A CLARE hurler is the latest person to come on board to help the nation keep fit and well when confined to home due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
David Reidy, the sports and marketing officer at Limerick Institute of Technology, has developed an online exercise programme. Starting next week, he will present recorded videos of 20 to 30 minutes, which will be posted on The Clare Champion and LIT social media forums at lunchtime on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Starting on Monday and running over three weeks, the Éire Óg hurler will present a total of nine training routines, which will suit people of all level of fitness and ages.
“I’m looking forward to this challenge. People who are stuck in their home during this crisis need to keep their mind and body active. I’m showing them through The Clare Champion and LIT social media how they can do this without having any kind of gym equipment. If they have some, that’s good, but all you need is what’s in your own home; tins of beans for weights, stairs or chairs for step-ups. You don’t need anything to do press-up or squats or else anything like that.
“The programme I’ve devised is short and snappy, people have time on their hands now but all they need is about half an hour anyway
“The content of the videos will range from upper body strength workout with core, lower body strength workout with core, full body workout and HIIT workout (high intensity interval training), but people can take out whatever they want, depending on their fitness.”
David noted that while he records the video indoors, the excises can be done both in the home or outside and a small space will suffice.
The intercounty hurler said it is difficult to come to terms with training in isolation at his home in Limerick. “It’s hard when your used to training with a big panel with your club or Clare to keep focused on your own. I have a gym at home, and I do runs in a nearby green area. It’s concentrating on sprints now,” he said.
Clare’s strength and conditioning coach Keith Carr keeps in touch with all the players every week to see how they are getting on. “It’s by phone so you have to be prepared to put in the work that he wants,” said David.
Like all sportsmen and women, he is champing at the bit to resume proper training with his teammates and getting back into playing. Like players and sports enthusiasts alike, he’s puzzled as to how crowd restrictions will impact on the traditional big games.
A native of Ennis, Colin McGann has been editor of The Clare Champion since August 2020. Former editor of The Clare People, he is a journalism and communications graduate of Dublin Institute of Technology.