Imagine 30 guys having to do exercise to music behind two girls calling the shots lol. The comments stopped after about 20 minutes as the guys realised how hard this was going to be. Muscles that had never been used were now under strain.
The other day a new tag #sportstrends was added to #sportinglegends and thought I had better be the first one to use this as I introduced it lol.
Sporting trends are a bit like fashion as they do change with the times whether that is good or bad for the sport. In sport we have seen professionalism take over as sportsmen and women are more athletic compared to 20 years ago. Diets and training methods have changed drastically as sports are taken far more seriously. The amount of money that has flowed into the various games has made it easier to perform at higher levels.
When I trained for rugby we had aerobics introduced in 1990 which seemed odd at the time as none of us were used to prancing about in front of two women dressed in leotards. I don't know if it did any good as this was only used for warm ups. Many of the guys started off bitching but soon kept quiet as they knew this was serious stuff. Warm downs were also introduced which makes sense now, but not after you are knackered after having played a match. I could barely walk as your muscles seize up due to lactic acid and is the very reason for this. I used to hobble around for days on end until the next training session and this did make a difference. Simple science was being used to help not only keep you in better shape, but also injury free.
An ice bath is something you just get used to even though your brain is telling you a big NO.
We used to finish playing a match then have a few beers and have a shower before going to the club house for food and more drinks. The players now finish playing then warm down and have an ice bath before showering and getting dressed. This is the difference from how an amateur sport became far more serious within a very short time frame. I wish it was introduced far sooner as it had serious benefits.
Dietary needs or what we consumed never made the radar as too be honest if it was food we ate it. When you are training as much as we did in those days you couldn't consume enough as you were burning all the calories.
We never had weigh ins back then but know shortly afterwards this was introduced as monitoring not only your heart rate etc but weight was a key part of your fitness tracking. I suppose if you are earning a decent salary then it is only right the attitude has to change along with your lifestyle.
When I took up refereeing after I had finished playing I could see the difference of what was now expected. Having qualified as a referee I was luckily enough to be at a young enough age to still be active and had to keep myself fit. Referees were only taken seriously up to the age of 40 as you had to basically make the grade before that tipping point. Anyone over 40 was welcome, but for the lower grade games.
Fitness tests were something that happened regularly and in many ways you are actually fitter than the players as you have to run further than them during a match. Running 15km every evening was just something I did automatically and did little to no gym work. Everything was for stamina and speed as keeping up with play is that important. Truthfully I had no time to do weights and stuck to the road running.
Professionalism has taken sport to new levels over the last 20 years and most likely these methods will still be tweaked. Technology along with data gathered will find the best training methods for various sports. Certain football clubs changed training routines as players were succumbing to certain injuries. Sport training will be different for most sports as it is not just fitness but certain muscle groups having to be targeted.
Thinking back the differences to what we did compared to now one would have to be professional as the time required to maintain ones fitness is a full time job on it's own. The 3 hours a day wouldn't cut it today and anywhere between 5 and 6 hours is what these top athletes are having to commit to today.
