Evaluate your sporting niche
Nobody likes to be told they can’t do something, especially if they are hooked on a sport or fitness activity like cycling, running, rowing or mountain biking. The fact that we have our freedom back to some degree and can move “safely with social distancing in mind” has fitness enthusiasts bubbling with excitement to do their 5km loop. It might not seem much, but this lockdown has been very hard on people and families and the 5km is welcomed with open arms.
Personal morale is down, confidence levels are down, uncertainty about the future is high and depression is also right up there. That is why it is important to start building your new lives 5km’s at a time or in small strides to use the analogy. Exercise and sport bring happiness to many, but we could all do with a little more happiness in our lives and that can start by looking at yourself in the mirror. More than likely your body has taken a beating with the lack of normal routine and exercise, so you are not looking as sexy as you normally do. You can change that however by taking action.
People are built in three categories: endo, meso and ectomorphs. In plain English, that means small, medium or large frames. Sports and certain activity favour a certain body type. If you are a tiny cyclist, more than likely rugby will not be your thing since a small tackle will probably snap you in half.
But put a prop on a mountain bike and ask him to enter the Cape Epic and more than likely he won’t be able to get up the first hill. Body types are important in selecting sports and activity to spend your time and passion on.
There is not an active person alive that doesn’t train on some level to look better, feel better and want to show off a little sexiness and confidence. The unfortunate part is that not all sports will build you for performance, functionality and the bonus physical looks.
When you look at the physiques of top cyclists, there is a common pattern. They tend to be bottom heavy with big thighs and sometimes big calves, but the upper body often looks like an adolescent teen still trying to develop. That is simply because they seldom do functional or strength training and their monthly cycle distance is validation enough, they work out hard, and correctly.
Body builders think they look good but 90% of the population don’t think that is sexy and most definitely not built for functionality.
Rugby players in certain position tend to have more balanced bodies. Triathletes are very lean and body-to-weight ratio strong because of the vast distance their sport demands, but have better balanced bodies because of the full body disciplines their sport requires during swimming, cycling and running.
In our DNA we are built to be efficient and lean from a primal and survival point of view. The sports we chose helped mould us to cope with the demands of the sport. If a rugby-prone frame decides to take up football, then more than likely injury will result because football requires you to make directional changes at high pace while controlling a ball. The mass of a rugby player works against him in sports where your central mass is constantly changing.
When selecting a sport or activity, look at the body-type best suited to your frame and work towards your balanced goals. The second lesson is just because everyone is sitting on a bike for 350km it doesn’t mean you need to follow the herd and do the same. Take lessons from other sports and add a variety of strength, agility, speed and conditioning that work to shape and add value to your sport from a functional point of view. When I say functional, I mean life doesn’t revolve around sitting on a bike and there are other components which could mean daily routines like carrying your kids to bed, wrestling with your son or some hard labour around the house.
Early warning signs that you might need a functional makeover is when your four-year-old son pins you down way too many times and asks you to shout out “mercy”. Then it is time to re-evaluated your life and how you are training.