The reason professional athletes earn money and fame throughout the world is not only due to their skill; there is no doubt that their appearance plays a huge role in their popularity.
Although you might not be blessed with the genetics of a professional basketball player or a world class sprinter, you can still train like a professional athlete to develop an aesthetic physique.
Keep reading below to find out the top 6 exercises that professional athletes use, which you can use too!
Back Squat
Without a doubt, the main exercise for most professional athletes is the back squat. Although some sports are more centered around single leg exercises or using light-weights and unique forms of resistance (which I will discuss later), there is no true replacement for the benefits of the back squat.
Not only is the back squat an excellent exercise for developing leg strength and muscle mass, it also helps develop your overall body through stimulating testosterone and human growth hormone production.
Trap-Bar Deadlift
Although you might have expected to see the “conventional deadlift” in the number two position, professional athletes know that the trap-bar deadlift is a safer and more effective alternative.
The main benefit of the trap-bar deadlift is that by standing inside the “trap-bar” and having the handles at your sides instead of in front of you, the movement is much less dangerous for your lumbar spine and hips.
The trap-bar deadlift is just as effective for stimulating muscles as the conventional deadlift, and it is even more functional for athletes!
Push-ups
If you want to look like a professional athlete, there is no denying that you will need to master the push-up!
No, not just 10 or 20. Professional athletes grow up doing push-ups as both a punishment and a form of training, so you might have years of push-ups to catch up with!
Try doing sets of 10-15 push-ups in-between all your main exercises while you are at the gym. Overtime, this simple exercise will help you develop a strong core and a well-shaped upper body!
Forearm Plank
Non-athletes often believe sit-ups or crunches are the best exercises to develop athlete-like abs. Outside of the fact that playing sports and competing in athletics will help your body develop six-pack abs alone, professional athletes understand that the forearm plank is a much more valuable exercise than other “ab” exercises.
The forearm plank is superior exercise because it forces your muscles to contract all the way from your shoulders to your calves. Not only does this train the anterior (front) abdominal muscles, but it trains the entire posterior chain as well.
Mastering the forearm plank will stimulate your metabolism, help improve your posture, and help you look like a professional athlete!
Power Clean
The first few main exercises I listed were relatively simple, but the power clean is an exercise that professional athletes use which is a bit more complicated. However, the results of this movement are truly incredible!
Overall, the power clean is probably the best exercise for building explosive strength and power. Along with that, it is also great for developing an “explosive” physique. The power clean will develop fast-twitch muscle fibers which give you the look you have always wanted.
This exercise is normally more suited for shorter athletes than taller athletes, but professional athletes in a wide range of sports utilize this exercise.
Sprints
One last exercise which nearly all athletes know far-too well is sprints. Even athletes who don’t necessarily make long runs in their sports utilize sprints to help develop their bodies.
Look at sprinters themselves, they nearly always have perfect bodies!
Running sprints outside, on hills, on the treadmill or wherever it is possible is a fantastic way to help your body look like a professional athlete.
Start off with a simple sprint workout program and move to more advanced programs as time goes on!
Concluding Thoughts
If you want to have a body like a professional athlete, you are going to need to train like they do. Although you probably don’t have the time or physical conditioning to train as much as an average professional athlete, you can still incorporate many fundamental aspects of their workout routines into yours.
Master the six exercises listed above and you are already on your way to having a professional athletes body!
