Fit for Sport

If you are now taking part in exercise and/ or sport at least three to four times per week you may want to progress and take your sport to a more serious level. To improve your fitness and/or to achieve performance-related goals, your body must be challenged, or ‘overloaded’.

The consequence of ‘overloading’ your body in training is adaptation and improvements in function and fitness. You can increase the training load placed on your body by changing one or more of the following variables:

Intensity – faster/harder/heavier/less rest.

Duration – more sets/repetitions/distance/time.

Frequency – train more often.

The load you use is essential to adaptation. If the load is too easy or remains constant for a long time, then little or no adaptation will occur and your performance will plateau. Hence, when you and your coach/trainer design a programme, you need to include a progressive, gradual increase in workload whilst adjusting to suit your needs throughout. Some people will adapt to a load quicker than others and should therefore progress faster. For others it may take a little longer, so do not rush it, otherwise injury and overtraining may be waiting just around the corner.

The basis of a good programme needs to consider the following four areas:

1. Your health.
2. Keeping you injury free.
3. The development of base fitness work, which in turn is a prerequisite for.
4. Performance enhancement work.

It is useful to get some baseline data on the physical components you currently possess to enable you to evaluate your progress over time. To do this you could simply see how many exercise repetitions you can perform at a certain weight, record drill/performance/sprint times or do an aerobic test such as a timed walk, run or push over a set distance.

Once you have answered some of these questions, you can start to plan your training by breaking it down into manageable portions to deal with specific areas at a time.

• Does your sport require agility? If so, what types of movement?
• Do you need a great deal of speed? If so, what type; Initial acceleration? Maximum speed? Deceleration/breaking activity?
• Does your sport require a high degree of accuracy?
• Do you need a great deal of strength within your sport?
• What are your strengths and weaknesses?

The following guidelines discuss how you can train for specific fitness components and presume that you have some good training experience under your belt and you’re used to physical training. This is not exhaustive and it is important that you constantly evaluate your programme to ensure that adequate gains are being made. It is also important to have a good understanding of your body, how you cope with the stress of training and how your disability (SCI, amputee, CP etc.) affects your training.

The majority of information in this section is written for sports that are more physical in nature such as Wheelchair Rugby and Basketball as opposed to sports that are more skill-based such as Shooting, Boccia or Archery. Much of this information is based on non-disabled training principles, which are easily transferred to disability sport.

It is important to look at the physical demands of your chosen sport and identify any limitations/restrictions that may need to be overcome. It is essential to consider these highlighted areas when developing your programme (this is sometimes called a ‘needs analysis’), as this will have a huge impact on what type of training you need to do.

For amputee's: Your stump can shrink following a hard session even if it has been stable for years. So, make sure you keep plenty of spare socks in your kit bag to add if you need to. If it does shrink, it can react by swelling up when you remove your prosthesis, so keep a compression sock in your bag to put on after a shower until you put your prosthesis back on.

• At this level, you should have a good idea of how much carbohydrate and energy you need to allow you to train well, whilst also providing sufficient levels of all other nutrients to allow your body to recover between sessions.
• Remember that as your training progresses (longer, higher intensity, more frequent sessions) you will need to adjust your diet to cope with the increasing demand placed on your body.
• Remember that weight loss or gain could be detrimental to sporting performance. If you need any help regarding the quantity that you should be consuming, please seek the advice of a registered sports dietitian or nutritionist.

Goal Setting

Goal setting is the process of establishing a target to be met within a given time period. Goals can keep you motivated and interested even when the going gets tough. A mass of scientific research has shown that setting goals works. It makes us try harder, perform better and ultimately achieve more. It also boosts our confidence as we build up our own sporting history.

SMART(ER) Goals

Specific – goals should be as specific as possible to help focus your attention.

Measurable – to enable you to assess your progress against a baseline or standard.

Accepted – by you, your coach(es) and other key support staff.

Realistic – your goals should be challenging but within your capability or potential.

Time-based – you should have a clear time frame and deadline for your goal(s).

Exciting – your goals should be inspiring and rewarding to you.

Recorded – your goals should be written down by you, your coach and others to evaluate progress, provide feedback and provide motivation.

Overall, while detailed and specific evidence for physical activity, exercise, psychology and nutrition for disabled people is scarce the most important thing is to understand your own body. Listen to how it feels after a workout, recognise how long it takes to recover from a hard session, understand the effects your medication can have, learn how long it takes to digest a meal and what foods you can eat before, during and after exercise, and how you cope with winning and losing. Once you can do this, you will be on your way to achieving your personal goals.