Preparing for the Olympics in Sochi: how athletes train. Professional level athletes training in the gym Where athletes train
This is the second article in the series “Notes about Kenya on the run” from Evgenia Zhgir, MSMC marathon, curator of the RunCzech Racing project. Since 2017, Evgeniya has been actively working on her own project, Run With Eva, which combines individual and group training in Prague, consulting and group seminars, sightseeing runs in Prague and running camping in Kenya.
As part of the articles “Notes about Kenya on the Run,” Evgeniya will talk about the lifestyle, habits and intricacies of the training process for gifted people Kenyan runners, as well as about the possibilities of running tourism in Kenya. You'll learn about Kenya's training bases, the white professional and recreational runners who come to Kenya, and much more!
Evgeniya has already written about the “house of champions” - the most famous training place in Kenya. This post will focus on other Kenyan cities and training camps.
If you have heard, read or watched something about Kenyan runners, then I bet it was related to the small town of Iten. And, indeed, most famous athletes come from here, or they moved here, pursuing the dream of becoming professional athletes, earning money and lifting their family, or even an entire village, out of poverty. However, there are other places in Kenya where athletes train in an organized and active manner; or sports managers organized training camps.
I will only tell you about a few that I have been to myself and that I know first-hand. Naturally, all training places are at altitude, and altitudes below 1800 meters above sea level, by Kenyan standards, are considered frivolous, and it is useless to train there. Therefore, if you look at the map, the training area will be located from the capital of Kenya, Nairobi, and further to the west, northwest, to Iten and even a little further. Roughly, this area can be described as a triangle on the map below.
Athletes, as a rule, do not live or train in the capital itself. People come here only for competitions or other business. I can’t say that I love this city, although there is a certain flavor here. But it’s too hectic, constant traffic jams and hot. By the way, there are two stadiums in the city with a running track: one in the center (Nyayo Stadium) and one almost outside the city (Kasarani Stadium). But already 20-30 km from Nairobi, small towns begin at an altitude of 2000 meters or more. This is where athletes are based for productive training.
Ngong
Ngong is a small but booming town 25 km from Nairobi at an altitude of about 2000 m above sea level. There is a dirt stadium for work, dirt roads for cross-country, fartlek and long runs. I also tried the local stadium, and after Iten, which, let me remind you, is located at an altitude of about 2400 m, running here is much easier. I managed to run 7 times 1000 m at a pace of 3:50 without much effort, despite the fact that this was the first work in at least six months, and I found company in the form of a coach and runner from Denmark.
You can also train in mountain running here, as there is the Ngong Hills elevation and the opportunity to run at an altitude of 2300-2400 m. Local athletes often use this opportunity during the basic training period.
Video with Patrick Makau from Ngong Hils.
Ngong is also convenient because you can easily get to the capital using a “matatu” - a type of public transport. Most often these are minibuses, which, although not always fast and not always comfortable, will take you to Nairobi and other settlements very cheaply. Which of the greats lives and trains in Ngong? First I want to mention my good friend, former world record holder in the marathon Patrick Makau (personal record in the marathon - 2:03:38, in the half marathon - 58:52).
Another famous name I would like to mention is the silver medalist of the Olympic Games in Athens at a distance of 5000 m, Isabella Ochichi (personal record 5000 m - 14:52, 10 km - 30:27). Among the young and promising, it is worth noting Bedan Karoki, silver medalist of the 2016 World Half Marathon Championship, personal best - 58:42. Last year Bedan made his debut on marathon distance and successfully finished third with a result of 2:07:41 and not just anywhere, but at the London Marathon, where he will run this year.
Video from Ngong by Patrick Macao about his preparation for Boston in 2015 - Long Run.
Although the town does not sparkle with beauty, it is perfect for training; it is not uncommon to meet “muzungu”, that is, white-skinned people or runners. A youth team from Denmark, for example, comes here regularly in the winter. And local runners always provide support to visitors. Besides Ngong, of course, there are other training places around Nairobi, but I didn’t go there, so we will move further west and make our next stop in Nakuru.
Nakuru
Nakuru, Kenya's fourth largest city, is about 160 km west of Nairobi and about halfway to Iten. Surely, someone will have a question, why does a 158 km journey take 3 hours by car? Is there really no asphalt there? I answer: the roads are good and the asphalt is good. However, vigilant road services before and after each settlement rolled up speed bumps. They tried so hard that in order to pass it without damaging the car, the speed had to be reduced to almost zero.
So, Nakuru. Its height above sea level is about 1800 meters. It’s impossible to name famous names offhand, but not because they don’t exist, I just don’t know them. Most likely, the majority left to train in places where there was higher ground, larger groups and faster training. There is a good dirt stadium here, although there are not as many cross-country roads as in Iten or Ngong. What is notable about Nakuru is its national park. Here you can arrange a safari, see rhinoceroses and giraffes. They say there are even several lions here, but few have seen them. Well, for now the photo is for “priming”, and we move on.
Kericho
This small town is 100 km west of Nakuru at an altitude of about 2000 m above sea level. It is located a little away from the main (more precisely, the shortest) road leading to Iten. Kericho is a very beautiful place, famous for its tea plantations, which seem endless.
But here they will look at the “white” person, rather, as exotic. There is a pretty decent camp of Kenyan athletes here, including some big names. For example, Nobert Kigen is the silver medalist of the marathon in Amsterdam last year (LR 2:05:13), steeplechase athlete Beatrice Chepkoech (LR 8:59.84). If you watched the World Championships in London, then you probably remember the incident in the women's steeplechase, where in the final the leading Kenyan forgot to turn towards the water obstacle and thereby deprived herself of a medal. So, this is the same girl from Kericho.
In Kericho there is one dirt and one grass stadium, doing speed work there is a pleasure. Running cross-country along the tea plantations is also incredibly pleasant. The only inconvenience is that the ground is somewhat rocky, so you won’t be able to accelerate much.
Kapngetuni
Before I talk about Eldoret, where many famous athletes also live, I want to highlight a few other training sites nearby. So, since we are traveling, purposefully moving from Nairobi towards Iten, we will continue our journey from Kericho to a small place that is not even easy to find on the map - Kapngetuni. It’s also not so easy to pronounce. This small village is located at an altitude of about 2600 m above sea level. There are very beautiful landscapes and an almost complete absence of civilization.
What's interesting here? And the fact that two outstanding marathon runners come from here: world record holder Denis Kimeto (LR 2:02:57) and the eminent marathon runner Geoffrey Mutai (LR 2:03:02). Mutai showed his best result in Boston and at that time it was faster than the record world, but the record was not awarded, because The Boston course does not comply with IAAF conditions (distance between start and finish more than 50% and finish 140 meters below the start). Surely, in a few years we will hear many more names outstanding athletes, born and trained in this field.
Kaptagat and Kapsabet
I would like to mention 2 more training places near Eldoret: Kaptagat (about 20 km) and Kapsabet (about 40 km). Both are very popular with runners and have large training groups.
Kaptagat is located, approximately like Kapngetuni, at an altitude of 2600 m. There are also organized by managers sports camps, for example, Global Sport Communication, where Eliud Kipchoge periodically trains. By the way, many Kenyan athletes come here for training camps for a couple of weeks, since the temperatures here are higher than in Eldoret.
Kapsabet is located on the other side of Eldoret, its altitude is about 2000 m above sea level. There are also quite large running communities and campsites for some sports managers. Unfortunately, Kapsabet is known for its doping scandals, the most high-profile of which were Rita Jeptoo, who was expected to win the Marathon Majors Jack Pot in 2014, and Jemima Samgong, the winner of the Rio Olympics.
Eldoret
And finally, about Eldoret. If you take the pure distance from Nairobi to Eldoret along the shortest road, it is just over 300 km. By car it will take about 5 hours, by matatu about 6, by plane only 50 minutes. Yes, Eldoret has its own airport, small but very good.
Eldoret is quite a large city by local standards: it is difficult to say what the population is this moment, but clearly more than 300,000 inhabitants. The city continues to develop rapidly. The altitude here is about 2100 m above sea level, there are many training groups and famous athletes. For example, Asbel Kiprop, three-time world and Olympic 1500m champion, lives and trains here, as does last year's Valencia Marathon winner Sammy Kitwara (LR 2:04:28). And many others, including my good friend Wilson Chebet (three-time Amsterdam Marathon winner, LR 2:05:27).
Despite the fact that Eldoret is actively developing, there are several good hotels and restaurants here, I am not particularly fond of this city. It’s too hectic, there are a lot of people and constant traffic jams. And during the rainy season from April to October it is quite dirty here, since the city is located in a lowland, and it is even difficult to train. Sometimes athletes are forced to travel to Iten, 35 km from here, or somewhere else. And in the dry season from November to March it is hot and dusty.
What else would I like to say in conclusion: traveling around Kenya is not particularly difficult if you have a decent command of English language, since English is the second official language in Kenya. You can get around by taxi: it’s faster, more comfortable, but quite expensive if you can’t share the costs with someone else.
Traveling on a matatu is not as comfortable, but on the whole it is not much worse than on a Russian minibus, but it is as affordable as possible. You just have to be careful, watch your pockets and things and move only during daylight hours. Like any poor country, theft rates in Kenya are quite high. But, so as not to scare you, I will say that I, a fragile-looking girl, have traveled around Kenya alone several times without problems, and caution is always in order, even in Europe.
On August 5, the opening ceremony of the thirty-first Summer Olympic Games took place in Rio. Internationally sports competition More than 11 thousand athletes of various disciplines take part. However, all records were broken even before the start of the Games by the Olympic leadership and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) - the invincible world champions in tongue scratching for speed and sports throwing lies. Recently, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) joined the paranoia that has gripped half the world. Let me remind you that Russian track and field athletes were suspended from participating in the Olympic Games. Famous champion and the storm of all pole vaulters Yelena Isinbayeva on your page in social network explained the reason for this collapse:
“The only problem that prevents me from participating in Rio is that I have been living and training in Russia for the last 2 years. The IAAF has no complaints about Daria Klishina, as well as me, but Daria will compete in Rio, since she has been living and training in America for 3 years.”
Yelena Isinbayeva
It's no longer a secret to anyone that Olympic Games, historically conceived for international cooperation and the reduction of aggression between countries, have become a stage for political prostitutes of all stripes. The little sport, unfortunately, died in the mouth of the bloodthirsty political shark, nothing can be done about it. Let’s discard banal reasoning and, after a rhetorical exclamation about the degree of madness of the Olympics leadership, let’s ask ourselves the question: where did the dispute start?
Historical introduction
Russia was once rightfully proud race walking. Athletes passed through, collecting numerous sets of medals, not allowing their competitors to sleep peacefully. All athletes trained at the Sports Training Center in Saransk under the guidance of a coach Victor Chegin. And then in 2014 thunder struck: total doping tests. It was discovered that numerous athletes were doping, their medals were taken away, the ARAF President Valentin Balakhnichev resigned, Chegin was disqualified for life.
The Germans got involved and launched the series on the sly “Top secrets of doping: how Russia produces its winners”. The unfortunate Stepanov family, mired in doping scandals in 2013, shone in the movies. I won’t surprise anyone by saying that there was no evidence of our team’s guilt, but a couple the size of a wagon and a small cart did.
Impressed by the film, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) began an independent investigation, creating a commission of three “heroes”. As a result, Canadians Dick Pound And Richard McLaren and also German Gunther Junger dashed off a 323-page report in which they came to the conclusion that Athletics Russia is mired in doping and corruption.
And the wheels of the machine began to spin: the team began to be feared and double-checked, and the Germans released the second and third episodes of the film.
There was also a somersault here Grigory Mikhailovich Rodchenkov, who led the Russian anti-doping center. But he was accused of deliberately destroying the analyzes of Russian athletes and concealing the facts - and there was an addition to the collection of scandals.
Rodchenkov denied this in every possible way, but resigned and left for the United States. And already there he began to “burn with napalm.” In May, the New York Times published an article in which he stated that Russia has a doping program at the state level. And he himself, on instructions from above, participated in replacing samples of Russian athletes at the Olympics in Sochi. And it was he who developed a cocktail of three anabolic steroids, which, together with alcohol, which masks traces of doping, was taken by many athletes.
This completely killed the already shabby image of Russian sports in the eyes of foreigners. WADA was so distraught that it decided to raise the archives of Beijing 2008 and London 2012. And lo and behold! The doping tests suddenly came back positive. Firstly, the checks took place on direct fire from the same Rodchenko, and Secondly, eight years have passed, and scientific progress has clearly not stood still: therefore, something could have been discovered that was not there back in 2008. What were Russia's chances of acquittal in Vienna? None.
So the Court of Arbitration for Sport has really sunk its teeth into Russian athletes. Essentially, Isinbayeva is right: the main snag was that the athletes did not train abroad. Opinions were divided.
In particular, the director of the Cup tournament, Alexandra Popova Yuri Prilukov sees nothing wrong with training abroad, focusing on the advantages of the methodology and the psychological approach of foreign coaches to sports training:
"Many Russian athletes trained abroad and know: there are no super conditions there, there is a different attitude to the process, this is another reserve. The advantage of the same Americans is their commitment to work and motivation. It is difficult to force a person to go to training every day and complete tasks. The world’s leading coaches understand that getting a swimmer interested is much more productive than instilling discipline and self-denial in him.”
Yuri Prilukov
In turn, the coach of the Russian swimming team Andrey Vorontsov believes that the athlete himself is free to choose a place for training, based on the level of training and his own feelings:
“If they feel comfortable, then let them train on their own and be selected for the team. Older athletes need to look for something new in training, since the body does not respond to large volumes and they need to try and experiment. The same Evgeniy Korotyshkin works in a group with athletes just like himself, and through competition they pull out and push each other. This gives them additional motivation. In Russia, we cannot provide them with such sparring.”
Sergey Kataev, director of the Ruza branch of the Federal State Unitary Enterprise Training Center "Novogorsk":
We are now entering into contractual relations with other federations - these are such as synfringstas - such unusual look sports. Water polo players - this year we will try to roll the first ball.
In December 2013, construction of a hotel-type dormitory for 100 people with a rehabilitation center was completed here. The Minister of Sports took part in the opening ceremony Russian Federation Vitaly Mutko.
World Championship gold, silver European tournament, olympic bronze- all these awards are the achievements of the Russian national team weightlifting. The base in Ruza has long become a second home for Russian weightlifters.
Kirill Zavadkiy, senior coach of the Russian women's junior weightlifting team:
Everything is very good. We like. This has been a base for weightlifters since ancient times; all conditions have been created here. We are satisfied. All that remains is for us to show the result.
Today at the branch of the Educational and Training Center "Novogorsk" - "Ruza" built two specialized weightlifting halls. The distance from the city, nature, a specialized diet and rest allow you to focus exclusively on sports training, which significantly improves your performance in competitions.
Svetlana Shcherbakova, silver medalist of the Youth Olympics in weightlifting:
Here are all the conditions for training. Very comfortably. You come here and don’t think about anything else. If something distracts you at home. The gym here is very convenient - 3 minutes and you are already there. Food. All conditions, in general, are created for training.
A boathouse for storing boats and boats, two floating berths provide comfortable training for the Russian kayaking and canoeing team at the branch of the Novogorsk training center - "Ruza." And specialized lifts, ramps, and horizontal bars allow training sessions for Paralympic athletes to be held here.
Sergey Bogdanov, coach of the Russian Paralympic para rowing team:
We have wonderful conditions here, we have a wonderful director here - Sergei Valerievich. We have been based here since 2012. All conditions have been created for us here - ramps, boats, good food. Now we are equipping the gym so that we can also work with barbells on rowing machines in the winter.
The modernization of the branch of the Olympic base in Ruza is taking place thanks to participation in the Federal Target Program for the Development of Physical Education and Sports in Russia. Today, the center’s management already intends to enter a new stage of the program, which will begin in 2016, for further infrastructure development.
Achieving high results is not just about training, victories, friends, fans.
This also means giving up some things that your peers can afford, self-discipline and following the rules, without which high results in sports are impossible.We will not touch on sports, because they are different for everyone, but we will touch upon general rules, because they are the same.
Many people say that you need to observe this, do that...
We tried to collect in one place the advice that everyone gives separately, so that by following them you can avoid the mistakes that beginners and even professional athletes make, and when faced with such a situation, you could say:
- I already know what to do.
Of course, you can't cover everything. We expect that you will add to these tips based on your experience and together with you we will write rules that will be useful to everyone who wants to become professionals and champions.
There are no trifles in sports . So.
Daily regime
It is necessary to plan what you will do during the day. How long will it take to get to school and back, how long will it take for lunch, how long before you need to leave for training in order to be on time, dinner time, when to go to bed.Since the life of a professional athlete is subject to a strict regime, you need to get used to observing it and organizing your time from the very beginning.
If you are very talented, have already won competitions and even become a champion, but you are late for training and cannot organize your day, then the prospect of becoming a professional athlete is in jeopardy. There are no small things in sports. Excuses and explanations to the coach why you were late for the third or fourth time can end in the collapse of your sports career, which has not yet begun.Stay organized!
Nutrition
If the goal is to become famous athlete, then remember: what, when and how much you eat is of great importance. The stress that your body experiences is different from that experienced by your friends, because they do not play sports. And if they eat something dry, they might skip lunch, you can’t afford that. Your body requires its own regime, quality and quantity of nutrition, since your energy consumption is several times greater than theirs. And she, this energy, comes from the food we eat. But this does not mean that you need to eat a whole cow at lunch and drink three liters of milk before going to bed. There should be moderation in everything.
You need to eat five to six times a day. This is the optimal number of meals for an athlete, which you should get used to. In the morning, be sure to have breakfast. Good. Professionals start their morning with porridge or muesli with milk. You can add a sandwich with cheese, cottage cheese, a bun or whatever you like. Cocoa, tea, coffee, juice - choose it yourself.
At 10-11 o'clock a light snack. If you have a morning workout, do it an hour before. If there is no time after breakfast, then immediately after class, tea or juice with a bun or cookies, maybe a banana (it’s convenient to take it with you).
Lunch no later than three o'clock in the afternoon, preferably at one or two.
Afternoon snack - an hour before the evening workout.
In the evening, a hearty dinner. But no later than 8 pm.
At night - a glass of kefir or yogurt.
Remember the rule.You can’t start a morning workout without breakfast, and you can’t go out for an evening workout with a full belly.
You need to diversify your menu. Try and get used to foods you haven't eaten.
Your diet must include: rice, buckwheat and other cereals, pasta, meat, fish, chicken or turkey, dairy products, all vegetables and fruits, honey, nuts, dried fruits, etc. The more varied your menu, the better your results will be..
Dream
If you didn’t get enough sleep, then today’s workout will lose quality, increased fatigue after it and even injury are possible, since the muscles and central nervous system, who commands them, did not have time to recover
As sad as it sounds, you need to make it a rule to go to bed no later than eleven o’clock in the evening. Sleep should be at least eight hours, preferably 9-10.
Because the sleep is the best restorative, special attention must be paid to this moment.
If there is an opportunity to sleep after lunch, then you should not miss it. Especially if you train twice a day. An hour and a half is the time that will allow you to recover after a morning workout or school.
The most annoying thing is that sometimes you have to sacrifice an interesting sports broadcast or program. But nothing can be done, you belong to the community of athletes who, in the same way, cannot afford some things. Everyone has their own regime.
Imagine this picture. The players of the Torpedo-Dynamo match gave up on the match referee and went together to watch the CSKA-Spartak game, because it was very interesting and it would be great to see how it would end. Each athlete has his own job. Your daily routine.
Friendship
You can talk with a friend or girlfriend for hours, discuss something, share impressions, or go for a walk. But, time for business, time for fun. The Russian proverb is just right for this case. Know when to stop. If your interlocutor or interlocutor, in the morning, can give herself the will to sleep, then you have a morning workout or even an afternoon game, for which you should be in good shape. Remember this. A friend or girlfriend, if they are real, knows perfectly well that you are doing a difficult task, preparing yourself for big sport and must understand that your daily routine cannot be disrupted. They will not refuse to communicate with you, and, even,then they will be proud to be friends with such a purposeful person.
Computer
Everything has its time. It's fun to play games, chat with friends online, but you're an athlete! There are points that you should pay attention to. Imperceptibly (you don’t even know it) the computer tires you. Your reaction becomes worse, your movements during training, games or competitions are not performed entirely accurately, and stupid mistakes appear. You do not need it. After all, you have a goal. Therefore, it is not advisable to play computer games or use a computer before training. On the day of the game, it’s better to refuse it altogether, if, of course, you want to play well. There will be time after. And it’s better to choose time for yourself to study with a computer; it’s better to allocate it to yourself after training, in the late afternoon.
Sports uniform
The form should be convenient. You need to notice it twice during training.
The first, when you put it on, is to be glad that it is clean and tidy, and the second, when, after training or a game, you take it off. During training, the ideal form is the one you don't notice. If you have to straighten sweatpants or leggings that are slipping down, put a hat or helmet back into place, or constantly re-lace your shoes, this is a reason to change them.
Sometimes, an old, worn, comfortable and neat uniform is better than the newest branded one. sports suit. This can even interfere with training. From the very beginning, you need to get used to monitoring the state of your training and playing form, developing a professional attitude towards it.
And, of course, after each training session, not to mention the game, the uniform must be washed and put in order on the eve of the next lesson.
Sport shoes
Health and prevention
You need to start your morning with exercise. For what? This best prevention sports injuries. It is imperative, if, of course, you have a goal, to devote 10-15 minutes to your muscles and joints. Jogging and special exercises you can turn it on if you want to achieve something more.
It takes very little time, but the body becomes toned, the mood improves, and muscle pain goes away. The effectiveness of training increases.
Very often, even in professional sports, young athletes are very active before training. They compete with each other, run around, fool around. And a lot of stupid injuries happen right at this time. The muscles are not yet ready to work, and neither are the joints.
Rule. All active physical exercise should start after warming up. The body will prepare for the load, the muscles, ligaments and joints will “warm up” - this is the correct, professional approach.
You are not allowed to walk barefoot in the locker room
. To do this, you need to have slippers - slates and make all movements, to the shower and back, in them. Make this a rule.
After training, you must wash, even if you are late for something.
Always dress appropriately for the weather . Even in hot weather, do not drink cold water with ice. No matter how trivial it may sound, professional athletes are very careful in this matter. A stupid cold or sore throat can keep you from training and competing for days or weeks. You will have to get into shape again, win a place in the main lineup or make up for the seconds that have been so hard for you lately.
During training, if your shoes rub your feet, do not hesitate to tell the coach about it or ask him to give you the opportunity to change your shoes. He won't refuse. There are many examples when adult athletes chafed their feet and because of such nonsense they missed several days of training, sometimes even games and competitions.
Before, during and after training, realistically assess your condition. If you feel bad before training or a game, then the training will not be beneficial, and the game will be a disgrace. It's better not to let this happen. Contact your doctor. Remember one more rule. If you have a fever, you should not go out to practice or participate in competitions., even if you feel strong. This can result in you missing weeks or even a month of sports and not seeing your teammates.
If during training you feel pain in a muscle or joint, immediately tell your coach about it. Don't be patient. This is a professional attitude towards your health.
Take your vitamins. It is necessary to do this in autumn and spring, as well as during competitions. You, as a person involved in sports, understand that they are necessary to maintain your athletic shape.
Risk of injury at home
Athletes get 10-15% of injuries at home. Therefore, once again be careful. Be careful with sharp objects, do not walk barefoot through tall grass, and do not dive from the shore into an unfamiliar pond. Be careful while at the dacha.
Many professional athletes have a clause in their contract that prohibits them from independently participating in other sports in which there is a high risk of injury. Usually this skiing, ice skating, motorcycle riding and even horseback riding.
Hence the conclusion. When playing other sports, when free from your main sport, be careful. If there is even a slight possibility of injury, it is better to refuse.
Older guys
When you start training in a team that has older guys, learn how to position yourself in the team. If they start oppressing you, saying that you are still young, do not react sharply to it. Don't give reasons for ridicule. Prove that you are stronger in training and in competitions. And their attitude towards you will change.
But, if anything happens, don’t give in. Avoid direct conflicts. After all, if such a situation arises, it is unknown which side the coach will take, especially if your offender is a player of the main team. And even if you were one hundred percent right.
Over time, everything will fall into place.
Mat
Smart people speak correctly. Be smart. In many sports teams For obscene language they are fined. And they are fined very heavily. Therefore, get used to speaking purely, without extraneous words. Imagine a Champion swearing. Many will say: “Oh, why introduce him, there are so many of them.” Think about what it looks like. For some reason, it’s a pity to see him become. What kind of Champion is he?
Alcohol and cigarettes
Target. We go back to what we were talking about from the beginning. If you just came to sports ground spend time anyway, don’t smoke and don’t pay attention to alcohol. If you want to be real famous athlete - Ban alcohol and cigarettes for yourself. Strict ban.
Competition preparation mode
Talk to your coach, parents who know the peculiarities of your behavior. They will definitely tell you what and how.
On the day of the competition, it is advisable to get a good night's sleep. When preparing for a game, be picky about what you eat. .
It's better to undereat a little than to overeat. A large amount of food will not give you more strength; rather, on the contrary, you may become lethargic. Try to eat natural foods before the game. Meat, fish or chicken. Put away the salads, cutlets, sausages, and sausages for a while. Eat afterwards.
Everyone approaches them differently. You need to develop your own approach. See how professional athletes prepare for games and competitions. And we must rememberThe higher your athletic form, the greater the possibility of catching a cold or getting sick, so you need to be especially careful about yourself in the pre-competition days.
A game
When you go out to the game, be confident in your abilities., after all, you can do everything. And this confidence should give you strength and instill doubt in your opponent about your capabilities.
If your opponent is older than you or more experienced, then you can compensate for this difference. Activity, assertiveness, great desire than his. The same person will oppose you. He is worried, afraid of making mistakes, nervous. You are always superior to him in some way. Use your strengths. And if you are confident in yourself, confident in your abilities, then you will win.
Help out your teammate. If he made a mistake or didn’t have time somewhere, he didn’t want it, help him out, cheer him up. Bring the episode to a victorious end. Discuss the mistake later.
Don't forget to thank your partner by word or gesture. Even if the pass given to you was not accurate. He will have a desire to find you on the court again in order to give an accurate pass. Be a good partner.
Don't be greedy while playing. If a teammate is in a better situation and can do more to help the team win, help him. It doesn't matter who did more or scored a goal. Your usefulness will not be ignored - if the team wins.
Post-competition recovery mode.
You need to learn to do everything seriously. After competitions or games you need to recuperate. What is the most important thing in an athlete’s recovery?
Food and sleep. But this does not mean that after the game you need to eat, go to bed and wait for this recovery to occur. Taking a break from sports is also part of recovery. Do what you love, chat with friends.
Make it a rule immediately, after each training or game, eat something light. A sandwich or banana will help you quickly regain strength. Take this as a mandatory continuation of your training.
Once a week, before the day when you don't have a workout, be sure to go to the pool. This will help your muscles relax and prepare them for the next week of work.
Learn
Remember that sooner or later you will finish sports career or circumstances may turn so that it does not work out. Don’t waste your time - study, it will be easier for you to survive this stage if you have an education. You will need it.
P.S.If you have your own rules, have a special approach to competitions, training, or have something to add, share with others. To do this you just need to register.
You need to train after 50 the same way you train (or trained) at 20 years old. You just need to understand how your strength capabilities and your nutritional needs change.
As we get older strength training It’s starting to seem more and more like a game for young people. There is a feeling that there are too many risks and not enough returns. Plus, no one likes to start over from scratch.
When it comes to risks and rewards, the latter far outweigh the former. Developing and maintaining muscle mass and strength is one of the best strategies for improving your quality of life at any age. It's no coincidence that research shows muscle mass is a more accurate predictor of life expectancy than the so popular BMI.
Without undue modesty I will say that power training allowed me to be in the best shape of my life at the age of 55. Of course, I had to come to terms with some things, but there is nothing bad about it. Fortunately, for the most part, training age athletes identical to the training of young competitors. In fact, basic principles training process remain unchanged. The key differences are the starting point and the speed of progress.
On the other hand, many intangible details must be taken into account if you want to do everything right and over time. And to be clear, I’ll say that you should strive for both the first and the second!
1. Learn to synchronize desires and needs
Many of us older athletes are still in decent or excellent shape, at least in the context of the activities we enjoy most. But each of us has an irresistible desire to stand out from the crowd. Actually, I usually use the word “cool” in this situation. Perhaps your goal is to have a great physique, or you want to be very strong, or you strive to achieve high ranking positions in some sport. The point is that we want to stand out. And in the business that we have chosen, we want to be great.
Rest assured, the desire to be extraordinary is a completely normal thing that can fuel you with energy for all those exhausting workouts. But the workouts that lead to greatness and fame don't always promote long-term health. It turns out that if you want to be at your best and stay healthy, you will have to synchronize these two somewhat contradictory goals.
A good way to bring everything to a common denominator is to choose the sport or activity that suits your constitution and individual physique. I'm in last years somehow neglected this recommendation, taking part in weightlifting and powerlifting competitions after 40 and even after 50 years, although both sports are not suitable for a person with a height of 185 cm, a weight of 90 kg and relatively poor joint mobility.
So far I have been lucky and more or less successful, especially in powerlifting. But I have always been open to new opportunities to challenge myself and expand my training horizons. You must also be open-minded and open-minded about everything.
2. Workout Economics: Think Like an Accountant
I tell my clients this: “Every time you grab a barbell, you pay a price. Whether this will be beneficial or not is another question.”
When it comes to fitness - and this becomes more obvious as you age - you must carefully consider the potential cost and possible benefits when planning your workouts. The price has to be paid not only in the form of time and energy expended, but often also in the form of the risk of injury, time taken away from other life goals, and future wear and tear on the musculoskeletal system.
Ideally, you want to pay a reduced price rather than full price to achieve your goals. Here are just some examples of how to develop this mindset:
- If you have lower back problems, here is a “discounted” exercise for developing leg strength, which is “cheaper” than the classic ones.
- High-rep training with proportional reductions in working weights to build muscle can be more effective than low-rep approaches with heavy weights. Usually it requires less time, and the state of the ODA does not play a decisive role here.
- When training, strive to minimize losses; push back exercises for good developed muscles to the background. Don't rest 4 minutes between sets if you can recover in a 3-minute break. Focus on stretching the 1-2 tightest ones muscle groups. I think you get the general idea.
- If you need to increase aerobic endurance, and you weigh 115 kg, it will not be possible best choice. Try an exercise bike or elliptical.
The bottom line is that the older you are, the greater the importance of sound training economics. Remember the Pareto principle: where are the 20 percent of investments that can give 80 percent of the profit? Find them and direct maximum efforts in the right direction. When time and energy are limited, you need to know what things you can give up without any serious consequences.
3. Find and tighten the weakest links
Physical fitness is determined by many adaptation mechanisms and abilities of the body. They all tend to decline with age and/or inactivity, but they deteriorate at different rates. For example, it is relatively easy to stay strong in mature age, but the same cannot always be said for mobility, endurance or peak power.
Here's a simple question to help you focus on this topic: what could you easily do at 18 that you can't easily do today? Run? Jump? Throw or catch the ball? Get up off the floor? Touch your toes? See your toes?
Whichever answer you choose, it indicates physical abilities that have noticeably deteriorated over the years.
The various physical indicators that make up the overall picture of physical fitness are like a woven web. The development of one quality affects the development potential of all others. Physical abilities are like the strands of a spider's web; you can't touch one strand without disturbing all the other strands.
4. Eat more protein
As we age, the anabolic effects of training and nutrition become less and less powerful. Therefore, if you want to stay in the game, you need to do more to get less. In particular, the effect of intake on muscle protein synthesis decreases in adulthood. And we no longer recycle as efficiently as in our youth. These findings suggest that it is worth turning the diet away from carbohydrates and toward protein.
- Up to 18 years: 1.2-1.6 grams per 1 kg of body weight
- 19-40 years: 1.6-2.2 grams per 1 kg of body weight
- 41-65 years: 2.2-2.6 grams per 1 kg of body weight
- Over 65 years old: 2.6-3.0 grams per 1 kg of body weight
Eating that much protein in a day may not seem easy, but sports nutrition greatly simplifies this task.
5. Don't be afraid to be a generalist
Young athletes usually start playing several sports at once. They can go to football, swimming, artistic gymnastics or athletics. You can think of it as the top, or wide, part of an hourglass.
Only over the years, when they become teenagers or leave adolescence, depending on the sport, specialization begins that helps them succeed in their chosen sports discipline. Think of this stage of an athlete's development as the neck of an hourglass.
As you enter your midlife era, I recommend returning to a strategy of broad specialization. Imagine that you are 25 years old and it takes you 20 minutes to run 1.5 kilometers. By any standard, this is a bad time, but the good news for 25-year-olds is that at this age the situation is quite easy to fix. On the other hand, if you are 55 years old and run 1.5 km in 20 minutes, improving your performance becomes a real battle. It may very well be that you will never run 1.5 kilometers in a decent time again.
To find a solution to a problem, you don't have to bang your head against the wall - it's better to look for what you can do. Regardless of your chosen sporting discipline, you should strive to improve a whole range of physical fitness characteristics, even if they are not directly related to the sport or activity that you love. Good news is that once exercise becomes a habit, it doesn't take too much effort just to maintain it.
Here practical advice how to make sure that your physical form does not worsen with age. Find a measurable way to evaluate your current level muscle strength, aerobic endurance, body composition and musculoskeletal mobility. For example, to evaluate these four parameters, you might choose 2-kilometer dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and functional movement assessment (FMA).
Then draw a line in the sand for each indicator: a level below which you cannot fall. For me it's a 225kg deadlift, but remember I'm a competitive powerlifter. For you it may be something completely different. For example, lifting your own weight for 5 repetitions, and when the task seems simple, lifting one and a half weights. Then two own scales. You understand the principle.
There are no absolutely right or wrong techniques in this matter. The point is that you need to define personal standards physical development that are important to you, and then work on improving the weakest aspects.
You can't cheat the system!
The older you get, the more noticeable the role of various kinds of “little things” becomes: the frequency of meals, thorough warm-ups, adequate sleep and the ability to cope with stress. When you are young, you can “cheat the system” on many issues, but in adulthood you can no longer afford such luxury.
So, if you want to be cool at 50, 60 and beyond, you'll have to pay the price in the form of hard work and strict self-discipline. But the reward is worth it. The only negative point? You can no longer let everything take its course, as you could have done at 20 years old. It's time to get down to work seriously!
