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Fitness Update - Lee Kennedy
by Focus
focus_contributor.
FITNESS UPDATE
with LEE KENNEDY
FROM CLUB LIME
ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE FOR YOUR UPCOMING PRE-SEASON
2021 has brought many challenges to the local sporting codes, with most winter sports seasons only just finishing in early August, for the weekend athlete this means our preseason should have already begun. As much as we loathe the idea of the dirty word that is “Pre-season” with flashbacks to our youth of sand hill sprints and countless laps of the local park and our coach yelling stern words of “encouragement”. Your 2022 season training needs to be slightly different this coming year. With most winter sports kicking off shortly, here are 5 key points to reduce your chance of injury, increase your strength and improve your performance on the field. 1. Strength training program – it’s about building a foundation for your athletic performance. A pre-season strength program should be part 1 and consist of 6- 8 weeks. A carefully designed sports-specific strength program will highlight the major muscle groups you use in your chosen sport. Starting off with a priming phase that is 2 weeks duration. This is designed to get rid of the rust (so to speak) and get the body used to moving again. Weeks 3-5 are where you build strength, and the final 1-2 weeks comprise the conditioning phase. This is where you would get your sweat on through aerobic conditioning.
2. Hydration – you have to keep the water up. We should be consuming between 2-3 litres of water each and every day, especially in the Australian summers, and coming into Autumn that shouldn’t change. When your pre-season training begins this means you are going to be moving more and sweating more and in turn you are going to need to drink more water to counteract what you have been losing in your training. A small pinch of salt (electrolytes) is far better for you than a sugary sports drink. 3. Mindful eating – this one is pretty simple. Your body is a machine you use to do the things you love. If you put rubbish fuel in the car, don’t expect it to perform at its optimal levels and your body is the same. If you’re training make sure you put some good fuel in before you start and when you finish. 4. Don’t smash yourself – saying “Preseason” usually strikes fear and horror in the hearts and minds of any would be athlete let alone a weekend warrior. Make sure you don’t smash yourself in the first session and can’t move the next 4 days. Small incremental changes are what you are after, not being a wounded warrior. 5. Record your results – it is important to track your results. If you don’t record what you do when you start, how do you know what you are doing is improving you? If you want to get
When your better at something you pre-season need to write it down training begins this somewhere, stick to means you are going your program and you to be moving more see yourself improving. and sweating more A lot of people don’t and in turn you are understand the benefits going to need to drink of tracking progress, more water to however it is the ultimate counteract what you key to progress and, in have been losing in turn, success. Pre-season your training. is scary, it hurts and no one really enjoys it, but if you find the joy in the sport that you love, think of pre-season as a process for victory on the sporting field. Every session you do, you become faster, stronger and fitter. Get ahead of your competition today and speak to either myself or our team at Club Lime today.
