Improve Your Performance in Your Favorite Sport (And Avoid Season-Killing Injuries) with Exercises That Mimic How You Move on Your Playing Field.
Any of the workouts in this book will give you strength, speed, and stamina on the ski slopes, tennis courts, single-track mountain bike trails, or wherever your favorite pastimes take you. But to help you reach the very top of your game, we’ve designed routines that specifically target the muscles you use for different sports—and re-create the way you need to use them. For the best results, start these workouts at least a month or two before you dive into your sport.
Great athletes—especially those who play tennis, basketball, lacrosse, and volleyball—are defined by their ability to change speed and direction quickly. No matter what your sport, you can benefit from adding an old-school agility drill to the end of any workout. Try the T-Drill. Set it up: Form a large T with four cones. Place three in a line 8 feet apart (the top of the T) and a fourth 16 feet away from the middle cone (the bottom of the T. How to do it: Sprint from that bottom T cone to the middle cone. Then immediately shuffle left to the side cone. (Shuffle your feet with short, quick strides, and don’t cross them.) Then shuffle right, passing the middle cone to the right cone. Bend down and touch each cone as you pass. Shuffle-step as quickly as possible to the middle cone, and then run backward to the starting cone. Repeat twice more, rest, then repeat the circuit in the other direction.
CURB CRAMPS
Explosive training exercises for sports can easily trigger charley horses. The remedy? Pickle juice eases muscle spasms, according to a study in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. But who carries a jar of gherkins to the playing field? Here are some other ways to keep spasms from cramping your style:
Drink Up: Dehydration messes with your electrolyte balance, causing cramps. Down 20 ounces of water 3 hours before working out.
Stretch: When you feel a charley horse coming on, stop and gently stretch the sore spot for 20 seconds until the pain goes away. Stretching counters the tightening of the muscle.
Add tension: Flexing a cramping muscle may make it release. Massage the muscle vigorously, as if you’re kneading dough. This combines the previous two methods by stretching and compressing the muscle, helping to release the cramp.
Here’s one game that looks deceptively easy. But even a leisurely round of golf requires you to twist and turn and generate force with your hips and obliques muscles that go largely unused in daily life. The following moves target those crucial core muscles as well as hips, hamstrings, and shoulders to put power in every drive and stroke.
START HERE:
Do the routine as a circuit, performing the prescribed number of each move and then immediately moving to the next move. Rest a minute, then repeat the circuit twice more.
A
• Stand with your feet wider than hip width and hold a pair of dumbbells in front of you, elbows slightly bent, palms facing each other; lean your torso forward.
B
• Rotate to the right as you raise your right arm toward the ceiling.
C
• Return to the starting position, then repeat to the left.
REPS: Do 20, alternating sides.
A
• Place your forearms on the back of a chair, elbows out, and rest your head on your arms.
• Your back should be straight, so that if you placed a broomstick on your back, your upper back, butt, and heel would touch the stick.
B
• Raise your right leg behind you to hip height, left knee slightly bent.
• Slowly bend your right knee, bringing your heel toward your butt. Slowly return to start. That’s 1 rep.
• This move strengthens the hamstrings, glutes, and lower back—muscles used for balance, stability, and initiating the production of power for the drive.
REPS: Do 10 to 15, then switch sides and repeat.
A
• Grab an 8- to 10-pound dumbbell in your right hand and let it hang at your side, palm facing inward. Place your left hand on your left hip.
• Lunge forward with your left leg until your left knee is bent 90 degrees
B
• Straighten your left leg and bend your right elbow, pulling the weight up toward your ribs as you rotate your torso to the right.
• Lower the weight and return to lunge position. That’s 1 rep.
REPS: Do 12, then repeat the move with the dumbbell in your left hand.
A
• Grab a 5- to 10-pound medicine ball and stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your knees slightly bent. Raise the ball above your right shoulder.
B
• Then, bend your knees at least 45 degrees and lower the ball to the outside of your left ankle.
• Repeat from left shoulder to right ankle. That’s 1 rep.
• Use a controlled motion to swing the ball across your body and down.
• Bend your knees at least 45 degrees.
REPS: Do 6.
Talk about a game that keeps you on your toes. To play sharp, you not only need lightning-fast reflexes, but also the ability to dash from side to side, and slam the ball over the net from each and every direction. That means power, flexibility, and agility through your legs, hips, shoulders, and core. The following moves hit the spot.
START HERE:
Do the routine as a circuit, per-forming the prescribed number of each move and then immediately moving to the next. Rest a minute, then repeat the circuit again. Go through the entire routine three times.
A
• Hold a pair of dumbbells in front of you at shoulder height, arms straight, palms facing down. Stand with your right foot in front of your left. This is the starting position.
B
• Bend your knees and lean forward slightly. Simultaneously pull the weights to the sides of your torso and rotate your palms toward your body.
• Slowly return to the starting position. That’s 1 rep.
REPS: Do 10 to 12. Repeat with your left leg forward.
A
• Stand next to a chair with your heels together and toes pointed out to create a wide V shape. Place your left hand on the chair, right hand on your hip.
B
• Slowly rise onto the balls of your feet. Hold for 2 seconds, then slowly return to start. That’s 1 rep.
INSTANT UPGRADE GO FAST, FRY MORE FAT
Forget about steady-state cardio. “It’s a simple fact: The faster you go, the more calories you burn, and the more weight you will lose,” says exercise physiologist Tom Holland, author of The Marathon Method. Holland recommends that half your workout be near your anaerobic threshold, or AT, which is what you’ll get with our HIIT workouts. “That’s the point where we begin to have trouble breathing and our bodies can no longer clear lactic acid from our bloodstream,” Holland says. “Runners call this a tempo workout—which means increasing your speed until you hit and sustain a ‘comfortably hard’ pace for a set period of time.”
REPS: Do 10 to 15.
A
• Grab a 5- to 10-pound dumbbell with both hands and stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Extend the dumbbell straight out in front of you at shoulder height.
B
• Keeping your hips square and your arms straight, rotate your torso and arms to the left as far as you can.
• Then, swing the dumbbell as far to the right as possible.
• Accelerate the weight across the front of your body, then slow it down once it gets to your side. From the right side, slowly return your arms to the center starting position. That’s 1 rep. Complete all reps, then repeat, this time swinging first to the left.
REPS: Do 10. Switch sides and repeat.
A
• Stand with your feet together, knees slightly bent, with your elbows bent 90 degrees and your hands in front of you.
B
• Jump to the left, landing softly on your left foot. Don’t let your right foot touch the floor.
• Immediately push off your left foot to jump to the right, landing on your right foot. That’s 1 rep. Do 4 more.
C
• Pause with both feet on the floor. Now jump right. When your right foot touches the ground, squat and touch your right toes with your left hand.
• Immediately push off to jump left, and squat to touch your left foot with your right hand. That’s 1 rep. Do 4 more.
REPS: Do 10 total, the last 5 with hand-to-toes touches.
Anyone who’s experienced rubbery legs after a full day on the slopes knows that snow sports demand lower-body power. Those pistonlike legs act as power generators and shock absorbers. The following workout will have you hopping and holding positions to keep your legs steady and strong through the day’s very last run.
START HERE:
Do the routine as a circuit, performing the prescribed number of each move and then immediately moving to the next. Rest a minute, then repeat the circuit again. Go through the entire routine three times.
A
• Start at the top of a pushup position.
B
• With your legs together, brace your abs and kick your legs up and to the left, bending your knees toward your butt.
• Your feet should land just outside of your left shoulder.
C
• Hop back to the starting position and immediately repeat to the right.
REPS: Do as many as you can in 1 minute.
A
• Warm up with some small two-footed bounces on a Bosu for a minute, making sure you keep your hips and knees aligned and using your core to maintain control.
B
• Then jump up higher and turn 180 degrees.
TIP: To make it harder, try jumping 360 degrees.
REPS: Do 10 180s, then repeat in the opposite direction.
A
• Stand holding a medicine ball in front of your chest.
B
• Bound laterally to your right, bringing the ball down to the outside of your right foot. Next, straighten your body and repeat to the left side. That’s 1 rep.
REPS: Do 10 to 12.
A
• Stand with your feet wider than shoulder-width apart, knees and toes turned out.
B
• Jump in the air, keeping your legs wide. Land with legs wide and knees soft to absorb the shock.
REPS: Do 20.
Running takes way more than your legs. You need strong abs, obliques, and back muscles to keep you from collapsing forward as you start to fatigue. Even your shoulders are star players, because a strong arm swing is key to a powerful stride. This workout bolsters all those muscles and adds explosive power moves for speed.
START HERE:
Do the routine as a circuit, per-forming the prescribed number of each move and then immediately moving to the next. Rest a minute, then repeat the circuit again. Go through the entire routine three times.
A
• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, arms at your sides. Lift your right knee as high as you can and swing your left arm forward until it’s parallel to the floor.
B
• Return to start and repeat with your left knee and right arm.
TIP: Do this move quickly.
REPS: Do as many as possible in 1 minute while alternating sides.
A
• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, arms at your sides or behind your head. Sit back into a regular squat until your thighs are about parallel to the floor.
B
• Jump up explosively. Land with your knees soft to absorb the impact.
REPS: Do 10 to 15.
A
• Start at the top of a pushup position, hands wider than shoulder-width apart.
B
• Keeping your abs braced and your arms straight, lift your left hand, put it down next to your right hand, then return to the starting position.
• Repeat with the right hand and return to the starting position.
REPS: Do as many as possible in 60 seconds.
A
• Stand sideways on a step or box with your left foot planted on the step and your right foot hanging off the edge in the air. Place your hands on your hips.
B
• Keeping your shoulders level, hips pointed forward, and both legs straight, use your glutes to raise your right hip upward.
• Then lower the leg. Return to the starting position. That’s 1 rep.
REPS: Do 12 to 15, then switch sides and repeat.
True to its design, the triathlon—swimming, biking, and running—puts every muscle to the test. This routine does it all with explosive moves to develop power for your run; core stabilizing moves to hold yourself strong on the bike; and full body strength and stretching moves to keep you slicing long and strong through the water.
START HERE:
Do the routine as a circuit, performing the prescribed number of each move and then immediately moving to the next. Rest a minute, then repeat the circuit again. Go through the entire routine three times.
A
• Start in a pushup position, lift your hips, and move into the downward-facing dog pose, keeping your legs straight and pressing your heels into the floor.
B
• From that position, drop your hips toward the floor as you simultaneously sweep your torso forward and up, raising your chest and shifting your weight forward into upward-facing dog.
• Reverse the movement to return to the starting position. That’s 1 rep.
REPS: Do 10.
A
• Lunge forward with your left thigh parallel to the floor.
B
• Swinging your arms for balance and momentum, jump up and switch leg positions.
C
• Land in a lunge with your right foot forward.
• Repeat to return to the left-leg forward position. That’s 1 rep.
THE 15-MINUTE TRIATHLON
Give yourself a minitriathlon in the gym and get a swimmer’s cut shoulders, a cyclist’s toned legs, and a runner’s lean physique, says Karl Scott, a trainer at The Sports Club/LA in New York City.
HOW TO DO IT: Pedal a bike at a moderate pace—an effort level of 5 or 6 (you’re working hard but can still carry on a conversation)—for 5 minutes. Next, run either outside or on a treadmill for 5 minutes, again at an effort level of 5 or 6. Last, head to a rowing machine, which approximates the upper-body demands of swimming, and put in 5 minutes at the same effort level.
REPS: Do 12 to 15.
A
• Grab a 5- to 10-pound medicine ball and stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your knees slightly bent. Raise the ball above your left shoulder.
B
• Raise the ball one last time, then bend your knees at least 45 degrees and lower the ball to the outside of your right ankle. Repeat to the other side. That’s 1 rep.
INSTANT UPGRADE SWIM YOURSELF SLIM
If you have time to get to a pool, there’s nothing like a swimming workout for slimming down. The body-shaping benefits of swimming come from muscle recruitment and calorie burn. An easy swim burns around 500 calories an hour, while a vigorous effort can torch about 700. Because water is nearly 800 times more dense than air, each kick of the legs and pull of the arms is like a resistance workout for your core, hips, arms, legs, shoulders, and glutes. So in additional to blasting calories as you swim, you build lean muscle, which ignites your metabolism so that you burn more calories once you’ve showed and dried off.
REPS: Do 10 to 12.
A
• Stand tall with your left hand resting on a chair back or other support, your right hand on your hip.
B
• Keeping your right leg extended, slowly hinge forward from the hips, tipping your torso forward toward the ground while extending your right leg straight behind you, foot flexed, until your body forms a straight line from your head to your heel.
C
• Stop when you’re parallel to the floor. Then rotate your body to the right before returning to the starting position.
REPS: Do 10, then switch sides.
Your legs might seem like the only thing moving when you ride, but cycling is a full-body event. With each revolution, your upper body acts as a platform for your legs to push off of. Your arms and shoulders help you leverage power going uphill and your hips keep you stable in the saddle. This routine hits the whole cast of characters.
START HERE:
Do the routine as a circuit, per-forming the prescribed number of each move and then immediately going to the next. Rest a minute, then repeat the circuit twice more for a total of three circuits.
A
• Holding a lightweight dumbbell in each hand, kneel on all fours with your back straight, hands directly beneath shoulders (weights should run parallel with body) and knees directly beneath hips.
B
• Raise your left arm straight out to your side while simultaneously lifting your bent right leg out to the right. Return to the starting position. Repeat to opposite side. That’s 1 rep.
• Hold your arm straight out to the side at shoulder height.
REPS: Do 10 to 12.
A
• Holding 10- to 20-pound dumbbells at your sides, palms facing your thighs, stand with your feet hip- to shoulder-width apart.
B
• In one smooth motion, bend your knees and hips and drop your butt back as if sitting in a chair.
• Immediately push back to start, bending your elbows and curling the weights to your shoulders as you do.
• Sit back.
C
• As you reach the standing position, immediately press the weights overhead.
• Lower the weights back to your sides and repeat.
• Keep your wrists in a neutral grip throughout the move.
INSTANT UPGRADE GET YOUR HEAD IN THE GAME
Brain training is an essential part of any sports warmup. “Preparing your central nervous system for activity is just as important as preparing your muscles,” says Vern Gambetta, former director of conditioning for the Chicago White Sox. That’s because your central nervous system tells your muscles when to contract. Try standing on one leg while you squat down and touch the floor in front of it with your opposite hand. Do 2 sets of 10 to 12 repetitions with each leg.
REPS: Do 12 to 15.
A
• Sit on the edge of a chair, hands grasping the seat on either side of your hips. Keep your knees bent, feet flat on the floor. Scoot your butt off the chair seat.
B
• Bend your elbows and lower your hips toward floor until your upper arms are parallel to the floor.
C
• Straighten your arms, then reach your left arm straight out in front of your body at shoulder height, palm facing down, while simultaneously extending your right leg with the foot flexed.
• Pause. Then bring the arm and leg back to the starting position. Repeat the entire sequence with the other arm and leg. That’s 1 rep.
REPS: Do 10 to 12.
A
• Holding dumbbells, stand on an 18-inch high step with only the right foot on top of the step, allowing the left leg to hang in the air.
B
• Pull your navel toward your spine and, keeping your chest lifted, slowly step down with the left foot and gently tap the left heel on the floor.
• Keeping the right heel firmly planted on the step, push up to the starting position. Complete all reps, then switch legs.
9
Number of extra pounds of fat lost over 10 weeks when dieters strength trained, compared with dieters who did no exercise, according to the European Journal of Applied Physiology.
REPS: Do 10 to 15 with each leg.