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Dictated by the sport you love

Different sporting activities require different kinds of training

FINE FITNESS Sportspersons have to make hard choices

Physical fitness means different things for different folks, and it should be that way. After all, a 50-something beginning a walking programme and a 20-something on a sprint are not working towards the same goal.

General physical fitness means two things: appropriate weight and adequate cardiovascular conditioning. This is the result of regular exercise and a sensible diet. No exercise is forbidden. Variety encourages all-round development. Sportspersons need narrower definitions of training goals. Different sports have different requirements, and some exercises that are okay for all-round development will harm performance in an athlete.

For example, weight training is wonderful for all-round physical development, but it is practically forbidden for the marathon runner. Increased weight, even if that extra mass is muscle, will cost the marathon runner time and energy over a long distance.

Those who depend on explosive power - jumpers, sprinters, weight lifters and rugby players, will find excessive aerobic exercise counterproductive.

A weightlifter will achieve greater aerobic capacity at the cost of explosive power. Jumpers will lose precious jumping inches if they jog too much in training.

Spectrum of fitness

Most sports require a spectrum of fitness. Few sports are as purely one-sided as marathon running or weight lifting in their fitness requirements. For example, a squash player must have the heart of a marathon runner but also the legs of a middle distance runner.

All sports emphasise power or endurance. Look at the top athletes in that sport to know whether power or endurance is the key. Sport activities emphasising power reward bulky physiques and endurance sports reward the well-toned lean physique.

But life is not that simple. Great sporting events manage to mix it up. Cycling is an endurance sport, but the Tour de France includes stretches that demand pure explosive power.

The life of a sportsperson is a life of sacrifice. Sometimes sportspersons have to lead `unhealthy' lives to achieve success. The weightlifter's bulk is hard on the knees and on the heart. The female marathon runner's bone density is as bad as that of a postmenopausal woman. Lack of variety in exercise is the cause for these ill effects.

Whatever their sport, sportspersons need to approach their training with this knowledge of risks and requirement.

RAJIV M

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