Summary
Athletes work out many hours a day during the season of their sport, but to keep themselves in tip-top condition, they should also establish an exercise routine during the off-season.
Original source:
http://www.rockymounttelegram.com/featr/content/features/stories/2005/08/09/20050809RMTFitness.html
Details
For competitive athletes, staying in shape goes beyond jogging and lifting weights.
Jason Kilby, the head coach of the men's soccer team at N.C. Wesleyan College, oversees 40 players, most of whom are vying for a starting spot on the team.
"The competition is pretty fierce," he said.
The difference between who gets the nod and who doesn't could be in how dedicated a player is during practice and during the offseason.
No matter where the player's natural talents are, solid conditioning will improve their performance, Kilby said.
Aerobic exercises like jogging and footwork drills help build up endurance, while weight training and short-distance sprints build strength.
"A lot of kids at a high level want to compete all the time," he said.
In high school sports, coaches sometimes have to work to motivate their athletes to condition.
For Kenneth Grantham, the head football coach at Nash Central High School, that's the toughest part.
Because there is body-to-body contact, football focuses more on strength training than most other sports.
For freshman on the squad, it's often their first time being away from home.
"They have to be able to budget their time."
"They're like a yo-yo, up and down all season," he said.
During summer months, heat has a dramatic effect on athletes.
Kilby's team typically trains from 6 a.m. to 8 a.m. to avoid the hottest parts of the day during the preseason.
Mike Caffey, an emergency medical technician who responds to sports injuries at Nash Central, offers a handful of tips for
athletes who are working to stay in shape.
"There have been misconceptions that you can overhydrate," Caffey said.
If they drink too much water, they're going to vomit."
About the author: Mike Adams is a natural health author and award-winning journalist with a mission to teach personal and planetary health to the public He has authored more than 1,800 articles and dozens of reports, guides and interviews on natural health topics, and he is well known as the creator of popular downloadable preparedness programs on financial collapse, emergency food storage, wilderness survival and home defense skills. Adams is a trusted, independent journalist who receives no money or promotional fees whatsoever to write about other companies' products. In 2010, Adams co-founded NaturalNews.com, a natural health video sharing site that has now grown in popularity. He's also the founder and CEO of a well known email mail merge software developer whose software, 'Email Marketing Director,' currently runs the NaturalNews email subscriptions. Adams also serves as the executive director of the Consumer Wellness Center, a non-profit consumer protection group, and regularly pursues cycling, nature photography, Capoeira and Pilates. He's also author of numerous health books published by Truth Publishing and is the creator of several consumer-oriented grassroots campaigns, including the Spam. Don't Buy It! campaign, and the free downloadable Honest Food Guide. He also created the free reference sites HerbReference.com and HealingFoodReference.com. Adams believes in free speech, free access to nutritional supplements and the ending of corporate control over medicines, genes and seeds. Known as the 'Health Ranger,' Adams' personal health statistics and mission statements are located at www.HealthRanger.org
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