Tips for Training for Fall Sports for High School Athletics

Author-Becky P.

As a Certified Athletic Trainer I am often asked by my student athletes how to deal with the heat during the late summer months when getting in shape for their two-a-day training camps and for high school sports. I give them a few simple rules to follow:

1. Dress appropriately for the weather, choose lightweight clothing that is designed to keep you cool you can find numerous varieties at your local sporting goods store or at jumpjasper.com.

2. Pre-hydrate: don’t wait until you are exercising to get hydrated you should be doing this all of the time and if you know you are going to have an extensive workout the next day and it is hot, drink extra the day before

3. Re-hydrate: weighing yourself before and after your workout is a good tool to gage how much water your body is losing. Don’t kid yourself; you did not lose five pounds of fat in one exercise session! For every pound of weight loss you need to replace it with 16 ounces of water or energy drink.

4. This is the most important rule: ease into exercise, know the level of “shape” that you are in and make a plan. If you used to run 5 miles without trouble but it has been two months since you last exercised it would not be smart to start out running 5 miles for example.

5. Know the weather conditions, humidity is your enemy, the higher the humidity combined with heat the greater your risk for heat illness (it is good to know the signs and symptoms before you exercise.)