Right behind weight loss/body composition change, the SECOND most popular question we get regarding fitness related goals is:
“What exercises should I do to get better at (insert sport of choice)”
Whether it’s tennis, golf, running, biking, baseball, volleyball, kayaking, etc…We are blessed to live in an area where there is a huge variety of sports available to us year-round!
So, who DOESN’T want to WIN? (Or at least improve your performance?)
Though it would probably boost my career in unimaginable ways…I’m sorry to say that I am not an all-knowing trainer with a vast mental data base of sport-specific techniques, drills, and tips.
I probably can’t teach you how to finally stop hooking the ball to right every time you tee off, OR fix your back hand swing in tennis. BUT what I CAN tell you is that you can make DRASTIC improvements to your performance in your sport of choice by implementing the right strategies in the GYM!
With the “Google Guru” so easily accessible today, what MANY people do is simply google something like,
“Exercises to be a better golfer.”
Sure you may find a few exercises that target areas such as your core which can make you swing faster/stronger, but here lies the problem…
Our bodies are created to function as a SYSTEM.
So maybe you focus ALL of your attention in the gym on rotation-type exercises to really be able to smack that ball down the fairway, BUT at what expense?
With time you start feeling pain in your lower back, your upper back, your hips, or maybe even your shoulders?
This is because you didn’t address the WHOLE system. Unless you are a superhuman with the perfect balance of mobility and strength, chances are your body will compensate in SOME type of way to perform the action you are asking of it.
Our bodies will always execute the “path of least resistance”, even if this path may eventually put your body in to jeopardy/cause injury.
SO, if you want to SUSTAINABLY improve your performance in your sport of choice – Winning MORE, and hurting LESS…
The recipe we follow looks something like this:
Fix and improve upon areas of poor MOBILITY first
Create STABILITY around the joints and core to prevent injury
Focus on TOTAL body strength training for increased power
Interval train for stamina and quicker recovery time
Apply sport-specific exercises/drills where applicable for quickness, explosiveness, and reactivity
With sports involving a high frequency of repetitive motions (such as golf, tennis, kayaking, etc…), sometimes the key to IMPROVING your performance is to focus equal (or more) attention on exercises to COUNTERACT the effects that these motions have on the body.
For example, if you are playing a sport 3 to 4 days/week that recruits more of your “pushing” muscles, then programming something like a 2 to 1 ratio of “pulling” to pushing exercises in your strength training program might not be a bad idea. (Especially if you are experiencing any type of pain.)
This becomes increasingly important the longer you’ve played a sport, and certainly could be the missing key if you have found that you’ve hit a bit of a plateau.
SO, moral of the story here is although PRACTICE is critically in improving the skills of your sport, it’s not ALL you need to be “perfect”. (OK, perfect might be stretching that a bit…)
BUT, you DO need to focus on the ENTIRE SYSTEM of your body if you want to continue to improve upon your sport, be able to play for years to come, and prevent injuries along the way!
(Or at least improve your performance?)
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