5 Things athletes aren’t doing…

Are you an athlete? or perhaps even someone who generally enjoys living a healthy and active lifestyle? If yes, and you’ve been exposed to some form of internet/media you’ll know that there is a never-ending revolving door of trends/fads/quick fixes that always promise to improve performance better than anything we’ve seen before. 

Some more recent examples might include, massage guns, the carnivore diet or even the become a super athlete in 30 days training program. Now this all sounds great with minimal effort required, promises of being the next big thing. Yet after a while they all seem to disappear into the abyss just as quickly as they came.

However, there are 5 things that everyone, particularly athletes can do to improve their performance. All of which are listed below and have stood the test of time and with numerous scientific backings.

1.       Weekly food prep

2.       Consistent sleep routine

3.       Structured and personalised strength and conditioning program

4.       Stress management

5.       Reflective practices

If you can nail all 5 of the above in your day to day routine then congratulations, you’re probably aware of the benefits and are on track with your performance.

But…

If you’re not, then this article will provide with suggestions as to why you should be doing these 5 things and some simple steps to help achieve them.

The benefits of weekly food prep speak for themselves. Not only is it a more cost and time effective method, but it also allows full control over what you are fuelling your body with. Athletes’ nutrition is of upmost importance as energy requirement are much higher due to the taxing nature of an athlete’s lifestyle. Failure to compensate for the increase in energy demands and correct fuel sources can lead to fatigue during sessions, overreaching or even injury.

Sleep and a consistent sleep routine is the superpower all athletes need. Sleep is an essential part of any person’s life however, that importance is far greater among athletes who require recovery for the intense bouts of exercise they undergo during competition and training. Whilst there are 100’s of studies on the importance and benefits of good quality sleep, some of the more common benefits include:

• Improved competitive success

• Increased sprint times

• Decreased rate of injury and sickness

• Increased testosterone

• Increased skill development and;

• Improved reaction time.

Whilst tips on sleep hygiene and an effective sleep routine can be found all over the internet 3 key ingredients for sleep to become your superpower are sleeping between 8-9 hours each night, waking and falling asleep withing the same 30–60-minute window each day and improving pre sleep hygiene (For example, no screen time 1hr before bed). Stay tuned for my next post on sleep hygiene.

An athletes sports training is always of the most importance when it comes to improving in any sport. However, when partnered with a structured strength and conditioning program, an athlete can reap significant benefits that will give them the competitive advantage. Programs need to be specific to the season (off, pre, in and injury) which is where most athletes get it wrong, and therefore is detriment to their performance. For example, during the in-season athletes should be using a specific training program that takes into consideration the overall load of training during a typical competition week. This allows for them to peak in their performance come game day.

 Understanding what stress is, where it comes from and how to manage is another key to mastering your performance. I want to show you an analogy that paints a clear picture around stress. Firstly, understand that stress comes in 3 forms:

1.       Psychological

2.       Emotional

3.       Physiological

Then realise that stress comes from numerous sources, and all fills the same cup. Examples are:

• Sports training

• Work

• Family life

• Medical

Now imagine you have a cup representing your wellbeing and you have water representing life’s stresses. You also have stress reduction practices which would represent emptying your cup. The goal is to not let the cup (your wellbeing) overflow with water (stress) by managing your stress (stress reduction practices).

Athletes fill that cup up often with training stressors from week to week and are generally pretty good at not letting the cup get to full. However, when water from other sources start to fill up the cup as well it can quickly become full and eventually overflow. This is what we call burnout and can lead to all sorts of complications including a decrease in performance and even injury. Therefore, it’s import we manage stress through various practices. This looks different for everyone. For some it might be meditation and others it may be walking in nature. Whatever it looks like it’s important we are aware of it and use it to maintain a cup that does not overflow with water from the stress of life and training.

Most athletes have goals, however in order to truly track your improvements its important you reflect on not only on your goals but your performance. This keeps you accountable towards progressing and provides an opportunity to see if current practices are working. This process can best be described by the following quote

”If one does not know to which port one is sailing, no wind is favourable.”

Nail these 5 criteria most athletes are getting wrong, and your chances of success will skyrocket.