Good performance during your workout: This is what ambitious athletes and amateur athletes alike want. Your own performance can be increased without much effort. These five tips can be easily integrated into everyday life alongside your job, family and hobbies.
1. Carbohydrates before training
If you move a lot, you also burn a lot: Carbohydrates are better as energy batteries for endurance workouts than fat and protein because they are metabolized more easily.
But be careful: The memory is sufficient for a maximum of 60 to 90 minutes of continuous use – after that the performance decreases.
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Food should also be consumed as early as possible, around three hours before exercise.
After you start your workout, you can snack every 20 to 30 minutes: muesli bars and fruit (bananas are really good) will help ensure that your energy supply doesn’t run out and you can perform properly.
2. Drink enough water – not just during training
Drinking is essential for good performance in sports – that’s clear. What even professionals sometimes forget: You shouldn’t just reach for the bottle when you feel thirsty.
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Cyclists are recommended to replenish their fluid resources approximately every 15 minutes in order to optimally supply the body. Then it can easily be a quarter liter of water. Athletes who adhered to this as part of a study by the Institute for Performance Diagnostics and Health Promotion at the University of Halle-Wittenberg showed outstanding workout success.
For particularly intense exercise, sports drinks with 60 to 100 grams of carbohydrates and 600 to 800 milligrams of sodium are suitable. Magnesium and potassium also help to support performance.
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3. Better stability is your foundation
Balance training is really good. Squats and lunges on shaky ground strengthen tendons and joints. Your deep muscles will be strengthened. This allows you to act more confidently during other workouts and prevents sports injuries. Your overall performance improves.
Tip: Use training equipment such as exercise balls and balance boards to further challenge your balance.
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4. Muscles need a lot of protein
If you go to the gym four to five times a week, you need around one gram of protein per kilogram of body weight for a 30-minute workout. So when it comes to eating, you can eat generously: eggs, salmon, nuts, seeds and poultry contain enough protein to support you in your workout goals.
As a rule of thumb, we recommend consuming equal amounts of animal and plant proteins. There should be a few hours between meal and workout so that you have enough time to digest and your energy reserves are actually full before you start.
5. Get some sleep
Healthy sleep means sufficient sleep. If you think you’ll feel good during your workout the next day after a night of drinking, you’re wrong.
But even if you don’t have alcohol affecting your sleep, you can make your night’s sleep even more restful: In addition to a routine bedtime, you should keep your smartphone, tablet, etc. out of your bedroom. These have been proven to have negative effects on your sleep hygiene. When you’re rested and full of energy, your training goes much better.
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