Despite the recent heat and the month of August in full swing, some are already turning their attention to the opportunities ahead for autumn and winter sports. Exciting for many, it is easy to forget that preparation is key to health and wellbeing and that starting to prepare in good time is usually vital and certainly recommended.
Requiring both endurance and strength
The physical demands of winter sporting activities require both endurance and strength, and an individual’s physical situation may have altered over the summer months. The thinking behind the planning of any training schedules must include increasing volume and intensity, with a suitable balance of work and rest to enable the body to recover. Keeping a check on this balance is important, addressing any strains and discomfort promptly with a suitably qualified physiotherapist if required. Massage may well also help in this regard, and a new massage and reflexology service is coming to the Life Made Simple Physiotherapy service from early September 2022.
Physical adaption to increased training volumes
Starting early, and gradually, with your return regime to winter sports is likely to be sensible, with as an example a total running load preferably only increasing by 10-15% per week. This is to reduce the risk of injury as the body adapts to the increased training volumes. Incremental increases in training intensity should be matched with a well thought out programme that encompasses rest periods. You might train for a maximum of three days in a row, mixing up both high and low intensity training sessions and ensuring one full rest day or two are factored in week on week. If you have not planned your training before, then we can refer you to an excellent exercise specialist to help keep you on track (excuse the pun!).
Give your body time
Sessions to address both strength and endurance should preferably be performed 24 hours apart. If this is not achievable, then they should be performed on the same day 6+ hours apart. Back-to-back sessions within one training day may create unwanted stresses and should usually be avoided, with most bodies requiring additional recovery time.
Contact Life Made Simple Physiotherapy
Winter sports of all varieties are usually exciting and good for the mind as well as the body. Being ready is important and we can help with referrals to an exercise specialist, or with focused physiotherapy, and acupuncture if recommended, and a new massage service from the centre in Bramley starting in September. We hope you will see that thinking about your physiotherapy care is important and chatting through what you anticipate and expect is part of that process. Please do contact Life Made Simple Physiotherapy by email at Physio@lifemadesimple.co.uk , or by telephone on 07309 272 555 for your individual physiotherapy needs and care.
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