Zimpapers Logo

Innocent Choga Fitness

We are getting into winter. Even though the temperatures are mostly warm during the day, the early mornings and late evenings are nippy. I have always enjoyed training during winter but I know most people do not enjoy winter workouts. This is the time gym membership dwindles and the number of road runners scales down but yet it should be the other way around, because we always feel warm after an exercise session.The difficult task is motivation to get up to exercise. Most of us have a chance to exercise either early in the morning or in the evening after work. Although training different times of the day has no psychologically effect, cold temperatures present a challenge even for athletes. As a result some of us will hibernate and come out when the winter is gone.

Spring is the time when those who have been working out will take out their tank tops and tights, showing off the hard winter work.

During the winter most people are likely to put on weight as we tend to eat more. This happens naturally because the body needs a lot of energy and fat to counter the cold. So we tend to store some fat which will be released as energy and buffer against the cold. This is chocolate season and those high chocolate calories are meant to warm us up.

Those who enjoy winter training will testify that energy levels are high during this period. For weight trainers it means lifting more weights which is the ultimate goal.

There is no heat exhaustion in winter, no outlay of energy to regulate heat and sadly no sweating.

There is still need to drink lots of water to maintain balanced levels of electrolytes so do not leave that bottle.

Physically active individuals also tend to get more injuries during this period because it takes a lot to warm the muscles.

For those who enjoy winter training there are certain ways of exercising we need to incorporate and there are other things we should avoid doing in order to enjoy our sessions and to come out of winter without injuries.

In cold temperatures it takes longer to warm up the muscles, our blood vessels constrict and it is difficult to contract our muscles, therefore there is need to stretch and warm up thoroughly before an exercise session.

Warming up and stretching prepares the muscles and joints for the physical activity, bringing up blood to the specific muscles to be worked. There is also need wear warm clothes and in particular to cover the head and feet as these are regarded as the body’s air conditioning units.

Stretching before a workout will also prepare the joints for the full extension of the range of motion of the muscles, thereby preventing injuries. Stretching after training will reduce the tension (stress) on the muscles and assist in winding down thereby relaxing muscles and reducing muscle soreness.

When warming up and stretching there is need to pay more attention to injury prone areas such as the hamstrings and shoulders.

Everyone who has had a hamstring injury or even cramp can testify how excruciating it is, leaving one immobile for a period. Shoulder injuries are also bad, because problems in this ball and joint socket will render one incapable of performing any upper body exercise.

In the gym warm up can be in the form of light calisthenics, running or cycling. Weight trainers should also use pyramid training. This means starting with high repetitions and low weight to warm up the muscles and progressively increasing the weight and decreasing the repetitions on following sets. Exercising opposite muscle groups at the same time can also help as it is good for muscle balance and thereby injury prevention.

For those who like outdoor exercising and jogging, avoid gulping the chilly air. Use the nose for breathing; the hairs in the nostrils and the mucous help in warming up the air we breathe and filtering the undesirables out of the air as well.

This week my guest is a long time friend and a great former footballer, Eric Aisam. We used to train with weights together at a gym called Hercules during the eighties. Eric turning 56 on the 25th this month is still very fit. He is the Director of Mbare Academy.

During his heydays Eric played for quite a number of football clubs including Rio Tinto ,Triangle, Dairiboard, Carls United (Arcadia), but he is best known for his stints at Dynamos. The first was from 1976 to 1979 then he became a Glamour Boy once again from 1986 to 1989.

I wanted to know why he trained with weights during his playing days. I thought he trained for rehabilitation, but that was not the case. He said it was a strategic move. Aisam said as an outright striker his job was to give defenders a torrid time.

Naturally defenders would want to knock him up, so he had to be strong to withstand the challenges.

Aisam did his endurance training at the ground and went to the gym for strength training.

In the gym he did a lot of squats and he said he also trained his upper body seriously. As a player of small stature he then stunned big defenders with his strength.

Aisam says he is thankful that the Lord has blessed him with good health and spared him from injuries, so he is still able to exercise. He is very sympathetic with fellow players who have not had such luck and are still suffering from injuries obtained in the field of play a long time ago.

Aisam says now he exercises for five days a week as from 5:30am to 6:30am and every Saturday he goes for a seven kilometre run.

Married to Virginia Aisam is a father to four children; Anthea (31), Richard (27), Vanessa (22) and Tanaka (10).

Aisam says warming up is very important when training especially in winter.

Aisam brought up a good point when he said slightly built individuals need more warm up than largely built individuals.

The logic is that big individuals have a lot of flesh to move so a slight movement for them is a lot of work and that produces more heat. So when they train young players they separate the two groups of small and big athletes for warm ups:

Aisam said they train two groups of young players, the under 10s and the under 17s.

He said there is serious talent among these groups of children they coach, and since they spend more time with them they do not only coach soccer but they also teach the young players Christian values and they also spend time moulding their psychological behaviour so that they can be at their best behaviour on the pitch, at school, at home, in society, wherever they are.

Aisam says they also teach them to invest in their talents and to expect challenges and be level headed when they become famous.

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.