by a wider "Q angle" (the angle between the hipbone and the kneecap), lower body weight and better flexibility.
So are female-specific shoes worth a try? “It's true that certain biomechanical features are more common in women than in men," concedes Ron "But if the men's version feels more comfortable, opt for that."
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Fit feet
And finally, too tight and you'll end up with black toenails and calluses; too loose and your feet will slip inside the shoes, causing blisters.
When your feet are being measured, stand, don't sit, for a more accurate measurement. If trainers don't feel instantly comfortable when you put them on, move on to the next pair.
"Trainers should not need to be 'broken in' - they should be comfortable at purchase," says Ron, "You need to have a thumb's width at the front of the shoe to ensure proper fit."
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RICE
Q: Dear Jon, I recently pulled my calf muscle and was told to ice it, why?
A: When a muscle is damaged or torn it bleeds internally. This can sometimes be seen externally by the presents of a bruise. In order for the internal tissues to start the repair process, clogging old blood and waste build-up needs to be removed from the area.
When you apply a cold compress the blood vessels of the muscle contract along with the congested tissue and it limits bleeding at the injury site.
As the area warms up, the vessels and surrounding tissue start to expand back to normal size, apply cold again and the contraction and expansion repeats.
This action acts as a clearing pump (if you like) to rid the muscle of excess and clogging waste, while encouraging fresh blood and nutrients to aid the healing process.
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Hit hard
Q: Dear Jon, I can now run continually (yippee!) for six miles on the treadmill, easily, with no after aches or pains in just over an hour. Is this good at this stage?
A: Excellent, you’re well on the way. The trick is to get as many miles in as you physically can, even if it’s broken into stages. Do six miles, then on to ten, with two or three recovery periods in between, and as time progresses reduce the recovery between each set of miles.
You are certainly doing it right, although one thing I would like to suggest is that you get outside as soon as you can. Pounding on a treadmill is a lot kinder to the body than the hard surface of the road. Due to this difference, try four miles at first, then build back up to the six and be mindful of any potential risk of injury.
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Buttock benefits
Q: Dear Jon, I have been told that I should include core stability in my running training?
A: Yes, yes, yes! There is so much written about functional fitness and core stability, and I have to say, strengthening your core should be an essential part of any running programme.
Also don’t forget to strengthen your gluteus muscle group (the butt) this will help to stabilise your pelvis, as the gluteus maximums (the largest part of the buttock) is one of the muscles used in forceful extension such as running and climbing.
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Prospective applicants are reminded that distance running, whilst an enjoyable route to fitness and well-being, is a significant physical challenge and if you have not exercised before, or for some time, it is advisable to consult a doctor prior to undertaking an exercise programme.
