Blog
“Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing” – Benjamin Franklin
Ben Butler Training Diary 2018 Entry No. 7: Engine
There’s an American children's story used to teach kids the value of hard work and believing in yourself. It’s called The Little Engine that Could. The story revolves around a long train of carriages that needs to be pulled over a high mountain. A number of larger engines are asked [...]
Activating Your Hip Flexors For More Efficient Running
Are you a runner with tight or weak hip flexors? Or both? Strong, stable and active hip flexors generally lead to better running mechanics and in turn, better performances. So how can we ensure that our hip flexors are doing their job and we get the most out of our [...]
Ben Butler Training Diary 2018 Entry No. 6: Trust Your Trainer
Hello. It’s been a while, I know. There was a bit of a continuation of my fitness-related series of unfortunate events, but I’m back in action. It’s good to see you. One of the things I love about DSC is the quality of the trainers. Everyone here is highly trained, [...]
Ben Butler Training Diary 2018 Entry No. 5: The Power of Habit
Fitness for me was never something that formed a central part of my identity. Or any part, really. It was something I did, on occasion, when the need arose. Recently though, I was traveling for work, and I found myself - for the first time - wanting to keep up [...]
IRONMAN 70.3 Aix en Provence: Fergal Meegan shares his experience
How about a warm weather early season half ironman in France he says… We arrived in beautiful sunny Marseille on Thursday evening after a slight delay. We were ditched by the transfer company as a result of the delay but managed to arrive by taxi to the hotel by 7.30pm. [...]
Running Mechanics and Tips for Runners to Reduce Injuries
Researchers are increasingly examining our individual running patterns to determine whether they are the cause of running-related injuries. There is debate as to whether re-educating people on running mechanics can help to improve such injuries. In this piece, we will discuss some of the current views on running mechanics and [...]
WE’VE COME A LONG LONG WAY TOGETHER ….
In the second part of our Cape Epic 2018 blog, Mark Kidd gives us his perspective on the 8 day, 650km mountain bike race across the unforgiving South African terrain. Similar to Rob's story, Mark had to face his own adversities while preparing for the event, but a truely 'Epic' [...]
The Diaphragm: Your Anatomical Kingmaker
Kingmaker – plays a strong role in determining the outcome for other players. If you asked any gym goer or athlete what is the most important muscle in their body, glutes would probably be mentioned or the Psoas (hip flexor). But now focus is shifting to the diaphragm. A muscle [...]
Groin Pain in Athletes: Symptoms, Causes & Treatment
Groin pain in athletes/recreational athletes is a very common complaint. The nature of the pain can vary hugely depending on the cause or mechanism of injury. For example, some will report pain with coughing and sneezing whereas others might only get pain after high intensity training. Your acute injury associated [...]
No Craic At All – Digging Deep at the Cape Epic
Ever wondered what it would be like to take on one of the toughest Mountain Bike stage races in the world? In March, two of our inspiring clients did just that. The Absa Cape Epic is 8 days long and covers over 650km in the mountains and plains of the [...]
Ben Butler Training Diary 2018 Entry No. 4: Transferring skills – From the gym to the pitch
Some people love going to the gym. And that’s great. But, if you’re like me, that’s just not the case. Don’t get me wrong, DSC is class, and it’s as good as a gym gets for me - but it’s still a gym. Going to the gym, for me, is [...]
Taking on the Ring of Kerry: Shane Fallon’s (Manager of Dublin2Bike) top tips.
There’s a grand stretch in the evening! Considering dusting off the bike and taking to the road? You may even be contemplating taking on one of the many cycling races or sportives that are on over the summer; notably the Ring of Kerry Charity Cycle. A daunting task? Perhaps not. Shane [...]
10 Reasons Why We Should Be Mindful When Counting Calories
Do you count calories on a daily basis? Do you measure how much you should be eating every day? Do you ever wonder why you’re eating less than your recommended daily calories but still not losing weight? Calorie counting is the most widely used method for measuring how much we [...]
Working on our wellbeing!
Today is National Workplace Wellbeing day 2018. In our fast paced, stressful city lives it has never been more important to draw our focus on the importance on health and wellbeing in the workplace, where we spend the majority of our waking week (unfortunately 😉). It is brilliant that so [...]
What We Talk About When We Talk About… Grading of Muscle and Ligament Injuries
Have you ever wondered what a physiotherapist is talking about when they mention a Grade 2 hamstring strain or a Grade 1 ankle sprain? Most people will know that a Grade 1 is the least severe type of injury you can have and that a Grade 3 is the worst [...]
Ben Butler Training Diary 2018 Entry No. 3: Keeping Things Moving
When I started training, I wanted to get bigger, stronger, and faster - in as short a time as possible. Pretty standard, right? Gimme a six pack, big arms, and I want to run a 5k in 15 minutes - and I want all that by next week. One thing [...]
What We Talk About When We Talk About… Exercise For Rehabilitation
For anyone who has had the misfortune of requiring treatment from a physiotherapist, you might have wondered why you have been given exercises for your injured body part rather than being advised to let it rest up and heal in good time. There is an element of truth to the [...]
Ben Butler Training Diary 2018 Entry No. 2: A Bump In The Road.
In his second blog post, Ben discusses new year's resolutions, training while on the move and how injury has been hampering his progress. Missed his first blog entry? Check it out here: http://bit.ly/2EdN8zk The journey comes to a stop. I’m not really one for resolutions. It’s not that I’m up [...]
Ben Butler Training Diary 2018 Entry No. 1: DSC – The Journey Begins!
Introducing DSC's latest recruit, Ben Butler! Ben works for a multinational tech company and his role involves building out projects across Europe and North America . As part of the company's wellness week last summer, Ben joined DSC's Paul and Peter around Merrion Square for a running session. Not coming [...]
Osteoarthritis – Exercise your way out of pain
For many, a diagnosis of osteoarthritis is quite an upset. It is often perceived to be a condition that will only worsen, that the damage is done and you may as well get used to a life of struggling along from day-to-day. However, unsurprisingly, I am here to explain how [...]