As an athlete, you need to be well aware of your nutrition, sleep, and training for they all play a role in how you perform.
Muscular strength and endurance are essential to keep your body functioning at an optimal level. The most effective way to activate your muscles is through participating in a well designed weight training program.
Whether you’re going for a personal best squat or working on hypertrophy, here are six reasons why your sports performance will benefit from strength and conditioning.
1. Encourages a healthy body composition
The National Strength and Conditioning Association states that “An increase in lean body mass contributes to strength and power development. Strength and power are related to muscle size. Thus, an increase in lean body mass enables the athlete to generate more force in a specific period of time. A sufficient level of lean body mass also contributes to speed, quickness, and agility performance (in the development of force applied to the ground for maximal acceleration and deceleration)”. Staying consistent with your strength workouts will gradually increase your lean body mass over time.
2. Increases resting metabolism
The more lean body mass you have, the higher your basal metabolic rate will be. Basal metabolic rate is defined as the amount of calories your body burns at rest. Generally, every new pound of muscle on the body burns an extra 35 calories a day at rest. Gaining muscle is an easy way to keep your body fat percentage in check. It also allows you to eat more throughout the day!
3. Helps reduce the impact of injury
Injury, which can occasionally result from playing a sport, can be frustrating for a competitive athlete. The best way to prevent injury is to improve the strength and functioning of your body. A good strength and conditioning program will allow your body to build musculo-tendon units that are less likely to get injured. Musculo-tendon units are also known as shock stabilizing units, which will heal much more efficiently when an injury occurs.
4. Increases power
Weight training creates larger and stronger muscle fibers, which means your body’s capability of producing sheer force increases. Whole body, high intensity weight training increases the muscle fibers that are responsible for producing power in the body. Weight training also helps by teaching the body to coordinate movements to efficiently transfer power to the floor.
5. Reduces stress
Athletes face a tremendous amount of stress. Negative stressors can contribute to poor performance both on and off the field. Too much negative stress can increase levels of the hormone cortisol. Consistent high levels of cortisol can lead to body fat percentage gain. Weight training is a very positive way to help reduce stress and provides a sanctuary for the athlete to escape the daily grind. While most people associate exercise with physical benefits, there are just as many mental benefits.
6. It will help you sleep
It’s important for athletes to get enough sleep so their bodies can repair themselves after a hard day of training. Weightlifting has been shown to help improve an athlete’s quality of sleep, especially after muscles have been taken through an intense training session.
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