In addition, a good diet is essential for maintaining a high level of performance. It should include enough carbohydrates to maintain endurance and protein to support muscle recovery.
Speed and Power
Cricketers have to stay fit and focused to play the game. They have to train twice a week if not more, and they have a busy schedule that requires them to eat healthy and get enough rest.
Speed and power can help cricketers stay fit and focused, especially when the game is fast-paced. For example, speed can improve acceleration and agility, allowing them to run between the wickets or take quick singles in the field.
Power can be developed in many ways, from improving batting and bowling to reducing injuries. Stronger legs can improve ball speed, and stronger shoulder and wrist muscles can help spinners impart more spin to the ball.
Strength training can also enhance the elasticity of muscle tissue, which helps cricketers to bounce back after injuries and perform at peak levels. However, it is important to note that muscle development should be a high-repetition, low-weight training method.
Functional Training
Cricketers need to train their hearts to pump blood quickly and efficiently. Without this, they wouldn't have enough oxygen and nutrients to keep their bodies functioning properly.
Aside from strengthening your heart, cardiovascular training also helps build your endurance. These workouts will help you cope with the long hours of standing that you need to complete in order to perform your duties.
Functional training, on the other hand, focuses on compound exercises which recruit multiple muscles and joints together. Squats, for example, engage your glutes and quads along with your hamstrings, calves, and erector spinae muscles.
This type of training is a great fit for cricketers because it mimics their movements and demands on the field. It also helps improve balance and coordination, two of the key aspects of fitness that cricketers need to possess.
Endurance
Cricket matches last for hours, sometimes days, and players have to maintain their performance levels throughout the game. This requires excellent endurance, agility and strength.
Endurance training develops energy production systems to meet the demands of long events, such as batting and bowling. The aerobic energy system supplies most of the energy requirements during these types of activities, so it’s essential to devote a proportion of your training time to developing this system.
While aerobic endurance is the most important system, anaerobic energy systems also play a vital role in sports such as cricket. A sound basis of anaerobic conditioning is required for success in many endurance events, and it’s common for endurance athletes to devote between 80-90% of their training time to developing this system.
Avoiding CNS Fatigue
When cricketers work out too hard or don’t give their bodies enough rest and recovery time, they run the risk of CNS fatigue. This condition causes motor neurons in the brain and spinal cord to stop sending signals to the muscles.
When this happens, they can’t complete a movement correctly or effectively. This can cause injuries to the brain and body.
To avoid CNS fatigue, cricketers should follow a fitness routine that includes speed and power, functional training, endurance, and bowling with the whole body. They also should focus on proper sleep hygiene and eat a healthy diet to boost their performance on the field.
Bowling with the Whole Body
Bowling is a great way to get a healthy dose of cardio, as well as strength training for the upper body. The repetitive swinging of the bowling ball and releasing it 20 times in a game will tone your hands, wrists, arms, chest and shoulder muscles.
Bowlers need to be strong and flexible to perform their sport correctly. They have to bend their knees and shoulders in a way that prevents lower back strains and injury.
Fast bowlers also need to strengthen their shoulders and chest to help them generate power as they swing the ball. This can be done through a variety of different strength training exercises, including a chest press.
