05 Jan New Year Fitness Resolutions

It’s the mid-point in the season and also the time of year for setting (and keeping) your fitness resolutions.

Here’s some tips for keeping your fitness training going in the colder months of the year and in preparation for the big games that come as leagues come closer to their conclusion, the cup competitions start and fitness tests creep up!!

1. Set realistic targets – at a minimum it should be two sessions per week (not including games)
2. Plan your sessions – there are lots of sample sessions on the Leinster Rugby Referee fitness page
3. Train together – find a clubmate or local training group. There’s one in Terenure College RFC every Tuesday and Thursday evening from 6.30 – 8.00 for all levels and all are welcome. It’s on the new all-weather too so no dirty boots before the weekend.
4. Keep it regular – put the times in your diary. Maybe it’s every Tuesday and Thursday or whatever suits you. It’s harder to cancel when it’s in the diary.
5. Track your progress – keep a note of your sessions and fitness scores. Nothing motivates like success.
6. Reward yourself – achieve your goals then reward yourself. Maybe it’s a couple of pints or a curry or maybe a night out.
7. Tomorrow is a new day – if it isn’t happening today don’t beat yourself up, just move on to tomorrow and make sure you work extra hard then.
8. Talk about it – if you’re struggling for motivation or can’t find information to improve your fitness contact Hitchy (Paul Haycock) on paul@paulhaycock.ie
9. Remember getting fit takes time – getting fit and staying fit is a long-term goal so don’t give up if you don’t reach your ultimate goals within a short space of time.
10. Test yourself regularly – do the fitness test which is a 1km run on the pitch. Timed 10 lengths of a standard rugby pitch and keep track of your scores. Send your scores to Hitchy too so we can build up a bank of data of scores.