Month: March 2019

Get in Shape for Wrestling

Training for wrestling is extremely intensive and grueling. It forces you to work in an anaerobic environment where you are almost begging for air. Muscles grow when under stress, and the goal in wrestling is to make them grow as quickly as possible. This is the main reason why wrestlers are the most overtrained athletes in the world. There training split emphasises each muscle group during every workout session. The University of Michigan wrestling team uses the “full-body split,” as you can see in their workout:

  • Manual Neck
  • Any Shrug
  • Any Shoulder
  • Chin ups
  • Hammer Flat Bench
  • Rope Climb
  • Hammer Incline
  • Straight Bar Curls
  • Rope-a-Dope
  • Ground Base Push/Pull
  • Dips
  • Any Bicep
  • Hammer Leg Press
  • Wall Sit
  • Blocks
  • Calves

Wrestling is a combination of two different types of athletes: Power distance and endurance. A wrestler must get optimal energy from each of the three different energy systems. That means as a … Read the rest

Play Indoor Mini Golf

Indoor mini golf or Putt putt, the name the game is famously known by is a small sibling of the world-renowned game, golf. Miniature golf uses a smaller version of a golf club known as a putter hence the name putt putt.

Invented between the late 19th century and the early 20th-century miniature golf ball has grown greatly with the crop up of mini golf courses; training courses and actual playing fields, mini golf tournaments and professional players who have taken the sport as a career. Most recently mini golf has evolved from being played on outside courses and has become an indoor sport graced with glow in the dark lights thus bringing color to the game especially when played at night.

Away from the history and growth of the sport, let us play some miniature golf. Just like in the Jack Nicklaus game, miniature golf’s main aim is to … Read the rest

Surfing Wet Suits

The first is the spring suit which has short legs and short arms and is used to keep the upper body warm and has a thickness of materials of about 2mm. Short Johns are like spring suits but without the sleeves and are also usually 2mm thick. Long Johns have full-length legs and are mostly about 2mm thick. Full Suits are self-explanatory, the most commonly used — especially in colder waters — whose thickness is determined by the temperature of the water the surfer usually finds himself in.

Another difference in surfing wet suits is that many have two layers of material and the area under the arms is thinner than the rest allowing for easier arm movements critical to performing well while surfing. Furthermore, it is common for surfers to add an additional spandex suit underneath their wetsuits if they venture into cooler waters.

Surfing wet suits need to … Read the rest

Running And Back Pain

Start with the easy options such as changing your shoes. If your running shoes are worn out or not suitable for you they will not absorb the constant shock of the impact with the road causing compression and jarring in the discs in your spine. Visit a good running shop and ask to have your running technique assessed so they can recommend the best shoe for you.

If changing your running shoes does not help get yourself checked out by a physical therapist for any hidden injury problems. If you still experience back pain whilst running the most sensible thing to do is to assess your technique.

For most runners it’s lower back pain that causes the most problems. I believe there are two main causes for this in relation to running technique.

Trying to hold the torso upright in the style of Michael Johnson by tightening the lower back … Read the rest

Nutrition for Swimmers

Sports nutrition is not restricted to the competition environment. Ensuring that an athlete consumes the right food and fluid before, during and after training will also help maximise their energy levels, provide them with the fuel that they require, and provide the essential nutrients for growth, development and performance on a day to day basis.

Sports nutrition is the principle of tailoring specific food and fluid requirements to an athlete in order to maximise physical performance.

It is not just the elite athlete who benefits from sports nutrition. The junior, age group and recreational athlete can improve their overall health and performance by adjusting both what they consume, and when they consume it.

Sports nutrition is a rapidly developing field with plenty of research produced every year.

While recommended guidelines are available, every athlete is an individual and these guidelines may need to be adjusted.

The day to day nutrition … Read the rest

A Triathlon Wet Suits

Furthermore, the rubber used on the outside of the wet suit is of the slickest and most slippery materials possible to emulate the scales of a fish as closely as possible. The manufacturing technology employed in creating these wet suits has been a bone of contention between athletes and committee members because they reduce the difference between weaker swimmers and stronger swimmers, not only in speed, but also in all-around efficiency.

Because the triathlon wet suit enables a competitor to spend less energy on the first leg of the competition, he or she is able to reserve energy for the other two legs of the process. This can be a huge edge over the rest of the field, assuming of course, that you are not all wearing the same suits.

To begin with, the rubber used in most of these wet suits, regardless of the brand name featured, comes from … Read the rest

Foot Problems in Runners

Heel pain

One million runners will develop heel pain every year. The most common cause of heel pain is plantar fasciitis, which is the result of excess stress through a long ligament type structure (the plantar fascia) in the bottom of the foot. The excess stress causes tearing and results in inflammation and pain. The classic symptoms are pain in the heel at the first step in the morning, or upon rising after long periods of rest. Runners may only experience the pain at the beginning of a run and many state that the pain will work itself out after about 1 mile, but then return by the end of a long run or at the end of the day.

Achilles Tendonitis

Achilles tendonitis and related calf problems are the most common injuries in runners. Pain develops at the back of the heel or in the calf and can be … Read the rest

Kilimanjaro Climbing Routes

The downside to Marangu is that it offers little chance of acclimatising by the principle of ‘climb high, sleep low.’ It is also, because of its “easier route” status, often selected by people who are less fit and consider it to be the easy option to summit. Sadly, the result is that the number of people who reach the summit is lower than on most of the other routes. Another factor to consider is that ascent and descent are via the same route, limiting variation in scenery.

To make a success of Marangu route, it is advisable to add a day’s acclimatisation trek from Horombo Huts up to Zebra Rocks, and back to Horombo Huts for the night.

The Rongai route is also known as the ‘Loitokok’ route or what used to be called, the old ‘Outward Bound Route.’ The trail starts near the Kenyan border and ascends in a … Read the rest

Origin of Basketball

The origins of the game of basketball can be traced back to a gentleman by the name of Dr. James Naismith. In 1861, Naismith was born in Almonte, Ontario, Canada. During his early school days, Naismith would play a game called duck on a rock whereby the child would endeavor to knock the duck off the top of the rock with a toss of another rock.
Later on, Naismith would go on to McGill University in Montreal and would later become McGill University’s Athletic Director. He would subsequently move on to YMCA Training School in Springfield, Massachusetts and in 1891, the game of basketball began.
Given the cold Massachusetts winters, Naismith needed to find a recreational activity that could be played indoors and he preferred a sport that would develop skill and one that was not exclusively relying on strength. The first game was played with two peach baskets for … Read the rest

First Triathlon Experience

The sport of triathlon have grown rapidly in popularity in the last couple of years, what does this mean for you? It means that there are plenty of beginners in the same spot as you. The first thing you have to realize about the sport is that the majority of the people who show up are not racing to win (though, of course, they will be there too), they are merely racing for one of two things, (1) For the pure joy of the sport, and the camaraderie of the participants, people tend to be very friendly at these events, or (2) for a personal challenge, to push their limits and see what they can do (often the goal is just to finish, I know that was my first goal). And who’s to say that they aren’t there for both reasons?

Now some things you should know about the race … Read the rest