Tactics to battle rising mercury
From isotonic drinks and proteinrich diet to a solid postmatch recovery routine, players use diverse methods during summer matches
NEWDELHI: Gil Water — these two words come up a number of times in Andre Agassi’s autobiography, Open. The magic potion, according to the eighttime Grand Slam winner, kept him going in sapping conditions.
The composition of the hydrating drink prepared by his trainer Gil Reyes was, however, kept a ‘closely guarded secret’ even from the person who was having it. Reyes’s methods offer an insight into the length athletes, trainers and sports scientists often go to push the body towards optimum performance. It is the same with the ever-evolving ways to counter the effects of heat and dehydration.
METHODS TO COUNTER
Acclimatisation is the basic and most trusted method for athletes to reduce chances of exhaustion. During the 2018 FIFA World Cup, most teams arrived in Russia two weeks prior to the tournament while some trained in similar weather conditions to prepare.
Top tennis players such as Roger Federer are known to rent a house during Grand Slams where they live with family and the rest of the entourage. According to several studies, athletes may require six to 10 days to achieve optimum adaptation and aerobic performance in hot conditions.
CHECK DEHYDRATION
“Athlete should train at least one week but ideally two weeks under conditions that expose them to a comparable degree of heat stress in terms of temperature and humidity,” said Sachin Yadav, sports ortho-surgeon at Abhinav Bindra’s Targeting Performance Centre.
“Training should last around 90 minutes daily to increase core body and skin temperatures to stimulate sweating and elevate skin blood flow. Athletes should start exercising in a euhydrated state (normal state of water content in the body) and continuously replenish fluid losses so that dehydration doesn’t exceed 1% to 2% of pre-exercise body mass during prolonged exercise,” Yadav added.
Isotonic drinks have become popular WAYNE LOMBARD, SCIENTIFIC ADVISOR TO INDIA WOMEN’S HOCKEY TEAM AND SRIKANT IYENGAR, FORMER PHYSIO OF THE MEN’S TEAM
Pregame preparation
Focus is on recovery between matches. Minimal gym compared to out-of-competition training. Basic short duration high intensity effort (off feet – like on a stationary bike), pre-match primer sessions.
Diet
Each player has a nutrition plan specific to their needs.
Average weight & mineral loss
A player can lose up to 2 litres of fluid in sweat during games played in moderate temperatures. In hot weather, the loss is nearly 3 litres or more depending on the sweat rate of a particular player.
Fluid intake
Sport drinks with 14 to 19 grams of carbohydrate and 110 to 165 milligrams of sodium per 250 ml are preferable. The sodium helps encourage a player to drink enough fluid.
Rehabilitation
Keeping core temperature regulated with cold towels and ensuring adequate hydration are important. A recovery points system is implemented for every player. Through this method, players get a wide range of important recovery modalities (nutrition, recovery boots, ice baths, hydrotherapy, massage, etc). among athletes to hydrate the body especially in endurance sports. Sports nutritionists also suggest a protein-rich diet along with fruits such as watermelon to keep the body hydrated and nutritioned before their match.
POST-MATCH RECOVERY
Post match, apart from hydrotherapy such as ice baths, cryo-chambers are used widely in modern sport. In place of water, the body (either whole or partial) is exposed to extremely cold dry air for three minutes.
“When a body is exposed to low temperatures, it goes in a state of shock. Whatever excessive oxygenated blood is lying around the visceral organs is diverted to areas which need recovery. This method is widely used by tennis or badminton players who have less time to recover,” said Digpal Ranawat, performance director of Abhinav Bindra Targeting Performance Centre.
SPECIALISED SPORTSWEAR
Specialised sportswear also plays a big role in fast cooling of the body. Most top brands now use fabric that absorbs sweat from the body and increases the ventilation through strategically placed mesh panels in areas producing maximum heat.
Cooling vests worn by the Australian cricket team during their 2001 Indian tour are also popular across sport.
“One of the big things that we look at very closely is what clothing the cricketers are wearing. I sit with the manufacturers of our clothing a couple of months before the Indian Premier League and ensure we’re getting clothing that is designed with a wicking capability which removes sweat from the surface of the body efficiently.
“It helps the players to sweat and be efficient with the sweat process because that’s the body’s cooling mechanism,” said John Gloster, ex-physio of the India cricket team who is currently with Rajasthan Royals.
ORGANISATIONAL ISSUE
Human body has the power to adapt only to a certain level and organisers’ acknowledgement of the heat threat can help combat the issue.
Tweaking rules become essential in such cases. While top level football has SAGAR DIWAN, FITNESS TRAINER OF I-LEAGUE CHAMPIONS MINERVA PUNJAB
Pregame preparation
Training schedules change from individual to individual, depending on their body type and injury history. Acclimatisation is very important.
Diet
A lot of protein for recovery. Energy drinks before, during and after matches for recovery as well as to avoid dehydration.
Average weight & mineral loss
It varies from person to person and on conditions. Different body types react differently so the difference in weight/mineral loss can vary between players.
Fluid intake
Energy drinks and electrolytes — given to players to aid them in hydration and recovery. There are quite a few good products available and teams use different combinations for their players.
Rehabilitation
Passive recovery — where the athlete has to eat well, sleep well and remain stress free. Active recovery means he has to go for pool sessions, contrast bath, ice bath and light sessions so that the muscles recover well.
seen cooling breaks, the same cannot be said about the lower tiers.
In India, the I-league saw 36 of the 90 matches in the 2017-18 edition being played at 2 pm, when temperature hit the peak, especially in venues like Goa, Kozhikode and Coimbatore.
HEAT POLICY
Cricket is no better. Cricket Australia (CA) is the only body to have an extreme heat policy for all domestic competitions.
In January, the cricket committee of Marylebone Cricket Club, which still has a copyright on changes to the laws of the game, proposed that umpires should be able to halt play for heat after extreme conditions during the Ashes.
The US Open this year saw its heat policy (break between the third and fourth set) being implemented for the first time in men’s matches.
However, more concrete steps need to be taken as global warming will only be on the rise.
(with inputs from Avishek Roy, B Shrikant, Bhargab Sarmah, Bihan Sengupta, Navneet Singh, Robin Bose, Saurabh Duggal, Sharad Deep and Somshuvra Laha)
ANAND DUBEY, INDIA TEAM PHYSIO
Pregame preparation Diet
Players are tested for electrolytes in body, administered more quantities of a particular salt they are prone to lose more. If the match is early in the morning, a carb-rich meal the night before helps. If the match is late in the day, intake of protein in the morning is necessary.
Average weight & mineral loss:
About 500gm to 1 kg during a match. Energy levels maintained with bananas, chocolates and energy bars.
Fluid intake
Normal intake is around 2-3 litres, but goes up if the player sweats more.
Rehabilitation
Intake of proper fluids, rehab sessions after every practice session. JOHN GLOSTER, FORMER INDIA PHYSIO, CURRENTLY WITH RAJASTHAN ROYALS
Pregame preparation
Apart from training and recovery sessions, right clothing is given high priority. Apparel with a wicking capability which removes sweat from the surface of the body efficiently is necessary. Exposure to a particular environment is important.
Diet
All diets are set in the backdrop of blood markers to understand what players tolerate.
Average weight & mineral loss
Varies from person to person. Monitored throughout a day’s play.
Fluid intake
Each player tested with refractometer that measures the hydration status and indicates how to hydrate a player. So, most of the electrolyte drinks are customised for the individual. In majority cases, it’s just water. Electrolytes given at the beginning and the end of matches.
Rehabilitation
Massage, hydration, pool exercises, ice bath, contrast baths, recovery compression pumps (air compression pumps surrounding the limbs to help recover). AMRISH KUMAR, INDIA LONG AND MIDDLE DISTANCE COACH
Pregame preparation Diet
One week of training in similar conditions as part of acclimatisation. Coaches study various diet plans and prepare a chart. Emphasis mainly on natural food, including dry fruit and fresh juice.
Average weight & mineral loss
Athletes can lose up to 2kg, even more in some events.
JEEV MILKHA SINGH, GOLFER
Pregame preparation
Before practice or a tournament, it is essential to have at least 7-8 hours of sleep at night so that the body is relaxed to combat the heat/humidity.
Diet
Consume four bananas over 18 holes or nuts — a mixture of raisins, almonds and walnuts. If in Asia, lunch has proteins and fresh coconut water to make up for fluid loss. By the time dinner is over, at least 4000 calories should have been consumed through the day to combat the conditions.
Average weight & mineral loss
If the body isn’t hydrated enough, a golfer could lose water content in the range of a 1-1 ½ litres.
Fluid intake
Have at least half-a-litre of water mixed with amino acids and vitamin granules before starting a round. The key is to get the salt balance in the body right.
Rehabilitation
In the morning, stretching for at least 20 minutes is key to keep the body supple. If practice is required after the round, it should be quality stuff and not aimless hitting of balls in order to conserve energy. In the evening, stretching for at least 20 minutes to loosen the body and 5-10 minutes each of light weights and therabands. This is a schedule in case the player is injury free.