Types of Athletic Training

Training for a athletic performance or for general health and fitness requires a combination of different types of exercise. For optimum performance, the body must be conditioned to excel in the areas of strength, cardiovascular efficiency, flexibility and mental toughness. Each of these attributes requires a specific type of athletic training.

  1. Strength Training

    • With simple equipment, you can train for strength at home.

      Building overall strength was once seen as the exclusive pursuit of men and serious athletes. But attitudes are changing and people of all genders and ages recognize the health benefits associated with improved strength.

      Strength training is shown to increase bone density, improve balance, control weight and prevent injury. As the body adds lean muscle mass, it burns more calories--even when at rest--resulting in lower body fat. According to the Mayo Clinic, strength training also lessens the symptoms of some chronic conditions like depression, arthritis and diabetes.

      There are a variety of ways to approach strength training. It can be done in a gym or at home, using simple equipment like flexible rubber bands, bar bells and dumb bells or your own body weight as resistance. The simplest exercises, like push-ups and sit-ups, are effective forms of strength training. Working out in a gym gives you access to a variety of weight machines which may make the exercises more comfortable or controlled. Some choose to invest in machines for use at home.

    Cardiovascular Training

    • Swimming is an effective means of cardiovascular training.

      Cardiovascular training improves the functioning of the heart, lungs, and vascular system, enabling them to deliver more oxygen to muscle tissue as it works. This increase in efficiency enables those muscles to work longer with less perceived exertion, increasing athletic endurance.

      Cardiovascular exercise is an aerobic activity that is performed continuously for at least 15 to 20 minutes at 70 to 90 percent of your maximum heart rate. These are typically activities like running, walking, cycling or swimming. The critical element of these training activities is their continuity, according to the American Sports Medicine Institute. For athletes attempting to increase performance in a particular sport, cardiovascular training that most closely resembles your sport will be most beneficial. In other words, runners should run, swimmers should swim, etc.

    Flexibility Training

    • Many trainers prefer to save static stretching for after exercise.

      Flexibility training is essential to injury prevention and performance, but is often overlooked by active individuals. Improved flexibility increases mobility and the range of motion for a particular joint. When flexibility is maintained in muscles, ligaments and tendons, the athlete can push further into the range of motion without risking tears to those tissues.

      Interestingly, new evidence suggests that static stretches just before exercise don't improve performance, and may contribute to injury. Many trainers prefer dynamic stretching, which according to Sports Fitness Adviser involves actively moving through the full range of motion, rather than stretching and holding a position for a long time. An example of dynamic stretching would be kicking an imaginary ball or twisting from side to side.

    Psychological Training

    • Sports psychologists can help athletes gain a competitive edge.

      Sports psychologists often help athletes with the mental challenges of performance. Even when great fitness and skills are acquired, a certain amount of strategy is required to help a person manage those skills, process successes and setbacks, maintain focus under pressure and overcome insecurities.

      Experts at the Association of Applied Sport Psychology assert that these mental skills are trainable and controllable. Elite athletes have long sought the help of sports psychologists to reach their performance goals and some recreational athletes see the benefit of this type of training as well. Many of the mental strategies related to athletic success apply to other arenas of life, as well.