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How Can Virtual Physical Therapy Westchester Help You?

Every athlete looks forward to their sports season each year. Whether you play football in the fall or run on the track in the spring, there is hardly a greater excitement than the upcoming sports season. However, amid the eager wait for your season, you may be wondering, “What should I do to prepare my body for the sports season?”

Though you may be anticipating your chance to go out onto the playing field, it’s essential to keep your physicality in check before your sports season starts. Preparing your body to perform better in your chosen sport can be a difficult task if you haven’t already made a game plan for the offseason.

We at Virtual PT NYC can share advice on how to prepare your body for the upcoming season, as well as help your body get in better shape with virtual physical therapy Westchester!

Getting in Shape

There are many tips you may hear from others about how to prepare for the season, such as having a healthy diet and keeping your equipment in check, but the one tip you may hear the most is to get in shape by exercising. Different kinds of exercises exist and can be done to improve an athlete’s physicality before the sports season begins. If you’re an athlete trying to prepare for the upcoming season, you may be asking yourself, “What kinds of exercises should I do?” 

First, here are the four types of exercises that you should keep in mind:

• Aerobic Exercises: This type of exercise aims to speed up an athlete’s heart rate and breathing, strengthen the heart & lungs, and increase your endurance. Exercises like jogging and swimming fall under this type. These exercises are especially important for athletic training as your heart and lungs work hard during any game. You can also decrease your blood pressure and burn body fat with these exercises.
  
  
• Strength Training: Over the time that you’re not playing, you could be losing muscle mass. This type of training involves strengthening your muscles with exercises that require strenuous muscle use to build up your muscle mass. Exercises like squats and push-ups fall under this type. These exercises also help with keeping your joints healthy, promoting bone growth, and lowering blood sugar.
  
  
• Stretching: This type of exercise aims at keeping your body flexible by lengthening our muscles and tendons. Flexibility is essential for any kind of sport, as it increases your movement range and lowers your risk for injury. You can do dynamic stretches, which involve repetitive motions, or static stretches, which involve holding a position on any part of your body. Stretches decrease the risk of muscle cramps, joint pain, and strains.
  
  
• Balance Exercises: Being steady on your feet is crucial for playing a sport. Balance exercises allow you to do just that - maintain your balance and prevent falling. Different classes for balance exist, such as yoga, and balance exercises can vary. Balance exercises may also focus on joint flexibility or strengthening your leg muscles.
  
  

Exercises To Build Strength and Endurance

All of these types of exercises can help you with your plan for athletic success. However, you may also be wondering what specific exercises you can do to keep up on your physicality before the sports season begins. Here are just some of the many common exercises out there and what they can do for your body:

• Lunges: Lunges are an exercise that increases strength in your legs and stretches out your joints. These are done by keeping your legs vertically apart by a shoulder span length and your arms by your sides, then stepping forward with one foot and bending the knee on that leg as you do so, and stopping when your thigh is parallel to the ground.
  
  
• Push-ups: Push-ups strengthen many muscles in your body, such as your arms and core. These are done by going into a plank position and bending your elbows to lower and raise your body repeatedly while keeping your neck straight and your core tight. If you can’t do regular push-ups right away, you can go onto your knees instead.
  
  
• Squats: Squats increase your core and lower body strength and flexibility in your hips and lower back. These are done by first standing straight with your feet slightly more than shoulder-width apart and your arms by your sides and, as you keep your core tight and your chin up, bending your knees and pushing your hips back like you are sitting in a chair, then rising back up to standing position.
  
  
• Dumbbell exercises: Dumbbells can assist you in different exercises, such as lifting them overhead while standing or pulling the weights toward your chest. No matter the weight of the dumbbells, you are bound to see improvement with these exercises, although it’s recommended that you start at 10 lb and increase the weight from there. You can find different exercises using dumbbells here!

Remember that it is always best to consult a physician such as a physical therapist before taking on an exercise program. At Virtual PT NYC, we provide virtual physical therapy Westchester can trust! We provide therapists that can assess your specific needs and determine what exercises such as these are right for you. You can also check out our exercise tutorials here!

Virtual Physical Therapy Westchester

Finding the right way to prepare your body for the upcoming sports season is not the easiest task. Sometimes, you may not know where to begin on your exercise regimen. We at Virtual PT NYC can find the exercise plan that’s right for you and get you prepared for your next sports season! If you or someone you know is looking for virtual physical therapy Westchester, consider working with us at Virtual PT NYC. Please visit our website to learn more about what we do. We look forward to helping your body get in shape for your upcoming sports season!