One fast, simple way to improve your cricket stamina | Cricket coaching, fitness and tips

One fast, simple way to improve your cricket stamina

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Everyone who has played cricket has felt that 'heavy leg' feeling.

You want to keep going, but the body just doesn't give you the same after a long innings, bowling spell or session in the field.

While no one can stave off the feeling forever, there is a really simple way to get more stamina.

And it doesn't require you to spend hours in the gym staring at a screen as you run on a treadmill like a rat in a science experiment.

But be warned: While it's fast and simple it certainly isn't easy.

The method

This method is based on the well-established idea that cricket is a stop-start game so your training needs to be stop-start too.

But, you need to cram in more work in less time because you can't reflect bowling a 10 over spell of batting for an hour very easily.

It can be done at home or in the gym, with a barbell, dumbbell or anything that you can hold and lift up that has weight (small children perhaps not recommended)

So, you pick an exercise from:

Pick a relatively light weight (if you know it, about 30% of your 1RM) and perform 10 reps.

Rest for 30 seconds.
 
Repeat for 5 sets.
 
Sounds pretty easy, right?
 
It isn't.

The first set is OK. The second is hard. The third is a struggle. The forth is pain and the fifth is suffering.

With such a short rest time, your muscles won't have time to recover from the last set, making each one harder until each rep is like you are suddenly 80 years old. Or 8 years old. Except people of those ages won't curse as much as you.

The beauty is the simplicity.

You can do the movements anywhere, even after a heavy lifting session in the gym or training session at the cricket club.

In can be done during the season to bump up your stamina if you are not playing much, or in the off season as part of a fat loss or conditioning plan.

The only hard part is actually doing it.

But if you do you will feel the effects on the park with increased stamina and work capacity. And who doesn't want to be a bit fitter?

For more conditioning and fitness tips enrol on the online coaching course: Strength and Conditioning for Cricket at all Levels by county strength coach Rob Ahmun.

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Comments

good article. Can this method also be followed for doing body weight exercises like press ups & chin ups?

It's not so easy with those because you have less control of the weight. For example if you can do 30 press ups, doing sets of 10 probably isn't going to be very good. Chin ups would probably be the opposite. Not many people can do 5 sets of 10, especially with such little rest.

I often see recommendations for the number of sets at 3 on this website. Does doing 5 conflict with that a bit? Both low reps of course so I guess any conflict won't be massive, but which is 'best'? Is the advice on this particular page perhaps more for those playing in long i.e. all day innings?

nice tips i ll follow