If your focus is to improve your athletic performance, sustain high energy levels, reduce risk of injury and prolong play time in the saddle, then you may want to keep reading!
Polo is a very strenuous and intense game and even the top players experience mishaps. Throughout the last Argentine season many top players encountered a few injuries; Pelon Stirling, Pablo Macdonough, Joaquin Pittalouga and Rodridgo Andrade all received groin injuries which would have affected their games and teammates.
This just shows that is essential to bulletproof your body for battle and so we have come up with a few suggestions on how to kickstart your pre-season training:
1. Nutrition
2. Strength
3. Cardio fitness
4. Polo Specific Exercises
The combination of all of 4 elements can help players prepare mentally and physically for their next season.
1. Nutrition
Optimise your energy levels, decision making and reaction time through fuelling your body with highly nutritious foods. We recommend creating a food plan containing whole foods based on seasonal fruits and vegetables, nuts, seeds, gluten-free grains and grass-fed/organic lean meats and wild fish. Stay hydrated with water-rich foods such as lemons, limes, tomatoes cucumber and water melon.
Eating for recovery is equally as important as preparing for a tournament. Add in supplements to support oxidation and inflammation responses, including Athletic Greens (greens powders), collagen, glutathione, omega3 fatty acids, electrolytes, Vitamin C, zinc and magnesium. You will find many of these supplements at www.equestrianwellness.com.
2. Strength
We all know that it is essential to have a certain level of strength in order to control the pony, hit the ball, hook and ride off. The areas of the body we suggest you focus on are the inner thighs, core, back and shoulders…
Squat
Press up
Row
3. Cardio Fitness
Have you ever struggled with breathlessness during or after chukkas?
Felt lethargic and low on energy during an important game?
It may be your fitness level that is preventing you from peak performance!
To get you started here is a 10 min cardio routine you can follow.
Choose your preferred type of cardio (running, skipping, swimming, cycling etc…)
45 seconds fast
15 seconds slow
30 seconds fast
15 seconds slow
20 seconds fast
15 seconds slow
1 minute slow active recovery (keep moving during your recovery to maintain a higher heart rate)
Repeat 3x
4. Polo-Specific Exercises
As we have just discussed; to be an effective player it is essential to have a strong and stable body that recovers quickly. But as polo is such a unique sport and the movement patterns of the game are very particular, some functional exercises specific to polo are a great addition to your training plan.
Balance on a swiss ball
Oblique twists
