BOURNEMOUTH skipper SIMON FRANCIS, our new Premier League columnist, will be giving regular updates from behind the scenes as the coronavirus impacts on professional football.
WHEN I had a gym built down the bottom of my garden a few years ago, the lads at Bournemouth were giving me stick for being a fitness freak.
Now we are training at home this week because of coronavirus, it has proved more useful than I ever planned it to be — and the other boys will be wishing they had done the same.
In fact, our fitness coach, Dan Hodges, told all the squad that the club’s equipment provider can hook them up with treadmills or exercise bikes if they want them.
The last few days have been very surreal.
We were preparing on Friday for the Crystal Palace game but, literally just as we were about to head out to train, we were told to hold off.
The manager, Eddie Howe, was having a conference call at 10.30am but before he had even come out of that, the news that the season would be postponed broke on the TV.
Within half an hour, we had a meeting where they sent us all home with individual training schedules.
With goalkeeper Artur Boruc and four staff members self-isolating as a precaution, after showing symptoms of the virus, the training ground is a no-go until next Monday.
We’ve been keeping Artur’s spirits up with messages on WhatsApp. He’s fine, his symptoms are mild so he has been bored more than anything.
Although with his missus having recently given birth, I’m sure he has been kept busy!
Boredom was a regular theme on the team WhatsApp group before Saturday was even over.
I’m not sure the severity of the situation has quite kicked in yet with the players, particularly the younger ones.
As much as they love a day off to relax, I can tell how much they are itching to get back to training already.
But the fact is this virus is so serious that we could potentially be stuck at home a lot longer — as much as we have to prepare as if the Newcastle game on April 4 will go ahead.
My message to the younger players is to be sensible: it’s not the summer holidays, you’re not allowed to go away, maintain your fitness and stay safe.
The worry with training remotely is that it could cause injury when we do eventually go back to normal training.
You can’t replicate a match scenario or even 90 minutes to two hours out on the training field at home.
You can run as much as you like on the treadmill, you can do a bike session, but until you’re out there training, your body won’t be able to put in the same preparation.
Ultimately, the best way to prepare for matches is to train — and that’s why the manager has us back in next week.
But a week to ten days is a long time not to be kicking a football.
On the other hand, we’ve got some key players who are coming back over the next few weeks, so it could help!
It will almost be like a mini pre-season and if the dates get pushed back again in April, it will be like that again.
You have to stay professional because until we hear otherwise, the season is going to go ahead in some shape or form.
My gym is in a garden building with glass windows. It has a treadmill, bike, squat rack, free weights . . . everything I need to keep ticking over.
It came in handy when I was out for a long time with a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament last year, as the physio allowed me to train at home sometimes to break up the monotony.
Because of that knee injury, I tend to do more cycling than running and have recently got into road bikes.
Our individual schedules have been composed to try to replicate a week’s worth of training.
On Saturday, I did a tough bike session for a similar distance that I would run in a game. And on Sunday I did lower-leg weights which are important for stability and the strength of my knee.
Yesterday was a rest day and today I’ll do my only run on the treadmill for the week for 20 minutes at interval speeds — one minute fast, two at a slower pace.
For the rest of the week I’ll be back on the bike.
The coaches have given us heart-rate monitors and keep in touch on WhatsApp and via an app where our data is logged.
Our guys are professionals so will be doing their homework — but if you did not, you would only be cheating yourself and risk injury further down the line.
The family and I are due to move house in June with our next place currently being renovated — though who knows with this crisis?
I’ll speak to the builder this week as he may have to stock up on materials just in case businesses do go down for a few weeks.
The new house is just around the corner and normally I leave it a week to see the difference in what they’ve done.
But it’s going to be hard not to go round there every day this week.
With the way things are going, I might ask if he needs any help laying some bricks!
Joking aside, obviously none of us has been in this situation before.
We have had weekends off and international breaks but you always know when you’re coming back.
Right now we’re in an uncomfortable place, not just as footballers but as a country, where we don’t know what the future will hold.
