Stonewall Fitness: Preparing to Succeed On and Off the Field in Sport

By David Smith

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With World OutGames Miami 2017 coming up in just a few short weeks and the Gay Games Paris 2018 a little over a year away. Many athletes are starting to think about how they can best prepare and train to achieve their personal best on and off the field.

If you’re investing the money and time for the trip to Miami and onto Paris, or any other big sporting event; be sure to invest in your own training, fitness and well being as an athlete. When you arrive in Miami and in Paris and get ready to compete, don’t you want to be there feeling like you’re investment was worth it? Better yet, feel like all your hard work paid off! There’s no greater feeling than that. 

​Sports’ training doesn’t just take place on the field (or court, pool, track, etc.). What you do off the field can have just as much of an impact. Improving your overall fitness level, eating habits and attitude by adopting a program that is more specific to your sport will not only help you prevent injuries but you will develop conditioning, strength, stamina and balance and mental readiness you will need to arrive ready to succeed in Miami or Paris. You might even look good and ready for the beach too! Most importantly, you will be as ready as ever to take on the competition and accomplish your goals. 

​That’s what being a champion is all about!

 

​Here are five tips to help you to prepare!

• Commit to a consistent practice schedule for your sport.
  1. For team sports this is easy, practice times are typically set for the whole team.
  2. Individual sports and even additional practices outside of team sports require more consistency and discipline. Set yourself a weekly goal of a # of practice sessions a week. Don’t let that week pass until you’ve completed all practice sessions, regardless of what happens to your schedule in the week.
  3. Incorporate both individual practices and group/team practices to develop your own sport skills and to surround yourself with like-minded athletes and friends to help you improve. 

• Adopt a “Motivation to Achieve” attitude.
  1. Motivation to achieve is when you set yourself a goal and you are motivated to accomplish that goal, as a result you are more willing to put in the work and effort necessary to achieve.
  2. Everybody’s goal is different. One athlete might be looking to finish a marathon in a certain time, another athlete might simply just want to finish. Whatever your goal is, it should challenge your limits and motivate you to put in the extra work everyday at practice.

• Spend time at the gym outside of practice to improve your fitness and conditioning.
  1. Overall fitness and strength is important to maintain before, during and after your season.
  2. Gym sessions and workouts should be focused on improving your fitness as it relates to your sport and position.
  3. Develop, enhance and improve your skills and stamina for your sport that you might not otherwise have the opportunity to improve in practice.
  4. Prevent sports-related injuries.

• Adjust your diet and eating habits to reflect the energy demands for your sport!
  • Ensure you are eating the right foods to give you energy and sustain you during practice and competition.
  • Adequate intake of nutrients will help you and your body better recover in between practice and gym sessions.
  • Make sure you are drinking plenty of water, this will improve energy levels and muscle/ energy recovery before, during and after training/competition.
  • Do NOT try any new foods or supplements the day/ week of competition. Stick to what you know to prevent anything uncomfortable from happening during competition.

• Take the time away to breathe and relax.
  • Relaxation and mental well being is important to ensure you are prepared for the demands of training and competition.
  • Adopt various relaxation exercises and techniques to perform every day to help you diminish anxiety and fear while improving clarity and focus.
  • Techniques deep breathing, yoga, stretching, foam rolling, massage, and progressive muscle relaxation can better help you with physical and mental recovery.
  • Get plenty of sleep, sleep is where the body recovers and grows. An adequate amount of sleep will ensure you are prepared each day to take on whatever lies ahead.

​It sounds like a lot of things to figure it out, and frankly it is. However there is always order to chaos. Once you figure out the things you need to work on for your sport, you can write out a plan, or better yet hire a coach to write one out for you.  It is good to break it up so you are aren’t doing the same thing every day and you are maximizing the time you spend at the gym without spending all your time at the gym. Remember, the exercises and training program will supplement your training for your sport. 

David Smith is a coach,  exercise professional, athlete, blogger and owner of Stonewall Fitness.