People who play sport don’t seem to want to go to the gym

People who go to the gym don’t seem to play sport.

Why is this?

People getting fit for health or aesthetics but not for sporting performance?  I can understand that….

But the sporting crew…. without any sort of conditioning to help with injury prevention or performance??

In the last 10 years our knowledge of training has changed dramatically.  I used to be that sport guy and trust me, I am paying for it now, and my excuse…I just didn’t know any better.

It wasn’t until a strength and conditioning coach at university helped get me back to a position where I could enjoy the rigours of the sports I played.

Growing up I used to play a lot of everything.  Tennis, football, badminton, cricket, basketball.  I loved sport BUT I used to struggle with a back injury. My back at times used to be so bad that sometimes I couldn’t play tennis two days on the trot. There was nothing fundamentally wrong with my back other than that I was WEAK and it would just break down.

But what it did mean was that I couldn’t play my sport to the best of my ability.  It restricted me so much to the point I had to have a cortisone injection.  Fortunately this coincided with working upon my strength and conditioning for my sport and the long and short of it is…12 years on I haven’t had a back injury.

I am so much stronger.  The gym is a priority for me.  It enables me to play the sport that I love more frequently without breaking down.   My personal opinion is that strength work should be the foundation of any sports training you do. It will help maximise your longevity in the sports you play as well as enhance your performance. Strength training helps to enhance bone health, muscles, ligaments and tendons which all help to reduce our susceptibility to injury.

No one benefits at all from being weaker.  Don’t just strap a bandage on and think problem solved. Seek help, strengthen up and don’t just do it for now, do if for the longevity of your sporting career, your quality of life and also your family.

Don’t let these aches and pains get in the way! If you want to get in the best shape possible have you seen our 15 stage movement assessment or our ‘Move Well Eat Well Live Well’ Coaching Programme?