So how do we finish strong? How do we keep performance at its absolute best? How do we stay fresh for the later part of the school year?? Serious athletes have already been in a sound in-season lifting program thus far and should be seeing good results on the field. But know this, the actual training alone does NOT equal being fresh! This is especially true if you have a coach who likes to "run" you into the ground in-between games, practices and for silly mental errors. Maintaining your mental and physical health is of the utmost importance at this juncture. You will not get any faster, stronger or explosive between now and the end of the season. Sorry but you are what you are at this point. So the important thing is keep your body (your vehicle) running at its absolute best. Here is my short list of ways the get the most out of your body later in the year!
#1 - ICE - Ice is not only for those who have injuries. Ice is a very important tool that can be used for many different reasons. For the sake of this article it should be considered as a recovery tool. Ice baths, ice tubs or even just ice bags on the legs everyday after practice or competition can save the life span in your legs like you wouldn't imagine. Ice helps to constrict blood vessels & reduce blood flow helping to flush lactic acid or waste from the damaged muscle tissue. In addition, ice reduces swelling in the broken down muscle fiber & aids in reducing delayed onset muscle soreness. Delayed onset muscle soreness or DOMS will usually set in anywhere from 24-72hrs after any intense exercise where muscles experience micro-trauma (tiny tears in muscles). Simply put, ice can help the speed up the healing process allowing athletes to play at a more fresh state.
DO THIS: Fully submerge your lower body in an ice bath or tub for 1 minute on & 2 minutes off for up to 3 rounds after practice or game. If you can only use bags, put the bags on the quads and hamstrings for 10 -15 minutes after practice.
#2 - EAT - This one still amazes me. Many athletes are sorely under nourished and or incredibly ignorant of what they should be eating daily. Food is FUEL, period. The days of not eating breakfast because "I don't have time" or my personal favorite "I don't like (_____)" are OVER. If you want to make it through a season healthy and strong you have to eat! If you want to make it deep in the playoff's and be worth something to your teammates in the clutch you have to eat! If you want to do all of this while studying 2-3 hours a day and completing all of your other assignments in a timely fashion you have to.......you guessed it....EAT!
When I say eat I don't mean cheese doodles on the way to practice. I'm talking about quality foods with substance that will keep you energized and help you maintain a good mental state while you perform at practice or in games. This section of the article can be an article in and of itself. So here are some good tips.
Eat breakfast! Everyday have breakfast. If you cant now because you dont have time, MAKE TIME! My recommendation is that you have a protein source like eggs (unless you have an allergy to eggs or some other medical condition you should eat them), a slow release carbohydrate source like oatmeal (without the sugar and crap) and a quality fat source like a fish oil pill. Add orange juice and or water and you're all set!Have something before your school lunch & or before practice. Here is where the term supplementation comes in. I personally dont think any high school aged athlete should be on supplements unless they have completely maximized the potential of natural food in their diet. You'd be surprised how many athletes want to use supplements an cant even map out a decent meal plan for the day. You should use a quality protein source as a supplement when you cannot get food.
Example: Lunch is at 12pm. Breakfast is at 7am. At 10am between classes have a protein shake on your way to the next class.
Rule of thumb: If you have a late lunch, have a shake before lunch. If you have a early lunch, have a shake closer to noon time.
The food/fuel helps improve your focus, energy and gives you a good mental balance for the day. Skipping meals is terrible for your body and can actually lead to greater breakdown of muscle tissue and can completely drain your energy. Bottom line is you must eat quality foods (McDonalds Salads are not quality foods) and get in the habit of feeding regularly. This will help sustain you as November approaches and the cold weather sets in.
#3 - Drink WATER - This one will be short and sweet. Drink water. Dont worry about how much you're "supposed" to drink daily. Start where you are. If you drink 1 bottle a day, go for 2. If you drink 4 go for 5. Muscle repair, growth, and recovery is all enhanced by water intake. Drink water and when you think you're drinking enough, drink more.
#4 - REST- Here are 3 simple words for all my high school athletes out there. YOU NEED REST! This means, NO staying up until 2am playing "Call of Duty" with your buddies. Sleep deprivation is deadly! It negatively effects your cortisol which is a stress hormone impairing recovery and increasing your blood sugar levels. This basically means your ability to recover from workouts will be hindered. Athletes like soccer players and football players store glucose in their muscles for energy. Having this process interrupted because of the lack of sleep will cause performance to slow down and can lead to injury. Sleep deprivation also negatively affects brain functioning & immune system function. Also, as growing athletes, missing out on sleep can decrease activity of HGH (human growth hormone) being that this hormone is actually released DURING sleep! Missing out on sleep is NO joke and should not be taken lightly.
Health professionals will tell you that 8 hours is what you need. My belief is that you should get as much as you need. If you're one of those who don't get enough sleep, you should get more. If you're already sleeping upwards of 10 hours them you have gotten plenty. The key is to be smart and rest when necessary.
# 5 - STRETCH! - Stretching can keep muscles healthy and mobile preventing stiffness and rigidity. Many athletes are tight. If you have an area of concern, you should spend time stretching that area anywhere from 2-3 times a day. Stretching can also prevent injury. Your ability to move safely on the field of play is critical, obviously. By taking the time to increase mobility you actually help increase your own athleticism.
Many athletes don't like stretching because its painful. I will tell you that stretching when you wake up and even before bed are great ways to increase your athletic ability and put you in the best position to be successful. Similar to my thoughts on eating, I don't care if you don't like stretching, you MUST do it! You will thank me later!
Here is a good routine:
POST WORKOUT STRETCH ROUTINE
Until next time.....
GET STRONG BE EXPLOSIVE!!
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