Traqade
Saina Nehwal – the Haryanvi girl who has single-handedly done the impossible – turn the attention of our cricket crazed nation away from the cricket pitches to the badminton courts! And why not? It’s not every day that an Indian woman rises through the ranks to be world’s number 1 shuttler!
All this at the tender age of 25! If this isn’t badass we don’t know what is! We are sure you are wondering what keeps this wonder girl ticking. Well, through some intense research, we now have figured out the secrets of her success. Ready to find out what they are? Read on!
The Making of an Ace Shuttler
Badminton is an intense sport involving multiple muscles including legs, shoulders, core, arms, biceps, triceps and even your back! Not just this, but an ace shuttler like Saina must also be able to produce those explosive bursts of speed to smash the badminton shots coming her way. All of these require a workout regime that focuses on all the different muscles and muscle fibres in the body.
Some of the workouts Saina does include push-ups which is one of the best full body workouts than ever. Not only does this workout train every single body part but it also helps create balance and stability which is super important for the footwork.
This is followed by some medicinal ball toss which helps her workout on her upper body and core. Apart from both these muscles, this workout also helps her train the type 2 or ‘fast twitch’ muscle fibres which help athletes with the explosive movements required for a fast-paced sport like Badminton. The medicinal ball toss also works her ankles, knees, and hip.
Exercises like plank and ‘lateral lunges with a twist’ too help strengthen the core apart from working on the upper body and legs. Heel and calf raises are included to reduce the chances of injury while also relaxing the calf muscles. Similarly, she also includes a fair number of strength exercises like dumbbell pullovers, military presses, rowing, lateral pull downs, and single leg deadlifts.
According to our in-house fitness experts,resistance band workouts work wonders when it comes to sculpting the body and improving strength. In fact, it is to be noted that a number of athletes like Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer have embraced resistance band as a portable and easy workout partner. All the workouts are aimed at strengthening the core, upper body, and legs. A fair bit of cardio like running and cycling is included to help her develop that superhuman endurance required to be the number one in the game.
Saina Nehwal’s Diet Plan
When you are training like a champion, you have to fuel your systems like one too. Through an intensive research on the internet as well as after consulting our in-house nutrition experts, we believe that an ace shuttler like Saina Nehwal would require a lot of protein in the form of chicken, eggs, and various pulses to improve the muscle strength and cut down body fats. More emphasis on animal protein since body absorbs them with relative ease compared to plant protein.
Bananas too are probably included as they provide an instant energy boost. In fact, various research has proven that only two bananas can fuel you for nearly 90 minutes of intense workouts. The relatively easy availability, as well as cost-effective nature, make bananas the favourite of many athletes.
Oatmeal too is probably included in the diet due to its well-earned reputation as the breakfast of the champions. Not only is oatmeal packed with energy but it also includes a tonne of nutrients which provide the much-needed energy to your body.
The Road To Number One
From travelling 25 kilometres one way to the training academy with her father to winning the India Open Grand Prix Gold, Saina Nehwal has clearly come a long way. In fact, she is the first Indian to reach the finals of All England Open Badminton Championships and why not? As our article shows, the amount of hard work put in by this 25-year-old is absolutely inspiring and we hope after reading this, you too will be motivated to pursue fitness with the same vigour as Saina Nehwal!
