How To Train Like An Athlete In The Gym: Sample Workout Structure

For athletes, the gym isn’t just a place to build muscle or burn calories—it’s a crucial tool to enhance their performance in their sport.

Unlike bodybuilders or casual gym-goers, athletes use the gym strategically to strengthen weak areas, prevent injuries, and improve physical attributes that directly translate to better performance on the field, court, or track. This functional focus is why an athlete’s gym routine looks much different from a typical workout plan.

Understanding the Athletic Approach

Athletes don’t train in the gym just to look good; they train to move better, faster, and more powerfully in their sport. The gym is supplemental to their primary athletic activity, meaning every exercise is chosen with the goal of improving specific aspects of their sport. Whether it’s building explosive power for a faster sprint, increasing core stability for better balance, or strengthening specific muscles to prevent injury, every gym session has a purpose beyond aesthetics.

This functional approach is what sets athletic training apart. While a bodybuilder might focus on isolating muscles to build size, an athlete’s goal is to create a well-rounded, strong, and resilient body that can withstand the demands of their sport. This means their gym routine often includes movements that mimic their sport, use full-body exercises, and prioritize injury prevention.

So, how can you start training like an athlete in the gym?

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1. Start With A Light Cardio Warm-Up: Preparing the Body for Action

Before diving into intense training, athletes start with a cardio warm-up to get their bodies ready for action. The purpose of this warm-up is to increase blood flow, raise the heart rate, and loosen up the muscles to prepare them for the more demanding exercises ahead.

Examples of Cardio Warm-Ups:

• 5-10 minutes of light jogging or cycling

• Dynamic movements like jumping jacks, high knees, or butt kicks

• This also helps access if you have any aches or pains to address before getting into lifting

Why It Matters: A proper warm-up is crucial because it helps prevent injuries and ensures that your muscles are primed for the workout ahead. It also mentally prepares you for the training session, helping you transition from a state of rest to a state of focus and readiness.

2. Move Into Muscle Activation: Targeting Key Areas

After warming up, athletes move on to muscle activation exercises. These are targeted movements designed to wake up specific muscles that will be heavily used during the workout. Muscle activation is especially important for engaging muscles that are often neglected or prone to weakness, such as the glutes, core, or shoulder stabilizers.

Examples of Muscle Activation Exercises:

• Glute Bridges: To activate the glutes and hamstrings, crucial for movements like squats and deadlifts.

• Banded Lateral Walks: To engage the hip abductors, improving knee stability and reducing the risk of injury.

• Scapular Retractions: To activate the upper back muscles, essential for maintaining good posture and preventing shoulder injuries.

Why It Matters: Activating muscles before heavy lifts ensures that they are fully engaged and ready to perform. This leads to better overall performance, helps correct muscle imbalances, and reduces the risk of injury by ensuring that your body is prepared to handle the demands of the workout.

3. The Order Matters: Plyometrics Before Heavy Lifting

If you have plyometrics (aka jumping exercises) in your routine, do them before the heavy lifting. They develop the explosive power that is crucial for many sports. These exercises involve quick, explosive movements that train your muscles to generate maximum force in the shortest amount of time.

Examples of Plyometric Exercises:

• Box Jumps: To build explosive leg power, essential for sports like basketball, volleyball, and football.

• Broad Jumps: To improve horizontal power and sprinting ability.

• Jump Rope: To develop jumping endurance and prime the small places like the achilles tendon to handle bigger jumps later on.

Why It Matters: Plyometrics improve your ability to produce power quickly, which translates directly to better performance in activities like jumping, sprinting, and rapid direction changes. This type of training enhances your fast-twitch muscle fibers, making you more explosive on the field or court.

4. Now It's Time For The Heavy Lifts: Building Strength and Power

Heavy lifts form the core of an athlete’s strength training routine. These compound movements involve multiple muscle groups and are performed with heavy weights to build raw strength and power.

Examples of Heavy Lifts:

• Squats: To develop lower body strength, crucial for running, jumping, and overall power.

• Deadlifts: To build posterior chain strength, which supports explosive movements and stability.

• Bench Press: To strengthen the upper body, particularly for pushing movements used in sports like football and rugby.

Why It Matters: Heavy lifts are essential for building the foundational strength that athletes need to excel in their sport. By focusing on compound movements, athletes can improve their overall power, which is a key component of performance in almost every sport.

5. Supplemental Lifts: Addressing Weak Points

After completing the heavy lifts, athletes move on to supplemental lifts. These exercises are designed to target specific areas that need extra attention, whether it’s improving a muscle imbalance, enhancing stability, or adding strength to a particular movement pattern.

Examples of Supplemental Lifts:

• Single-Leg Deadlifts: To enhance balance and strengthen the legs individually, which is important for sports that involve running and cutting.

• Romanian Deadlifts: To target the hamstrings and glutes, improving power and injury resistance.

• Shoulder Stabilizing Exercises: To support shoulder health and prevent injuries, particularly in sports that involve throwing or overhead movements.

Why It Matters: Supplemental lifts help ensure that there are no weak links in your body’s chain of movement. By addressing these areas, athletes can improve their overall performance and reduce the risk of injury.

6. Core Work: Enhancing Stability and Power Transfer

A strong core is the foundation of athletic performance. Core exercises not only build strength but also improve stability and the ability to transfer power between the upper and lower body, which is crucial in almost every sport.

Examples of Core Exercises:

• Planks: To build endurance and stability in the core muscles.

• Russian Twists: To strengthen the obliques and improve rotational power.

• Hanging Leg Raises: To target the lower abs and enhance hip flexor strength.

Why It Matters: A well-developed core allows for better balance, stability, and power transfer during athletic movements. Whether you’re running, jumping, or changing direction, a strong core ensures that your movements are controlled and powerful.

Cool Down, Stretching, and Recovery: The Final Steps

After the workout, cooling down, rehydrating, and active and passive stretching are essential for recovery and injury prevention. This phase helps your body return to a resting state and reduces muscle stiffness and soreness.

Cool Down Activities:

• Light Jogging or Walking: To gradually lower your heart rate and promote circulation.

• Static Stretching: To lengthen the muscles, improve flexibility, and reduce tension.

Recovery Tips:

• Therapeutic Self Massage: To release muscle knots and improve tissue quality.

• Hydration and Nutrition: To replenish fluids and nutrients lost during the workout.

Why It Matters: Cooling down and stretching help your body recover faster and prepare for the next training session. Proper recovery is just as important as the workout itself, as it ensures that you can continue training at a high level without getting injured.

The Full Breakdown Of Your Athletic Gym Routine:

Warm Up Light Cardio	5 - 10 minutes
Muscle Activation Exercises	8-10 minutes
Plyometrics (Jumping Exercises)	15-25 minutes
Heavy Lifting (2-3 exercises - with full recovery of 5-8 minutes)	15-40 minutes
Supplemental Lifts	8-10 minutes
Cool Down Recovery	5-8 minutes

Will You Start Training In The Gym Like An Athlete?

The next time you head into the gym, you could try training like an athlete. Approaching the gym with a clear purpose: to improve performance in your sport. By focusing on a proper warm-up, targeted muscle activation, explosive plyometrics, heavy lifts, supplemental exercises, core work, and a thoughtful cool-down, athletes ensure that every gym session contributes to their success on the field, court, or track.

I Want 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.

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