"If i wanted to increase my speed and strength for bowling, would it be odd if i ran on a treadmill with 5KG weights in both of my hands at about 15kph?"

This question was emailed to me recently by a reader.

While the only odd question is one that is not asked, I have to say that training like this would not be the most effective method. Mainly because it wouldn't work, but also because there are many better ways to get the same result.

photo credit: Usodesita

I just joined an 'old school' bodybuilding/powerlifting gym and it's one of the best decisions I have made for my game.

A spit and sawdust gym might not seem an obvious place to start improving your performance in the middle. In the few short weeks I have been there I can say it has had nothing but a positive effect. Here is why:

The proof of any cricket system is how well it works for real coaches and players. SAQ is no different.

That's why I was delighted when Matt got in touch with me to tell me his experiences with adding SAQ to his coaching.

Here is what he told me:

I used the SAQ for was with a group of 11/12 year olds last year of mixed ability. In terms of the skills required in some of the phases within SAQ such as Mechanics (hurdles) , Innervation (ladders) and Explosive movements there was a vast improvement from the start of the 10 week course to end in terms of running technique and quick multi directional fast foot movements which are vital in all aspects of cricket.

What are the physical requirements of a batsman batting through an innings to score a 100 runs?

As a batsman or coach, knowing which energy systems are at work in your body can help you plan your training more specifically for your cricket. This will help you get to that elusive 100 more often.

Before the game

Alwyn Cosgrove put it perfectly recently when he said that any sport where men outperform women proves that strength is a vital factor to success. Research and practical experience has shown that the right strength training can:

Is there some sort of magic to the number 5 in cricket?

If you look hard enough there is always magic to numbers. In the case of the number 5 it's a handy tool to make you think more about your cricket training.

5 hours per week

John Berardi is a big advocate of training a minimum of 5 hours a week to see improvements. There is no reason this can't be extrapolated to cricket too.

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Yesterday I was let out to travel to the swish David Lloyd club in Cardiff. I was there to interview Rob Ahmun, the Strength and Conditioning coach for Glamorgan County Cricket Club.

For a fitness geek like me it was a dream way to spend 45 minutes.

In the plush country club style surroundings we talked about the challenges of fitness in cricket, especially dealing with professional players in a sport with such all-consuming and ever-changing time constraints. Rob's a passionate guy and he clearly knows his stuff inside out.

The first time I ever kept wicket in a senior cricket match was quite an experience. I was used to youth team 20 over evening thrashes at the time; done in a flash and home in time for dinner.

After 30 overs I was pretty tired of crouching, after 40 I wanted to go home and by the time 52 overs had passed and the innings closed I had to lay down. The day after I tried to get out of bed only to collapse on the floor and be forced to crawl to the bathroom. The DOMS in my thighs was that bad.

Still thinking about starting to get fit for the cricket season? A huge round of applause to you for trying and an even bigger one for this massive in-depth guide to losing weight:

Weight loss information is finite. Everything you actually need to know about it already exists and has existed for quite some time… It has not changed, and it never will change. It will never improve. It will never become easier, it will never become harder. The way cavemen lost weight is the exact same way flying-telepathic-super-humans will lose weight in 4028.