Picture this: You’re a great athlete who wants to be the best they can be in their sport. You are already doing everything you can in practice, but have no idea what you can do to help you enhance your performance outside of your sport! Well, look no further, because this article will provide you with everything you need to know!
There are many ways to improve and enhance your athletic performance off the court, field, track, pool, or any sport you play!
- HYDRATING: One of the most important things to help you improve athletic performance off the court is to hydrate. There are several benefits to your performance that are directly correlated to hydration. Hydration improves your muscle function, regulates your blood pressure, and improves your circulation and blood flow, all of which are incredibly important to perform at your best. In addition, proper hydration helps prevent injury risk, as dehydration contributes to muscle fatigue and therefore injuries. Overall, make sure you hydrate and be mindful of your daily water intake in order to boost your athletic performance!
2. GETTING ENOUGH SLEEP This is extremely important in improving your performance on the court because having a proper amount of sleep improves muscle memory, reaction time, coordination, and decision-making. These are all crucial to playing sports. In order to get enough sleep you need at least 7 hours of undisturbed rest and should not be on any sort of screen for 1 hour before getting into bed. Proper sleep routines are also important in maintaining enough sleep. Going to bed at the same time every night and waking up at the same time every day can provide you with the necessary consistency in getting enough sleep to perform well in your sport.
3. MIX UP YOUR WORKOUTS Trying different kinds of exercises that affect different parts of your body every couple of weeks can be extremely helpful in boosting athletic performance outside of practice. Doing the same workouts every single day can result in your results being the same, as your body gets used to these routines. Therefore, switching it up a bit can cause muscle confusion, which can create amazing results in your performance.
4. STRETCHING before and after your workout as well as throughout your day is super important in terms of injury prevention and keeping your muscles strong and healthy. Without stretching, your muscles become tight and your range of motion decreases, which can be detrimental to how you perform your sport.
5. MEASURE AND TRACK PERFORMANCE DURING WORKOUTS Measuring and tracking how well you are performing during your workouts can help you to better gauge what you need to improve on and help you view your progress. This doesn’t mean you have to go and buy a tracking watch, although they do work extremely well in viewing your progress in workouts. You can do this by simply recording yourself doing a particular exercise and drill in order to see where you need to improve and what you are doing well. This kind of awareness that comes from tracking performance is a huge contributor to enhanced performance in your sport.
6. EATING HEALTHY Maintaining healthy eating habits can be one of the biggest factors in improving athletic performance. Proper nutrition helps improve energy levels, promotes muscle growth and repair, and helps prevent injury. Making sure to eat before and after your workouts is extremely important because the right foods will fuel you for the duration of your workout. Eating after your workout is extremely important too, as it allows for the strengthening of your muscles. Eating more complex carbs and a healthy mix of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats is crucial to healthy eating habits. Make sure to research further how to better sustain your body during each meal and try your best to eat mainly healthy foods, as this will help you improve your athletic performance. In addition, considering adding supplements into your diet can be important to research.
All of these methods can help boost your performance outside of your sport. Even if you don’t currently play a sport, these methods are still extremely beneficial to your overall health, and utilizing them daily is very important.