It doesn’t take 20/20 vision to see that professional athletes are in better shape than non-athletes. They train daily, have very specific diets, and have built an extreme amount of endurance and stamina. Training like a professional athlete can lead you to a healthier lifestyle and a better physique, but it’s not for the faint of heart. In fact, training like a professional athlete can be so in depth that you really become an athlete yourself.
If you’re looking to make a shift in your workout routine and start training like an athlete, there are plenty of places to start. Here, we’ll take a look at how you can incorporate some professional training into your daily routine.
Work Fast
When it comes to athletic training at a professional level, you have to think about what you’re preparing your body to be able to do. Have you ever seen an athlete move slowly when it wasn’t on purpose? Likely not, unless they’ve become fatigued. The reason you don’t see this often is because athletes use methods like HIIT training, which stands for high-intensity interval training. This helps them to perform at high levels in small intervals without getting tired since they’ve been conditioned to it in their training.
Tip: Try doing 15-20 minutes of HIIT training a few times a week to start building your training. This can include hill sprints, sled pushes, or rower sprints.
Compound Movements
One way to build more athletic muscle is to use compound movements as part of your exercise routine. This type of exercise uses multiple muscles and joints at one time, building a stronger foundation and working out more than one area of the body. This is always a plus when looking for effective training exercises. These are also movements that require your feet to be planted, so your body learns to absorb and apply force through the ground, which will help in athletic settings.
Tip: Squats are the best form of compound movement training. Because of their upright stance that builds full-body muscle, squats are going to give you a big impact.
Train For Endurance
There are certain sports that require a ton of endurance, but what most athletes need is strong endurance at a constantly high performance level. If you train for endurance, much like with the HIIT training for strength, you’ll be able to perform longer and stronger than just isolating muscles by lifting weights.
Tip: Work your way up to that HIIT training platform. Your endurance training needs levels or else your body will plateau.