Article in Telegraph

My following article was published in the telegraph. You can also read the online version here.

Getting sporty

Athletic drills used initially for training sportsmen have been re-designed for non-athletes, says Susmita Saha

(From top) Kiran Sawhney does vertical jump training using 12-inch mini hurdles, Pic by Jagan Negi; Ranadeep Moitra performs the lateral hurdle jumps ; Pic by Pabitra Das Ranadeep Moitra, Calcutta-based fitness ace has a word of advice for New Age fitness geeks: Be a sport. According to Moitra, who also coaches sport stars from various disciplines like hockey, cricket, football, tennis, rugby and even golf, athletic drills — the ones followed by sportsmen and women — are the best way to get rid of those love handles and tone up your entire body through a battery of exercises. “There’s no routine which promises to take care of all your workout hassles, except this one,” he points out. Athletic drills, as Leena Mogre, director, Leena Mogre’s Fitness, Mumbai explains, are actually a clutch of exercises originally meant for training athletes that have now been adapted for non-athletes. “They do a world of good to your toning regimen, while improving on your speed, power, agility and reaction time,”she says. Agrees Moitra: “This is an integrated training system and works on your entire body instead of isolated drills.” For those who came in late, athletic drills begin with a dynamic warm-up regimen which mobilises all the joints of the body and hikes up your body temperature as well. Weight training is the next step forward, using both your own body weight as well as free weights and it’s followed by plyometrics (exercises that speed up muscular contractions improving sporting performances). Endurance training is third in line where you try out a host of sporting activities like running, swimming or skipping and turn in for the day with a flexibility regimen consisting of regular kicks and jumps with a bit of stretches thrown in for good measure. Most fitness gurus use a variation of this format for their athletic drill programmes. Kiran Sawhney, owner of Delhi’s swank gym Fitnesolution, uses a combination of the backward hopscotch drill on the ladder (going backwards on a hopscotch ladder), obstacle athletic drills and plyometrics. “This is a slew of drills that improve speed, balance and body control,” she says. “Athletic drills are best done outdoors. We try doing some of the routines on an Olympic track that’s constructed outside the gym area under the expert guidance of trained professionals,” says Mogre. But there’s hope for fitness geeks who do their workouts indoors. “We try and replicate most drills in an enclosed area for lack of space,” says Preetom Mukherjee Roy, Calcutta-based fitness expert. Roy goes on to add that gym equipment is given a complete miss in this workout discipline even if the gym studio space is utilised. “We go for drills using very basic equipment. The idea is to use your own body weight rather than relying on advanced gym machinery,” explains Roy. These include cones, torso rollers (a contraption consisting of a wheel with handles), Swiss balls and core boards (a balance board with an uneven bottom surface) that helps in coordination training and go a long way to strengthening the core muscles, primarily the abdominal ones. Mogre too suggests using elementary fitness props like hurdles, cones, ground ladders and resistance running tubes. (Above) An athletic workout trainer from Leena Mogre’s Fitness uses the ladder for improving agility and body coordination;(top) Mickey Mehta uses the stepper to simulate obstacle training as a part of the athletic drill routine; Pix by Gajanan Dudhalkar Needless to say, this workout regime lasts for anything between 45 minutes and one hour and its divided into three levels namely beginner, intermediate and advance depending on the fitness quotient of the practitioner. “It’s great if people opting for this exercise drill are active and possess a fundamental fitness level. But even amateurs are welcome though their training period will be longer until the person becomes conditioned or acquires the basic fitness level,” says Mumbai-based fitness pro Mickey Mehta. Most workout instructors believe that athletic drills benefit practitioners hugely if started early. “We even have a special programme earmarked for kids,” says Mogre. Moitra goes one further by suggesting that this particular fitness routine should be started at the age of 12 to reap maximum benefits. “And there’s no upper limit,” he hastens to add. “You are as fit as your mind is,” he proclaims. Roy though is cautious and indicates that people should restrict the routine once they cross their forties. “I would advise other coordination drills for the elderly but not this one specifically,” he says. However, everyone has a cautionary stance about people suffering from cardiovascular, metabolic diseases or serious knee and back problems. “This is the group which should stay clear of such vigorous drills,” says Moitra. Barring a selected few who lack the exacting fitness demands of this routine, there are droves of workout enthusiasts who swear by the overwhelming rewards of this regimen. “Athletic drills combine a variety of exercises addressing every body part. Hence there are multiple benefits like weight loss though not spot reduction, toning, shaping up lower part of the body as well as endurance training,” points out Mogre. It is apparent that the ultimate aim of athletic drills is to build sporting acumen. But with rewards like a fit, agile and well-coordinated body, everyone’s game for a change.