The Virat Kohli Fitness Regime - Can you do it?

Virat Kohli is a beloved icon of the Indian cricket team. His passion for the sport of cricket goes to the point where he underwent a transformation to become an asset to the team. Since then, team India’s fit star has gone on to inspire many people across the country to lose weight and become healthier.

Do you want to look like the captain of Team India himself? Or are you simply looking for a challenging routine that will leave you sweating? Before we get to the workout itself, it is important to know the various modes of fitness that play a part in every cricketer player’s routine.

Endurance

This is undoubtedly the most important aspect of cricket. Staying in the field for long hours on end, sprinting for runs and being mentally present at all times is the most challenging aspect of the game which is why it is important to keep your endurance high, mentally and physically. 

Strength

Batsmen have to swing fast paced balls with the right precision and timing. In order to swing the bat at such a high power, countering the speed of the ball, it is necessary to have a lot of strength. This is not just exclusive to batting but also running, be it catching a ball to prevent the boundary runs or running at high speeds to avoid getting declared a run-out.

Flexibility

Surprised? Cricket as a game has its crucial moments where a bowler might set a speed record. To achieve this it is important to be flexible, so the joints are not rigid and allow for better performance on field. Even the wicket keeping position requires quick reflexes and rigid joints cannot be an excuse there.

Now that you know what you need to develop in order to become more like the Indian skipper, let's get to the workout. Being a sportsperson, Virat Kohli has to work with sports coach, nutritionists and sports therapist to be at the top of his game. And a good sportsperson never reveals his secrets to being at the top of his game, that is why it could be difficult to completely replicate his workout routine. But going through his matches and social media posts, we can gather that Mr. Kohli incorporates various exercise disciplines over the course of 5 days every week. Let’s have a look:

Bodyweight Training

In a sport like cricket, it is important to have control over yourself. The boundary catches, sprints to score a run and fast reflexes to knock out a wicket from the opposition team need complete control over your body. Virat Kohli can be seen on Instagram performing bodyweight exercises such as the one arm push up, which help him develop total body strength and control.

Strength Training

Calisthenics is one of the ways you can develop strength. But in order to swing a bat strongly enough to score a four or six, you need to have more than bodyweight strength. Lifting weights will help you become stronger. A common concern is that lifting weights will make you look bulky, but the Indian skipper himself lifts weights and stays lean, so you can do it too. Strength Training has immense benefits and you will not look like a bodybuilder unless you want to.

Cardio and Explosive Strength

Endurance and speed are of utmost importance in cricket. So long distance running and explosive exercises like box jumps, clap push ups and more can help you develop quick reflexes like your favorite captain. These are useful in wicket-keeping, run scoring and successful catches. This also involves stretching after exercises for better joint and ligament health.

Now that you know what you need to do to look and function like the Team India captain himself, are you up for performing these workouts five times a week? It might seem like a challenge, but if it was easy, everyone would do it. That’s what separates the captain of one of the best cricket teams in the world, from the rest.