Issues:

  • Physical - if you haven't been active and then head out to participate in a sport, you're using muscles and energy systems you haven't used in a long time, often exceeding your resources

Results

  • Get winded right away
  • Can't perform where you think you should be
  • End up stiff and sore the next day
  • Mental - many people who get drawn in to recreational sports did those sports competitively when they were younger
  • Expectations are high - think you can pick up where you left off
  • Competitive mindset - tough to tell yourself to take it easy!
  • Frustration - resulting from any fatigue to soreness

Preparing for your season while avoiding injury and frustration:

Cardio

Ideally - maintain your cardio activity and endurance throughout the year. It's good for weight management, health and will put you ahead of the game when your season starts - with any sport!

If you've been doing some activity - start to increase both your time and intensity gradually

If you've been inactive - start with 10 minutes of moderate cardio activity and gradually increase time and intensity. Use the "Borg Scale" ranging from 1- 10 on perceived exertion (will include chart)

Strength

ANY activity uses some combination of muscles

TRUE - if you don't use it you lose it

The good news - you can always find it again! Strength is one of the great areas in our lives where our potential DOES NOT diminishes with age.

Strength will improve your performance AND help guard against injury...so use it!

If you've been working out...start increasing intensity and including specific areas and muscle groups involved in your activity

If you haven't been working out...

Start with body weight exercises - 6-8 exercises covering all body parts

Add some light weights - bands, etc.

Increase the number and intensity of exercises

Then become sport specific

Flexibility

  • Lack of activity and everyday life ends up impacting our flexibility
  • Sitting at a computer, driving and other awkward postures lessen flexibility and create muscle imbalance - which limits range of motion and increases susceptibility to injury
  •  If you have been working out - focus more on areas specific to your activity/sport
  • If you haven't been working out - stretch gently
  • More flexibility gains are made by stretching AFTER a workout
  • Be gentle - you can get too much of a good thing here. If you stretch a cold muscle, you can create "muscle reflex" which ends up shortening the muscle...exactly what you don't want to do!

Core and Stability

  • Core strength assists us with any and all movements - in sport and in life
  • Core is the most important foundation for all strength
  • Abs, low back glutes and hamstrings
  • Stability - being able to maintain core strength and balance despite external challenges...uneven surfaces (soccer), stability challenges (hockey), getting pushed off balance (hockey), needing to be accurate with quick movement (basketball, volleyball, etc.)
  • Ideal - proximal strength (core) before distal (arms and legs) movement
  • This anchors movement, adds strength, stability and power
  •  Build foundation first
  • If you've been working out - start to make core and stability sport specific
  • If you haven't been working out
  •  Do some core foundations exercises - planks
  • Add dynamic movement - crunches
  • Add stability challenges - ball, bosu
  • Start gradually and increase intensity and stability challenges

Summary:

In all areas:

  • If you don't use it you lose it...but you can find it again
  • PREPARE - at least in part before you begin your season
  • Increase your abilities
  • Decrease risk of injury
  • Increase the fun factor

With each area, work gradually in the following way:

Step 1 - Build Foundation

Step 2 - Build Intensity

Step 3 - Add power

Step 4 - Be sport specific