Workouts with Exercises that Athletes can do to Increase Strength, Performance, Power and Endurance with any Athletic Sport

Feb 25, 2008

Workouts with exercises that athletes can do to increase strength, performance, power and endurance with any athletic sport..

Those of us who follow workouts religiously, not for aesthetic reasons, rather than because we must exercise to maintain the highest level of athletic potential need to understand that there must be a common focus on performing certain lifts and that they must be done correctly. The goal- Strength, Power, & Endurance- and that equals performance

Training for any sport requires a focus on Intensity, Technique, and executing explosive type movements. Maintaining a general program that involves all of these categories is essential for most athletic sports. The exercises that must be a part of any athletic program from the High School level all the way to the pro level are The Parallel Squat, The Power Clean, and The Flat Bench. These are the essential foundations to exercise where building athletically focused workouts must evolve from.

The Parallel Squat must be performed with a spot, and or someone who is well versed in how this exercise must be completed. The goal at first is to be able to position the barbell on the back correctly and squat parallel without any movement in the placement of the feet. Squatting will help build essential leg strength, power, and core stability to help athletes improve while performing on the field.

Squat Video

The Power clean is typically stereotyped for those athletes such as football players and power lifters. However, ALL types of athletes no matter the sport even females should perform this crucial exercise. If the goal is to increase speed, power, and endurance throughout an athletic event, the clean must be apart of your program. The clean takes many attempts to maintain proper form and technique and must be administered by someone who knows how to perform this exercise perfectly.

Power Clean Video

The Bench Press is the most common exercise that every athlete is probably familiar with. However it is performed by most incorrectly either by technique or not in a manner to help increase upper body strength and speed. The way this exercise should be done is to concentrate on lowering the bar all the way down to the chest just below the bust line and press hard up over the head. Utilizing this technique in a manner that focuses on the descent more than the extension will help in achieving upper body strength.

Bench Press Video

Since all 3 of these lifts need to be executed in a regular workouts by all athletes, it is also important to perform the sets and repetitions that will help improve speed and strength. Below is an example of the number of sets and repetitions over a month long program:

Workouts:

Week 1
3x3

Week 2
3x5

Week 3
5x3x1

Week 4
10x8x6