Kidambi Srikanth has been home in Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, since mid-March. It's the longest he has been home since he became a
successful badminton player.
The World No.14 says that he has been following his
training routine with some variations and minimal equipment during the lockdown.
“My trainer sends me a
daily fitness programme, which I follow strictly at home,” the 27-year-old tells ETPanache. “I do
bodyweight exercises with the goal of maintaining at least 60 per cent of my fitness for when I am able to step back on the court and resume full training.”
Srikanth focuses on a variation of push-ups, including normal push-ups, diamond pushups, Spiderman push-ups and clap push-ups. “These increase the intensity of this simple exercise and work on my arms, shoulders and back that are most utilised in badminton,” he says.
He adds, “I do squats for my upper legs. I love adding variations to this exercise to work further on my quadriceps muscle. The frog squat, squat kickback and squat with side leg lift are great. I also do burpees that have explosive power to help build my legs. I do box jumps as well as crunches to build my abs and overall core.”
The former No. 1 in men's badminton is hoping to make the top eight to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics. He had suffered a knee injury last year because of a strenuous tournament calendar.
HIIT Routine, Speed Workouts & Consistency: How India Inc Bosses Get Marathon-Ready
Dial 'F' For Fitness
15 Jan, 2020
Leading business names share what they are doing new for the upcoming marathon season. Here is a checklist of their goals as they lace up their shoes.
Speed Workouts The Way To Go
15 Jan, 2020
Rashesh Shah
CEO, Edelweiss Group
“This time I’m going to do the half marathon in Mumbai and the full in Tokyo in March. I have my runner’s group, where we do speed workouts twice a week. There are about 20 of us who are going to the Tokyo Marathon together. Earlier we used to only do distance [training], but now we do speed workouts on a 400-metre track.”
Improving Agility, Focus & Speed
15 Jan, 2020
Nikhil Arora
MD, GoDaddy India
“While I change my daily workout to prepare for an upcoming marathon, I believe in being consistent in my fitness routine. My regular regimen includes a mix of steadystate and high intensity training (HIIT) workouts. On weekends, I raise the intensity and put in about three to four hours, usually early in the morning, for long runs. I have recently started training in boxing. It builds up a lot of lower body endurance as you are on your feet and moving all the time. It’s also helping me improve agility, speed and focus.”
For The Charity
15 Jan, 2020
Shanti Ekambaram
President, consumer banking, Kotak Mahindra Bank
“I’ve been running the marathon for 12 years and for me, there are two parts to prepping. One is the physical training, which I do four times a week, and the other is raising funds for charity. I run mainly to raise funds and that is what keeps me going. The rest, the trainers take care of.”
A Strong Regimen
15 Jan, 2020
Gagan Banga
MD, Indiabulls Housing Finance
“Over the years, I’ve followed a strong regimen in the run-up to marathons, with greater intensity in the running season from June to January. Last year, the Mumbai Marathon was midway through my training for the Tokyo Marathon, so I was deep in the grind of things. This year, however, has been a busy one and I have been unable to maintain the regular rigour. I am currently getting in around 40-45 km a week spread across three to four days.”