Get in Sporting Shape!

Women tend to hit the gym or do an exercise class in order to sculpt their body and/or get fit, whereas men often do sport instead. Taking up a sport increases motivation, can fire up a new passion and is a great way to make new friends, but perhaps more importantly will create a new fitter, more shapely, leaner and better defined body in the process.

How will your chosen sport define you?

Check out any athlete in the news, and see how their body has adapted to their sport - think marathon runner Paula Radcliffe with her lean body and boyish hips, or tennis player Venus Williams with her powerful thighs and defined arms. Obviously your genetics and your current shape will play a role in how you shape up, but the activity you chose will be the main determinant.

Tennis

There are so many inspiring tennis players bodies to choose from - ranging from the stunning Anna Kournikova at the peak of her tennis career, to the powerful Williams sisters or teenager, Laura Robson. All of these women have feminine, athletic, lean yet well defined bodies that are hugely desirable. The all-round fitness required for tennis will shape a great body.

The Tennis player's body

• Strong
• Defined
• Muscular shoulders and arms
• Flat abs
• Developed thighs
• Rounded bottom
• Low to medium body fat levels (16-24%)

The Tennis player's fitness

• Good anaerobic (stop/start capacity)
• Good speed
• Great agility
• Powerful legs and arms (note need to work on non-hitting side as well)
• Reasonable level of aerobic fitness

To get involved go to: www.wintennis.com or search for a local club at the Lawn Tennis Association website: www.lta.org.uk

Hockey

Hockey might not have high profile players, but it's a game that demands speed, agility and power. Qualities that will produce, strong, toned legs and hard as rock abs! We spoke to England players Becky Duggan and Chloe Rogers about their training regime. They explained that they do a lot of weight training, involving squats, sumo squats power cleans, hang cleans, dead-lifts and chins ups. They also do a lot of jumping training, such as, hopping and box jumps, along with power combination training to make them more dynamic - these workouts combine squats with weights and box jumps.

In terms of schedules, every morning from 8 until 9 the players do circuits, which consist of core work, flexibility, hurdle drills, medicine ball, and upper back mobility. Cardio work normally involves running and sprint sessions, as well as some swimming and cycling. The players only get one rest day a week and even then that's an 'active rest' day and involves an activity such as a swim.

The Hockey player's body

• Lean
• Powerful shapely thighs and calf muscles
• Reasonable upper body development
• Flat abs
• Athletic
• Low to medium body fat levels (12-18%)

The Hockey player's fitness

• Very high anaerobic (stop/start capacity)
• Good aerobic base
• Good speed
• Good agility
• Good strength

Sample training programme for hockey

• "Shuttle" runs - mark out a 5m star shape with cones and sprint between them, running forwards, sideways and backwards, always returning to the centre. This drill develops the frequent, rapid changes of direction that hockey demands. Do: 3 x 30 sec. with 30 sec. recovery.
• Jump from side to side over a broom handle (or a low plastic hurdle), primarily using your ankles and calf muscles for power. Do: 3 x 10 with a 30 sec. recovery between each set.
• Jump up and over a low hurdle, land, turn and jump back and repeat. Do: 3 x 10 with a 30 sec. recovery between each set.
• Dynamic circuits. Add star jumps or jumping lunges (jump immediately from right leg lunge to left leg lunge, whilst in the air and jump continuously) into your routine, as well as press-ups and sit-ups and so on. Note: this type of training is not suitable for novice exercisers or the out-of-shape as it places high demands upon the body, particularly on the back and knees.
• To strengthen the back, which is often bent forward in hockey, do Swiss Ball curls, back extensions and reverse flyes.
• Do at least one steady state-aerobic training day per week, such as a 60 minute run or cycle at around 70% of maximum heart rate.

To get involved go to: www.englandhockey.co.uk.

Jumping exercises

Plyometric (or jumping) exercises involve two rapid-fire muscular contractions, a lengthening one (the eccentric contraction) and a shortening one (the concentric contraction). Think of the recoil of a spring, once it is stretched and released - immense amounts of energy are released - a very similar process occurs in your muscles when doing plyometrics. They are a great way to increase speed, power and strength.

Running

Think of runners and Paula Radcliffe or Liz Yelling (Lucozade Sport Running Ambassador) immediately spring to mind. Paula and Liz, like all top distance runners, have super lean bodies and very low body fat. Distance running, training for a marathon or half marathon, or any running (or other cardio activity) which is long in duration and at a steady pace (done at around 70% of maximum heart rate) will eat up calories. However, this can also eat into muscle as well, which means that you may become less curvy - so I recommend eating a healthy diet with 60% of daily calories from carbs, 15% from protein and 25% from (healthy) fat. You should also include some regular weight training in your weekly workouts to plump up your muscles and keep your 'frame' strong.

If you are looking to get involved in running, then join a running club and/or target a race, such as the Race for Life series.

The Runner's body

• Thin
• Defined legs
• Slim hips
• Firm bottom
• Slim upper body and arms
• Very low body fast (10-18%)

The Runner's fitness

• Superb aerobic endurance
• Low strength
• Low speed
• Low agility

To get involved go to: www.runnersweb.co.uk or www.uka.org.uk

To find out about races go to: www.raceforlife.org or www.humanrace.co.uk

Sport is a great way to get fit and shape up. So, instead of looking at the bodies of female celebs, who often lack real shape and usable fitness, take a look at sportswomen, they train hard and have fun, whilst developing a great fit, functional and fantastic body.

© ultraFIT