The principle of variance at first glance may seem counter-intuitive when it comes to conditioning athletes. However, team sport athletes encounter wide and varied stimuli within the context of competition in their sport. When you actually analyse the nature of these sports and the needs of the athletes, it makes perfect sense not to implement segmented training strategies.

Conventional training suggests that an athlete performs separate sessions for strength, power, speed and endurance. This is usually conducted within the confines of a set programme with progression. Makes sense right? Well sort of. Athletes need this specific training, however they need to apply it under circumstances they might encounter within

their chosen sport. This is more specific to this type of athlete than a programme.

So what is variance?

Variance means continuous variation of the training stimulus from one session to the next. This can be seen in training methodologies such as CrossFit and our own Personal Evolution methods. Each and every workout is different from the last. It is not often you will encounter the exact same workout within a short period of time.

Now this sort of training may seem somewhat random and a hit-and-miss approach, but not if it’s applied intelligently. You wouldn’t just go out and get team sport athletes doing random, irrelevant drills and exercises. The training still needs to utilise the energy systems and movement patterns that are applicable to their sport. Soccer players need to run a lot, so the varied training sessions will include strength and conditioning, but it will also include a lot of running in an endless combination of drills. A rugby player tackles, jumps, gets tackled, drives scrums etc. This athlete needs a lot of strength, speed and power workouts. Read the rest of this entry »

One of the most typical misguided beliefs regarding yoga is always that it is just not suitable for players or for men and women who are big sports enthusiasts. In spite of this, the truth of the matter is that yoga can be very beneficial for them although it is not at all as demanding as the other movements that they may necessarily do. Here are some of the key benefits of yoga exercises for athletes.

It allows athletes to increase the sturdiness of their stomach muscles. The movements may very well be sluggish, but they are good for toning the mid-section. Furthermore there may also be a lot of isometric contractions which can help enhance the core.

Another benefit of yoga for athletes is that it enhances their flexibility. There are particular types of yoga activities that can help the entire body to become more bendable. It doesn’t only make it easy for sports athletes to perform a lot better at their sport activity, it also makes it possible for them to dodge preventable muscle pains that could develop into a far more severe, career-ending circumstance. Seeing that flexibility and range of flexibility go hand-in-hand, athletes may also be in a position to move a lot better by engaging in yoga exercises.

Yoga can also improve balance. All of the athletes should have a fantastic sense of balance so that they will be able to play at their finest. This mustn’t be taken lightly especially by sports athletes who are somewhat buffed. As quirky as it might seem, there are occasions where in if the total body physique has unequal muscles here and there, they may find it difficult to find their sense of balance. Read the rest of this entry »

Hard workouts equals a lean body; this equation is one most athletes depend on. But does one always equal the other?

Unfortunately the answer is no. In fact, chronic over-training can signal the storage of fat. It not only can be telling your body to store fat, but it can also be storing the fat at your waist-line.

Physical training is a form of stress that is applied onto the body. During stress, your body releases a hormone called cortisol (a glucocorticoid from the adrenal gland). Cortisol’s primary function is to release glucose (insulin) into the blood at times of acute stress. So, the more stress you place on your body, the more cortisol is released.

Chronic stress (overtraining) results in an excess of cortisol, which will cause higher baseline cortisol levels. This excess keeps the body with high insulin levels, which blocks fat metabolism, and sends fat into storage at the waist. Excess cortisol also breaks down muscle tissue, and suppresses immune defenses, which is the opposite effect the athlete is looking for (getting fat, weak and sick is not really ideal).

Cortisol levels rise with exercise but should decrease to a normal range with adequate recovery. Often, the problem is that today’s high school and college athletes aren’t getting the proper recovery time. It could mean they have a program that isn’t allowing them the proper amount of recovery and restoration periods. But assuming the coach is doing his/her job, there are other factors that can influence athlete stress levels. Read the rest of this entry »