What Role Can Aquatics Play in Preparation of a Fight?
On August 8th, The Independent, one of Britain’s most read newspapers, ran a story about Conor McGregor’s non-conventional training routine for his upcoming fight with Floyd Mayweather. IndySport writer Luke Brown (@lukedbrown) quoted long-time HydroWorx team member Mike McHugh and HydroWorx CEO, Matt Foss, discussing the benefits of aquatic therapy and HydroWorx technology for high performance athletes such as McGregor.
Foss explained why aquatic therapy is used to reduce soreness, especially in older athletes.
“What we have helped to do is to extend the careers of athletes. As athletes become older the pounding of just running on a field for example, starts to become a lot more noticeable. The benefit of our products is that it eliminates next day soreness: you can work very hard but the next day you do not feel as you would have you completed a similar level of strenuous exercise on dry land.
“And that is why we are seeing more athletes every day using the technology, such as McGregor, because they are now aware of the benefits of the water and the fact that it is less damaging on their joints and their back. So our technology has had a huge impact on the conditioning of elite-level athletes.”
Mike McHugh described why the HydroWorx therapy pool works so well for elite-level athletes, such as UFC athletes and European football players.
“Athletes put a lot of stress on their bodies when they are training at such high-levels. By training in a HydroWorx, it allows athletes to get a high-intensity workout and maintain cardiovascular endurance in a low-impact environment. The UFC is a movement sport, it’s a cardiovascular sport where strength and power is important. The underwater treadmill gives McGregor the ability to move in all directions just as he would in a competitive situation, but without the significant joint impact that he would experience performing similar movements on land.
“The treadmills work up to 16km/h with the resistance jets and they can challenge you very hard cardiovascularly – but without the joint impact. He could have a very intense workout or choose to run at a moderate pace to flush his system and speed recovery so his muscles are fresh and ready to go the next day.”
“I’ve spent a lot of time in England, and one of the really interesting things about elite-level football is that the season never truly ends. Top squads are loaded with international players who play in the summer, and football has essentially become a year-round sport. There is a higher emphasis on equipment like ours which will help take care of a player for a full year and help get them through a very long season.”
The article also stated that HydroWorx, started in 1998, now helps over 30,000 athletes and patients each day and has been providing forward-thinking therapy for top NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, and MLS teams as well as elite training facilities, like St. Georges Park, for many years.
The pool featured in McGregor’s photos and videos is a HydroWorx 2000 series pool, part of UFC’s new $14 million Performance Institute in Las Vegas, NV.
The Indy was launched in 1986 and was named the UK’s National Newspaper of the Year in 2004. It is read by over 58,000 people daily.
See the full story from The Independent here>>