#22 - My Top Exercises to become Athletic

This week we will continue with the series looking at my favourite exercises.

Today, we will cover the best exercises for athleticism.

Training to be athletic is something I think many of us should do.

Doing so really allows our bodies to show us their true capabilities.

If you have been training for physique and hypertrophy goals for a long time, athletic training can be a whole new world.

If you play any kind of sport, this type of training is invaluable.

It makes you stronger, faster and more powerful, which are three crucial elements for succeeding in sport.

I am going to group the exercises into the following categories:

• Plyometrics

• Olympic Lifts

• Max Strength Lifts

• Ballistics

Let’s get into it.

Plyometrics

Box Jump / Depth Jump: Few better exercises for improving lower body power and vertical jump height. The depth jump adds a drop before the jump to take advantage of the stretch-shortening cycle.

Broad Jump: Time for a horizontal jump. Aim to be able to jump as far as you are tall. Do 2 or 3 in succession. Make sure to stick the last landing to build that all-important eccentric strength.

Plyometric Press-Up: Start in the usual press-up position. Go down and explode up so your hands leave the floor. Go straight back down into another rep. Awesome for upper body power.

Olympic Lifts:

Clean Variations: Triple extension (of the ankles, knees and hips) is crucial for athleticism and this develops it as well as any. Play with starting from the hang position, from blocks or from the floor.

Snatch Variations: As big of a thrill ride of an exercise as there is. Few other movements demand so much power production. As you catch the bar in an overhead squat, it’s great for mobility too.

Push Press: A barbell overhead press with leg drive. The upper body produces a ton of force here, supported by the legs. Also, you can throw a lot of weight overhead, which is a lot of fun!

Max Strength

Back Squat: Some would say the king of all exercises. About as good as it gets for lower body strength. Makes you run faster and jump higher too.

Front Squat: One of the most challenging lifts there is, but with huge rewards. Hits the quads and upper back harder than the back squat. A perfect supplement for the Olympic Lifts.

Bench Press: The go-to exercise if you want a strong upper body. When technique is right, it hits a lot of muscle groups and is likely one the best exercises to expose the upper body to very heavy weight.

Pull Up: The other staple for upper body strength. When done for these purposes, reps should be very low (1,2 or 3) and speed and technique are the highest priorities. Add weight as necessary.

Ballistics

Medicine Ball Throw: Superb for upper body power production and has the commonly-missed element of rotation. Do it with a Shot Put style to further emphasise one side.

Medicine Ball Slam: Gets many of the muscles on the front of the body firing quickly. Bonus points if you do this with rotation. Oddly satisfying.

Banded Kettlebell Swing: Another wild ride of an exercise. You’re essentially controlling an elastic-assisted cannonball. Go for a heavy bell and keep the reps low. Builds huge power through the hips:

Sprinting: What better way to get faster than running as fast as you can? A full-body exercise that really makes you feel like an athlete.

That’s it for today.

Next week, in the final entry of this series, I will cover my favourite overall strength exercises.

See you then!

• Adam