Lacrosse Workouts For Conditioning

Lacrosse workouts for conditioning may vary depending on what the area of focus is for the athlete. A well-rounded workout routine will incorporate exercises that seek to improve stamina, muscular endurance, and strength. Here is a well-rounded list of lacrosse workouts for conditioning if you find that your body is not quite in shape for this sport:

1. Devote time to sprinting. Sprinting is an important aspect of this workout routine. Lacrosse is a very demanding sport that requires massive amounts of stamina and core strength. Running in general is a great aerobic exercise that will strengthen your core slightly, improve your stamina and strengthen your legs as well. Sprinting will specifically increase your maximum speed and your acceleration.
2. Jogging for added cardiovascular exercise. For an especially intense cardiovascular workout, sprinting in sets then jogging in-between sprinting sets is an especially efficient way to build stamina and strengthen the legs. The jogging should be light and the overall session may last up to 30 minutes.
3. Jump rope to improve agility. Jumping rope helps strengthen the calves, improve your breathing and stamina, and burns a lot of calories. This exercise will improve your vertical jump if done properly while also steadily building your explosive dash. Of the lacrosse workouts for conditioning listed, this one may be exchanged for another cardiovascular/agility exercise of your own.
4. Squats strengthen the quadriceps. Squats are a great compound workout that targets the quadriceps but also workout the glutes and hamstrings. It is a great way to condition the legs for sprinting and explosive dashing that you may do on the field.
5. Barbell lunges strengthen the glutes and hamstrings. Barbell lunges target the hamstring and glutes. This is a great workout that will supplement all of your leg workouts and lead to a stronger sprint. Be sure to use a light weight at first and work your way up lest you risk injury to your neck or back.
6. Toe Raises to strengthen the calves. Toe raises are a simple workout that targets your calf muscles primarily. Ideally, this workout should be done while holding a barbell or dumbbells in order to add to the intensity of this exercise. The calves will help increase your springing ability, your vertical jump, and your dashing ability. You should aim for three sets of twelve to fifteen repetitions each.
7. Push-ups strengthen the core, chest, and triceps. Push-ups are a basic exercise that should be used to condition ones arms especially if they are new to the sport or coming back from hiatus. To start off, one should at least try to do three sets of 25 repetitions each. This should be enough to get your arms used to your body weight and get you ready for the weight training to come after your conditioning period.
8. Dips to strengthen triceps. Dips are a great body weight exercise that strengthens both the chest and triceps. It is important to lock your shoulder muscles to prevent injury and lower your body down until your bicep is at a 90 degree angle to your forearms for maximum efficiency.
9. Pull-ups target the back muscles. Pull-ups are a staple exercise that strengthen primarily the back but also may target the biceps secondarily. Pull-ups are of the essential lacrosse workouts for conditioning because it is a great strength building exercise.
10. Power clean and press is a full body workout. The power clean and press is a compound free weights workout that targets many muscles in your body. The initial lift, the clean, is when you lift the weight up to your collar bone which incorporates a similar motion to the deadlift and an explosive motion to raise the weight above your chest. The press will serve as a great shoulder workout for you. You should do three sets of ten repetitions at 75% of your maximum weight. If you are looking to build mass (good if you are a defender), lower the repetitions to eight and raise the percentage to 85%. Explosive power is a necessity in lacrosse, which makes this one of the important lacrosse workouts for conditioning.