How to Become More Athletic: 6 Tips To Train Like An Athlete

By: Kayla Bushey (7 minute read)

Ever thought about how nice it would be to just be naturally athletic? Or maybe you just want to be able to feel like an explosive athlete—someone who can easily sprint, jump, and perform at a high level with confidence without a doubt.

I Want To Become More Athletic

The truth is, athleticism is not just something you're born with; it’s also something you can build, but only if you know how.

If you’ve been told you’re not athletic enough or that making the varsity team isn’t in the cards, let’s explore ways you can increase your athleticism. If you’re ready to put in the work, push your limits, and redefine what’s possible for yourself, then you’ve already taken the first step. Learning how to become more athletic is a journey, and with the right mindset and approach, you can achieve more than you ever thought possible. These six essential tips will help you on your path to becoming the best version of yourself.

1. Conduct a 60 Second Body Test

Before diving into how to become more athletic, it’s crucial to understand what’s currently limiting your athleticism. A quick body test will help you identify areas for improvement and tailor your training accordingly. You can focus on doing each activity for 60 seconds and recording how it went for you on a 1-10 scale. 1 being easy and 10 being impossible. Focus on the following aspects:

Print off and fill in this chart to explore where you are starting on your athletic journey and retest this after a few weeks of training to see if you are improving. You can add anything into your test that falls under your definition of "athletic."

Exercise:	Time	How Many Were You Able To Complete?	1 - 10 ranking	Did you feel any pain or discomfort? If so what and where?
Jump Rope	60 seconds
Box Hop	60 seconds
Air Squats	60 seconds
Light Jog	60 seconds
Sprints	6 x 10 seconds
Balance on only the right leg	60 seconds
Balance on only the left leg	60 seconds

Quick Tip: Keep a detailed record of your performance in each test to track your progress and adjust your training as needed. You will use this for your training plan.

2. Acknowledging, Managing and Erasing Pain

You get more out of a year of consistent, pain-free training than you do lifting heavy in the gym. Time compounds, and building a solid foundation will lead to lasting progress. Understanding and acknowledging pain is a crucial part of enhancing your athleticism. Here’s how to effectively address and manage pain during your training:

• Track Aches and Pains: During each exercise, note down where you feel different aches and pains. Use a scale of 1-10 to rate the intensity of each discomfort, with 1 being minimal and 10 being severe. It is ideal if your pain decreases as your training cycle continues. More pain is not more gain when it comes to being athletic.

• Identify Patterns: Look for patterns in your pain reports. Are certain exercises causing more discomfort? Are there specific movements or positions that exacerbate the pain?

• Incorporate Recovery Techniques: Use foam rolling, massage, heat and cold therapy, and stretching to address areas of discomfort and promote recovery. Test what types of recovery techniques are working best for you. Some people will recover better with heat while others will do better with cold, your body is unique to you.

• Therapeutic Self-Massage During Activity: Learn techniques for self-massage to alleviate muscle tension and improve circulation during your rest between physical activity. Tools like massage balls, foam rollers, and your hands can help target specific areas of discomfort.

• Learn Body Care: Understanding how to take care of your body is essential. Educate yourself about proper body mechanics, recovery strategies, and how to prevent common injuries.

• Stay Hydrated and Nourished: Proper hydration and nutrition can help manage and reduce muscle soreness and fatigue and decrease risk of injuries.

• Consult a Professional: If you notice persistent or severe pain, seek advice from a healthcare professional or physical therapist to address potential issues and get personalized treatment.

Quick Tip: Keeping a pain journal will help you manage discomfort more effectively and make informed decisions about your training adjustments. As shown above you can combine your pain journal into your physical activity.

3. Create a Structured Training Plan

Here is the main part that can often be confusing. Creating the training plan. This athletic approach involves planning your training in phases, usually in four week blocks, each with specific goals and focuses, to ensure progressive improvement and prevent burnout. Each phase builds on the previous one, creating a solid foundation for athleticism to build.

But how do you start making a training plan? Here’s how to start structuring it:

Design Training Phases: Structure your plan into 4 phases:

Prep Phase	around 15 training sessions	Focus on building a solid foundation with general strength and conditioning.
Strength Phase	around 9 training sessions	Emphasize heavy lifting and muscle building.
Power Phase	around 9 training sessions	Integrate plyometrics and explosive movements.
Performance Phase	around 9-11 training sessions	Refine skills and peak your performance with sport-specific drills or advanced techniques.

I Want A Training Plan

• Assess Your Current Fitness Level: Begin by evaluating your strengths and weaknesses from your body test. Use this information to tailor your training phases. This is what we did is the 1st step.

• Recovery: Working in a full recovery week every 4th week will help you stay on track while limiting injuries. Your body needs to rest when reaching for athleticism.

• Set Specific Goals: Define what you want to achieve in each phase of your training. For example, you might focus on strength in one phase, speed in another, and endurance in a third. This can be very specific.

• Adjust as Needed: Regularly review your progress and adjust your plan based on how your body is responding and any changes in your goals.

Quick Tip: A structured training plan helps manage training loads and optimize performance. A well-organized plan keeps you on track and ensures continuous improvement.

4. Make Every Movement Count

Being athletic means that every movement you perform, whether in sports or daily life, becomes more efficient and effective. Here’s how enhancing your athleticism translates into improved performance and ease in various activities:

• Sport-Specific Benefits: For athletes, developing strength, agility, and coordination directly translates into better performance in your sport. Enhanced physical abilities make complex movements feel more natural and less exhausting.

• Skill Development: Focus on refining skills specific to your sport or activities. For example, if you’re a soccer player, work on dribbling, passing, and shooting techniques. If you’re into everyday fitness, practice movements like squats and lunges to improve functional strength.

• Everyday Life Enhancements: If you're not involved in competitive sports, becoming more athletic still has significant benefits. Improved strength and flexibility make daily tasks, such as lifting groceries or climbing stairs, easier and less tiring.

• Functional Training: Focus on exercises that mimic everyday movements or the specific demands of your sport. This functional approach ensures that your training translates effectively into real-world activities.

• Skill Specifics: Pay attention to the specific skills related to your activities or sports. For instance, if you're training for basketball, incorporate shooting drills, agility drills, and core strengthening exercises to improve your overall performance.

Quick Tip: Apply athletic principles to all your physical activities. Whether it's playing a sport or simply going about your daily routine, the more functional and efficient your movements, the easier and more enjoyable they become.

Remember: Enhancing your athleticism isn’t just about excelling in sports; it’s about making your everyday movements smoother and more effortless, leading to a more active and enjoyable life.

5. Consistency and Patience

Consistency and patience with a focused approach is the magic formula. The promise is, you will not be good when you start, but you can always improve. Athleticism grows from the consistent repetition of movements and skills. As these patterns become second nature, you’ll find that your dedication has transformed you into someone others perceive as naturally athletic.

• Consistency: One of the most critical factors in improving athleticism is consistent effort. Regular training, proper nutrition, and adequate rest are all essential.

• Patience: Athletic improvement takes time. Stay committed to your training plan and understand that progress will come with sustained effort.

Quick Tip: Set small, achievable milestones to maintain motivation and track your progress over time.

6. Genetic Factors and Training

Genetics undeniably influence certain aspects of athletic potential, such as muscle fiber type, natural strength, and endurance levels, but exposure has a lot to do with where you are at today too. While you may not have the ideal genetic profile for a specific sport, dedicated training can help you overcome these natural predispositions and give yourself new exposure.

• Understanding Genetics: Understand what you are naturally good at and be open to discovering it. Everyone has something they are great at. Maybe for you it's the mental ability to understand how something works. For another it might be jumping over a hurdle. No matter what use your genetic gifts and then develop the rest.

  
  

• Environmental Influences: Consider how your upbringing and daily activities have shaped your physical abilities. Factors such as walking to school, playing outside as a child, or engaging in manual labor can influence your base level of athleticism and movement skills. Additionally, if you work a desk job and sit for 8+ hours a day without movement, your body becomes accustomed to that sedentary state. Therefore, your training must incorporate exercises that put your body in various positions and counteract the effects of prolonged sitting. Incorporate movements that challenge your stability, flexibility, and strength in different positions to balance out the effects of a sedentary lifestyle.

  
  

• Tailored Training: Adjust your training based on your individual strengths and weaknesses, as well as your specific goals. This personalized approach helps maximize your potential.

Quick Tip: Use insights from performance assessments and your background to tailor your training, focusing on areas that need improvement.

So, will you do what it takes to become more athletic?

Improving your athleticism involves a combination of understanding your body, managing pain, creating a structured training plan, and making every movement count. Consistency, patience, and recognizing both genetic and environmental influences are key to unlocking your potential.

By taking a holistic approach and focusing on both physical and mental aspects, you’ll not only enhance your performance in sports but also make daily activities more enjoyable and efficient. Remember, athleticism isn’t just about excelling in a sport; it’s about enhancing every aspect of your physical life.

I'm Ready To Train Like An Athlete

Hi, my name is Kayla and I help people explore their potential. Explore training plans today that help you reach your goals.

Hi Friends! This is a 100% Typo Guarantee - This message is hand crafted with purely good intentions, love, information, and is unprocessed. Therefore I can pretty much promise there is some sort of typo or grammatical error that you can find. Either way, hope the information is solid and can help you. If a link is broken, feel free to let me know but on this website, imperfections are welcomed and celebrated.