posted
03/15/12
Whether your sport is golf, basketball or co-ed badminton, the fact is, we all want to be the Bo Jackson of our chosen athletic pursuit. So here are five great exercises you can use to prepare for serious competition—and ass-kicking—in five different sports. You can trust me: I’m a certified strength and conditioning coach. The bonus? All five moves will get you ready for success in practically any sport. Which is good news for your upcoming skee-ball tournament.
1. Power Clean
Perfect for: Track (or any other sport)
If I had to pick one exercise to do for any sport, I would pick the clean. I love this exercise. When I was triple-jumping at the University of Arkansas, this is practically all we did in the weight room—and it helped our track program claim more than 45 national titles. The reason: it’s an explosive movement, so it trains your body to perform correctly and powerfully on the field. It builds your hip flexors, hip extensors, lower lumbar—and most importantly, your core. It’s the quintessential Olympic lift that’s helped generations of athletes run faster and gain explosiveness. If you’re new to the clean (or any of these exercises), watch instructional videos first to make sure you’re doing it properly. And start out using a broomstick. Then move to just the bar, then gradually add weight.
2. Deadlift
Perfect for: Hockey (or Football)
This is my second-favorite exercise, and I used it to rehab from two major spinal injuries. Basically, you’re loading up the bar, grabbing the bar and developing superior strength in your glutes and hamstrings. It’s also great for your lower back, and it encourages muscle recruitment, which is key for building strength. This is the exercise that’s going to help you in the fourth quarter or the third period (or on the back nine) by giving you the strength and muscle endurance to finish strong. The guy below has great form. If only the same could be said for his music taste.
3. Bulgarian Split Squat
Perfect for: Tennis (or Soccer or Lacrosse)
The split squat is another favorite of mine. I like to have my athletes do this one with their back foot on a bench—a.k.a. “Bulgarian style.” This one is going to light up your glutes, hamstrings and hip flexors, so it’s great for sports like basketball, soccer, lacrosse and tennis, where you need your leg muscles to fire rapidly. It’s going to help you become more explosive, jump higher and run faster. Perform reps with a weighted bar rested on your neck (like with a squat) or with a dumbbell or weight plate in hand. Either way does the trick. And as with all these moves, girls can do ’em too!
