Coming back to playing cricket after some time away from the game is hard work.

A lot of cricket specific movements are not reflected in real life and bowling is, frankly, an unnatural thing to do. That means returning can cause players to perform below their best and be very sore after their first few games.

Although there is no way to get around this, you can reduce the worst effects by some careful planning.

Update: This article has now been updated and reposted. Click here to go to the latest page and download the latest plan. The information below is for archive puropses only.

Most club cricketers in the Northern hemisphere are not thinking about next season yet. Winter nets tend to start after Christmas and football is dominating the world. But this is the best time to set down a fitness plan for the year.

The more powerful you are the faster you can run, the harder you can strike a ball and the faster you can bowl.

It's time for another guest post. As we have been talking about cricket as a power sport, Scott Bird from Straighttothebar.com gives us the low down on a power developing tool: the kettlebell

Getting your first kettlebell

What exactly are they?

They're often referred to as a 'cannonball with a handle', which is a pretty good description. A kettlebell is usually (there are adjustable ones - avoid them) a solid chunk of cast iron, which comprises a spherical weight with a flat bottom and a curved, thick handle on top.

Once described as 'organised loafing', cricket is seen as one of the more genteel of sports. On the surface, it appears that there is little to compare it with the physical demands of power sports like football or rugby.

So why ask if cricket is a power sport or not?

Simply put, if you want to improve your game, you need to know what demands your body is under so you can train in the right way. Train wrong and you are wasting your efforts.

Cricket is a fun game to play. Especially when you are doing well, but sometimes it's not quite as easy to get up in the middle of winter to go for a run or make it down to nets twice a week.

We all have times where we don't want to do it (even me).

Whenever I get a little low in the motivation stakes I try these tricks to get me back into the swing of things.

Every now and again I’ll update you with my own schedule, just to give you an idea of how a club player can do it. Hopefully it will give you some context to my tips.

I'm back on the cricket fitness trail this week after last week's full rest. So it was up at 6am to get into the gym for an early start.

Imagine something so powerful it can literally increase your strength and burn off fat while you sleep, eat or surf the internet.

Imagine that it's free and that there are no negative side effects.

Imagine the possibilities: A leaner, stronger you would be able to hit the ball harder, bowl faster and be less tired at the end of a long session.

1. Some teams always play for the draw. Too many times a captain will blame the opposition for a boring draw. There are very few sides who deliberately aim to go for the bore draw. More likely, neither captain has taken control of the game enoughto keep it close. The answer: Be prepared to take a risk. You will play in a lot less draws.

Every now and again I'll update you with my own schedule, just to give you an idea of how a club player can do it. Hopefully it will give you some context to my tips.

Last time I updated you I was just starting my recovery phase. Mainly to give my body time to recover after the season.

Now I'm feeling fit again I will be taking this week as complete rest (well, I'll be walking about 30 min a day but nothing else).