How to Become More Athletic in 7 Simple Steps

Become More Athletic in Our 7 Simple Steps

Ready to beat your PB? To set new records? To feel fitter and faster? Read our guide to becoming more athletic!

Becoming an athlete takes time, dedication and motivation

There's no better feeling than being at the top of your game. However, achieving peak performance requires maximising your athletic potential.

It doesn’t matter what sport or athletic activity you do, you’ll always get back what you put in.

Conditioning your body for peak athletic performance will help you to feel motivated and progress quickly.

All prominent athletes train their bodies to surpass their limits and accomplish impressive feats. While some athletes start with more natural potential than others, hard work still remains the number one ingredient for success.

Here are 7 simple steps to help you become more athletic and take your performance to the next level. 

1. Make Time For Recovery

At his peak, Cristiano Ronaldo spent more time on his recovery than his training. His weekly schedule consisted of swimming, ice baths and hot tub sessions, vibration therapy, eating the best foods and getting at least eight hours of sleep.

It allowed him to push his body to the limit while sustaining a ridiculously high level of performance.

Recovery reduces levels of fatigue and muscle soreness, both of which can impair performance and increase the risk of injury.

When you build muscle through exercise, your muscle fibres tear, triggering an inflammatory response and releasing chemical messengers called cytokines.

These cytokines can cause pain, swelling and stiffness in your muscles and affect your performance, mood and sleep quality.

You can reduce inflammation and cytokine levels by allowing your muscles time to recover. This will improve muscle function and strength.

2. Do a Variety of Training Exercises

There are plenty of benefits to doing training exercises, even if you find them boring. They may just lead to the breakthrough you need to take you to the next level.

Variety can help you avoid adaptive resistance when your body no longer responds to the same exercise.

Different exercises allow your body to create a new stimulus for your muscles, which can lead to more progress and help you reach your untapped potential.

Changing up your exercises reduces your risk of injury, too. When you do the same exercise for a long time, you use the same muscles in the same pattern and angle, which leads to unnecessary wear and tear on the same soft tissue structures.

Variety helps to distribute the stress on different parts of your body.

You can also use supplements like Prostaphane Sulforaphane to help protect your soft tissue cells from oxidative stress while reducing pain and inflammation.

Additionally, new training exercises (yes, even those you thought were boring) can make your training more enjoyable. You get to challenge yourself, discover hidden talents and learn new skills.

3. Condition Your Body Where It Matters

It's best to condition all of your muscles, regardless of your sport or activity. Weak muscles become strained easily and can eventually hinder your athletic performance.

However, you should spend most of your time conditioning the muscles that will give you the greatest advantage.

Here are some examples to consider:

• Baseball – There's a high injury risk due to sudden movements. You need flexible hamstrings, strong legs, conditioned back, shoulder and elbow muscles for throwing and batting support.

• Golf – The sport demands a strong lower back for swing power. Strengthen your lower back, midsection, shoulders, forearms and elbows for improved strokes.

• Tennis – You’ll need strong legs and a balanced upper body. Strengthen your oblique muscles for torque, and your shoulders, arms and elbows for power and injury prevention.

• Swimming – A muscular chest and midsection is necessary for pulling through the water. Balance your chest with back and top shoulder strength. It’s also wise to strengthen your hip and knee muscles due to constant kicking.

4. Cultivate a Healthy State of Mind

Your state of mind is an influential factor that drives your athletic performance. An optimistic mind can help you set challenging but realistic goals and overcome obstacles and setbacks.

Mindset affects your concentration and attention, which are responsible for executing your skills and strategies.

A calm and confident mind can help you block distractions, maintain awareness and adapt to change.

By thinking clearly, you can better manage stress and avoid overtraining, fatigue and burnout. It’s much easier to bounce back from poor performance or take in feedback when your cognitive faculties are sharp.

Magnesium L-Threonate is ideal for nurturing a healthy mind. It combines magnesium with the metabolite threonic acid to improve your brain’s cohesiveness, especially in the areas of neurotransmission, synaptic plasticity and neurogenesis.

As such, you experience lower stress, anxiety and insomnia levels.

When you feel great, you’ll be more motivated to train, enjoy it more and progress quicker. Of course, a curious mind and openness to new challenges will also help you find opportunities more quickly.

5. Eat a Healthy and Nutrient-Dense Diet

As an athlete, you’ll need more calories and macronutrients (carbohydrates, protein and fat) than the average person. They act as fuel for your muscles and help you to maintain levels of strength and endurance.

Micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) are another essential component that works alongside your body to ensure a healthy recovery.

Listen to your body and eat according to your hunger and satiety cues. Avoid skipping meals or overeating, as this can affect your energy balance and performance.

A healthy diet can help you avoid deficiencies, dehydration, inflammation and oxidative stress, all of which lead to an impaired immune system and increase your susceptibility to infections and injuries.

It's also great for building a reliable metabolism and body composition. It allows you to optimise your muscle mass, body fat percentage and metabolic rate - all important for improving athletic performance.

6. Keep Track of Your Performance

Technology has made it extremely easy to measure your performance. Fitness watches can be a treasure trove of information for tracking your running distance, heart rate and exercise reps, among other things.

A performance record can help you set realistic and specific goals. For example, you can aim to increase your reps by 10% each week or run a 5K in under 30 minutes.

Clear and measurable goals can motivate you to work harder and smarter. A performance record can also give you an overview of every aspect of your performance, and help you adjust your goals when necessary.

You can closely monitor how your speed and endurance improve over time and identify any areas that need improvement or extra attention.

7. Stay Hydrated

Drinking enough water during a workout is vital for your health and performance. It does wonders for keeping your body running optimally.

Water works to lubricate your joints, transport nutrients and oxygen and remove waste products. Dehydration can cause fatigue, cramps, headaches and impaired coordination.

The amount of water you need will depend on how long you exercise. However, a general guideline is to drink 10oz (300ml) of water every 10 to 20 minutes during your workout. In other words, you lose around 44oz (1.3L) of water per hour that you exercise.

Ready, Set, Go… and Keep Going!

Becoming more athletic requires effort on all fronts. You need to focus on adding to your exercise regime, making time for recovery and maintaining a healthy body and mind.

When you do all this, it won’t take long to see the results!

Read more training posts on our fitness blog