While the stakes might not be as high when it comes to improving your performance as an amateur sportsperson, there are still plenty of reasons to want to improve your game. Getting more physically fit, pushing yourself and seeing where your limits are, and the simple morale boost that comes from winning more often are all great motivators. However, without the strength and conditioning coaches, bespoke gym setups, and other advantages that professional athletes have, what are you supposed to do?
Is IV therapy worth it?
One of the tricks that athletes use that has become a lot more popular, as of late, is the use of IV therapy. Effectively, this is a method of directly delivering nutrients to your body that are absorbed into the bloodstream much more quickly and efficiently than by eating. It can have a whole range of different health benefits, such as ensuring that you stay hydrated out on the field, reducing the risk of injuries while working out, improving your body’s ability to improve muscle, and more. It can be a costly option for a short-lived boost, but if you’re committed to improving your game, there’s a lot of evidence to suggest that they can do the trick.
Game-improving exercises
Of course, every athlete, professional, amateur or otherwise, knows that their performance is in large part dictated by their physical fitness. To that end, going to the gym and learning which muscles to target to improve your explosive power, your stamina, and your overall strength is important. But there are also exercises that are specifically aimed at improving specific parts of your game. Basketball Mentality looks at an example of one of those, an exercise that’s dedicated to improving the jumping potential for basketball players. These exercises go beyond what you would find in any fitness class and instead help you tweak the very specifics of your abilities in a sport. Thankfully, online programs are making these exercise routines a lot more widely available rather than keeping them for just professional athletes.
Employing an active recovery
Your body might feel like it needs nothing more than a good rest after a hard gym session. Indeed, it’s important to make sure that you get the rest that you need, but don’t misconstrue this as saying you should stay off your feet entirely. When you’re trying to rest your stiff and sore muscles, you can improve and speed up the recovery process by looking at the kind of active recovery exercises as shown at Nerd Fitness. These don’t have to be extensive or intense, just enough activity to improve the blood flow that reduces muscle soreness and helps your muscles repair more quickly. That way, you can get back to working out and back to keeping your progress going.
You might not be able to access all of the resources that professional athletes do, but that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t look for ways to improve your game. Keep the tips above in mind and keep seeing how you can continue to expand your limits.