Athletic Traits - We all have them
No matter our age, gender, occupation, or injury history we all have athletic traits. Each person’s unique combination of traits can be influenced by their age, diet, exercise, injuries, and lifestyle. In this post, we are going to define 4 basic athletic traits, explain them and see how we can improve each one.
The four core athletic traits are:
Mobility
Strength
Speed
Endurance
Let’s take a look at each trait…
What it is:
The ability to move a joint through a range of motion OR the overall ability to control movement through a range of motion - in other words how well can you move specific joints or control your body’s movement through a certain pattern.
What it isn’t:
Mobility is not the same as flexibility - Flexibility is ability to stretch a muscle. Flexibility can help mobility, but not the other way around.
How to improve it:
Foam Rolling / self care - learn to use a foam roller or ball to free tissues
Movement - think arm circles or ankle rotations
Improve flexibility - stretch muscles which gives them a longer resting length
What it is:
Strength is the ability of a muscle or muscle group to exert maximal force against resistance. For example a slow, heavy squat demonstrates/measures strength.
What it isn’t:
Strength isn’t power. Power is the ability to produce a large amount of energy in a short period of time. Having strength can contribute to being able to generate power.
How to improve it:
Resistance training - ensuring that you have adequate rest/recovery between exercises
What it is:
Speed is the rate at which you perform a movement or activity. Example - 100 yard dash, hit a nail with a hammer (how fast the hammer moves), throwing an object
What it isn’t:
You can’t improve speed by doing sprints (or whatever activity) over and over again. Your body begins to adapt and you’re actually working on your conditioning (or endurance) at that point.
How to improve it:
Increase Strength - stronger muscles have the capacity to move faster
Plyometrics - short, explosive movements where you quickly contract muscles - examples are jumping and skipping
Form/technique - if you train your body to move more efficiently in a certain movement, then you can perform more quickly than if you use less efficient motion.
What it is:
Endurance is the ability of a muscle or muscle group to exert sub-maximal force (<100% effort) against resistance for an extended period of time. Sometimes the resistance is the body itself. Examples - running, rowing, swimming, cycling, etc.
What it isn’t:
Muscular endurance typically isn’t a factor in short duration, powerful actions - single lift, swinging a golf club.
How to improve it:
Resistance training - typically lower weights and higher repetitions with less rest between sets of exercises
Long, slow runs - the purpose of the mileage is to stress the body systems in a gradual way so that you can perform for a longer period of time (incrementally adding distance over several sessions)
That was a quick overview of the 4 basic athletic traits. Everyone has these traits, at different levels.
To improve your overall health and fitness and prevent injuries, you need to work on all traits and not just your “favorite.” For example runners should include strength training in there training program to maximize their running performance and prevent injuries.