Training for any sports requires strength, agility, and endurance if you want to excel in, or even just to finish, the game.
Strength training for specific sports like basketball, soccer, volleyball, running, swimming, cycling, triathlon, and even golf could set you apart from others who only do sports training.
Incorporating strength training and proper nutrition could make a difference in performance.
Most athletes who compete seriously go to the gym regularly as part of their regimen. It’s not just honing the skills in swimming, cycling, or running but also improving the overall performance by strengthening their muscles, and becoming fit for a particular sport.
Basketball and volleyball players must be agile, and able to jump higher to respond quickly to the call of the game with explosive movement.
Swimmers must have strong upper body and legs to propel them faster.
Cyclists and runners must develop strong legs.
Core strengthening is also essential to overall strength. Not all workouts are the same. There are specific strength training for each sports.
Focusing on different muscle groups to attain its potential helps develop sport skills. Lifting weights or machine weights can be used for strengthening.
Examples of weight training for muscle groups: bench presses to develop chest area and triceps, together with pull up machine to develop the back muscles for overall upper body. Leg presses and leg extensions for overall leg strengthening.
Not all strength workout can be done in the gym lifting weights. Using your own body weight (like doing push ups and pull ups) is just as effective in developing those overall upper body muscles.
Other examples include squats, lunges, sit ups, and planks.
A dynamic movement workout requires the body to move through a full range of motion.
Static movement is holding a body in place on the floor or against a wall for a few minutes (such as planking) also develops strength. These kinds of workouts are best in enhancing overall strength, and not much of bulking on muscles, compared to lifting weights.
In addition to strength training, agility drills can help athletes improve coordination, speed, power, and reflexes.
Workouts such as plyometrics, hurdles, box jumps, and lateral jumps are essential to enhance athletic performance. Strong muscles to support forward and lateral movements need to be maintain and strengthen.
To be better in any sports and to achieve it’s potential, one must include some type of strength and agility workout to their program.
Proper nutrition is just as important to sustain overall performance. To breakdown daily caloric intake, 30 percent calories from protein to feed muscle growth, 60 percent calories from carbohydrates for energy, and 10 percent calories from fat should be part of one’s daily nutrition.
To be a better athlete or just for our overall good health, we need to be consistent with training.
To be sports fit, our body must be healthy and strong. We don’t have to win gold, silver or bronze medals to be a top athlete. Staying in tip-top shape, and being healthy is better than winning gold, as long as we feel good about ourself.
A healthy body leads to a healthy mind. As the saying goes, “Health is Wealth”.
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