Aug. 29 Fit Through The Winter!

How do you stay fit for the upcoming beach season? In such a summer sport as beach volleyball, it is quite a challenge to be in top shape all year round. Now I hear you thinking, summer sport? I play year-round! And indeed, with the growth of indoor accommodations, you can often just do that. Moreover, you can join us to the sunniest destinations.
Still, of course you want to do more! And you can, here are some tips!

Strong from head to toe

Feet
We're called Barefoot for a reason. We love the feel of sand between your toes, but we also truly believe in the importance of bare feet. After all, your soles contain millions of nerve endings, which are barely stimulated with shoes on. And that, in turn, is detrimental to "propriocepsis," or environmental awareness. Specifically, for beach volleyball, your feet need to know where the ground is so that you can stand firmly and push off properly, so that you can get to the ball in time. So our tip for smart and strong feet: GO BAREFOOT! Shoes if you have to, bare feet as soon as you can! Inside the house, but also outside the door!
Favorite exercise for the feet: balance on the ball of your foot, and then walk up stairs for example, heels should not touch the ground so.

Core
We are not very interested in a six-pack. We don't do abdominal exercises, because it's a myth that it can be done at all. You can't tighten individual muscles separately; your body is made up of a chain, a concatenation of muscle structures working together. Core stability is not about your abs, but about that whole chain. So that's why we prefer to do exercises with planks, for example, rather than traditional crunches. More muscles is better than less, hup, also include the glutes, back and hamstrings right away!
Favorite functional core exercise: groiners (see YouTube link).

Cardio
We can't really imagine it, but in case there are still those who take the car to the gym just to get on the treadmill ... well, to each his own. It's not the sports experience we envision. Then send your car to the dunes, and use nature in your workout.
No asphalt, but a soft and uneven surface, so you not only train your heart and lungs but also work on stronger ankles right away. And no long endurance runs, but short and vigorous intervals. The more variation in your heart rate, the greater the incentive for your heart and lungs to increase your oxygen uptake capacity and lactate tolerance. So not that long endurance run, but pounding up that sand hill, and at the top quietly catching your breath and enjoying the view before continuing on your way.
Favorite cardio workout: eight one-minute trotting as a warm-up with a one-minute stretch in between as a break, then eight thirty-second tempo runs with a one-and-a-half-minute walking break, eight ten-second hill sprints, with walking back as a break, and eight minutes of jogging as a cool down!