Senior Women player, Hannah Peacock is at the GB Senior Women's preparation camp. Here is her update so far:
"First day of camp was filled with fitness testing where everything you could imagine was measured! A functional movement test was carried out to identify our weaknesses so a personalised flexibility programme could be created. Our body fat percentage was then taken via the skin fold test before we headed on court. The speed test was a 20m sprint where we had to run through laser gates which gave a precise reading and vertical jump was taken on a digital mat which calculated your air time before giving you the height you jumped. The last test of the session was called the level 2 yoyo test which calculates your vo2max. I managed to get very good results on all of these tests which gave me some more confidence going into the next session!
After the testing day we have been following a three day cycle. Day one consists of one on court team taining session lasting 2.30hr where i have learned so much already! The other girls have a lot of experience with a few of them competing at the Olympics in 2012 and ive made sure to ask a lot of questions! The team session is followed by a individual session where the bigs and guards were split up. I really enjoyed these sessions as again I was given a lot of tips and could practice against people stronger, taller and more experienced than me!
Day two of the cycle involves a pool session in the morning which started with a game of water polo! A fun game very quickly escalated among a team of GB players so we had to stop before someone got hurt! We used foam noodles to stretch in the pool which really helped the muscle soreness in my legs. Afterwards I could walk reasonably normally again! In the afternoon we had a 2 hour team session which was very difficult mentally and physically as there was so much to learn.
Day three involved a strength and conditioning session which finished with a brutal core circuit! The only muscles in my body that weren't sore had now joined the rest of my body. I have learned the importance of fuelling your body with the correct food in order to continue training at this level. Water consumption is also key as your muscles lose a lot of power with the slightest dehydration. In the afternoon we used special watt bikes to test our power peak, anaerobic and aerobic ability. This involved us cycling as fast as possible for 6 seconds, 30 seconds and then 4 minutes. This pushed everyone to the max physically and mentally as your body just wants to stop but everyone managed to push through. I was very happy with my results here. Overall I was very pleased with my fitness levels going into the camp however I now know a lot of work is needed on my individual skill level in order to utilize my athleticism at this level."
