Want to Improve Your Athletic Performance? Try These Out

The difference between you and your colleague, who acts like a metahuman and performs optimally, boils down to his ability to figure out what his body needs. The rule is pretty simple: to compete at the highest level, you need to figure out how to improve your athletic performance. And as far-fetched, as this seems, it is quite easier now than it was several years back. Why? Because we now have a better understanding of our body mechanics and the right buttons to push.

So whether you are an athlete looking to boost your performance or a normal sportsperson who wishes to perform at your peak, the answers you seek are embedded somewhere below this paragraph. However, before you proceed to digest these tips, you need to understand that they can only work if the appropriate commitment and determination are in place.

With that said, let’s dive in.

1. Vary your workout

Before you prepare your mind for these tips, you need to rid it of one of the most common misconceptions. Visiting the gym and lifting different kinds of weights that contort your face and make you sweat like a nervous job applicant may not be the fastest way to enhance your athletic performance.

Enhancing your athletic performance is more about improving your muscle strength, response time, and mental ability on the field and less about spending money on body sculpting and outrageous hours in the gym lifting weights.

Also, rather than engage in the normal training routine, which has become too common, engage in what we call functional training or at least include it in your workout.  Remember, the goal of exercising is to work out the muscles that you’ll be using during the game. Doing so helps condition your body to react to various situations and prevent muscle injuries.

2. Stay hydrated

Hydration is essential under normal circumstances. So, do the math. If the doctor recommends that you take 2 liters of water daily, under normal circumstances, don’t you think you’ll need to up your water intake while exercising?

It doesn’t matter if you are exercising on the field or in a gym fitted with several windows, you’ll need to hydrate from time to time. Why? Because as you work those muscles by engaging in different types of exercises, your body will lose fluid through sweat. And when this happens, you’ll need to replenish the depleted water.

However, you mustn’t overhydrate, as acute overhydrating can result in hyponatremia (sodium deficiency), induced coma, and death.  So quell the urge to fill your tummy with several liters of water before the workout, and stick with the normal 20-40 ounces.

If you are an individual who has a history of not getting adequate water, tackling this should result in a significant rise in your athletic performance.

3. Take the right meals.

Of course, this article would be deemed incomplete without referencing this point. Anything you consume, be it water or food, will affect your health and overall performance. So you can either choose to take in the right meals or do otherwise. However, if you wish to enhance your athletic performance, it makes sense to take the right meals.

Don’t just eat whatever you see or whatever entices you. Some of these meals aren’t good for you; that is, they lack the vitamins and minerals required to enhance your performance.

Instead, go for energy-packed foods like whole-grain crackers with low-fat cheese, tortilla wraps with veggies and lean meat, hard-boiled eggs, etc. If possible, you can work with a nutrizionista sportivo to help you develop a diet that could help provide your body with the nutrients it needs to fire you up.

4. Take note of your performance and improvement.

While you engage in your routine workout, ensure you take note of significant improvement. Of course, many athletes ignore this, probably because to them, it doesn’t matter. However, it does.

Failure to monitor your performance may result in you running in circles or make it difficult for you to determine what you need to work on. So, if you discover that you have become stronger or could do 2 miles on a treadmill, don’t hesitate to record the achievement. You may not see the benefit at the moment, but trust me, later on, you’d be glad you took note.

 5. Train your brain

You may have come across the phrase, “The mind is the body’s most powerful muscle.” While the brain isn’t really a muscle, that powerful phrase has lots of truth in it.

In fact, training your brain is regarded as one of the most effective ways to enhance your athletic performance. This is because it gives you a mental edge over your competitors and ensures that you react to decisive situations quickly and accurately.

Ditch the idea that athletic endeavor depends on how well-built you are or the hours you spend in the gym engaged in rigorous exercises. The fact remains that lots of sports depend on your mental ability, and if you lack in that area, your visit to the gym, the diet you painstakingly stick to may all be useless.

Take sports like football and hockey, for example. Football and hockey players always have to make last-gasp decisions. And what helps them in making these decisions? Their muscles or brain?

With that said, if you want to enhance your athletic performance, ensure you train your brain as you would train your body.

6. Get adequate rest

Whenever you feel the urge to put your body to the limits, all in the name of trying to enhance your performance, always remember that you aren’t a robot. Your body comprises normal human tissue and organs, and not wires and some hardware. That said, you should give yourself some time to rest and recover. In fact, the recovery process is as essential as the workout itself. Taking some time out to relax has several therapeutic benefits. Not only does it help to prevent injury, but it also helps to replenish lost energy, eliminate toxins, reduce soreness, etc. So, ensure you always get enough rest and quell the urge to push it.