Guide to eating before competing

competition eating

“When should I eat before a competition?”

is one of the questions we are asked most often, followed by “What should I eat before matches?” Pre- competition nutrition is a vital part of any athlete’s preparation. Maximising available energy and properly hydrating are necessary to ensure that you perform at your best.

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Shoulder pain- how to get it better

In response to Tommy’s question about persistent shoulder pain.
If you have shoulder pain, then there are a few things you need to do:

Diagnosis- what is actually wrong with it? Going to the GP and being told to rest and given some anti inflammatories may work in the immediate future, but not necessarily in the long term.

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Why PE should be more WE than ME

“Children need to express themselves as individuals” So goes modern thought as we create a generation of self-centred, narcisstic kids who are unable to cope with failure when it happens. In the U,K. there is a perceived crisis in our society and politicians are calling it “Strivers versus Skivers“. (I wrote about discipline versus liberty last week).…

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Getting my gymnasts stronger

structural integrity

Understanding Strength for Gymnastics

how to be as strong as a gymnastOver the past few sessions I have been going through the strength section of James’s Athletic Development Manual with him. We went through strength and velocity and how a high velocity exercise means the strength aspect could be low, and vice versa.

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How can a gymnast maintain a healthy weight?

Take Nastia Liukin and Beth Tweddle. Both very different body shapes but both have won Olympic titles! Still, young female gymnasts don’t live in a vacuum and society itself places immense pressure on the female body image.

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Speed and Power Training for Gymnasts

speed and power training for gymnasts

How to get faster for gymnastics

gymnastic speedI presented two workshops last month at a conference for gymnastics coaches: speed training and plyometrics myths.

The coaches ranged in age, experience and their gymnastic discipline.

There is no one size fits all approach to gymnastics, so I tried to cover the underlying principles first so that the coaches could then apply it in their own context.

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68 Lessons from the garage of pain

“Challenge Assumptions”

garage of painI have been reviewing things I have learnt working with athletes and coaches over the last 12 months. In no particular order and with some brevity:

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