Did you know that repetition and consistency of workouts can harm your fitness routine?
To build muscle and lose weight, you must have a few workouts up your sleeve to prevent plateauing
If you want to keep your gains growing, you need to step out of your comfort zone and try something different.
Continue reading to learn how to be more athletic so that you can improve your performance!
1. Diversify Your Routine
One of the most effective ways how to be more athletic is to change up your routine.
When you are doing the same routine day after day, week after week, your muscles aren’t getting a challenge. Changing machines and workouts each day can work more of your muscles and increase your strength.
Try not to stick with just lunges, bicep curls, and squats. You can mix cardio or rope-lifting into your routine. Not only does diversifying your routine help tone your body, but it also makes gym sessions more engaging and fun.
Another reason to diversify is that your muscles don’t get enough time to heal before you push them again.
2. Steadily Increase Weights
When you first started your routine, you likely used weights that were challenging, but not overwhelming.
If you are starting to notice that it’s getting much easier to lift the weights that were once heavy, it’s time to move on. Increasing your weights will help you challenge your muscles, which results in them tearing and coming back stronger.
Take time while you adjust weights and if you feel like the change is too much, go back down. When you put too much stress on your body weightlifting, it can damage nerves and even lead to hemorrhoids.
Many people recommend doing shorter reps and routines on the days that you increase weights. This can help your muscles adjust and prepare for the next session.
3. Balance Cardio & Weightlifting
If you have been focusing too much on cardio, you might want to practice strength training.
When you aren’t balancing cardio and weightlifting, you notice a change in your endurance and lifting performance. Cardio is best used for burning calories and preventing fat from staying in the body.
When you add strength training to your session, however, you will notice muscle gains. The 2 types of workouts fuel each other and lead to your optimal performance. It’s common for people to do cardio 4 to 6 times a week and strength training about 3 to 4 times.
4. Get Better Shoes
Using an old pair of running shoes can impact your gym performance and make your workouts less effective.
You can shop here now for Nike shoes that will keep up with your pace. Getting better shoes will help support your body so that you aren’t straining crucial areas. Gym-goers notice that they are more motivated to work out with a good pair of shoes because they are comfortable.
If you are planning to purchase shoes online, take measurements of your foot with a measuring tape. This will help you find the best fits without having to try them on at the store.
5. Focus on the Entire Body
People often find themselves focused on enhancing one part of the body, but they neglect the rest.
When you want to focus on your abs, for example, you must also condition your upper and lower body strength. Focusing on the entire body will help you complete workout routines without getting sore. It’s also important that you look proportionate, especially if you have gained a lot of muscle in one area.
As your build strength in other areas, it will become simpler to complete workout routines. Your entire body will help support and balance you, which makes your sessions more effective.
6. Change Your Reps
If you want to increase muscle, but aren’t prepared to increase your heavyweights, you should change your reps.
Increasing your reps can be just as effective with muscle-building, and you don’t have to strain yourself. Depending on your reps you can go from 15 to 20 or 8 to 12. Try not to fatigue your muscles too much, and make changes if you start shaking or feeling weak.
When you use the same reps for the same workouts, they don’t challenge the body enough and it results in no muscle growth.
7. Play Another Sport
When it comes to playing sports, each one works out different areas of the body.
Playing soccer is great for lower body strength and core training. If you want to change things up, however, volleyball or basketball could help. Playing a sport that works different muscles will benefit your body and increase endurance.
The best part about playing other sports is that you can use lessons from them and apply them to your games. This is a fun way to build muscle and you can spend time with friends at the same time!
Do You Know How to Be More Athletic?
Learning how to be more athletic can improve your performance on the field and tone your body.
Whether you are a regular gym-goer or like to run outside, there are benefits of both cardio and strength training. When all of your muscles are getting worked, they can help other areas and make workouts more effective. If you want to notice results and have fun, don’t be afraid to gather teams and start a game.
When you are constantly changing routines, your muscles thrive off of the challenge and increase. Try not to get stuck in the same routines that are no longer doing any good.
Make sure you check out our blog for more content on fitness tips and how to improve your physical health!
