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Innocent Choga Fitness
I play rugby at school and my coach insists that I go to the gym. I do not like weight training, I just want to play the game. Are there any other activities that can replace weight training?

The coach obviously has a good reason to encourage you to go to the gym. Perhaps he has seen great potential in you and would like to perfect your fitness. No other exercise activity will build you up or build your strength fast and maximally as weight training. Rugby players need strength, power and speed, so most of them push weights. You do not necessarily have to push very heavy weights; even high repetitions with light weights will do the trick.

The most important thing for a sportsperson is winning, so you have to make sure you are in a winning condition. It is not by accident or sheer luck that elite athletes become the best in their sporting disciplines. It takes hard work and for field athletes hard work is not what you do at the ground with the coach, for strength athletes it is not what you do in the gym, but it is what you do by yourself; the extra workouts, the good diet and the discipline.

Fitness is like insurance. The purpose of insurance is restitution; it helps you to get back to the original state if by any chance you happen to have been unfortunate to fall into a loss. Sports persons do not need to pay dollars as premiums to insure their assets, the physiques they use to perform.

Exercise workouts are the premiums they pay regularly to get fit. Do not get me wrong, like everybody else, they need insurance and medical aid to assist in the event of untimely death or with medical expenses when injured. Fitness is the insurance that assures them that they will play to the maximum of their abilities. Fitness is a buffer that will help them escape injuries where possible. Fitness provides the reassurance that they will recover fast should they get injured.

Injuries will not put them out of the game forever. They have to take their fitness seriously, engage in all kinds of exercises and not just engage in sports specific training. Serious sportspersons try to acquire as many fitness components as they can for balance and maximum benefit, even if they do not directly use them in their respective sports and as long as they do not hinder their performance.

I had the opportunity to watch a volley ball match between two secondary schools last week. One team had a majority of big powerful boys, the other had a majority of lean athletes, both teams had combined height and good technique. At the start of the game the big boys entertained the crowd.

They were energetic, intimidating, regularly pumping their chests and bellowing chants with their powerful vocal cords, but the game was tight. It stretched to extra time, and by that time the big boys were weary and quiet.

They had no endurance so they narrowly lost to the lean team. In a Universal pictures documentary on Christiano Ronaldo, it is shown that CR7 has a home gym and indoor swimming pool. In one scene he is cycling on a stationary bike that is immersed in water .

This unique exercise provides double resistance; the adjustable resistance from the bicycle and the resistance from the water .This exercise should be good for muscular endurance and strength and therefore enhance the attainment of good balance and speed. Water has soothing properties, it relaxes the muscles, so it would be great way of recovery.

There is no doubt Ronaldo is lean, muscular and fast. Last week we talked about Bruce Lee who was also lean, muscular and fast. Well, this is leading to our discussion for next week. Watch this space.

Fitness environment

What do you mean when you say that the environment plays an important part the fitness of athletes?

The environment is part of the larger fitness and health equation; it greatly influences the performance of athletes. A stressful environment, a threatening environment, an environment where there is no peace normally does not enhance performance.

An athlete that comes from a family where there is no peace at home and an athlete that has no access to a proper balanced diet will not perform to the best of their abilities.

Apart from being inconsistent in performance at times they react negatively and stubbornly to the harsh commands from a coach as that may remind them of the scenes at home.

People differ; a few are strong enough to beat the odds. Some athletes perform their hearts out to escape the unfavourable conditions at home, so the volatile situation brings out the best in some, but these are rare.

Rowdy behaviour of the audience will not enhance the performance of the athletes. Their emotional and mental fitness is negatively affected. How can they bring out their best when they are multi-tasking; performing whilst looking out for missiles?

Where there is an element of fear and uncertainty you will not see the best performances. There is need for a relaxed atmosphere for the athletes to perform to the best of their abilities. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the warriors for the win against Liberia .I hope it will act as momentum that will see them roll further.

• Email:[email protected] Innocent Choga is a six time National Bodybuilding Champion with international experience. He is studying for a science degree in Physical Education and Sport