The difference between catching and
missing that long touchdown pass (or the train for your morning
commute) comes down to only seconds and inches, but can end up costing a
lot more. Put some hustle behind your muscle and improve your overall
speed with these easy and quick tips.
Do Strength Training. View
your body as an engine: more horsepower means quicker acceleration and
faster speeds overall. Focus on building strength throughout your lower
body with calf raises, squats, lunges and leg presses, and pay special
attention to your hip flexors. Powerful hip flexors will improve your
range of motion and are the key to sprinting faster. Try the Dual Adjustable Pulley
machine for single leg and balance work. In addition to your lower
body, strengthening your core will improve your speed, balance, and
agility by fortifying the connection between the muscles of the upper
and lower body.
Do Plyometrics. Plyometric training
involves high-intensity, explosive muscular contractions, which enables
your muscles to exert maximum force in the shortest amount of time
possible, thereby improving your speed. Pre-stretch your muscles and
then harness their maximum force by utilizing jumping, bounding, and
hopping movements. Jumping jacks, split jumps, squat jumps and box jumps
will torch calories and build lean muscle while helping you log faster
times.
Do Intervals. Amp up
your overall speed with interval training, which alternates short, high
intensity bursts of speed with slower recovery phases in a single
workout. Interval training will enhance your cardiovascular capacity
(the ability to deliver oxygen to the working muscles) and ultimately
leads to increased acceleration and speed.
Put on the Brakes. Speed
is more than just a mad, reckless dash. As an athlete, maintaining
control over your movements and agility is paramount to your
performance. You can’t stop and turn on a dime with your legs flailing
wildly beneath you, right? The key to slowing down is to have flexible
legs, bent knees and lowered hips. Staying low will occur naturally if
you are strong enough. Practice flexibility training multiple times per
week. Warm up before workouts with dynamic movements and cool down with
static stretches.
This fit-tip was brought to you by Life Fitness
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