The Health and Fitness Truth Blog

Taking the big step from recreational sports to high school athletics takes physical, emotional and mental preparation. Some preadolescent and adolescent girls have a hard time making this transition. Many are physically unprepared for the rigors of 2-3 hours of daily practice and conditioning drills as well as several games a week. Unprepared athletes are the first to become injured, either acutely or chronically. Here are seven preparatory “exercises” that you can encourage your child to practice prior to the upcoming season:

1. Push-ups. Many young girls have very weak upper bodies and cannot perform even one push-up well. Push-ups are a good test of core strength and increase the upper body strength necessary to be aggressive and strong on the field.
2. Lunges. Lunges are the most fundamental sports movement for most stop and go sports including softball, basketball, field hockey and soccer. Multi-directional lunges train the muscles to adapt to changes in direction during a game, thus decreasing risk of knee and ankle injury.
3. Squats. There are many varieties of squats- all build the leg strength necessary to withstand rigorous sports and increase speed. Strong legs are a necessity for speed on the field.
4. Abdominal/Back Strengthening- “Core Strengthening”. Having strong abs and back muscles contributes to safety and agility. Many knee and ankle injuries are related to poor core strength.
5. Running 1-2 miles to establish baseline cardiovascular fitness. While running long distances does not enhance short distance speed, building a good baseline of cardio fitness is a necessity off season.
6. Supine Bridging. Bridging works the gluteal muscles, a key component of core strength and injury prevention. Weak buttocks muscles result in poor agility due to the inability to decelerate quickly or change directions well. Poor agility= injury!
7. Balance Work. Your athlete should be able to balance on one leg for an extended period of time. Practicing balance work stabilizes the knees, ankles and hips and decreases injury risk. Especially important for soccer players!

By practicing these simple bodyweight exercises, your daughter can reduce her risk of injury and enhance her speed and strength, creating the best possible scenario for a successful athletic experience.

Several exciting things are happening here at Personal Best!
First, I passed my CSCS exam - Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist- and am now among a select few who have this highly regarded certification. CSCS is the primary certification for personal trainers, athletic trainers and physical therapists who wish to work with high level athletes of all sports, ranging from football to soccer, field hockey to cheerleading. I hope to continue to provide you with detailed information and education regarding the fascinating field of sports specific conditioning.

Secondly, within the next several months, I will be hosting a cable TV show on Hudson Cable CTV-8. The show will feature instruction on various exercise routines and proper exercise technique, interviews and panel discussions, yoga classes and more. I will keep you posted on when the show will be shown on CTV-8, and would love your feeback on the program. If you have any ideas for the show, feel free to email me at kathy@personalbestpersonaltraining.com. I’d love to hear from you!

If you are not a Hudson resident, you’ll miss me- but I hope to be able to obtain copies of these shows for all of my clients and friends. It should be quite amusing for all of us- myself included. My children are mortified at the proposition that I may be on TV- the ultimate embarassment for them!

Lastly- I encourage you all to take risks and shoot for the moon in all you do! These were two risky things for me to try, but unless you try, you will never know whether it is possible to achieve! I learned so much from studying for the CSCS exam, that the actual test taking itself became secondary to the knowledge and experience I gained. It’s not about the outcome- it’s about the journey!

Gone are the good old days when high school athletes showed up for a fall sport after spending a summer of fun and sun. High school sports are big business now, and the pressure to win and to excel as an athlete is greater than ever. To some degree, I long for the good old days, as the pressure on these young athletes is often way too much for most of them. However, we have learned so much about the importance of pre-season sport-specific conditioning as a preventative measure to reduce sports injuries and heat induced illnesses, that this topic warrants an in depth conversation.

 Any high school athlete playing a fall sport will be exercising in heat at some time in early fall. Being in good cardiovascular condition, and being well- acclimated to the heat through a progressive regimen of exercise over the summer is worth the effort in order to reduce discomfort and the possiblity of heat stroke and heat illnesses. In addition, students who come into season “out of shape” are much more likely to injure themselves in the early part of the season, as they try and condition themselves in the few short weeks before games begin. As a high school coach, I encourage my athletes to “stay in shape” all year- as this is just good advice for all Americans- but I also suggest several specific types of exercise that the athletes should practice over the summer. If your sport is stop and go like field hockey, soccer, football and basketball, speed and agility are keys to success. Practice sprint work equivalent to an average sprint  during the game and add quick directional changes to enhance agility and decrease injury risk during the season.

Strength training is also essential- especially working the legs and core, as this is where most athletes derive their power and speed from. Football players need to work their upper body of course as well, and a well rounded strength training program will reduce the risk of injury to the upper body, and especially the shoulders, the most injured upper body part. Runs of 1-2 miles are great to get baseline cardiovascular conditioning, and longer runs will be necessary for some sports like cross country track. Finally, all sports demand that the athletes have good flexibility, so a stretching regimen consistent with the sport being played is also recommended. Just think “specificity”- train yourself in ways that mimic the sport you are participating in, and you’ll have a great fall season!

The Fit for Golf Workshop was held at Holliston High School, Holliston, MA. on April 28th for Holliston Adult Education with great success. 8 participants came with clubs in hand to work on flexibility, core strength and balance, three keys to a healthy golf game. The workshop was 2 1/2 hours long, and participants were given handouts of the exercises performed in the workshop so that they could begin their own “Golf Conditioning” workout. The materials and exercises used for the Fit for Golf Workshop will be available online soon! Until then, feel free to contact me by phone or email for further information about golf conditioning.