General Physical Preparedness (GPP) is said to be important for athletes in order to excel at what they do. Movement is a part of every sport. Movement is created by bones and muscles and hence, strong bones and muscles are necessary to make powerful, rapid movements. Each athlete requires a unique training program to finesse at their particular skill set. However, before they learn that, it is necessary that they know how to control their body i.e. cut, accelerate and decelerate and move properly on the field of play. An athlete needs to be exceptionally good at strength building before beginning with other bases such as resistance building, etc. This is because it is necessary for any athlete to learn how to move without resistance first and polish their motor patterns before beginning with more complex movements required in the respective sport. Therefore, strength building needs to be an essential part of an athlete’s training program.
Mentioned below are the best 4 training building methods for an athlete to be healthy, strong and nimble in order to dominate on the field.
- Explosive Jumping
Exercises that require thinking and are neurologically demanding need to be done first in every workout session. The reason for this is that exercises such as jumps, explosive lifts place a direct demand on the nervous system and need to be done when fresh or else you would end up injuring yourself. Jumping is also thought to be a simple yet effective method to develop power. Begin with simple box, broad and vertical jumps and gradually incorporate hurdle jumps and drop and depth jumps into your training as you progress. This will build the lower body that is a vital part of any athlete.
- Pull, Push and Carry
Many athletes make use of the off-season to gain weight and strength. The best way to do so is found to be lifting heavy objects, carrying them as well as pushing and pulling them. This makes the body develop muscles quickly. It further helps to work with unilateral exercises which are done by a single limb rather than two. Examples of unilateral exercises include splits, skater squats, etc. Working out this way is great to become a well-rounded athlete and is able to avoid injuries due to imbalances. Many sports make use of the pull, push and carry method to to grow bigger, stronger and faster players.
Many sports involve repeated sprinting in different directions without providing complete rest periods. This means an athlete needs to have both, speed and power. Sprinting is said to be one of the best ways to condition an athlete for a team sports. Many athletes tend to spend hours distance running in order to prepare for fast, explosive sports. Apart from sprinting, you can also run hills and tracks as well as tempo run, all of which are considered excellent to build speed and strength.
- Medicine Ball
Medicine balls work best for developing triceps, calves, abdomen, shoulders, glutens, all of which need to be optimal for an athlete to perform his/her best. The medicine ball is available in different weights to suit different needs. Medicine balls are great to train with in open areas that allow the athlete to slam the ball as hard as they can with no repercussion. Throw the ball upwards, downwards and sideways rapidly and repeatedly.
Developing strength and conditioning better is essential for an athlete to be stronger and faster. The above mentioned methods have been proved to be a great way to improve strength and athleticism and producing an explosive athlete that is able to rise in the moment and top up.