Improving athletic performance is an ability to execute and excel in various physical activities and sports. It encompasses a wide range of factors both physiological and psychological.
There are certain key components to improve athletic performance:
- Physical fitness components for athletic performance:
- Strength: The ability to exert force.
- Endurance: The ability of muscles to sustain efforts over a prolonged period.
- Agility: The ability to change direction quickly and efficiently.
- Flexibility: Range of motion that helps to move freely.
- Speed: The ability to move quickly
2. Skill components for athletic performance:
Proficiency in the specific skills required for the sport, for example, shooting in basketball required coordination, and hitting a ball in cricket required strength and power.
Effective workout routines to improve athletic performance are as follows:
Plyometrics
Plyometric mechanics and physiology:
Functional movements and athletic success depend on both the proper function of all active muscles and the speed at which these muscular forces are used. The term used to define this force-speed relationship is POWER. When used correctly, plyometrics training has consistently been shown to improve the production of muscle force and power. This increased the production of power.
Stretch-shortening cycle (SSC):
Plyometrics are exercises that use the stretch-shortening cycle (SSC) to produce powerful movements. The SSC refers to the ability of muscles, tendons, and ligaments to store energy in a shortened position and then quickly release it as they lengthen. This action is what helps give you explosive power when jumping or sprinting. When you perform plyometrics, your muscles are stretched in a shortened state and then rapidly lengthened. This causes the muscle to contract forcefully, which results in explosive power.
The best way to increase your plyometric ability is to practice the jumping exercise consistently as per your strength capability. For example: Beginner athletes can begin with basic hops and sprinting exercises. Intermediate can perform the jumps workout routine on the box in the gym as well as various sprint exercises and advanced athletes can perform the combinations of plyometric training to improve athletic performance.
Calisthenics
You might heard of this word. A well-known fitness technique which shows beautiful strength by performing exercises like human flag, Backlever, Muscle-ups, etc.
Do check the video for clarity:- human flag, Backlever, Muscle-ups
But how does calisthenics help to improve athletic performance?
Calisthenics is the practice of using only body weight to train, there is no need for a gym. It only includes body weight and/or minimal equipment like a thera-band, jump rope, pull-up bar (which is available in parks/ gardens), and other small equipment that is available in fitness stores.
The goal is to create a full-body workout that builds strength, endurance, and flexibility without equipment, which is used to develop a powerful core that enhances the performance of an athlete in their specific sports skills or movement. Also, you can create variations to check your body’s ability.
Exercise examples, you can perform more advanced variations of basic exercise as given in the chart below:
| Basic exercise | Advanced version |
| Push-ups | Clap pushups, burpees, one-arm push-up, Archer push-up, Pike push-up, etc |
| Pull-ups | Muscle-ups, archer pull-ups, L-sit pull-up One-arm pull-up, Australian pull-up, etc |
| Squats | Jump squat, forward jump squat, cossack squats, pistol squat, one leg squat, etc |
| Lunges | Bulgarian squats, jumping squats, etc |
Do Check:- 4 weeks intensive calisthenics Bodyweight training program
Circuit training
The circuit training programme involves almost every component of fitness and is very scientific and effective. In circuit training, different specific exercises are performed in a sequence. In this programme selected exercises are to be performed at different stations.
There can be 5 to 10 stations in a single training programme with 2 to 4 sets. The athlete performs a specific exercise in each station and as soon as they finish will rush to another station for the next specified exercise.
Duration of performing exercise in each station is also specified; the degree of difficulty can be increased or decreased, depending upon the objective of training. Distance between each station also plays its role in adjusting the load.
This training can be performed to develop one or two fitness components (Muscle strength, endurance or strength-endurance), depending upon the type of nature of the game and the requirement of fitness components. It can also be designed by putting the main concentration on the same muscle group. Also, it is a very interesting and creative activity, that can be done from intermediate to advanced athletes to improve athletic performance.
There are different types of circuit training regimes for example in CrossFit – Every minute on minute (EMOM), As many reps as possible (AMRAP). Here are some samples of circuit training:
