3 Ways Strength Training Improves Sports Performance

Did you know I am also the head coach of a varsity girls' lacrosse team? Aside from getting to coach lacrosse and spend time with some really fun athletes, I also get to talk with them about what they can do to improve their performance in sports. Over the last few years, several players of gotten more interested in strength training and nutrition, and I love to see it! Here are some reasons student-athletes (or any age athlete!) should incorporate strength training into their routine:

Reduce The Risk of Injury

Strength training puts a load on your muscles and bones, so it increases your bone density so you're less likely to injure your bones. It also strengthens your tendons and ligaments. I'm sure you know someone who has torn or seriously injured a ligament in their knee, strength training can help you avoid that. It can also help to fix any muscle imbalances you have.

Increase Power

So obviously you increase your muscle mass when you specifically train to get stronger, but this has several benefits. It can help train your fast twitch muscles so you have more power or can have more explosiveness when moving or changing directions. For lacrosse, that's a huge component of getting open to receive a pass, losing a defender to take a shot, or coming up with a ground ball. It also translates to most other sports! If you work with a trainer, they can help you to train for specific movement patterns in your sport so you can have more power behind your kick/swing/shot, etc.

Improves Long Term Health

In short, research shows that strength training has many benefits and improves your health long term. That means more time you're able to play your sport and do well at it!

I am planning to put together a student-athlete group training session once a week! If you are interested, fill out my coaching app and I'll reach out to you to set it up!