Are You Ready To Train Like An Athlete?

How many 40 year olds do you know that can dunk a basketball? 

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How about win their local 5K? 

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Or even just sprint up a hill at full speed without having a heart attack? 

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Some people want to look ripped (you will if you can do these things) and be strong (same), but for others, a competitive nature lingers. You don’t want to just be healthy, but you still want to be able to dominate. You want to show your kids, your friends, your partner, what a real athlete looks like! And you want to do it while feeling 20 again. 

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It can be done, and we know all about the three keys. 

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Foam roll

The talk around foam rolling has died down a bit, but MAN, does it really help you feel fresh. Before every workout, I recommend a foam rolling session of anywhere between 5-15 minutes. Just roll and find your problem areas: common issues might be the glutes, hamstrings, calves, lats, or even your chest muscles. 

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The goal with foam rolling is to find tension and stay on it. Lean into the problem area, try to breathe, and look for some relaxation in the muscle. Stay on a tight muscle for at least a minute before moving on. Do you this before every workout and not only will you feel stronger and more mobile in the workout, but you’ll feel 10 years younger, too!

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Bounce 

When’s the last time you did 10 jumping jacks? How about hopped up and down as high and quickly as you could? 

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The truth is, as adults, once our competitive sports days are over, we stop bouncing. You might not contribute your athleticism to bouncing, but it has a huge positive effect on your muscles, tendons, and fascia. Bouncing makes you more athletic and more explosive. It’s a non-negotiable. But you have to know how to do it.

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I always start with light, consistent bouncing. Hopping forward and back, and side to side, over a line for 15 seconds. Ten jumping jacks. Twenty skips. Then start to level up: jump as high as you can, hit the ground, and immediately jump back up 5 times. Once you feel comfortable, try that again on one leg. 

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Find that old basketball hoop in your driveway and jump 10 times for the net or the bottom of the backboard or even the rim. And don’t forget to eventually get back to the holy grail: sprinting! Don’t sprint on day one, but try to slowly up your speed until you’re ready for an all-out sprint without pulling a hamstring. Which means, of course, to not skip those foam rolling sessions!

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Lift weight quickly

Lift with intent. It’s a statement I heard a long time ago and I forgot about it every time I tried to ego-lift and put up as much weight as possible. 

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But really think about lifting with intent. You’ll notice more engaged muscles and a strong pop with each rep. If you can’t, maybe the weight is a little too heavy for your 40 year old muscles and joints. 

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The great thing these days is you can measure bar speed very easily. We use a product called Output which measures the speed of the barbell (or even dumbbells or your own body weight) on every exercise you do. You get a real time report on every rep so that you know if you’re pushing yourself fast enough to be training in a way that will positively contribute to your athleticism. This is my new favorite tool for training for high school and adult athletes of all ages. You should use it, too. 

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The number one indicator of health in training is maintaining power. You may want to dominate your rec sports league, smash a golf ball, look great, feel better, or just be healthy. You do that by taking care of your body, moving like an athlete, and generating power. 

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These movements will help you achieve greatness. Are you ready for it? 

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