The Truth About Getting Fit at Home

Sport science experts at Liverpool John Moores University star in this week’s prime-time BBC documentary - The Truth About Getting Fit at Home, BBC One, Wednesday, 9pm.

Our experts aid journalist and blogger Mehreen Baig in her bid to find answers to some of the more common questions about Britain’s new home gym obsession.

Mehreen used to hit the gym four times a week but under lockdown her workout has gone completely DIY, and she turns to LJMU’s world-renowned Sport and Exercise Science team in order to get the best advice.

She’s not the only one who is confused, of course, exactly what kind of exercise should we be doing? With whom (Wicks, Ting? Bez?) And how should we eat or supplement to support our effort?

On hand are Dr Matt Cocks and Dr Katie Hesketh, who have been running a study to test whether using wearable fitness tech can help you stick to your workout plan. Volunteers, including LJMU staff, are guided through a 12-week home exercise plan in research funded by the Medical Research Council and UKRI’s Global Challenges Research Fund. In the programme, the BBC follow a selection of the participants to find out if the tech can help them stick to the regime.

In a separate test, Mehreen enlists Professor Graeme Close, a leading expert in sport nutrition, to investigate whether popular supplements like ‘pre-trainers’ or protein shakes really work.

Protein powder, a once niche product for bodybuilders, can now be found on supermarket shelves, in shakes, bars, fortified foods, capsules and even sweets. In 2016, a Mintel survey found nearly one in ten Brits had used protein powder in the three months leading up to the study.

Graeme and Matt have appeared previously in the BBC’s Trust Me I’m A Doctor when they investigated the health benefits of food rich in OMEGA-3 oils.

Head of Sport and Exercise Science at LJMU, Professor Dave Richardson said: “Our academics are frequent contributors to TV and other media as much of our work is cutting-edge and exciting.

“As one of the leading departments in the world for sport science research and teaching*, we are proud to contribute to the public understanding of these important debates and issues.”

-Watch our people in action this Wednesday, The Truth About Getting Fit at Home, BBC One, 9pm.

*Sport and Exercise Sciences at LJMU is ranked 12 in the world and 8^th in Europe by the Shanghai Global Ranking of universities.

-For more about courses in Sport and Exercise Sciences, go to https://www.ljmu.ac.uk/about-us/faculties/faculty-of-science/school-of-sport-and-exercise-sciences/courses