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Be Prepared For Summer
Sport
By Wayne L. Westcott |
Quincy
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Summer is a great time for athletic competition, especially
for senior athletes. Whether you prefer individual events
(e.g., track and field, swimming, golf, tennis) or team
sports (e.g., softball, volleyball, soccer, basketball), it
is essential to prepare yourself physically for the rigors
of high-effort athletic performance.
You probably know best how to specifically improve your
skill levels in your favorite sports. However, you may
benefit from some suggestions for conditioning your muscular
and cardiovascular systems for enhanced athletic performance
and reduced risk of injuries. Because you most likely have
limited time availability for both skill training and
physical conditioning, my recommended exercise programs are
relatively brief in duration.
Cardiovascular Fitness
The most effective and
time-efficient means for improving your aerobic abilities is
interval training. For purposes of sport specificity, do as
much of your interval training as possible in your
competitive activity. That is, cyclists should
typically perform cycling intervals, runners should
typically perform running intervals and swimmers should
typically perform swimming intervals.
The principle of interval training is to alternate periods
of higher-effort activity with periods of lower-effort
activity for more cardiovascular stimulus and enhanced
endurance development. I suggest starting with five,
five-minute segments, each of which is divided into one
minute of higher-effort activity and four minutes of
lower-effort activity. On a scale of one (lowest
effort) to 10 (highest effort) your harder intervals should
be rated seven to eight and your easier intervals should be
rated four to five. For example, if you are a runner, begin
your workout with a five-minute jog to warm-up. Then run for
one minute at a relatively fast pace (e.g., eight minutes
per mile pace). Follow this higher effort interval with a
four-minute run at a slower pace (e.g., 12 minutes per mile
pace). Repeat this sequence four more times, then finish
your workout with a five-minute jog to cool-down.
As you become more fit, you may increase the speed of your
faster intervals, your slower intervals, or both. You may
also choose to change the length of your intervals, such as
progressing to two-minute faster intervals alternated with
three-minute slower intervals.
Muscular Fitness
The most time-efficient
means for increasing muscular strength is circuit training.
Circuit training is a series of eight to 12 resistance
exercises that cumulatively address all of your major muscle
groups. Because successive stations work different
muscles, you can move quickly between exercises, typically
completing the circuit in 15 to 25 minutes. A sample
strength training circuit may include the following sequence
of resistance exercises: (1) leg extension for the front
thigh muscles; (2) leg curl for the rear thigh muscles; (3)
hip adduction for the inner thigh muscles; (4) hip abduction
for the outer thigh muscles; (5) chest press for the chest
and rear arm muscles; (6) seated row for the upper back and
front arm muscles; (7) shoulder press for the shoulder and
rear arm muscles; (8) pull down for the middle back and
front arm muscles; (9) trunk flexion for the front
midsection muscles; and (10) trunk extension for the lower
back muscles.
I recommend using a resistance that fatigues your target
muscles within 8 to 12 good repetitions. Good repetitions
are performed at a controlled movement speed (approximately
six seconds each) and through a full movement range.
Whenever you can complete 12 repetitions, raise the
resistance by about five percent for your next circuit
training workout.
If you are able to do two interval training sessions a week
for cardiovascular fitness and two circuit training workouts
a week for muscular fitness, you should be in excellent
physical condition for summer sports activities.
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About The Author
Wayne L. Westcott, Ph.D., is fitness research
director at the South Shore YMCA in Quincy, and author of 21
books on strength training.
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