The Physical Block – March 2010

March has been a tough month for eight of the academy’s leading male players. They have followed a vigorous training block and given themselves an excellent physical base in preparation for the clay court season.

Every morning the players recorded their height, weight, resting heart rate, nutrition/hydration and mood score profiles to keep a track of how they were standing up to the demands of the block. Morning sessions looked to correct and develop posture and focused on increasing mobility, balance and stability across some key muscle groups. Yoga sequences, gymnastic movements, soft tissue release and various forms of stretching were all used to tackle the challenge of improving the stiffness and immobility within the group. Shoulder, trunk and hip exercises were also completed everyday to increase the stability across some key joints and increase the efficiency of the way the players used their bodies.

During the afternoons, the intensity was raised to new heights as the players were exposed to strength, endurance and movement sessions. The testosterone was always flying high in the gym where the likes of Helliar and Hazarika were pumping out some seriously deep squats accompanied by equally impressive grunts!

The group was split in two for the strength sessions, where half followed a double leg programme and half followed a single leg programme. Players were assessed on rate of force development (power), change in direction and acceleration before and after the block to gain an idea of the physical gains of each individual. They will all experience another three week block in May where they will follow the other strength programme so we can compare the effects of double vs single leg strength training for each player.

The guys found themselves completing repeated 400 metre runs on the athletics track for their endurance sessions. This was a real test of character and endurance as each player was expected to maintain a specific lap time for every run. Dan Elston provided some entertainment on lap eight when he claimed to still look sexy despite his crazy hair and bright red face!   

The movement sessions included some of Jez Greens’ foot placements, looking to develop large efficient strides accompanied by medicine balls and bungees. The players really felt the benefits of learning to move more efficiently across the court.

It is no good putting in all this hard work if the correct fuel and recovery strategies are ignored. Powerbar is the official ‘Sports Nutrition Partner’ of the TeamBath MCTA Tennis Programme and therefore the players were fortunate to have access to Powerbar products following their strength, endurance and movement sessions. The Powerbar recovery drinks proved to be very popular with the players as were the energy bars when they needed that extra boost! The players also paid a couple of visits to the ice bath to aid recovery and prevent muscle soreness!

All in all, the players have experienced what it is like to train as professionals in a building where Olympic champions and International athletes surround them. Bring on the clay……