5 Gym Exercises to Improve Your Game

You may have some of the best technical skills and can be potent on the field, but if you do not have the speed, power and strength, as well as the fitness and conditioning levels you need, you are not going to get far.

Why do you need to go to the gym?

Like any other professional sportsman or women when you play professional sports such as in the NFL or any league, you need to be able to maintain your fitness, conditioning as well as other important aspects such as strength and endurance. This cannot only be achieved when training on the field.

Skill is one of the most important aspects of any game, but without the backup your skills will be lost. If your fitness levels are not what they should be then you will not be able to display those skills in the game.

Football is an incredibly fast game, you have to be able to run, sprint, change directions in an instant and kick using both feet. Training on the field is great and will hone your skills, getting you ready for match day. Training in the gym will help you to improve in vital areas such as leg strength, power, speed and overall fitness. So what kind of gym exercises will help you to improve you game.

What types of exercises should I do?

Improving your overall fitness is one thing, but honing your power, stamina and endurance, along with your speed is as important. Having that explosive speed, the power to muscle your way through and the endurance to last the full eighty minutes on the field. Different muscles need different exercises to ensure that you are match ready.

5 sets to improve vital areas

Developing leg strength is vital no matter if you play in the NBA or as a professional football player. Football is a demanding sport, there are many skills you will require including being able to kick well with both feet as well as levering off one or the other side of your body as you move with the ball. A great gym set for this type of training is the split squats. This will develop your leg strength and the strength base that you require to be at your explosive best on the field.

Strengthening your hamstrings to be able to deal with the rigors of running, changing direction quickly and efficiently as well as jumping and more on the field. Hamstring strains are a common form of injury amongst footballers and strengthening this muscle, especially in the lengthened position will help you to prevent injury when playing. A great set for this type of training is the Romanian Deadlift.

Another great set to improve your leg strength are split cleans. This will help you develop your leg muscles which is important to your game as you need to be able to run, kick and leverage of both of your feet and this requires great leg strength and explosiveness.

The fourth set you can do in the gym to help you to improve your speed and explosive take-offs is bounds. This exercise entails performing exaggerated sprint motions.

The final set that will help your game is the ankle hop. Ankle injuries are another common problem amongst footballers and strengthening this aspect is important. It will also help you with your take-offs and give you the ability to stop and change directions quickly which is a key aspect of any game.

Maintain overall health and have some fun

No matter what sport you play, be it football, baseball or basketball, if you are going to perform at your best on the field you need to maintain your overall health. This does not mean that you need to train constantly, on the contrary, doing activities that will not only help you maintain your health and let you have some fun at the same time is as important as working out at the gym or doing skills training on the pitch. One of these activities is riding a kick scooter. There are studies which shoe that there are a number of health benefits of riding a scooter and you can have some fun with it too.

So whether you are a pro footballer playing in the leagues, or a club player who wants to improve their game on the field, have fun, train hard on the field, and target the areas you need to in the gym and you are sure to reach your full potential on the pitch.