Elite Training

Sydney Morning Herald

Thursday August 24, 2000

By Peter Vincent

Here's a way to get the edge on your sports opponents.

Ever wondered how Tiger Woods developed such a strong golf drive? Or why John Eales looks so fresh at the end of a bruising rugby test? Now you can find out.

Gyms across Sydney are offering "sports-specific" training - based on the schedules of elite athletes - to make you a better golfer, swimmer, runner or rugby player by conditioning you specifically for the demands of your sport.

Justin Tamsett, club manager at Active Fitness Centre at North Ryde, says programs based on Australian Professional Golf Association fitness training are popular. "There's a lot of back and shoulder flexibility required in golf, so the program's designed around improving flexibility through the torso."

Tamsett says exercises based on strength and conditioning programs used by the NSW Waratahs and ACT Brumbies rugby teams are also in demand.

He reckons "the innate competitiveness of Australians" is behind the popularity of such programs.

"They hear that Tiger Woods has the biggest drive and that he does a strength and conditioning program. Well, golfers will do anything they can to shave one stroke off their handicap."

Leigh Cowan, chief executive officer of Fit Too Travel, a network of personal trainers offering sports-specific training, says doing an elite athlete's workout is a great motivating force.

"I only have to tell someone 'right, now we're going to do exactly what an Olympian does' and all of a sudden their eyes brighten, their energy levels lift and you can see them getting excited," he says.

Kevin Troeger, an "exercise scientist" and personal trainer, has designed specific fitness programs for basketballers, swimmers, skiers and rugby and tennis players.

"A lot of people are getting out and playing tennis, but because there's so much stress on the shoulder joint when you serve and follow through on a shot, it can cause shoulder problems. The best thing to do is to train the muscles specifically to deal with that."

Natalie Sheridan, personal training manager at Fernwood women's gym on Pitt Street, says sports-specific training is very different to general training. "When someone comes in for a general program, they're going to get a cardiovascular-based program plus general strength training for the whole body. When you want sports-specific training the program has to be relevant to the demands of the sport."

Sheridan says training for the City to Surf, a popular request at Fernwood, is "90-95 per cent" about building up your aerobic energy system, which is used for endurance events.

Such programs are ideal for people already regularly playing sport, but they are also seen as healthier alternatives to generic fat-loss workouts for all gym-goers.

Jock Campbell, floor manager at No. 1 Martin Place - The Health Club, and personal trainer to cricket's Waugh brothers, says: "We're not really a cosmetic industry, but that's how so many people want to use us. You are far more likely to adhere to your program if you've got a goal - say, running the City to Surf - than just wanting to improve your biceps before you go to the beach on Saturday."