Can Year-Round Workouts Help You In Seasonal Sports?

The end of February may have brought mixed feelings for some sports lovers. March means the start of spring and for most people, that means longer days, warmer weather and the joys of the season of renewal as the crocus and daffodils sprout up.

On the other hand, there will be one group of people sad to leave winter behind, this being those who love their winter sports.

February will have been a fun month for participants, both overseas and at home (Scotland’s mountain resorts had their best season for years), as well as for those glued to the box to see the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics.

For those unfamiliar with elite winter sports, the end of the winter season may seem like the time when the gear is hung up in the cupboard for a few months while competitors rest and do other things with their time.

However, the reality is somewhat different, especially in elite sport. 

How Fit Do Curlers Have To Be?

Although some sports might not be played all year, that is no reason not to stay fit for them. This is not just true for professionals either; keen amateurs may make very good use of their home gym equipment all year round.

Many people will be surprised to learn the fitness requirements of certain sports. For example, the curling may look like crown green bowls on ice, but, as the BBC reported during the games, Team GB competitors are full-timers who have to stay extremely fit.

This includes daily two-hour gym sessions based on strength and conditioning, with optional extra sessions at weekends.

Men’s lead Hammy McMillan said: “It’s Olympic lifts we’re doing - clean and jerk, snatches, squats, the lot.”

He added that the team also used items like ski machines, rowing machines and assault bikes to build up their fitness.

The reason for this may surprise the uninitiated, who could be fooled into thinking the only vigorous thing curlers do is sweep hard. However, explained leading female player Rebecca Morrison, core strength is essential to stay balanced on the ice.

She said: “Maybe we’re not flinging ourselves off massive jumps or sliding down a track at 80 miles per hour, but it’s a lot harder than people realise to even keep your balance.”

With spring now coming, amateur sports participants might be hanging up their winter gear and looking forward to the summer, when the only sweeping will involve batting against slow bowlers in cricket.

Which Cricketers Have to Stay Very Fit?

Anyone watching the action at their local club ground will note that cricket is a sport generally not requiring elite fitness to play. Indeed, even in the international arena, there are a few portly players about.

However, for every Paul Stirling or Rakheem Cornwall, there are some super-fit athletes out there who are great assets for their fielding, their ability to run between the wickets and also for being able to bowl for long spells.

Indeed, quick bowlers can be among the strongest and leanest specimens out of necessity, with the impact of between five and eight times their body weight going through their front foot as it lands. Injuries are commonplace.

Among the exercises that can be undertaken in your home gym to make you fitter for bowling are;

·       Strength training exercises like a GHR lateral push

·       Kickstand RDL (weight lifts)

·       Banded rotations (to strengthen the arm)

·       The ISO hamstring bridge (using two benches)

·       A bottoms-up press (using a dumbbell)

Such exercises may be particularly useful now, ahead of the season, when you may be warming up with indoor nets, but not yet playing on a full ground where you have to run in at full tilt and spend time between overs in the field.

This does not mean batters should not undertake gym work themselves, of course. Leg strengthening work will help run faster between the wickets, as will losing a few extra pounds.

Stronger arms can help when trying to hit the ball harder towards the boundary, especially when trying to clear fielders to strike sixes.

How Can Tennis Players Stay Fit?

Tennis is another summer sport where gym work will help greatly, especially stretching, leg strength and core exercises to help deal with all the running and swift changes of direction on the court. Exercises to strengthen the arms and shoulders can help hit the ball harder.

In some cases, these exercises may seem more relevant before the season starts than the rest of the year, but even in the off-season, maintaining strength and fitness means there is a lot less work to do when a new season is approaching.

This can also help ensure you are fit for other sports too. Who knows, perhaps you can slip seamlessly from bowling fast in summer to hitting the curling rink in winter.