TOM’S TRAINING DAYS

Hardworking Cat looks to get head start on the competition over break

GEELONG forward Tom Atkins believes the forced break looms as a chance for savvy players to get a jump on their opposition.

With Cats players sweating through individual fitness programs during the COVID-19 shutdown, Atkins is treating the period before Round 2 as effectively a second pre-season.

Key parts of Geelong’s training program includes four 7km running sessions a week, weights programs and body weight activities that can be performed at home.

Atkins said it presented a chance for players to take charge of their own fitness and raise the bar to an even higher level.

Having impressed in 23 games for the Cats as a small forward in 2019, Atkins built up his endurance over the summer to push for a midfield spot.

He said he would treat the prescribed running program for Cats players as a chance to add to that base.

“If I approach the next couple of months as just trying to hold onto that fitness, I could see myself slacking off a bit, so it’s a good mentality to have if I almost try and get fitter,” Atkins said.

“I reckon a lot of the playing group will have that mentality.

“They will see this as an opportunity to get fitter and even elevate further because there is a chance that other players at other clubs could come back in worse shape.”

Having joined the club last season off the VFL list after previously playing locally with St Joseph’s, Atkins, 24, is used to doing fitness work on his own.

Having cleaned out his locker at Geelong last Monday, he said he had not yet struggled without the rigid routine of professional football.

“I’ve always loved the off time,” he said. “I love running my own program and picking out what time you are going to do your stuff and obviously you have a bit of free time to tick it off.

“But I do miss training with the boys and being around the group. Definitely in that aspect it’s a bit harder, but I have always enjoyed running my own program and it is nice to go at your own pace in terms of the structure of your day.

“There are definitely other blokes in the program who would struggle doing it by themselves and you could definitely argue maybe the younger players would struggle by themselves, but this is sort of my seventh (senior) pre-season so I’ve learnt what to do by myself to keep fit.”