With the heartbreaking cancellation of all spring sports due to COVID 19, from the youth level all the way up through the professional level, many athletes lost their motivation. Here are a few reasons why this is actually the most important time to be training smarter in a time when we can’t necessarily train harder.
There are many sources comparing this lockdown of society to the 2011 NFL lockout. Quick refresher for those that forget the details.
- Players were prevented from accessing their team facilities or contacting staff from March 11 through July 25 (= four and a half months)
- Training camp lasted 17 days instead of 14 weeks
- There were 10 Achilles ruptures in the first 12 days of training camp (compared to 10 ruptures the entire previous season)
Why this matters to you as an athlete, no matter what level of competition or sport.
- Lockdown has already last 10 weeks in the state of Maryland with no clear end in sight
- Use it or lose it!
- Cardiovascular endurance changes occur within first 3-4 weeks
- Body no longer produces red blood cells at the same rate, decreased capillary density
- What that means in terms that make sense: losing minutes off of your 5K time
- Loss of muscle strength, muscle atrophy
- According to NASM (National Academy of Sports Medicine), there are signs of molecular atrophy within a week of inactivity
- Once no longer training the Type II fibers, the body stops growing them (hypertrophy) and strength decreases
- 2013 systematic review on “elite” football and rugby players showed athletes strength decreased in 3 weeks of stopping activity with continued decreases in strength as well as muscle mass the longer inactivity lasts
- Cardiovascular endurance changes occur within first 3-4 weeks
How to not become a statistic at the end of this pandemic lockdown
- Train your cardiovascular endurance however you can with the equipment you have access to
- Bike? Great! Treadmill? Awesome! Rowing erg? Lucky you! No equipment at all? No problem! Take to the streets for a run or even do stairs in your home.
- Injuries in sports also come from fatigue, not just contact, so maintaining cardiovascular endurance is essential.
- Work on the little things now
- Form- without access to the gym or heavier weights, now is the perfect time to unload and really focus on form and technique for your lifts.
- Use a mirror or video yourself to watch for movement faults
- A great FREE app to video with is Hudl Technique. It allows you to watch the video in slow motion as well as a ton of other cool tricks!
- See something off but don’t know how to fix it? Call your favorite PT, we can help!
- We are offering both telehealth and in person visits at this time
- Even in telehealth we can watch you and talk you through corrections while on video with us!
- Use a mirror or video yourself to watch for movement faults
- Accessory muscle/stability muscle work-
- Work on the smaller muscles that help with stabilization during this time. Most of these exercises can be done with little to no equipment.
- Reach out to your PT for sport specific exercises that will help set you up for success (ex: shoulder accessory muscle work for swimmers, hip/core work for a cutting athlete)
- Work on the smaller muscles that help with stabilization during this time. Most of these exercises can be done with little to no equipment.
- Form- without access to the gym or heavier weights, now is the perfect time to unload and really focus on form and technique for your lifts.
Possible injuries that could arise if you are not diligent about putting in work during the quarantine and then return to full level sport.
- Tendinitis (achilles, patellar, rotator cuff, etc)
- Bursitis (hip, knee, etc)
- Ankle sprains
- Muscle strains (quad, hamstring, hip flexor, etc)
- Low back pain
- ACL tear
- Achilles rupture
- Rotator cuff/SLAP tear
