Content

• Steps
• Part 1 of 2: Effective Workouts
• Part 2 of 2: Living a Healthy Life for Success
• Tips
• Warnings

Sports are a great way to stay physically active and have fun. In the case of regular sports, you will want to improve your results in your favorite form, even if you are not competing with anyone. Regardless of your sports discipline, you can develop your skills and improve your performance through effective training and a healthy lifestyle.

Steps

Part 1 of 2: Effective Workouts

1. 1 Set goals. Consider your goals before starting to exercise to improve your performance. This will help you focus on specific work and motivate yourself.
   • Your goals should not be global and unattainable, so that they do not discourage the desire to work.
   • For example, if today you run a kilometer in 7 minutes, then set yourself a goal to reduce this time to 5 minutes within six months. With a specific goal in mind, it will be easier for you to shape your workout plan.
2. 2 Make a plan. It will be much easier for you to achieve your sporting goal if you have a smart plan. It should include everything from training schedule and duration to specific exercises and goals for each workout. Remember, the plan must be realistic. Gradual development will keep you motivated and protect you from excessive fatigue.
   • Sports magazines, coaches, instructors, and friends can help you plan your plans.
   • You can find ready-made plans on the Internet and sports media. Explore sources such as sports magazine sites and industry portals.
   • Be sure to schedule at least one or two rest days.
   • For example, if you want to better swim breaststroke, then four days a week can be devoted to swimming, as well as exercises for the necessary muscles of the arms and legs.
3. 3 Exercise regularly. Sports success is impossible without regular training. Try to give them 3-6 lessons per week, depending on your ultimate goal.
   • You don't have to train all day long. Even 20 minutes of targeted exercise will improve your skills if done regularly.
   • For most people, 150 minutes of moderate activity or 75 minutes of intense exercise per week is enough to improve results.
   • If you are well prepared, you can plan in excess of the recommended amount of exercise per day. Also, these numbers should be exceeded when preparing for an endurance test like a marathon.
   • Remember to control the pace and increase the load gradually. This will reduce the risk of injury and loss of motivation.
   • Before a significant increase in sports activities, it is recommended to consult a doctor.
4. 4 Use exercise. Since most sports require the development and improvement of even the most basic skills, do specific exercises in training. They will be extremely useful in improving your performance in a specific sport discipline.
   • Exercises for the development of basic skills are no less important than strength and speed classes, since they allow you to maximize the correctness and efficiency of movements.
   • Plus, they'll always come in handy in any other sport.
   • You can find out about specific exercises for your sport from coaches or even your rivals.
   • For example, if you play basketball, it will be helpful to do acceleration while running to improve coordination and endurance. Swimmers can use special swim boards and floats.
   • Even performing monotonous movements like practicing serves and shots from different angles greatly improves skills.
5. 5 Take advantage of blended workouts. Daily repetitive activities can be boring. Blended training will not only improve performance in a particular sport, but it will also increase endurance and protect against injury.
   • Try doing exercises for a specific sport 3-4 times a week, and do blended workouts on other days.
   • Blended workouts strengthen muscles that are not used in your favorite sport.
   • They also help relieve fatigue, motivate for basic activities and even refresh your thoughts.
   • You can choose activities from any sport as a distraction, but it is best if they complement the rest of the exercise. For example, if you're a runner, you can choose strength training, swimming, and even yoga to strengthen your arm muscles and improve leg stretch. Climbers can go jogging, hiking, or jogging to engage all of their leg muscles.
6. 6 Stretch. While opinions vary on the benefits of stretching, it will definitely improve your range of motion. This contributes to overall athletic performance and reduces the risk of injury.
   • Stretching has a number of benefits: it improves flexibility and blood flow to the muscles, which is very beneficial in any sport.
   • You can do specific stretching exercises or milder forms of yoga such as hatha, restorative or yin yoga, which are also beneficial for developing athletic ability.
7. 7 Study kinesiology. By knowing the general principles of human body movement, it will be easier for you to improve your athletic performance. Study kinesiology, the science of movement, to better perform any exercise.
   • You can take advantage of offers from educational institutions or online courses.
   • You can also read books and watch training videos to master kinesiology.
8. 8 Study the movements of the professionals. Watch how the best athletes move. This will help you learn new ideas for your workouts and exercises, and improve basic and specific skills.
   • Watch videos, go to matches, read books and blogs to get to know the pros.
   • If you live close to the opposing team and cannot get a video from the game, then you can just go to one of the matches.
9. 9 Develop self-confidence. Having confidence in your abilities and the ability to develop will be an excellent foundation for growth above yourself. If you achieve your realistic goals, you can maintain and develop confidence in your athletic ability and skill.
   • Learn to play down results to build self-confidence and continually improve yourself. Focus on improving your skills.
   • Accept that failure will happen. Move on and work hard to achieve your goals.
10. 10 Become an exemplary team member - come on time and fully armed. It is not enough to just "pretend". Try to be the best at every exercise. Give all your strength in training, even if the coach is not looking at you. Become an example for your teammates.
11. 11 Listen and respect the coaches. The coach knows what he is talking about, so he will really help you become better if you obey.Usually, coaches prefer to work on specific aspects or skills that you need to improve. Don't be afraid to ask questions!

Part 2 of 2: Living a Healthy Life for Success

1. 1 Eat right. A diet rich in vitamins and nutrients gives you the strength to exercise and improve your performance. Foods that are moderate in fat and high in complex and simple carbohydrates are optimal choices.
   • A person needs about 1500-2000 calories per day, depending on the level of activity.
2. 2 Carbohydrates and Proteins. For effective workouts, you need to include a healthy combination of carbohydrates and proteins in your diet. So you will always be full of strength, you can strengthen bones and muscles, which is very important for playing sports.
   • You need complex and simple carbohydrates to fuel your body. Complex carbohydrates are found in whole grain pasta, baked goods, and rice. Simple carbohydrates are found in soft drinks, jams, jellies, and candy.
   • Carbohydrates are especially needed if your activities last longer than an hour. You can opt for something small, like a filled muffin or a glass of yogurt. A glass of 100% fruit juice will also work. Likewise, you need to replenish your carbohydrate stores after exercise.
   • Protein promotes muscle growth and tissue repair, which will help you improve your performance. Proteins are found in lean meats and dairy products.
3. 3 Vitamins and nutrients. Adequate amounts of vitamins and nutrients are essential for exercising and for maintaining health. Each day, you need to eat five food groups: fruits, vegetables, grains, proteins, and dairy products.
   • 1-1.5 cups of berries per day: raspberries, blueberries, or strawberries.
   • 2.5-3 cups of vegetables a day: broccoli, asparagus, or peppers. Choose different vegetables to get the full range of nutrients.
   • 150-200 grams of cereals per day, half of which should be whole grains. Brown rice, whole grain pasta or bread and oatmeal contain complex carbohydrates that energize you.
   • 150-180 grams of protein per day. Lean beef, pork or poultry, cooked beans, eggs, peanut butter or nuts and seeds. Proteins strengthen and repair muscles.
   • 2-3 cups of dairy products. These include yogurt, milk, cheese, and even ice cream, which will strengthen your bones and muscles.
4. 4 Liquid. The right amount of fluid helps the body to function properly, which is very important when playing sports. Drink plenty of fluids every day to improve your workout results.
   • Women need at least nine glasses of water a day, and men about 13 glasses. If you are very active, then this volume can be increased to 16 glasses.
   • You can replenish the fluid supply with tea, juice, water.
5. 5 Cut back on caffeine, alcohol, and medications. It is best to cut back on caffeine and alcohol to improve athletic performance. Also try to avoid medications, including stimulants. They all affect your success.
   • Most adults can drink about 400 mg or four cups of coffee a day.
   • Women should be limited to two or three, and men three to four servings of alcohol per day. For example, a bottle of wine is nine to ten servings.
6. 6 Rest. To achieve good results, it is important to properly organize your vacation. Rest is a recharge for the body and spirit, provides the recovery of muscles and tissues. It helps us relax and relieve stress.
   • Sleep 7-9 hours every night.
   • Lack of sleep can impair your athletic performance, which will undermine your training efforts.
   • A short nap for 20-30 minutes can help combat post-workout fatigue.
   • Plan one to two days off per week.If you wish, you can arrange for a day of “active recovery” with light activities such as walking or cycling.
7. 7 Revitalizing massage. While there is little scientific evidence for the benefits of massage for improving athletic performance, indulge in periodic sessions. Massage has other beneficial benefits: lowering heart rate, relaxing and stretching hard muscles.
   • There are various types of massage from which you can choose the most suitable one. This can be myofascial relaxing massage, deep intramuscular massage or Swedish massage.
   • To find a masseur, you can use the Internet or ask your doctor, trainer or friends with a question.

Tips

• Go in for sports even in the "off-season". A good athlete never loses shape. You need to find a way to keep fit all year round, exercising in your backyard or anywhere, without stopping moving forward. Practice makes perfect!
• Find friends who also want to improve their performance or play the same sport so you can train together and learn from each other.
• Work as a team with those who are better than you to constantly develop. If you want to give up everything, then it will be enough to think about the fact that they do not miss workouts, so you should always look up to the best.
• If you are involved in a team sport, then try to choose not the best friends for it, but those who will really help you win (for example, the fastest runner).
• Find the right sports section. If you stop liking one sport, try another.
• Don't limit yourself to the school team. Real athletes practice even in the summer and go to special sports camps. Compete with different people so you can experience different levels of rivalry.
• Exceed your expectations. Training alone is not enough. Work on yourself in every free minute to constantly improve your own skills.
• If you managed to achieve success, then share your experience with newbies.

Warnings

• Listen to your body. He will always tell you when you need to rest. It's okay to have an extra day off if you're sick or tired.