English cricketer and highest scorer in the Hundred, Tammy Beaumont, shares her top tips when preparing for a cricket match
From a young age, Tammy Beaumont was introduced to the sport she now competes in, after watching various family members play in cricket clubs her whole life.
Despite struggling with food intolerances, the 32 year old attributes her foundation of strength to gymnastics training, as she says, ‘I couldn’t even walk around the shops with my mom at the age of four because I was so weak. So my mum put me in gymnastics to help me build my strength back.’
I couldn’t even walk around the shops with my mom at the age of four
Now the Welsh Fire batter has scored the first century by a woman in the Hundred and holds the highest individual score in the men’s and women’s matches.
Beaumont shares her tips with us on how she prepared for the now sold-out final and accomplished these incredible achievements this summer alongside her teammates…
Strength Training vs Cardio
Despite years of training for gymnastics and cricket, Beaumont shares that the cardio aspect of her fitness routine has not always come naturally to her.
‘I think most people think athletes are genetically good at it, but I think we’re pretty normal in the sense that some things come easier than others, just like anyone else.’
Beaumont describes that in and out of the cricket seasons, she mainly focuses on strength training, as this contributes to her endurance during a long match.
‘During our strength training we do lots of back squats, with focus on hamstrings, and also press ups, chin ups, bench presses and pull ups. We also really have to make sure our cores are strong, so there is a big focus on that as well.’
READ MORE: 7 physical signs of stress you shouldn’t ignore – plus what can help
View this post on Instagram
Beaumont says she also opts for reformer pilates along with the likes of her teammates, who use this as an extra fitness outlet to make sure their cores stay strong.
Yet Beaumont shares that when training during the matches, cardio is still incorporated into her routine, with having to keep up with their fitness even on the off days during season.
‘During the Hundred, we have about five games in the space of 10 days, it’s quite long days and then we still train on the weekends with going to the gym and getting in a run.’
So in season, Beaumont admits, it’s ‘pretty chaotic.’
implementing creatine into her diet – has contributed to improving her strength and power
Beaumont also adds that implementing creatine into her diet, which is a natural source of energy that assists muscles during exercise, has contributed to improving her strength and power.
‘I think it has a bad rep for women that it may make you more bloated but I’ve found that it made a really big difference to being able to put in that extra rep in the gym.’
When working towards your own fitness goals, Beaumont suggests, ‘don’t worry about what someone else looks like or what they are doing on Instagram, I think that’s one of the worst things you can look at.’
In terms of Beaumont’s own personal fitness inspiration, she sweetly attributes that to her fiancée
and late-grandfather, who inspire her to lead a healthy life outside of playing sport.
Mind over Matter
Like any athlete, an adrenaline rush and nervous energy are ways Beaumont says help fuel her (Welsh Fire) when competing in a big match.
However the Welsh Fire captain admits that she has put more effort in making sure her headspace is right before a match like the Hundred, to help her push through and perform better.
‘Before this Test match I realised that making sure my mind is calm and clear and to be able to see a situation for what it is without getting stressed or caught in tunnel vision was a big one for me.’
This has quite clearly reflected into her many achievements this summer, as Beaumont became the first English woman to hit a Test double century during the Ashes.
‘The physical pressure can translate into the mental pressure, so it’s important for me to make more logical decisions over emotional ones.’
Beaumont also shares that her biggest piece of advice for staying healthy is to make sure you figure out what’s right for you, even if that means deleting social media and focusing on what makes yourself happy.
make sure you figure out what’s right for you, even if that means deleting social media
‘Just because someone else likes yoga or eats nothing but chicken and broccoli – that works for them – but do what is right for you and what makes you feel good. If it makes you feel good and it makes you feel healthy and it looks after your well-being, then it’s right for you.’
Outside of the cricket season, Beaumont shares that what keeps her mental state afloat is spending time with her fiancée and black Labrador Indiana, who she says spend all of their free time outdoors in the countryside of England during the off season.
View this post on Instagram
Apple Crumble for Tea
Beaumont has since overcame her intolerances to certain foods from when she was young, yet admits that nutrition is still something that she struggles to nail down.
Her previous food intolerances have created a different type of relationship with food, Beaumont shares, as eating new foods brings her back to when she would become severely ill.
But for Beaumont, nutrition has become more about how the food she’s eating makes her body feel on the inside, rather than what fixating on what it looks like on the outside.
‘My nutrition focuses on fuelling my body for a game day. So the night before I focus on eating a lot of carbs to make sure I have enough energy throughout the day to make sure I’m putting in the performance I need to – it’s not so much about how we look in the kit.’
Beaumont jokes about how occasionally the cricket tea time meal are foods like apple crumble, which she says goes back to the importance of carb loading during a long match day.
A key component Beaumont says that has helped her with her nutrition overall has been adding protein into her diet.
‘Adding protein has been a great tool in helping my muscles recover and does not make me bulky at all. If you train like a body builder, you’ll look like a body builder. Protein has made my body able to do more and I usually try to get my protein from the foods I eat.’
as an athlete being mindful about what you are eating is key to making healthy choices
Outside of the cricket season or competition series, Beaumont says that she doesn’t stick to a certain diet, but as an athlete being mindful about what you are eating is key to making healthy choices when not needing to carb load before a match.
‘It’s all about finding balance. If I know I don’t have a match for three days then I will alter what I eat, such as eating more protein. But during competitions it’s all about performance so making sure my body is ready for that is the most important thing.’
View this post on Instagram
You can watch the Hundred Final live on the BBC this Sunday 27th August. Also see the players in action in the upcoming Sri Lanka series, starting 31st August.
To watch more of Beaumont this year, catch the ODI Series starting on 9th September, with tickets available here: https://www.ecb.co.uk/tickets/england.
Like this article? Sign up to our newsletter to get more articles like this delivered straight to your inbox.
