Coronavirus lockdown: Former Team India trainer can be your fitness coach

As gyms are shut, we need to think out of the box to evaluate our current fitness levels using what is available from pillows, books to water-filled buckets.

Published : Apr 08, 2020 19:35 IST

The apps can give you feedback on various parameters like calories burnt, number of steps taken, workload management and distance covered.
The apps can give you feedback on various parameters like calories burnt, number of steps taken, workload management and distance covered.
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The apps can give you feedback on various parameters like calories burnt, number of steps taken, workload management and distance covered.

In the world of sport, technology has played a huge part in tracking fitness and devising cutting-edge equipment. We are going to look at how it can help you keep up the level of fitness in the time of the coronavirus lockdown.

Smart watches and fitness apps

Science has grown so much that most people use smart phones,  smart watches and shoes with a micro chip. There are numerous fitness apps for your convenience.

Choose the app which is pertinent to your goals and needs. The apps can give you feedback on various parameters like calories burnt, number of steps taken, workload management, distance covered, number of reps, RPE, timers and many more.

They also support live video conferencing with the personal trainers, physios, coaches and other experts. It enables each athlete to work on the specifics for skill and fitness.

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The information collected can be stored in the computer or cloud for all-time access. Daily workout tracker on all aspects of fitness can be modified based on individual needs. Target nudges, sleep patterns, performance scale of 1 to 10 and customised programs can be activated.

Specialised wearables offer even more advance data collection during the physical activity like global positioning, balance, torque, acceleration, deceleration, force, power, body chemistry, sweat analysis and live muscle fatigue percentage for each muscle groups.

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Strength calculators are also available through specialised algorithms to calibrate the total weight lifted or 1RM calculations and more.

Specialised workout log to track not only fitness but also well being from emotional levels to sleep patterns. There are various questions along with answers available to be filled. This way, an athlete is aware of what needs to be looked into on a daily basis.

There are many advanced tools available in the market for elite and top end athletes which comes with a huge cost due to their R&D in inferring precise data collection.
 

Ramji-Srinivasan-fitness-centrejpg
Ramji Srinivasan in action at his fitness centre in Chennai.
 

As the gyms are shut, we need to think out of the box to evaluate our current fitness levels. So using what is available from pillows, books, water-filled buckets or cans etc can be used as a resistance tool to do strength/circuits/hybrid or balance and stability work.

Diet regime app has many functions, including designing your diet according to your calorie burn to body fat per cent goals.

 

The interactive applications available on web or on a smart phone will help in assessing fitness, injury prevention, postural assessment, diet regimes, recovery and planning. One has to choose the right app.

Learn new regimes

Learning a new type of regime like yoga/pilates/gyro tonic/gyro kinesis/meditation/taichi and more can prevent boredom and also enhance the desired skill components in their respective fields. It’s been proven that cross-training enhances performance and injury prevention. Variety is the spice of life. Each one can design a program according to their requirements for the day. It will help the brain to think differently.

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Pilates or gyro tonic are all based on the principle of yoga. It helps develop top level balance, stability, breathing, centering techniques, bracing techniques, wrapping techniques and also functional pattern for each sport.

Yoga is a proven tool for top sports personalities to develop the connect between mental and physical preparedness. Yoga has to be seen holistically as a great tool for performance.

Body weight exercises are good but have a tendency to plateau after a while, one can work on isometric exercise regime for various joints..

Webinar and podcast for mental conditioning

This is the right time to work on various aspects on mental conditioning. Listen to experts and follow a process to boost mental strength.

Loads of new gadgets can be applied like neuro tracker or EEG, neurocom etc to get biofeedback and neuro feedback data. Brain wave function can infer huge amount of data on an athletes mental makeup during various situations. With a qualified sports psychologist, one can decipher the information; each athlete can be mapped accordingly into a certain domain.

Video conferences

Motivational speakers can also play a part in keeping the athletes on track via video conferences.

Virtual Reality

Playing a game during this time is next to impossible, perfect practice makes you perfect player. Virtual Reality (VR) is an option to simulate real-time conditions to train and collect data. It helps in better strategic planning. It also improves technique and increases patience.

VR is catching up fast as a relaxation tool for sportspersons.

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