Athletes in the present day are achieving feats that were considered impossible earlier. They are becoming far better in terms of physical strength, agility, and stamina. All thanks to the advancement in nutrition science, training methodology, and recovery techniques. 

Still, many athletes are quite confused about how to boost athletic performance. This could be because of the overwhelming amount of information accessible to them today. To be able to figure out the first step can be pretty hard. 

However, we are putting a rest to your confusion now. 

This resource will help you understand what athletic performance is, how to measure it, and ways to improve it. 

What is Athletic Performance? 

Athletic Performance defines the efforts made by an athlete to achieve a specific performance objective over a period of time. This performance is influenced by a number of factors such as genetics, nutrition, training, recovery, etc. 

Now that you understand what athletic performance is, let’s find out how it can be evaluated. 

How to Evaluate Athletic Performance?

Sports performance is evaluated by understanding four integral dimensions of performance, namely skill, fitness/strength, endurance, and recovery. 

1. Athletic Skills

Athletic skills comprise the strategic thinking and execution that is involved when you’re undertaking an athletic activity. Having a range of skills at your disposal will always help perform better. 

2. Athletic Strength

Athletic fitness is often defined in terms of strength. The better the muscular strength, the better you’re likely to perform during your athletic performance training sessions. 

3. Endurance

To be able to perform is not the only aspect that defines you as a sports performer. You should also be able to perform for a prolonged period without feeling exhausted. 

4. Recovery 

One of the major performance determinants in the domain of athleticism is the ability to recover, both physically and mentally. 

While these four aspects are the preliminary factors to understanding and evaluating performance, these aren’t the only factors. The build of the body, agility, focus, alertness, and many other factors also make a great performer, however, the above-stated factors form the basics. 

5 Effective Hacks to Improve Athletic Performance

We are pretty sure you want to optimize your skill set to maximize your performance. Here are a few tips that you can take into account when planning a strategy to boost performance. 

#Hack 1: Mix Up Your Exercise Every 2-3 Weeks

Athletic performance training is about improving muscle strength, mental focus, alertness, and agility. While working on these attributes, it is important to revise your exercise schedule time and again to prevent your body from getting conditioned to the same routine. 

Why should conditioning be prevented?

1. Your body will eventually stop responding to these exercises. 
2. It also increases the possibility of injury because the same muscles are being put to use repeatedly in the same manner and at the same angle. As the strain on the same soft tissues increases, the possibility of muscle tears shoots up. 

So, how much variation is necessary? 

When making a workout program for yourself, add two or three exercise variations for each muscle or movement. For instance, taking up different shoulder or biceps workouts every 2-3 weeks can cause muscle confusion and promote growth over time. Plus, you will save yourself from boredom. 

#Hack 2: Taking Off Recovery Time is Equally Important

When you indulge in a workout routine, the homeostasis level of your body is disturbed. Recovery is the time when this level is restored as the body begins regenerating to achieve a better level to cope with physical activities. There are two ways of recovery, active and passive. 

Active Recovery

Active recovery involves staying physically active in form of gentle, non-strenuous movements when you’re recovering from a high-intensity workout. For example, active recovery would involve brisk walking, post-workout stretching, or any other low-intensity activity that promotes the flow of blood and lymph for faster recovery. Not only this, but the time of active recovery also promotes faster clearing of metabolic waste. 

Active recovery is an ideal time to include stretching and massage in your routine as the muscles are already warm, hence increasing the range of motion and reducing the risk of injury. An often understated importance of active recovery is that it gives you time to focus on the technique rather than only working on the intensity. 

Passive Recovery

Passive recovery involves indulging in complete rest to help your body recover both physically and mentally without impacting your abilities. In passive recovery, you will rest for a day or two wherein your muscles can repair. The recovery time depends on the exercise you have undertaken and its intensity. 

You can go to a steam room or take a massage during this time. 

#Hack 3: Focus on Building Psychological Strength

It’s nearly impossible to maximize your physical strength without mastering your psychological strength. Both physical and mental abilities go hand in hand. To excel in any athletic activity or training session, it’s vital to act mindfully, purposefully, and consistently. This helps professional athletes optimally control feelings, emotions, thoughts, and behavior, which helps in reaching maximum performance potential. 

Working on mental fitness will help in

1. Boosting Confidence
2. Prioritizing Goals
3. Increasing Commitment to Goals
4. Achieving a Positive Mindset
5. Becoming Mindful
6. Developing Emotional Control
7. Developing Skills to Manage Stress

So, if you want to achieve your maximum potential, mastering your mental well-being is vital. 

#Hack 4: Make a Proper Plan for Nutrition Intake

To enhance performance, it’s integral for athletes to have a proper diet and hydration plan as per their specific needs. Having a well-defined fueling plan can be instrumental in achieving peak performance. 

Below are the requirements that you need to take care of-

Macronutrients

Sports nutrition operates on the concept of achieving a balance between macro and micronutrients to maximize energy for a particular sports or training program. The proportion of the three macronutrients, namely fat, carbohydrates, and protein, depends on internal and external aspects of a person’s body composition (height and weight) and the training they are engaged in. 

Micronutrients

While most people focus on macronutrients to get that athletic build, they often forget the importance of micronutrients, such as vitamins and minerals. Micronutrients are crucial in determining a variety of processes such as muscle building, boosting immunity, promoting faster recovery, and so much more. 

Hydration

Every athlete has subjective fluid needs that depend on body weight, exercise, environmental factors, and how much they sweat. Understanding this fluid requirement is essential. Also, hydration is not just about drinking water, it also includes maintaining an electrolyte balance. 

Timing for Nutrients

While understanding the composition of nutrients is necessary, understanding when to consume them is equally important. You have to classify your nutrition intake before, during, and after a workout while also aligning it with the requirements of the game day. 

#Hack 5: Compensate It With Supplements

While some people have still not been able to bust the myth that supplements are bad, you must know that they are sometimes necessary for the rigorous training you indulge in. 

While it’s always suggested to compensate for the demands of nutrients through food, you can always rely on clean and safe supplements if you aren’t able to meet them via food. 

For instance, a non-stimulating pre-workout may be necessary on a high-intensity athletic performance training day. Or taking a protein powder for faster muscle recovery can be essential. 

While there is no shame in choosing supplements when they are needed, the only thing to keep in mind is to go for supplements with a clean and transparent label. Do thorough research on the effects of a supplement and related side effects, if any, before consuming it. 

Additionally, do not go for all the supplements that are available in the market. Pick and choose according to your specific needs in terms of performance enhancement, muscle gain/muscle growth, losing weight, weight gain, etc.

In a Nutshell 

Improving athletic performance shouldn’t feel like rocket science. The most effective ways are mostly straightforward to implement. 

Using these simple tips while laying the groundwork for your training strategy can clearly define how to boost your athletic performance without much of a hassle. 

We would love to hear about your experience as and when you try these hacks!