Self October 2014

Boost Your Strength

1. Maximize Cardio - on the treadmill, add an incline for 60 seconds intervals. Or hit the rowing machine for three minutes between weight training moves to raise your heart rate.
2. Plank - standard planks and rotating side planks strengthen your core, which can make you less prone to injury. Plus, you use a strong core in every activity, athletic or otherwise.
3. Do diagonal moves - exercises like chopping wood [using a medicine ball or weighted pulley] involve rotational strength and work muscle groups in one efficient action.

Boost Your Power

1. Just jump - try 12 to 24 inch box jumps (5 reps is enough to make fast-twitch muscle fire). Or opt for simple squat jumps - and do as many as you can for 30 seconds straight.
2. Play power sports - soccer, boxing, or tennis, for example, require total body strength and precision. Their targeted movements will help increase your power.

Boost Your Endurance

1. Mix up your cardio - alternate between classic cardio and more high-intensity exercises to increase your aerobic capacity. So in addition to Spin class or running a 5K, include CrossFit or sprint intervals.
2. Try rhythmic breathing - during yoga or a run, practice breathing through your belly. This forces you to use your chest less so you can take in more air. As you learn to breathe more efficiently, you’ll be giving your muscles the oxygen they need to last.

Boost Your Flexibility

1. Do active warm ups. move like front leg kicks, high knees and butt kicks target major muscles groups and improve circulation to those areas. This makes muscles and joints more limber and ready to work out.
2. Try foam rolling. It targets areas that are especially tight, like the glutes, quads and hamstrings. Research shows that rolling relaxes the soft tissues surrounding muscles and can increase anxiety.

Boost Your Recovery

1. Vary your workouts. Don’t jump the StairMaster every time you exercise. Changing your activities from day to day avoids repeatedly stressing the same muscles.
2. Mix it up - alternate active recovery like walking, a light jog or a swim with restorative options, like soaking in a hot tub or icing an overworked area
3. Get more sleep - Stanford University researchers found that when basketball players slept approximately two extra hours a night, their free throw accuracy increase by 9 percent.

Boost Your Agility

1. Do drills - learn to use the agility ladder and do shuttle runs. These activities increase agility by getting your body familiar with sudden movement.
2. Sprint - building leg strength improves agility because leg muscles tend to be key to moving quickly. Start with one 30 yard sprint, then recover about 60 seconds. Repeat four more times.