Yay! Another fitness Thursday is upon us! And as an added bonus, for the first time, the weather isn’t all that terrible. That should be the perfect motivator for this week’s session which will focus on the all important topic of power.
For squash players, power is an integral part of the movement. It is vital that we are able to be explosive from a standing start in order to be able to move to the ball efficiently and get ourselves prepared to swing early. The other reason is direction change. All players - amateurs and pros - will often initially move in the wrong direction when trying to read our opponents and being able to stop that early momentum and adjust is a valuable tool to possess.
Stu takes you through a session of plyometrics which involves power jumping, power push-ups and explosive bounding. Apart from not needing much (or any) equipment to perform, the advantages of building up this type of fitness are numerous. They burn a considerable amount of calories as it utilizes major muscle groups and that can also assist in weight loss. It increases muscle strength and explosive power, which in turn will improve your speed - especially off the ’T’.
You do need to be careful, however. The nature of the exercises can cause considerable stress on the joints so it is crucial to slowly build up and start with lighter exercises and a lower volume in order to decrease the possibility of injury and it is very important that you warm up thoroughly before you start. You should have a decent foundation of fitness before jumping into plyometrics too rigorously.
