It’s that time of year again, the time where you shake off the cobwebs of what was likely a pretty silly off season and get back onto the field. It’s the time where you recondition yourself to the relentless nature of what is one of the world’s toughest sports. It’s the time where you get out and train multiple times a week to make yourself fit for the 2024 footy season.
But what is the best way to get ready for the year ahead? How can you switch the summer beer belly for a footy-fit rig that will carry you through four quarters like it was (almost) nothing?
Well, here are our top tips for getting yourself fit for the footy year to come:
- Work your agility
Alright, it’s time to get down to your nearest football store, grab some training gear and get down to the park, because you’ve got to start with your agility. This is because agility is one of the first things that goes out the window after you’ve had a couple of months of parties, barbies, beers and daytime cricket. If you find yourself feeling a little sluggish when you get back to training it’s likely because your agility has taken a turn for the worse in the off season.
Unfortunately, agility is one of the most important fitness attributes in the great Aussie game, so it’s something you can’t overlook if you want to excel your game in 2024.
So, the best way to work on your agility is to do the following:
- Lateral plyometric jumps: Using a training ladder, hop two spots on one foot going to the side. After the second hop you hop back one spot before continuing on until you finish the course.
- Knee high forward running: You can use a simple speed later to provide resistance and further strengthen your agility. It is pretty self-explanatory – you simply run forward lifting your knees as you go.
- Side-to-side lateral running: Once again using your training ladder, you simply run side to side until you finish the course and return. You can do this as many times as you want and it’s a great way to build explosive power.
- Work your strength
If you’re anything like us and you let Christmas cake take the place of whatever muscle you built up during the season then you will probably want to regain that all-important muscle. After all, it’s imperative for holding your own against strong bumps and tackles whilst being able to lay them yourself with great success.
You might already have your own stellar weights program that works every year, but if not here are a few tips to get you started:
- Weights: Well, obviously. Depending on your age and size it is important to do your own research into where you should start, but varying workouts using dumbbells is good for beginners. After that you can get on to the barbells.
- Resistance bands: Some people may view resistance bands like weights’ elastic little sibling, but they too are a fantastic way to build strength, size and muscle function. What’s more, they can be easily connected in the home for a quick and effective fitness.
- Return to your diet
It can be hard to return to your diet after what was obviously a much more enjoyable summer of eating. The baked hams, cakes, puds and pies might have to take the backseat for a while (sorry to say) but as we all know by now eating healthy can also easily mean eating deliciously. It’s also a fun way to experiment with creative new tastes that whilst helping getting your rig match fit will bring the flavour sensations, too!
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