Being a healthy and fit athlete back in the day was only limited to younger individuals. However, nowadays, professional athletes can compete better and for far longer, allowing anyone of any age to live the athlete’s lifestyle. It’s not just because of improvements in nutrition — it’s because athletes are beginning to understand how their body needs to train to stay agile and flexible.
If you’ve always wanted to know what it felt like to become a professional athlete or at least look like one, here are seven expert-approved fitness tips to consider:
Focus on Compound Movements
Compound movements, including squatting, overhead presses, deadlifting, and power cleans, typically use several joints simultaneously, meaning you get to use more muscles — allowing you to gain more. That’s why professional athletes often focus on doing ground-based movements, which are moves that maximize the use of your feet while on the ground absorbing and applying force through it.
You can make this part of training more exciting and fun by having Utah professionals handle the hydroseeding of your lawn if you’re working at home to disperse water, fertilizer, and mulch to your yard. A healthy and lush yard is an ideal place to work out or do your physical activities. There’s fresh air, open space, and more freedom to move as you please.
Buddy Up
Training with a friend or group can create a competitive environment, motivating you to do better or catch up. A personal trainer can help aspiring athletes train smarter, and pairing up with them can give them a better insight into what fitness programs or plans would work best for you. Plus, it’s more fun when you’re doing it with someone else.
For guys, working out with a buddy is also a safety issue. Having someone spot for you as you do your weight training routine can help prevent accidents or injury. The same is true for biking and long-distance runs, or trail hiking, there should always be someone with you who can call for help in case of an emergency.
Drink More Water
Drinking water is crucial for muscles to function at their best when exercising and training. That’s why you’ll never see a pro athlete without some form of liquid on hand when working out. After all, when an athlete lets themselves get dehydrated, it can negatively impact their performance. If you consider yourself a high-performing athlete, multiply your body weight times 0.6, giving you the accurate ounces you need to drink every day.
Time Your Rests
Monitoring your rest intervals while allowing full recovery can improve your overall performance, enhancing maximum output, enabling athletes to perform at higher levels. Maximum output is the max force that a person can produce when conditions are their best, and rest periods need to be completed to ensure consistent quality. So, let the speed and quality of your athletic performance decide how long you need to rest between movements.
Get an Active Recovery
After intense consecutive days of working out and training like a pro athlete, the worst thing you can do is doing nothing at all. Although your muscles may be sore and stiff, the fastest and best way to recover is by doing low-intensity workouts. These include going for a walk, doing warm-up exercises for at least 15 minutes, and doing upper- or lower-body sled dragging. Doing these improve blood flow, helping you recover faster.
Gear Up
Professional athletes, regardless of the sports they’re into, always have gear with them, helping them prepare for any situation. That’s why have your gym bag packed with the right training equipment before lifting, running, playing, and other activities. No matter what they’re training for, professional athletes always have lacrosse balls, foam rollers, bands, and gymnastic rings with them, so consider packing some of these things with you.
Don’t Forget to Relax and Release Once in a While
Even the busiest athletes take a break, so make sure to unwind once in a while. A great way to do this is by having a myofascial release, deep tissue work deactivating painful muscle knots, adding suppleness to your body, and helping you recover faster. Although you can go to a spa for this, you can always do it at home using a foam roller, sports balls like ones for lacrosse, golf, and softball.
Having tight muscles can hinder your ability to work out to the fullest, so find some time to relax and do tissue work before diving in again.
The key to training like a professional athlete is not to train harder but smarter — and the expert-approved fitness tips mentioned can make you stronger and leaner in no time, helping you adjust to an athlete’s lifestyle with ease.
