Performance improvement: What sort of training can be done to improve performance
I talk to many people who run or play a sport, they want to be able to improve performance. However, they think just training harder doing there chosen sport or event will make them better. To an extent this is true and it will get you to a point. Once this point is reached and you start to show less progress, what happens then?
What can you do to improve performance?
There are a number of aspects to consider when training for a performance goal. Whether is is to run faster of long distance or jump higher. You still have to train other areas of your body to improve. With both running and jumping you have to have strength in your legs and core. If you don’t it will decease your performance drastically. You have to work on strength training as well as your chosen sport to get better. In the gym you can identify your weaknesses and improve on them. You might have a weak core and therefore you aren’t transferring force from your legs to your upper body during a jump. Working on your core involving the spine, hip flexors and shoulder girdle will help with all sports.
What are you not looking at?
If you are just playing your sport and that’s it and you expect to increase your speed or vertical leap. It wont happen, you have to do plyometrics and strength training on the certain areas of the body to increase vertical leap properly. And I haven’t even gone into the flexibility required to jump higher. This doesn’t just apply to jumping it applies to all sports. Flexibility will make your body have the freedom to move like an elastic band.
Look closer at what is going to make you better and dedicate time to training that way. Once you have started you will see what your body is truly capable off.
Once you start training differently
Once you start training differently you will start to see differences in the way you move and perform. Even if its just once per week you will notice a difference, as long as your training right. I know this because as a youngster I wanter to jump higher. I could just touch the rim in basketball but i wanted to dunk. I started adding a training programme of one strength day and one plyometric day. I stretched at the end of each session too. Within months I was able to create a lot more force to be able to dunk.
What next?
I do personal training in Windsor and if you really want to improve your performance in your chosen sport. I suggest seeking out a personal trainer or strength and conditioning coach to help you with your training. Believe me you will not regret the decision you make once you start seeing performance results.