Here are a few tips to help avoid those early season aches and pains!
By Mark Costin
We all know what it’s like when you start the season and have not prepared properly. Agony! Everything hurts and this can affect your performance and mean that you risk injury. There are two main areas of cricket fitness that are vitally important. Your cardio-vascular fitness and your core stability/strength. Here are a few simple exercises you can do before and during the season to best prepare yourself for the rigors of cricket:
General fitness three times a week (Week 1-2):
Start with a 10 min/1 mile run. Try to build this up to 3 miles within 2 weeks. You are conditioning your body for time on its feet and also burning off any unwanted timber you may be carrying. Make sure your posture is good and eat a healthy breakfast. Always finish with light stretching.
General fitness three times a week (weeks 3-6 and onwards):
Fartlek training – Find a football pitch and jog to it. Do at least a 5 min gentle run. Then using half of the pitch jog the long side lines and sprint the short goal lines. Try and do 5 laps building up to 10.
Running between the wickets – Run 3 sets of 20 runs in blocks of, single, two, three, four, single, two, three, four, etc… Make sure you are sprinting. Once you have done 20 have a 2 min break and then do 10 press ups and 10 sit ups. Repeat between each break.
Strength & Conditioning twice a week:
Press ups – Keep a straight line from shoulders to ankles. Aim for 3 sets of 10 repetitions, building up to 3 sets of 15.
Sit ups – On a swiss ball if you have one or on the ground if not, do one set of 15 building up to 3 sets of 15.
Squats – Hold a barbell or cricket bat across your shoulders. Move into a squat position lowering until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Hold for 2 seconds and raise explosively into a jump. Aim to do 3 sets of 10.
Plank – Hold yourself with only your elbows, forearms and toes touching the ground. Keep a straight line with your body with your backside level. Hold for 30 seconds. Repeat 3 times.
Side Plank – On one side hold yourself up with one elbow and the side of one foot. Keep feet together and other arm rested on body. Hold for 30 seconds and repeat 3 times.
Lunges – Keep both feet facing forward and in line. Lunge forward lowering back knee almost to the ground. Do 5 lunges per leg and repeat 3 times.
If you have any questions on any of this drop me a line at markcostin@hotmail.com
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