Athletic Fitness Program: Workout #1 - Explosion Training

Any athlete who wishes to boost their performance in their respective sport must do so by improving their own personal fitness. In order to compete at a high level, an athlete's physical abilities must be at, or above, that of his competition's. Luckily, with some hard work and dedication, any athlete can start an athletic fitness program and see dramatic results within a short period of time. This article, and the one's that follow, will give a wide number of daily workout routines that any athlete, in any sport, can incorporate into his or her own physical fitness program.

All of the workouts that I recommend you to add to your fitness training program will involve, not only strength conditioning, but endurance training through cardiovascular work as well. It is becoming more and more evident by the day, that athlete's are no longer limited by their position, to be, either big and strong, or small and fast. Nowadays, we are seeing some enormous athletes moving at incredible speeds and we are seeing some smaller athletes with incredibly explosive strength. Today's athlete must be strong and agile and that is what I gear the workouts in my athletic fitness program towards.

All physical fitness programs should involve a sufficient amount of stretching. Prior to any exercises, it is important that you warm-up properly. Warming up should prepare you mentally and physically for the types of movements you will be performing in your daily workout.

The more explosive an athlete is, the better that athlete is at his or her respective sport. For today's workout routine, we're going to focus on explosive training to build power.

• If your rope hits your feet and you have to stop for a moment, that's fine, just start again.
• Small breaks of 10-15 seconds are okay.
• Attempt alternating legs if possible. For example: hop on one leg three times and switch to the other for three times. Or alternate each jump.

Skipping rope is probably one of the most under-utilized exercises around. However, it is one of the best routines out there for developing quick feet and will aid you in your explosion training. That is why you see boxers and mixed martial artists incorporating jumping rope into their fitness training programs.

• You will need a box, a sturdy chair, or some stairs.
• 60 seconds rest in between sets.
• Explode off the floor. Try to limit the amount of time your feet are on the ground to as little as possible.

Athletes have to have explosive legs. Adding quick explosive jumps to your physical fitness program will help you build stronger legs that will allow you to be more agile, run faster and jump higher. By performing this explosive training routine a few times a week, you will see amazing results on the field. For proper form on how to execute a quick explosive jump, see the video below:

• 3 sets normal grip
• 3 sets chin-up grip
• 3 sets wide overhand grip

When performing the normal grip and wide overhand grip, perform the pull-ups as a kipping pull-up. If you don't know what a kipping pull-up is, watch the video provided below. When carrying out the routine, focus on being as explosive as possible. In fact, it is important that you focus on exploding in all of the movements you do in your explosive training exercises.

Immediately following any intensive explosion training routine that is a part of your athletic fitness program, an athlete should cool down with some light movements. Cooling down helps the athletes heart rate return to a normal level, as well as creates a mechanism of waste product removal such as lactic acid. You can cool down by lightly jogging followed by some stretching exercises.

Another important aspect of a fitness training program, is to make sure that you are eating the right foods. Fitness nutrition is extremely important to any athlete who wishes to improve their personal fitness. If you want a list of foods that would be beneficial to your health, check out my list of the Top Ten Superfoods.