How Times have Changed - Training Days
Imagine 30 guys having to do exercise to music behind two girls calling the shots lol. The comments stopped after about 20 minutes as the guys realised how hard this was going to be. Muscles that had never been used were now under strain.
The other day a new tag #sportstrends was added to #sportinglegends and thought I had better be the first one to use this as I introduced it lol.
Sporting trends are a bit like fashion as they do change with the times whether that is good or bad for the sport. In sport we have seen professionalism take over as sportsmen and women are more athletic compared to 20 years ago. Diets and training methods have changed drastically as sports are taken far more seriously. The amount of money that has flowed into the various games has made it easier to perform at higher levels.
When I trained for rugby we had aerobics introduced in 1990 which seemed odd at the time as none of us were used to prancing about in front of two women dressed in leotards. I don't know if it did any good as this was only used for warm ups. Many of the guys started off bitching but soon kept quiet as they knew this was serious stuff. Warm downs were also introduced which makes sense now, but not after you are knackered after having played a match. I could barely walk as your muscles seize up due to lactic acid and is the very reason for this. I used to hobble around for days on end until the next training session and this did make a difference. Simple science was being used to help not only keep you in better shape, but also injury free.
An ice bath is something you just get used to even though your brain is telling you a big NO.
We used to finish playing a match then have a few beers and have a shower before going to the club house for food and more drinks. The players now finish playing then warm down and have an ice bath before showering and getting dressed. This is the difference from how an amateur sport became far more serious within a very short time frame. I wish it was introduced far sooner as it had serious benefits.
Dietary needs or what we consumed never made the radar as too be honest if it was food we ate it. When you are training as much as we did in those days you couldn't consume enough as you were burning all the calories.
We never had weigh ins back then but know shortly afterwards this was introduced as monitoring not only your heart rate etc but weight was a key part of your fitness tracking. I suppose if you are earning a decent salary then it is only right the attitude has to change along with your lifestyle.
When I took up refereeing after I had finished playing I could see the difference of what was now expected. Having qualified as a referee I was luckily enough to be at a young enough age to still be active and had to keep myself fit. Referees were only taken seriously up to the age of 40 as you had to basically make the grade before that tipping point. Anyone over 40 was welcome, but for the lower grade games.
Fitness tests were something that happened regularly and in many ways you are actually fitter than the players as you have to run further than them during a match. Running 15km every evening was just something I did automatically and did little to no gym work. Everything was for stamina and speed as keeping up with play is that important. Truthfully I had no time to do weights and stuck to the road running.
Professionalism has taken sport to new levels over the last 20 years and most likely these methods will still be tweaked. Technology along with data gathered will find the best training methods for various sports. Certain football clubs changed training routines as players were succumbing to certain injuries. Sport training will be different for most sports as it is not just fitness but certain muscle groups having to be targeted.
Thinking back the differences to what we did compared to now one would have to be professional as the time required to maintain ones fitness is a full time job on it's own. The 3 hours a day wouldn't cut it today and anywhere between 5 and 6 hours is what these top athletes are having to commit to today.
It is pretty awesome spending such time to maintain fitness
I think so too and getting paid at the same time.
Indeed sports and athletes alike have and continue to evolve. It remains to be seen how much better we can become as we keep upgrading our lifestyles and developing professionalism in sports, especially the women's game
The women who have turned professional you can really see the difference as more money pours into their sports. I think over time their standards have to improve.
You can say that twenty years ago it was a romantic era in your sport. For every twenty years from every standpoint in the past :)
Ice baths as a regular practice? I didn't know that. I assumed only the weird triathletes and marathon runners do that. Good for you!
Yes, the referees need to keep fit too. Again, good for you and kudos too.
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The ice baths only came in to my sport around 1993 and honestly hated them at first but realised the difference they made in recovery. Even sports like cricket use them as well so I expect every team sport does by now. Thanks for dropping by as comments are highly appreciated.
From an Australian perspective, it is amazing just how far cricket players requirements have changed in even the last 10 years. Beer used to be more common than water, and now it is a far stricter environment. For only 90% of the time of course.
Funny you say that as I also played cricket back in those days and these guys drank more than any other team sport I have been involved with. The guys used to arrive at the ground if they hadn't slept over in the changing rooms with bloodshot eyes reeking like a brewery. The whole weekend was consumed by beer and the amount of water everyone drank during the day as you were sweating out last nights beer. Things changed dramatically and possibly for the better not that performances have improved that much. Herschel Gibbs was an alcoholic and he did alright.
As the rock famously said - "I trained every day, six hours a day, for 20 years" Athletes today are most certainly a far cry from when I was growing up.
Yes things have changed and if you were a paid athlete I think it is so different as 6 hours is not that hard if you are doing 3 for free and having to work a normal job. I think I would have welcomed this lifestyle.
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Its looking for those extra 1-2% in regards performance that has lead to these trends and developments.
When you look at the Premier League probably the side that most epitomises this sea change in thinking is Arsenal who went almost overnight from a club that had a reputation for the players enjoying a drink to one where fitness and diet were taken very seriously after they appointed Wenger as coach.
must be terrible getting someone who is so hands on looking at everything you eat and drink. I know clubs had players eating meals at the clubs during the day and the pie and mash would have been replaced with carbs.
Ice bath? The sound of it gives me goosebumps already.
But I really do not know how that helps a sportsman. I guess I'll read that up and get myself acquainted.
Indeed, time and technology have changed the operation and routine of things in the sporting world. We hope to see new trends as professionalism increases.
Wow! If you were consistent in this part of cardio-exercise, then its not just the stamina that you got, but you drove away diseases like,high bp, hypertension, chances of cardiac arrest and many more.
Yeah,its true that today’s training sesson evolved, what we have used to see over the years, but nowadays technology has taken the spot and more of what is, new blocks and wrap ups available for fitness training.
It depends on, if you are a ff(fitness freak) or not.But it looked to me,who runs 15 kilo is,"more than a freak", ha ha... :)
Great benefits from an injury perspective, get that blood flowing to the extremities and aid quicker recovery. I recently got in the habit of a cold shower for 60 to 90 seconds in the morning before my norma shower. I actually enjoy it now that it's part of my routine.
Absolutely bonkers hitting the cold shower first lol. I only have cold showers if someone flushes the toilet in the other bathroom as you have to turn the hot off immediately unless you want to lose a layer of skin. In the army that is all we had and in winter time it was brutal.
It's a funny one actually, I'd have thought the same, but I actually kind of like it now! 😅🥶
The ice bath sounds badass lol but eventually people will get used to it I guess so lol
The changes in the sport come along with the changes that society has gone through. Certainly there are more people training so there is more investment, different ways of dressing and behaving but at the end of the day we still have the same metabolism you know. Many times the big brands want to throw their products at us that divert us from the real purpose which is to be in shape. With great certainty I can tell you that a push up is a push up today or 20 years ago.
Definitely investment has made change possible.
Indeed, a lot has changed with football and I would surely be getting involved in this.
Now, footballers have to stick to a food regimen. In fact, coaches determine sometimes what the players should be served after training sessions and after matches. It's a new sport trend which would surely take some getting used to.
Sports Trends.. I am always fascinated by how you come up with these tags and thank you for always giving us things to look forward to. Good to see the legends tag is still up in the air and I would get something doing on the new tag also. Thank you sir
I have heard that ice bath helps recovery but hahaha it messes one up mentally at the sight of it but I heard it's good.
It absolutely trips me out that rugby only became professional in 1995. I mean ... WTF!
I think as money has become a bigger part of sports, the requirement for professionalism increases. Darts is probably the only thing I can think of now where sports, beer and anarchy actually works well.