Working Out

So you’re an aspiring athlete? That’s great news! You’re here reading about essential workouts, taking this aspiration seriously. Finding a workout routine that suits your needs and your body is critical.

When choosing a workout routine, it’s essential to consider your goals and current fitness level. You should not dive into a full cardio workout without doing any build-up, as this can and will result in injuries.

Considering this, it is ideal to combine several workouts into one that suits you. Below, you’ll find ten great workout examples for aspiring athletes. Consider adding them to your routine.

Warm Up - Jumping Jacks

Jumping jacks are a great all-around exercise. They can be used for warming up, cooling down, interval training, and more. The number of jumping jacks you do will likely vary depending on your fitness level and needs. For example, you may start with only ten jumping jacks, but you may do several sets a year from now. Don’t be afraid to up the number if it doesn’t feel like your actions have an effect.

Agility - Tire Jump

Tire jumps are not for beginners. They are a great way to improve core strength and agility. If you’ve never done one before, you should do so under the supervision of a trained expert for your safety. Most gyms provide a tire for this purpose, so it’s an easily accessible exercise.

Tire jumps can help work out feet, calves, hamstrings, glutes, quads, and core. Thus, they make for an excellent multi-purpose workout. Best of all, you can make it easier or harder, depending on your needs.

Bodyweight - Physioball Wall Squats

Physioball wall squats are simple yet highly effective. They’re great for improving lower-body strength and core muscles. All you need is a wall and a physioball to make it work. Watching a video is probably the best way to visualize this exercise.

Warm Up - Arm Crossovers

Another great warm-up exercise is arm crossovers. These help open the shoulders, chest, and upper back, improving flexibility. In other words, they’re a great way to warm these areas up and avoid injuries.

Agility - Agility Ladder Lateral Shuffle

This exercise requires a specific tool (an agility ladder). Most gyms offer some form of these, so it shouldn’t be hard to find. The agility ladder can help work out abductors, adductors, glutes, quads, hamstrings, and feet.

The agility ladder lateral shuffle can help you with side-to-side agility training. It also helps with coordination, encouraging you to do more quickly around obstacles without watching your feet.

Bodyweight - Push-Ups

Push-ups are a prevalent exercise type, and that’s because they work. They target your chest, shoulders, arms, and core muscles. However, it’s critical to ensure that you’re doing push-ups correctly. Far too many people do this exercise incorrectly. At best, this will reduce the effectiveness; at worst, it will increase the risk of injury.

Warm Up - Walking Knee Hugs

The last warm-up on this list is walking knee hugs. This warm-up helps with the lower back, glutes, and calves. It can also improve balance, which is an additional benefit worth considering.

Agility - Shuttle Run

The shuttle run is the last agility exercise on this list. Once again, it requires some equipment, but these will be easy to find. You’ll want three cones (or any smaller object to mark distance) and a way to measure the space between them.

Bodyweight - Single-Leg Squats

Also known as pistol squats, single-leg squats are great for building muscle and improving balance. Start small, at eight or ten per rep. You can increase this number as you get stronger.

Cool Down - Child’s Pose

Finally, don’t neglect your cooling-down exercises. Ideally, you should do more than one. But a child’s post is already an excellent closing exercise. It’ll help center your breathing, calm your muscles, and cool your body.