The Perfect Workout to Boost Performance

Are you an athlete? Looking for the best workout program to take your performance to the next level? Want to prevent injuries and extend your career? 

These athletes are doing the perfect workout for that. See if you can guess what sport they play as you watch.

Didn't guess it until the end did you? They are Olympic weightlifters. Why would weightlifters waste so much time running, jumping, tumbling, and playing other sports when they could be lifting weights the entire time? To get better at lifting weights, you have to practice lifting weights right? Yes and no. Of course to be able to perform a snatch or clean and jerk with hundreds of pounds you have to practice the technique of those lifts thousands of times but that's not the only thing that is needed to perform better.

Doing one thing - anything - repeatedly will lead to imbalances in the body. Some muscles get stronger as others get weaker. Gains in certain ranges of motion increase, as others decrease. One side of the body might get stronger and more capable, at the same time the non-dominate sides gets weaker. These changes throw the body out of balance, causing changes in joint position or posture along with alterations in movement patterns. These adjustments (compensations) the body has made in response to the demands put upon it will lead to decreases in efficiency and increases in stress, strain, and compression in the body. Compensation leads to decreased performance and increased chance of injury and pain. 

Swimmers overdevelop the arm adductors and internal rotators while the abductors, external rotators, and scapular stabilizers tend to get weak. ​

Cyclists end up with strong quads, hip flexors, and calves and weak hamstrings, glutes, spinal extensors, and scapular retractors. ​

Tennis, baseball, and other one sided sports lead to athletes developing large imbalances between the dominate and non-dominate sides. ​

The types of workouts shown in the video above do several very important things for the athletes completing them. 

• The workout makes them use both sides of their body - helping to eliminate 1-side dominance. 
• The workout asks them to use every muscle and range of motion - helping balance posture.
• The workout creates a well rounded athlete which means a better athlete. You will develop strength, endurance, speed, agility, balance, coordination, and power. No more strong but slow athletes. No more fast but weak athletes. No more powerful athletes who lack endurance. 
• Athletes benefit mentally from these workouts. The workouts are fun, creative, and playful - the basis of sport. And these workouts ask athletes to do things they are not good at, haven't mastered yet, and struggle at. Conquering these physical tasks will strengthen the athletes drive, focus, mental toughness, and reserves. 

There are several ways to get started with these workouts. 

1. Watch the above video and just start doing as many of the exercises as you can. Focus on finding the exercises that are challenging or difficult for you and put extra emphasis on your weaknesses. 
2. Find a playground and watch what kids do. Follow their lead - run, jump, climb, swing, hurdle, and find new ways to get up, down, over, and around all the equipment. Play. 
3. Play every sport you can think of: soccer, basketball, swimming, tennis, volleyball, track and field, flag football, lacrosse, etc. to give your body varied demands and remember to have fun!
4. ​Contact me to get personalized workouts designed just for you based on your body, strengths, weaknesses, and imbalances. The quickest, easiest, and safest way to become a better athlete.

Related articles/videos:
Straighten before you strengthen
Sports and the blame game
How shoulder posture affects running performance
CrossFit: how to survive injury free and achieve success
Tennis warm-up and cool-down exercises
​Difference between play and sports training