The new Aussie rules season is fast-approaching and players across the country and its leagues are gearing up for a gruelling year ahead. Naturally, the more work you put into pre-season training, the more likely you are to optimise your performance.
Therefore, it’s imperative that you start training on various aspects of your game before the season starts, one of which is endurance. Players need a high level of endurance to ensure they can withstand the rough and tumble 80-odd minutes that is an Aussie rules encounter.
So, with this in mind, here are five imperative tips for building your endurance to ensure that your game is at elite level come the first game’s opening bounce:
1. Establish your base fitness
Head to the Collingwood, Geelong or Adelaide Crows shop and get your best footy merch, as we are going to work towards establishing base fitness. Because, after all, you might have taken it pretty easy during the off-season, especially as it’s summer and that often entails lots of kicking back and hanging with friends.
Therefore, before you get into the heavier stuff, it’s important that you build an aerobic base that will allow you to move towards harder workouts in the leadup to the first match. So, choose your favourite aerobic exercise, whether it be cycling, jogging, swimming or something else, they will all go a long way to establishing your base fitness for the year ahead!
2. Practice HIIT
HIIT (high-intensity interval training) is one of the best things you can do for your body regardless of whether you play Aussie rules or not. But, in the case of Aussie rules, it is one of the best ways to build pre-season endurance as you will acclimatise yourself to the game’s occasional stop–start manner.
Through HIIT workouts like burpees, sprints, star jumps and more, you will be conditioning your body to prepare for the very nature of an Aussie rules game and this will set you apart from your competition.
3. Simulate game scenarios
You will likely take part in match simulations in your team’s pre-season training. Not only will these simulations help you get your skills back on-point, but they will also help build your endurance for when you head onto the field for the first time and beyond.
Because, after all, Aussie rules entails a special type of endurance, and one that entails skills, athleticism, strength and stamina, and so your body has to be conditioned for a tough matchup before the season actually starts.
4. Muscle work
The stronger your muscles, the more you will be able to keep moving efficiently throughout a match, so be sure to start working your muscles a few weeks before the opening bounce. Through essential muscular workouts like arm curls, bench presses, deadlifts, leg presses, lunges, squats and more, you will be able to optimise your endurance where other players may fall at the wayside.
5. Prioritise rest & nutrition
If you really want to take your individual game seriously then you have to prioritise rest and nutrition. After all, a huge part of ensuring your body and mind are match fit is through getting the rest and nutrition they need to be optimised for gameday.
So, be sure to get plenty of rest between heavy sports workouts and eat healthy, nutritious foods that will complement all that hard work you are putting into your pre-season endurance optimise training!
