Back To School! | 3 Training & Mindset Tips For Young Athletes

What’s going on Gronk Fitness,

September is almost here and it’s time to go back to school. What does that mean though? Well, it means it’s time to refocus and get on the right mindset. More specifically, an adolescent athlete needs to be on a proper workout plan AND nutrition plan that will help them reach their athletic goals and possibly break new records in the future.

Now, here are THREE tips that every young buck can follow to achieve faster, safer and better gains and more success.

Tip #1 – Get On The Right Workout Plan For You

While this may vary from individual to individual and might be dependent on your specific sport, you still want to make sure that your training helps you gain muscle and functional strength. In fact, these are the years that will shape what kind of athlete you are going to be when you’re in your 20s and 30s.

• Learn The Big Lifts – Learning how to properly squat, deadlift and bench press is VITAL for every teenage athlete and of course it will NOT mess with your growth or anything like that. You just need to make sure you are lifting weights you can actually handle and you are also utilizing proper form.
• Keep Your Workout Volume Down – As a young athlete, you want to keep growing in size and strength, which means you need to be eating a lot but also you shouldn’t overdo it in the gym. Doing too many exercises (sets & reps) will result in burning too many calories. In turn, instead of growing, you might even start losing weight.

Tip #2 – Eat The Right Foods Every Single Day

People think that as you get older, you need to start cleaning up your diet. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Instead, try adopting a healthy nutrition plan early on, and your body will thank you years down the line. So, what should a teenager be eating in order to grow?

• Lots Of Calories! – Not just any calories though. Stick to high protein, high fiber foods and avoid snacks and fast foods. You don’t want EMPTY calories. Not only do those increase your inflammation levels but they also do nothing to help you become stronger or bigger.
• Lots of Carbs – Sure, protein is important but protein is not your main source of fuel. When you are young, you need a lot of carbs to fuel your energy needs during the day, including your brain. “Thinking” actually burns a lot more calories than you realize. Add game sessions, practice sessions and workouts and you need at least 3.000 calories a day, most of which should be coming from complex carbs.
• Avoid Bad Habits – It goes without saying that you need to live your life on your own terms, which means cheat meals and cheat days should not be avoided like the plague. What SHOULD be avoided is alcohol and drugs. If you want to excel as an athlete and also optimize your health, you need to avoid those two to the best of your ability!

Tip #3 – Prioritize The RIGHT Kind Of Cardio!

This is something that doesn’t specifically apply JUST for young athletes but pretty much anyone. You need to stop thinking of running and cycling as “proper cardio”. All this type of cardio does is put excess stress on your joints and muscles that can be easily avoid.

Instead give these two pieces of equipment a try and you might just rediscover the meaning of “low-impact”, “high efficiency” cardio!

Gronk Fitness Jacobs Ladder - Jacobs Ladder is a patented climbing machine with ladder-type rungs on a non-motorized continuous treadmill. It’s self-paced, so the faster you go, the faster it goes. Unlike most cardio machines, Jacobs Ladder was engineered to provide the user with physiological benefits which makes it the perfect piece of cardio equipment for anybody.

Gronk Fitness Water Rower - Rowing is great for cardio and muscle building. Rowing, especially on a Waterrower with its precise replication of the exact dynamics of on-water rowing, is also a low impact workout that packs a punch when it comes to calorie burn.  Jump on the rower to warm up, get your cardio in or what Gronk loves to do, keep your heart-rate up between sets.

All in all, start training like an athlete from a young age and you’ll become a great one for sure!

And most important, regardless of your workout program you choose,  the diet you decide to adopt or the type of cardio you prefer, be sure to get your mind right and success will follow.