Being a top cricketer isn’t easy especially when you are Yuvraj Singh. He is well known for his aggressive batting and excellent fielding. It’s important in any sportsman’s life to remain fit and to keep improving to be in the best form of fitness. Yuvraj is often fondly remembered as a cricketer who had hit 6 sixes in a single over bowled by Stuart Broad, a right-hand seam bowler of England, in World T20 held in 2007.
When a tournament is on its way Yuvraj follows a set pattern of diet and fitness which includes,
Breakfast like Cereals, milk, eggs and fibrous fruits, On field sessions like Foam rolling and activations, Warm up like Mobility exercises, running drills, run through, dynamic stretching, cricket specific movements and drills, agility drills and sprints, Skill practice including Batting (two hours), bowling (one hour) and fielding (30 to 45 minutes), Lunch which is High on proteins, balanced with carbohydrates, Weight Training (Strength sessions) like bench presses, bench pulls, squats, deadlifts and lunges, Core Training like Roll-outs, plate chops, swiss ball jackknife and Recovery which includes Ice bath or swimming, Hydration at all times during activity with water or a recommended energy drink, Yoga and breathing exercises.
Skill training helps him to be a better all-rounder and a valuable cricket player to the team. Yuvi emphasizes on push-ups and pull-ups as these set of exercises help him not only to hit those extraordinary shots as a batsman but also help in improving his throws as a fielder.
Dumbbell Rows or Cable Rows exercise is again preferred by this left-hand batsman as it helps him to have a strong back. He also does Hip Lifts exercise which helps him to keep his lower back strong and prevent all sorts of lower back problems.
The Chandigarh born cricket star includes lateral raises in his workout plan on a regular basis. His workout also includes Prone Holds another core exercise preferred by Singh as it would help any person to build his or her core. Chicken, Kadhi Chawal, and Mattar Paneer are some of the favourite dishes of this Indian Cricket star.
Although Yuvraj follows an extremely different workout routine, he strictly follows skill training and running. Yuvraj admits that fitness played a major part in his return to cricket after his battle against cancer. Chemotherapy had hurt his lung capacity, so running was something he did every single day for over eight months. Yuvi said that there are sometimes you don’t like to hit the gym at times like those, you just put your headphones on and go for a run.
Yuvraj also said that he wants to encourage everybody to run because running is the best form of exercise. So, all budding cricketers and sports enthusiasts if you are wondering where to start your exercise routine from, then the answer is by running. Running will not only help loosen up your body but also shed that extra weight. Good Luck.
– by Cresinda D Costa
