{"id":130037,"date":"2025-09-11T13:52:11","date_gmt":"2025-09-11T13:52:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/130037\/"},"modified":"2025-09-11T13:52:11","modified_gmt":"2025-09-11T13:52:11","slug":"4-essential-principles-to-build-athletic-training-workouts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/130037\/","title":{"rendered":"4 Essential Principles to Build Athletic Training Workouts"},"content":{"rendered":"

THE TYPICAL WORKOUT warrior\u2019s wishlist looks like this: more muscle, more strength, a little mobility, maybe some cardio capacity\u2014and, yeah, even more muscle. Glance at most training programs and you\u2019ll see dumbbell shoulder presses<\/a>, barbell back squats<\/a> (hopefully), and obviously the bench press<\/a>\u2014you know, the classic compound exercises<\/a> that\u2019ll have you bricked up in no time. But if you’re concerned about more than how you look or how much weight you can move around in the gym, you’re still missing some important details.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s all great starter kit stuff for our training journey,\u201d says Men\u2019s Health fitness director Ebenezer Samuel, C.S.C.S.<\/a> \u201cbut none of that stuff is going to make us more athletic.\u201d<\/p>\n

Why should you care at all about being athletic? If you have any physical goals outside the gym\u2014whether you’re trying to find an edge for your pickup basketball games at the park or running around with your kids. Athleticism isn\u2019t just about being strong; it\u2019s about applying that strength into movement outside the closed environment of the gym. \u201cWe need to know how to be powerful,\u201d says Samuel. \u201cTo change direction, to accelerate, and we need to know how to slow our body down.\u201d<\/p>\n

To help you learn more about what being athletic means and how to train these qualities, Samuel walks you through a few key principles and the techniques to apply them. He teaches all of this by breaking down the jump, a fundamental athletic movement that every human should be able to do. You’ll get all the coaching you need to run and jump (and just move) at your best in our new Ultimate Athlete training program, which is available exclusively to MH MVP members. Master the principles in this video to build your own athletic workouts and have fun. For nutrition tips and a complete 8-week workout program\u2014as well as our full Strong Talk podcast episode with actor Frank Grillo, who’s still athletic and strong at age 60, click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Play\"buildingPower<\/p>\n

\u201cYOU NEED A reservoir of power to be athletic, and you’re not going to get it from running,\u201d says Samuel. \u201cTraining for strength, in general, is about training your muscles to produce force\u2014but power involves creating that force very quickly, which is a different quality than strength,\u201d Samuel explains.<\/p>\n

A powerlifter who can squat 700 pounds is strong as hell, but they\u2019re not moving better than most guys anytime soon. A tennis player, on the other hand, can change direction on a dime but isn\u2019t turning heads in the weight room. True athleticism is about strength meeting speed, and training for that comes down to one thing: being powerful.<\/p>\n

You have to be strong, and you have to be fast, but you also need to train those two modalities together to actually yield more power. And for this, Samuel likes an approach called contrast training. <\/p>\n

\u201cContrast training essentially combines a strength movement with a power movement,\u201d explains Samuel. \u201cWe’re going to use that strength movement to prep our muscles to produce force, and then we’re going to test our muscles and get our muscles to produce that same force fast.\u201d<\/p>\n

HOW TO TRAIN IT: Contrast Training<\/p>\n

Start with a compound movement like that trap bar deadlift<\/a>, loaded with enough weight so you can only do three to four quality reps. Lift the weight as explosively as possible (you shouldn\u2019t actually move that quickly, otherwise the weight is probably too light). Once you finish your reps, immediately do three to four reps of a plyometric movement<\/a> like a box jump or broad jump.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe trick of training power is that you have to make it happen fast,\u201d says Samuel. \u201cJust like it happens on the field of play.\u201d<\/p>\n

Deceleration<\/p>\n

Now that you understand how to explosively produce force and move your body more quickly, you have to learn how to slow that force down. <\/p>\n

\u201cIf you look at athletes\u2026 if it takes them four to five steps to decelerate after a sprint, by that point, their opponent has already stopped and changed direction and they’re just not able to cover them,\u201d explains Samuel. \u201cSo what we want to do is be able to slow down exceptionally fast because this is going to help us change direction faster and prevent injuries.\u201d<\/p>\n

HOW TO TRAIN IT: Drop Exercises<\/p>\n

Slowing down mid-movement requires force production in the opposite direction. For example, you produce power from your hips and posterior chain muscles (glutes, hamstrings, and calves) to sprint forward. To slow down, you contract the muscles opposite your posterior chain (in this instance, that\u2019s your quads). <\/p>\n

To train deceleration, you need to practice stopping something quickly\u2014either yourself or a weight. Samuel calls this concept drop training, and his two favorite exercises to utilize it are the Bulgarian split squat and the depth jump.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat you’re doing is you’re dropping essentially from a height and that creates a level of acceleration,\u201d Samuel explains. \u201cOur body has to respond to that extra velocity by creating force into the ground to decelerate us, and this is going to teach us to stop quickly to absorb the forces that come with being powerful.” Aim for 3 sets of 6 to 8 reps when you perform your drop exercises, with a three to four second focus on the eccentric portion of the movement.<\/p>\n

Bulgarian Split SquatStart on the floor in front of the bench (or whatever stable platform you have on hand).Place one foot up onto the bench, then get into a position where your front foot is planted on the floor with a vertical shin (in relation to the ground). Your thigh should be parallel to the ground, forming a 90-degree angle at the knee.Grab the weights off the floor.Tighten your core and drive your ribcage in. Keep your neck neutral, looking straight ahead. Squeeze your shoulder blades to create tension.Stand up, hinging forward slightly to avoid overextending your back.Step forward with your front foot, simultaneously dropping your back knee to the floor until both legs are bent at 90 degree angles. Squeeze your glutes hard to keep your knee in the proper position, then press your front foot off the floor to drive up.Depth JumpStand on a sturdy box or platform, 12 to 24 inches high, with feet hip-width apart.Step forward and drop off the box rather than jumping, letting gravity do the work.Land softly on the balls of your feet with knees slightly bent, absorbing the impact by flexing hips, knees, and ankles together.Accelerate and Decelerate<\/p>\n

If you can quickly speed up and slow down, it\u2019s time to start pairing the two together in rapid succession\u2014which is something that any good athlete does.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou’re going to have these moments where you have to jump up and then you have to land and then you have to jump again,\u201d says Samuel. \u201cThe better you can do that, the more effective you\u2019ll be at any sport or even the fun moments where you just want to play around.\u201d<\/p>\n

HOW TO TRAIN IT: Directional Force Change<\/p>\n

So far, you\u2019ve learned to convert strength into rapid movement (contrast training) and how to slow down (with drop exercises). Now, you\u2019re going to learn to accelerate, decelerate, and then immediately accelerate again. <\/p>\n

Having trouble picturing this in action? During the 2024 NFL season, Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley accelerated off the pass, stopped in just one step to juke a defender, and then, within seconds, jumped to hurdle over another defender<\/a>. It\u2019s an amazing display of athleticism that encompasses all of the traits we\u2019ve covered so far.<\/p>\n

Depth Jump to Vertical Jump<\/p>\n

Stand on a weight bench or 12-inch-tall plyo box. Step off the box and land on the ground in an athletic stance, with your knees slightly bent and your arms by your side. Once your knees bend, immediately explode upwards, throwing your hands up, to perform a vertical jump. Then land back in that athletic stance. <\/p>\n

\u201cYou’ve got all that gravity that you have to slow down and then instantly as soon as you land, you’ve got to translate that into an acceleration moment either jumping forward or jumping up,\u201d says Samuel. It’s exactly what happens anytime you’re trying to jump and catch a pass over somebody on the football field.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bounce\/Hops<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we’re doing that depth jump, we’re going to get these big ranges of motion and produce a ton of force, but athleticism and sport and even everyday life involve a lot of smaller moments,\u201d Samuel says. \u201cIf you can’t produce that force repeatedly, if you can’t hop up and down a bunch of times\u2026you’re going to be a little bit less useful on the basketball court.\u201d<\/p>\n

For this, Samuel wants you to simply bounce up and down on your toes\u2014called bounce hops\u2014for 40 seconds on, 20 seconds off. Try to be as explosive as possible while maintaining good body control and posture. To make this harder, try hopping laterally over a line on the floor\u2014or even onto a short platform or box. You\u2019ll train your lateral movement and have to produce more power to reach the box.<\/p>\n

Play Your Sport<\/p>\n

WHY ARE YOU interested in athletic training? Yes, we know we’re telling you it’s important\u2014but hopefully, you’re putting these principles into practice because you want to apply them IRL to see improved performance on the court, field, or pitch. From pickup basketball to rec league soccer or your family’s Thanksgiving touch football game, there are lots of places where athleticism will serve you well. <\/p>\n

“We can do all of these things in the gym and you should incorporate all these drills, but also, just play,” Samuel says. “The more you play and train, the better you will get at playing.”<\/p>\n

Don’t forget that your training is meant to serve a purpose. In this case, athletic training will help you move better so you can play better\u2014and have more fun while you’re doing it. <\/p>\n

Check out all of the videos in our Ultimate Athlete program, available exclusively for MH MVP subscribers, here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Lettermark\"<\/p>\n

Andrew Gutman, NASM-CPT is a journalist with a decade of experience covering fitness and nutrition. His work has been published in Men’s Health, Men’s Journal, Muscle & Fitness, and Gear Patrol. Outside of writing, Andrew trains in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, helps coach his gym’s kickboxing team, and enjoys reading and cooking.\u00a0<\/p>\n