Weight Loss Sports Conditioning

By admin on July 29th, 2011.
Filed Under:Weight Loss Sports
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Overview
It is not uncommon for athletes to gain unwanted weight between seasons or after retiring from play. It is frustrating and can be quite discouraging, but there are ways to safely lose the extra weight. Fortunately, the drills and exercises you may already know how to do can be some of the best forms of conditioning for weight loss. Aerobic and anaerobic interval training and agility drills are effective ways to train your heart and lungs and jump-start your metabolism. Strength training is another form of sports conditioning that can be effective and can start you on the path to weight loss.
Anaerobic Intervals
Anaerobic intervals are an excellent way to boost your calorie-burning capacity. Performing short durations–under two minutes–of high-intensity work mixed with longer durations of either rest or low-intensity work is a great way to get started. By working your cardiovascular system and your muscular system at the same time, you will kick start your metabolism and increase your ability to exercise. This improved ability to exercise increases your opportunity to burn calories and lose weight. If you are preparing for a competitive season, you will also improve your ability to perform at your highest level during competition, increasing your chances of success.
Aerobic Intervals
Similar to anaerobic intervals, aerobic intervals increase your capacity to perform cardiovascular exercise. Instead of accomplishing your cardiovascular training through a fixed-paced workout, it is more effective to perform intervals of two minutes or more. Working hard for two to five minutes with an equal amount of rest between each set is a good way to get started with aerobic interval training. According to the Sport Fitness Advisor, a website which provides scientific information about sports training to the public, aerobic intervals can be utilized to improve endurance, which typically results in an increased ability to move oxygen throughout your body, which equates to an increase in calories burned.
Agility Drills
If you have ever taken time away from training, you have likely noticed that agility drills are extraordinarily difficult when you return. This is because agility drills are essentially intense intervals paired with long rest periods. The high work output that is required for agility drills is a necessary part of preparing for competition and is also a fantastic way to burn as many calories as possible in the shortest amount of time possible. Before you graduate to intense agility drills, you should be sure that you are able to complete an aerobic and an anaerobic interval training workout in order to avoid injuries.
Muscular Endurance
Strength training is a fabulous way to increase your overall metabolism and burn more calories throughout the day. Training for increased muscular endurance involves training your muscles to work harder for longer, according to Greg Siller, a strength coach for Pro Learning Systems. By improving your ability to work hard for a longer period of time, you increase your ability to exert power and gain muscle mass. This gain in muscle mass, also called lean body mass, results in an increase in the number of calories your body burns throughout the day, which will blast fat and help you to lose weight.
Muscular Strength
Once you have improved your ability to work hard for longer periods of time, you are ready to move on to a muscular strength program. Muscular strength involves moving larger weight loads for fewer repetitions. Moving larger weight loads increases the amount of force you are able to exert. This increase in force will result in a larger amount of work for a shorter period of time, a more efficient form of exercising to lose weight. You will also continue to gain lean body mass and therefore increase your capacity for burning calories.