I love Sport...
Each
year we get blessed with a new sporting event with 2010 being no
different, if you haven't worked out, the Soccer/Football World Cup has
hit South Africa.
Soccer (Sorry but i was raised calling it
soccer) has always copped a bad rap when i was growing up i.e. called
divers, soft "so-& so's" etc. I played when i was growing up and
just took it back up and i can tell you the physical demands of this
sport are much higher than most realise.
It is played for 90mins,
broken up by 2 x 45min halves. Now i don't like to generalise too much
but basically Soccer is 90mins of short sprinting, agility running and
jumping. The demand it has on the lowerbody and cardiovascular system is
intense, just look at Harry Kewell, he is lean (low body fat
percentage) and has a decent amount of lean muscle mass.
Where am
i going with this exactly, well as you may have heard, read, seen,
experienced whatever, aerobic (steady state) cardio has limited uses and
most of these are for aerobically dominant sports/athletes. In saying
that most coaches of these sports/athletes are now adopting interval
style training to reduce training volume for more training efficiency
and preserving their athletes bodies over time.
Harry about to explode into an attack
So
for those who want or need to incorporate cardiovascular training into
their weekly lives, than logically interval training is the go. Why?
Basically high intensity (interval) cardio burns energy after exercise
whilst aerobic only really uses energy during exercise. So basically you
can be sitting reading a book after a sprint session and still be
burning calories. But for the Regular Joe's and Jane's trying to lose
weight, get lean, tone, get more definition or whatever you want to call
it, asking them to go to the local oval and do sprints is a big ask.
The solution...
Social Sport aka "Pick Up" Games...
Now
this concept isn't new and it's been promoted by coaches and trainers
for years. Social or Pick Up is competitive sport played in a social
setting i.e. backyard cricket or a game of soccer at a park. The beauty
of Social Sport/Pick Up Games:
- It can be played with family/friends/acquaintances;
- It's fun;
- As long as you have some equipment it can be played just about anywhere; and
- It's a great workout as it's a less intense version of the real thing.
So
you get all the benefits that the pros do just not as easily or as
frequently. Therefore, whatever is interesting you at the moment -
grab/buy some equipment, invite some friends, get out to the oval/court
and play a game for 20-30mins. You'll get fresh air, sun, a good sweat
and ENJOY THE BENEFITS.
Obama Loves Pick Up Basketball
Best,
PK
...
