Strength & Conditioning Training | Home Workout

With Covid 19 still being rampant and causing mayhem across the globe, sportspersons playing any kind of sports are locked inside their home. And rightly so, since the situation demands social distancing.

But like the mankind turned things around from the earlier two pandemic, Black Death in 1347 and Spanish Flu in 1918, this time too history will repeat itself. Unforeseen situations like two world wars had completely halted sporting events before. But the halt was for a period, not for ever.

Among the cricket playing countries England is hardest hit by the Corona virus. Amid an all pervading fear and uncertainty English cricketers, both international and county are training in the confines of their home. So are cricketers from other countries. Remember, this is the time to show one’s character. A Ben Stokes posting a video on fitness or Jasprit Bumrah twitting his bowling action, send messages of strength and positivity to cricketers of all level. Strength is what we need at the moment, both mental and physical.

When it comes to physical strength there is no better choice than resistance training. In this video I have showed two strength exercises, both replicating cricketing movement that can be done well inside the house.

1. Batting specific strength: Lunge and Rotation

• Take a cricket bat.
• Just imagine you are playing a convention sweep and immediately turning around to play a reverse sweep.
• The movement is continuous.
• Adjust the distance between the legs like you do during the sweep shot, although you can always vary it.
• The exercise is a combination of lunge that works on strength of leg and then the sweep is a rotational movement that works on the lateral core muscles.
• Do 10 repetitions each side.
• Rest 2 minutes. Do 4 sets.

2. Bowling specific Strength: Box jump and one arm chest wall pass

• Take a 3-4 kg medicine ball. If not, a football or basketball.
• Pull out a 2 feet high stool or wooden box.
• Jump on the box with both feet. Immediately step down and push the ball from in front of the chest with great speed towards the wall.
• Just imagine the way you bowl.
• Landing softly on the box with little impact sound will ensure that the knees do not take much pounding.
• Do six jumps and rest for 2-3 minutes.
• Do 4-5 sets