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Innocent Choga Fitness
It is a good practice to add variety to our exercise programmes. This is one way we can avoid boredom and burning out.
At the same time we will enhance our skills and maintain our fitness. Variety can be in the form of different exercises, different exercise routines, and different environments or different exercise or sporting disciplines altogether.
In order to maintain fitness in the off season, sports-persons can engage in other sporting disciplines other than their core sporting discipline.
This can also be done to acquire benefits associated with other sporting disciplines; maintaining fitness whilst resting or conditioning body parts that will have been battered and overused by the core exercise or sporting discipline. Exercising the muscles and systems they do not normally use in their sporting disciplines will assist in improving their overall performance.
People usually join gyms or clubs because of proximity to the work place or home. When you find yourself getting bored with the environment it is better to join another gym or sports club.
The idea of paying extra joining fees at every gym might be discouraging, but one can take advantage of the specials or negotiate with the management. Besides it is also a good way of networking for entrepreneurs.
Change your exercises and exercise routines frequently but not too frequent such that you do not have time to assess results from one programme. It could be say three or four times per year.
In the gym one way of doing it is shelving. Shelving is the process of taking out some particular exercises for a certain period of time, then reintroduce them at a later stage. The exercises will be more effective than they would have been had they been used continuously.
However, there are some basic exercises, which due to their unique role cannot be shelved. For example a competitive body-builder cannot shelve the squats because of their role; this is the best exercise in weight training regimen because of its overall effect on the body.
However, one can shelve defining exercises in the off season and reintroduce them say four months before a tournament. As a result there will be an immediate change and that will motivate the athlete.
There are also different ways of designing an exercise programme. For example during the first four months of the year one could do a push-pull system. This involves training body parts that are contracted by pushing one day and the next day involve body parts that are contracted by pulling on their own.
The next four months one could use the opposite areas method, where one trains opposite areas on their own each day. In the final phase one could use the adjacent areas method, where one trains adjacent body parts on their own each day.
At times change is necessitated by our feelings at a particular moment, or where we are at a particular; time that is, it could be instinctive and situational.
Certain bad or good situations can elevate our heart rate, blood pressure and energy hormones such as adrenaline and this can result in fatal consequences like heart attack or fighting etc. I usually like to exercise in such situations as exercise will pacify me and calm my nerves.
A light jogging or exercise session in such cases will work more wonders than a weight training session, because there is the danger of over exerting and hurting oneself. Exercising to relieve stress is possible only in mild situations, and not in extreme cases that result in shock.
Some shock situations can be paralysing and it is not possible to workout in such conditions.
Sometimes when one travels there is a possibility that they may not be able to find facilities that they normally use.
It is better to engage in another type of exercise than to do nothing at all. Jogging sessions, press ups, sit ups, pull ups and other exercises might be possible.
There might be other sporting facilities that one does not normally use like tennis courts and swimming pools. It is ideal to take advantage, especially on holidays, to engage in such disciplines as fun.
At times one just feels tired mentally or physically, one can just have an easy workout using machines only and no strenuous free weights for that particular session.
The punching bag is not for Charles Manyuchi only. This is one activity that we can all include in our training sessions. Hitting the punching bag can be useful as a warm up for another exercise or sporting discipline for example weight training.
Boxing works the shoulders, back, arms and even legs if one can include some kicks and footwork. It is also good for endurance. I use it for anger management; I will beat the bag until I sweat; imagining the bag is the source of annoyance. This can be a handy deflection exercise for spouse bashers.
Gardening is another excellent way of exercising. It can be the starting point for those who have been sedentary. Digging and watering the garden requires strength and endurance. One has to use the bucket and walk a distance from the tap to the garden. Even if one has a gardener one can just reserve a small corner for themselves.
The fun of being creative, enjoying designing and growing plants whilst exercising is an uplifting experience for those who appreciate gardening and beautiful landscapes.
Cross training is a type of training based on variety; it is the switching or alternating of different physical activities and or disciplines.
Cross training can be used as a way of maintaining fitness whilst resting from a core exercise regime or sporting discipline.
It can be used as a way of maximising physical fitness by conditioning muscles that are not usually used in the core exercise.
Cross training will assist children from an early age. Skills learnt from one sport could be applied to another sport.
For example gymnastics, which is the basis of all sporting activities, will teach children how to balance, how to twist and turn skills as well in flight jumping among a host of other skills.
These are skills that can be used in soccer, rugby, long jump and many other sports.
Although there will never be situations where one will use weight training movements in other sports, weight training can help strengthen bones, ligaments and this can help minimise extent of injuries and assist in speedy recovery.
It also helps build strength for games like rugby and sprinting. Running will assist in endurance which is useful in most sporting disciplines.
Skills learnt from karate moves can be applied to a body-building posing routine. Mugove Muhambi does this so expertly.
Bruce Lee was an expert professional dancer hence those karate moves were fused with dance moves.
Big athletes like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Franco Columbu were taught how to pose by a small female ballet dancer.
Running and weight training are pillars for most sports. For instance, in extra time in soccer, players require muscular endurance as well as cardiovascular endurance.
I have also seen some pictures of top athletes in other disciplines like Serena Williams and Ronaldo having fun with family and friends on the beach during the off season.
In swimming the resistance of water helps to build strength and reduce fat.
Swimmers and athletes involved in throwing activities can use pulleys in the gym as they allow an athlete to exercise against resistance. Plyometrics which involves jumping, hopping and bounding improve dynamic strength and can be used by basketball and rugby players.
In triathlon the athlete trains for three sports at the same time. These athletes can use a combination of many aerobic and strength activities.
Runners may take up cycling in the off season to maintain fitness, building muscular endurance and strengthen legs whilst relieving the knees and ankles joints from the stress caused by running.
Cyclists may also take up running and enjoy the benefits associated with running while they rest from cycling.
Body-builders will normally use aerobic activities towards competition in order to lose body fat and improve their muscularity. I know former Zimbabwean body-building champions like Elvis Chibamu and Chenai Mambwere used to road run for an hour before their weight training sessions.
Walter Munyikwa used to play social soccer to help define his physique and he was a master in the definition department.
These are just a few examples of some of the activities that could be partaken as variety and part of exercise .It is important to know what benefits and new skills one will acquire from the secondary activities and allocate time accordingly without prejudicing the core activities. For the athletes in the off season the secondary activities have to be fun because they are supposed to be resting.
Innocent Choga is a six time National Body-building Champion with international experience. Currently he is studying for a science degree in Physical Education and Sport. Feedback: [email protected]
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