How can you ensure that your pets are in tip-top condition at the end of the summer season and are ready to hit the ground running this winter season?
In this blog post, we will cover the 3 simple things you can do at home to see if you’re on track but if you need more help and support you can book a session for your pet here- www.fitpetphysio.com/book-online-1 where we can give you a personalised assessment and fitness plan.
So what are these 3 steps?
1: Checking for injury or strain
2: Checking fitness levels
3: Conditioning for the next season
1: Checking for injury of strain
Now we all know you’d have noticed a big injury but what if you’re dog/horse has just overdone it a little and feels a bit stiff or stuck? You know like when you’ve been to the gym and regret it the next day?
These are the things that are so easy to miss with our pets because they don’t complain nearly as much as we do.
So some things you can look out for that will give you a heads up include:
Changes in behaviour
Reluctance to exercise to the same level or with the same enthusiasm as before
Changes in performance
Sounds easy but these things can creep on so slowly they can be hard to spot. Sometimes it's handy to ask someone else if they’ve noticed a difference especially if you only see them every week or so.
2: Checking fitness levels
Now, this is a little trickier but combined with number 3 gives you a great set-up for next season.
Checking fitness levels can take a number of forms but personally, I like to focus on muscle mass, coordination and stamina.
Now your goals and benchmarks might be slightly different depending on your discipline.
So what exactly do I look for?
Evenness between muscles on the left and right sides of the body
Flexibility of the joints
Evenness of the gait
Average speed, length of exercises and how they respond to longer or shorter sessions to gauge stamina
Once you know where you are it’s much easier to move forward.
3: Conditioning for the next season
So now we know where you are let's take that step forward.
Your conditioning for the next season should focus on the following:
Any uneven areas e.g. building up equal flexibility of muscle mass between left and right
Improve core strength, this will help improve coordination
Gradually increase training to get back to competition level this is especially important if you have any time off
And there you have it the 3 key end-of-season checks to make sure you are fully prepared for next season.
For a more in-depth guide to preparing your pets fitness plan for the coming season check out this blog: https://www.fitpetphysio.com/post/an-inside-look-at-how-a-vet-physio-gets-a-dog-fit-for-agility
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