Return to Training Guidelines

SG developed and published Return to Training Guidelines for the NTC and Clubs after Singapore’s Circuit Breaker.

The Return to Training Guidelines were for developing and managing athletes training programmes for both recreational and high-performance gymnasts who had extended time out of the gym. Even though everyone had done a fantastic job of staying engaged with athletes during Circuit Breaker and Phase 1, athletes still were in a state of “detraining” as they missed all the incidental movement they would normally have done (e.g., walking to the bus stop, playing at school, etc).

After being unable to train for an extended period due to the Covid-19 restrictions, it was about implementing safe training practices to transition athletes gradually into an optimal number of sessions per week, hours per session and loading in each session. These numbers would gradually increase over the weeks and months, through to when the athletes are prepared and ready for their first competitions.

The guidelines provided the structure and milestones required to get athletes back to their preCircuit Breaker levels. Specifically, because the time of detraining had doubled, the time to return to full training should be doubled. So, rather than looking at a 4-week plan, clubs and coaches needed to look at an 8-week plan of gradual return to training.

Singapore Gymnastics ran workshops and provided information for coaches to manage their athletes return to training.