Here’s how a Weekend Warrior becomes a Weekend Champion

There are common threads that connect us as we move through life – from childhood to high school, to college and beyond. The memories and experiences that shape us as individuals, and for many, sports are one of those connection points. Whether played as a kid or watching as an adult, sports create a sense of community and identity. Though some who loved playing as kids will continue on to compete at the highest levels of sportsmanship, many more will move on to build careers, families and lives in other professions, with new responsibilities and without the time or energy to train like the pros. 

So how can we stay active and still keep that sense of community and connection? A moment outside of daily life where the only thing that matters is putting points on the board. Where we mark our calendars to prepare for those much needed pickup games, distance rides, and 10k races. These are the weekend warriors.

For a weekend warrior, the passion is there but the physical readiness can vary greatly from person to person. Some may find time to train every day, but many might fall into the occasional gym session category, the five minute bend and stretch, or maybe even the beer or two before the game gang. It may not seem that risky, but failing to prepare and support the body before a weekend session can lead to muscle strain, pulls, and a host of other injuries – some of which can be debilitating. 

Running, strength training, soccer… whatever your activity is, it will ultimately put demands on your body that lead to physical stress. Your body reacts to that stress with physiological and neuromuscular changes, adjusting your energy, hormones and even your brain waves to compensate and adapt so you can complete the task at hand. With the right preparation and support, your body can begin making the changes necessary to accommodate those new demands safely, but too much stress at once can put you at risk for injury. So what can you do to better prepare for your weekend workouts?

There are numerous guides available to help you reach your fitness goals and be the warrior you are, but there are also diet and lifestyle changes you can make to perform your best. It’s all about consistency. You cannot run away from a bad diet. The end game is replacing the amount of sugars and saturated fats that we get in many processed foods with healthier options that are easier for our body to break down. As warriors, our bodies need a high volume of proteins to  replace and rebuild damaged muscle tissue so we can improve the integrity of our muscle groups. Eating correctly can be difficult and time consuming, but using small tips can help make the process easier. The use of meal prepping and supplements can help you save time but also take in the essential nutrients needed to keep your body happy and healthy.   

The addition of supplements to support your muscle health can help reduce stress on the body and assist you in maintaining a healthy weekend warrior lifestyle.  The International Society of Sports Nutrition concludes that “HMB can be used to enhance recovery by attenuating exercise induced skeletal muscle damage in trained and untrained populations” and that “HMB ingestion in conjunction with a structured exercise program may result in greater declines in fat mass.” So not only does HMB help with recovery and performance, but it can also help you better reach your fitness goals by increasing lean muscle production. 

MyHMB® Clear, a water-soluble form of HMB, is a clinically-proven super-ingredient found in Nirvana Super™ drinks, which supports physical health by providing your body with the necessary amino acids to protect your muscles from stress. HMB is also known to decrease muscle inflammation, which may boost recovery. Plus, Nirvana Super™ drinks contain the necessary vitamins and electrolytes to ensure you’re hydrated and performing your best for any weekend warrior activity. 

The truth of the matter is, if you wanna look like Michael Phelps you’ll have to train like Michael Phelps. Look to your athletic heroes for their training protocols and see how they prepare for competition, while keeping injury prevention in mind. 

For the weekend warriors, there are two vital necessities that are key to preventing injuries that disrupt your goals:

• FIRST is a solid warm up. Hopping out of the car and onto the field for sport is an easy way to get injured. Warriors need to let their body know ahead of time that they’re entering a stressful state of competition. For running sports, we recommend activating glutes earlier with banded side steps and lunges along with dynamic lower body stretches.

• SECOND (and most importantly) is a solid COOL DOWN. After a workout, our muscles want to rest and they tend to stay at a “happy length” depending on what position we leave them in. For example, if we sit in a car in traffic on our way home after sport, our hamstring will stay in a shorter length due to the prolonged sitting. The result of this is tight hamstrings, which throws off your muscular imbalance and could lead to further injuries. The body needs time to relax after strenuous activity and spending 10-15 minutes stretching gives our muscles a chance to fully lengthen back to their resting positions. Static stretches are a great way to lengthen your muscle groups to help relieve the stress and hopefully return your body to homeostasis. 

Supplements (and a little bit of self TLC) can go a long way for the weekend warrior. They supply the necessary maintenance that keeps the joy of competition in our lives. Discipline really is the best form of self love, and being consistent and determined with our goals can turn weekend warriors into weekend champions.