How to Beat the Athlete You Were Last Year

You’ve been in lockdown for 2 months: your exercise regimen has had to change, maybe you’ve not been able to practice your usual sport at all. You’ve likely gone through a process called reconditioning.

Deconditioning: 5 Ways You’ll Notice It:

1. Your aerobic fitness isn’t as good as it was when you last completed
2. You’ve lost some strength in your muscles
3. Your sport-specific skills aren’t as sharp as they were
4. Teams: Your team coordination isn’t that hot
5. Your ability to balance is worse

Dangers of Deconditioning:

1. You get tired more quickly
2. Your risk of injury is greater: from pulled muscles to joint injuries
3. Your risk of falling is greater: maintaining good balance requires regular practice, and leg strength in particular is an important piece

How to get back to better than last year: Coaches Edition

1. You know your athletes, but you may be surprised at how everyone’s balance has dropped. Ask them what kind of exercise they have been able to do, and pay attention to coordination difficulties too
2. Include balance training in every session. Begin easy and make sure people can do the exercise safely before moving on to more difficult ones

How to get your form back: Athletes

1. Make balance exercises the ones you never skimp on
2. Ask for help from coaches or trainers
3. Start easy, you don’t want to get sidelined by an injury now

For an in-depth look at how balance deteriorates, and how to create exercise programs to improve it, you may be interested in Zibrio’s online Balance Specialist Training Course. The course includes video training with assessment, and takes about 3 hours. Designed for fitness trainers, it contains information of value to coaches and may be of interest to athletes themselves also. Full details can be found at: https://www.zibrio.com/balance-course-athletes

If you are looking to work with a balance specialist who is experienced in working with older adults and has already completed the course, search Zibrio’s online database for someone near you at https://www.zibrio.com/balance-resources-map. Some trainers also offer virtual options to their training packages.