Spring Tune-Up

Spring. You know the drill. You take your baseball mitt from the closet, lovingly apply oil and start working on the pocket. Or you uncover your Windsurfer and check the status of the sail. Or you hoist your mountain bike off the wall and start cleaning the chain. You do a few stretches, lift a few weights, but hey, it's time to play. This is the year you go for greatness. You also know what happens next. All the anticipation turns to pain as you try to replay last season's glories with this season's muscles. To help ease you into your favorite summer sport, we contacted some of the best trainers and athletes in America, including Robby Naish, a legendary windsurfer since the age of 13; Tom Schuler, general manager of the Geo/Rollerblade Racing Team, and Jon Summerbell, an in-line racer; Gard Gardiner, tennis director at John Gardiner's Tennis Ranch; James Flick, who coaches Jack Nicklaus and other golf pros; Ned Overend, a 39-year-old who's almost unbeatable in the sport of mountain biking; and Tom Fleming, who conducts running clinics with former Olympian Joan Benoit-Samuelson. We also spoke with Tim Grover, a sports-enhancement specialist and head (concluded on page 148)Spring Tune-Up(continued from page 80) of Advanced Athletics in Chicago. Grover's clients include Michael Jordan and members of Chicago's national champion 16-inch-softball team, Lettuce. We asked Grover what he does to get clients in shape for baseball. His approach epitomizes the new direction of sports fitness:

"Most of the people I work with are already superb athletes. General conditioning isn't our goal. With Michael, I work on specific areas to increase bat speed and flexibility for fielding. We also use rubber tubes and various stretches, spending the preseason training the vulnerable, easy-to-injure muscles. The demands of the sport are strange: You stand in the outfield for six innings, then suddenly have to perform at maximum.

"For hitting, we concentrate on the torso. We work with medicine balls, and do regular and reverse crunches and hyperextensions for the lower back. If you swing with just your arms, the ball will never leave the infield. Watch Frank Thomas and see how quickly his torso, legs and hips unwind. That split second makes the difference between a power hitter and an infield hitter. For eye-hand coordination, I teach guys to juggle. Some coaches have athletes watch flashing lights. Boring. Juggling gives an athlete immediate feedback." Imagine Michael juggling. Now go for it.

Windsurfing "The best training for windsurfing is windsurfing. For professionals, there really isn't an off-season. We try not to schedule major events between November and February, but even then we train in western Australia, South Africa, the Canary Islands and Maui. If the waves don't cooperate, we surf. If the waves don't cooperate, we pursue other options. To maintain a sense of balance, of board feel, a lot of sailors have taken up skateboarding. You see old guys and even some of the female competitors cruising sidewalks on skateboards--anything to keep that coordination and balance. Some guys practice aerial moves on the trampoline. As for weights, work the lats with pull-downs. Do a little for the forearms and legs, nothing trendy. In the gym, go heavy on the pull-ups and rowing machine--as much to keep your calluses in tune as to tone muscle. If you try sailing after a break with no calluses, you'll rip your hands to shreds. Finally, work on aerobic fitness. Windsurfing is a static exercise. You stand on a board for hours in a state of tension. Then you fall, or something breaks in the waves, and you have to swim to shore. Be honest. If you aren't comfortable swimming in existing conditions, don't go in."

Advice from Robby Naish

Blading "Physiologists say that to compete at a national level you have to become a freak in select muscle groups, forgetting what happens to the rest of your body as you prepare a base for a specific task. In-line skating takes a high toll on the lower body--especially the glutes, quads and inner thighs. In the off-season we use cycling or other forms of skating (hockey, speed skating or indoor roller-skating) to maintain the aerobic base. And in the weight room, we work on the legs and the torso. The hunched-over position for blading is hard on the lower back, so it's important to strengthen those muscles, too. Being in shape for this sport also is a matter of balance. You want to be loose on your feet--not tense--otherwise you're more likely to get cramps or fall and hurt yourself. Don't skimp on stretching and warming up your muscles before skating. Do head and shoulder rolls, arm circles, calf stretches in the lunge position (without bouncing) and back stretches. Unfortunately, many beginners think it's uncool to wear safety equipment. But what's really uncool is walking around in a cast for three months, or worse. Be smart and at least wear wrist guards, kneepads, elbow pads and a helmet."

Advice from Tom Schuler and Jon Summerbell

Tennis "Players returning to the game should be in good physical condition. At the gym, work on general aerobic training (I recommend a stair-climber) and do lots of stretching. Perform short, quick exercises to get your footwork snappy. The average point involves four changes of direction and about 14 feet of movement. A trainer can design an exercise program that includes quick side-to-side and forward-backward movements. At home, you can make a two-square-foot box on the floor with tape. Timing yourself with a stopwatch, hop from front to back and side to side in five seconds. Repeat the drill three times for the best results. Once you're in shape, focus on hitting consistently and keeping the ball in play. Forget about tactics until you've mastered the basics, including balance and positioning, a good grip, stroke efficiency and timing. You might start close to the net and gradually back up while returning the ball. Always have a target in mind and strive for accuracy. Then you can play points, concentrating on whatever part of your game needs improvement. You might stay back and work on ground strokes, move forward for net play or practice your service return. Stay loose. Ignore the score."

Advice from Gard Gardiner

Golf "To build strength in your hands and fingers, keep sports putty in your car and squeeze it when you're at stoplights. Most golfers also could benefit from increased forearm strength, so I suggest rapid wrist curls and arm curls with light weights--up to five pounds. Old standbys such as push-ups are excellent, and brisk walking promotes overall conditioning. Ninety percent of golfers could improve their grip. This is something you can work on during the winter. Most people hold the club primarily in their palms and not enough in their fingers. This inhibits the wrist action of the swing. You want the palms facing each other so the hands work compatibly. If you're right-handed, the V formed by the thumb and index finger should point between your right shoulder and your chin. Stretching is essential for agility--and agility is even more important than strength. Your joints should be relaxed. Grip pressure affects relaxation in the arm. Place a club or broom handle behind your neck and shoulders and wrap your arms around it. Then stretch from your best golf posture so you use the correct muscles, bending from the hips. In addition, side-to-side jumping movements help build agility in your feet and legs."

Advice from James Flick

Cycling "In the off-season I don't go all the way off. I do skate skiing, snowshoeing, some light work in the gym. I still ride two days a week--on a mountain bike if there's snow or a road bike if the roads are clear. In February I start building up a base with easy intervals, I pick up the pace slowly through March, and by April I'm ready to fly. Without a base you can pull a hamstring in a second. In the gym I do abdominal exercises and upper-back exercises. I don't go all out for strength--any muscles you aren't using take blood and oxygen away from where they're needed. I don't work directly on cycling muscles. I build up the protection muscles. In this sport, falling is inevitable--and every time you do, you stick your leg out to the side, or you land on your shoulder. To protect those areas, I do lateral strength exercises for the abductors, and specific shoulder exercises. The one thing you tend to lose in the off-season is your bike-handling sense, your balance. Most falls happen at slow speed, in tight turns. During the winter months I practice slow-speed or no-speed riding in a confined space, such as a garage. I try to keep the bike upright, then I work on hopping the bike around and over obstacles."

Advice from Ned Overend

Running "Running is a simple sport that we make too complicated. I have a few guidelines. First, don't overdo it, even if you're a fit athlete. I recommend running a minimum of three times per week for 25 to 30 minutes. Beginners or people returning to the sport should do a combination of walking and running. Second, be consistent in training. Whether you run three or five times a week, maintain a regular schedule to avoid injury. You should focus on getting stronger, not on being fast, particularly if you've been away from running for a while. You'll naturally become faster as you become better. Coming around to speed depends on how athletic you are. Do not increase distance or intensity by more than ten percent per week. If you're accustomed to running three days a week, do that until it becomes easy. You shouldn't be wiped out afterward. And barring chronic physical problems, stretch after your workout. Stretching is done to prevent injury. Run first, then stretch the muscles when they're already warmed up. Ten minutes of stretching is all you need. I recommend the Pro Stretch, a device that stretches your lower leg without overstretching or causing injury."

Advice from Tom Fleming

Where & How to Buy on page 155.