Condition your body

dave norona/for metro vancouver

Dave uses a stability ball to work on his core strength from the comfort of his home.

There is no doubt that the best way to get an all-around great workout is to be outside experiencing mother nature. Whatever the sport, being outside allows you to feel the wind in your face and the fresh air in your lungs. One drawback to getting outside is our ever-changing weather. Here are some great indoor workouts that can be done at the gym or in the comfort of your own home.

The best part about lifting weights or using your own body weight for working out is you can focus on areas that you don’t strengthen in your normal sports routine. For instance, a cyclist who commutes to work gets a great lower body workout, however, their upper body may be lacking in strength. Weights can help them strengthen these areas and even help balance out the muscles in your legs that cycling does not entirely get. This allows you to achieve a better balanced body and lessen the chance of injuries.

There are many ways to workout with weights as well as many different programs. It is important to note that any strength routine with weights is an anaerobic workout meaning that you are burning sugar not fat, even if you are not out of breath. You also do not need to lift massive weights to get the benefits of a weight workout. In fact, less often means more in terms of building strong useful muscles.

I suggest doing a weight workout two to four times per week. Start by getting in a good warm up which should consist of easy running, cycling or a stair workout for 15 minutes. This will get your muscles ready for your specific workout. Separate your body into upper and lower and work each area on different days. This will allow each area to recover properly and be ready for the next workout.

Choose different weight routines to focus on your different muscle groups and focus more on proper technique rather than how much weight you’re lifting. Keeping the weight down will help create strong, long muscles, which are more efficient for the activities you do.

If you don’t like the atmosphere of the gym or you just can’t find the time to get to one then there are some great easy workouts you can do at home. Free weights, exercise balls and your own body weight are more then enough to help you get an amazing workout.

Push-ups, crunches, and squats are all easy exercises that will tone your body and help create stronger muscles, ligaments and tendons. Whatever routine you choose, start with the easiest form and again focus on technique over duration or weight. As you get stronger you can apply harder methods like using an exercise ball to make your routine more challenging. The best part about using an exercise ball is that it incorporates good posture and balance, which in the end will make you a quicker, stronger athlete.

If you need specific help or coaching check out humanmotion.ca or twistconditioning.com for their complete programs that can help anyone at any level.

dave norona for metro vancouver

www.davenorona.com