Types of sports training

Sports training is a succession of different physical exercises designed to improve one or more specific areas of our sports performance. Something essential to perform better and achieve our goals more efficiently.

When it comes to exercise, we all have a hard time getting started. Laziness and accumulated inactivity take their toll on us and make it more difficult for us to get going. But even if we do our best, if we don’t have proper training methods at hand, it will be difficult for us to achieve our goals.

Let’s think that physical training requires guidelines , perseverance and an appropriate approach to the specific needs of each person. For this reason, having routines for the gym or outside of it is key if we want to take advantage of our hours of training.

Something that will help you to know the different types of sports training, as well as the ways in which they are implemented. We begin by analyzing these types of training, so that you know what improvements each one of them brings, to later know what methods they use and what stages they are divided into.

Sports training categories

Speed ​​training: Speed ​​is a key aspect for short-distance runners, but also for athletes such as soccer players, basketball players and other participants in team sports. This segment includes all kinds of exercises to train speed and improve performance in this field. Some strength exercises are also included, with which to improve starting power in a situation that requires high speed.

Resistance training: As opposed to speed training, resistance training is aimed at increasing the ability to maintain physical activity at a high level for longer. Among the exercises to improve resistance are different running modalities, which can be done on the street, on treadmills (in this link you will find several products to analyze) or even on stationary bicycles. 

Power training: This training aims to increase the athlete’s strength. Among the methods of strength training are exercises with weights of all kinds, as well as work on the different existing bodybuilding machines. And although it is true that power can also be trained outdoors, the most common thing is that this modality is accompanied by a training routine in the gym.

Aerobic training: Aerobic training aims to improve the person’s physical capacity, both in low and high intensity conditions, in a sustained manner. This training is directly related to resistance training, with which it shares objectives. However, the fitness routines used in this type of training are more specific, offering better results in all types of activities. Among the most common exercises of this type of training are aerobics, Zumba, cycling or continuous running at a steady pace, among other options.

Anaerobic training: Anaerobic training is one that aims to help you give the maximum of your performance at a very high intensity for a very short period . In this case, the idea is to raise the heart rate to its highest levels, so that the athlete is able to offer their maximum performance in such circumstances. We’re talking about activities like sprinting, heavy lifting, and other high-impact, short-duration activities that are specifically trained.

Training methods

So far we have seen the existing types of sports training. But these are not always applied the same, but have different methods for their deployment. One of them is the continuous method, by which training sessions with a duration greater than 30 minutes are planned. They are usually linked to training related to resistance and aerobic improvement of the athlete.

On the other hand, we have the interval methods, in which periods of great training demand are interspersed with others of recovery . Here we would talk about activities such as series on weight machines, sprints or short runs with recovery intervals and other similar activities. This method is common for improving strength and speed, but can also be used to improve endurance, such as continuous interval running.

Finally, we would have the competition method, in which the condition of the athlete is evaluated in detail and the training is adapted in a personalized way both to their physical conditions and to the specific needs of the activity they perform.

Training stages

As a last step in defining this training, it is convenient to know the different stages of sports training, in which different types of exercises and training intensities are used. The first phase is that of initiation, in which the athlete begins to gain physical form according to what the activity that he is going to develop requires.

In this case, the usual thing is that the training process is of a general nature, focusing only on the current state of the athlete. The idea is to achieve a quality base form, with which it is easy to work later on the specific objectives that are necessary.

The next phase is the intensification phase, in which the objective is to adjust the person to the specific requirements of the sport they are focusing on or their specific objectives. Activity-specific techniques are beginning to be included, focusing on improving effort and physical fitness with applied techniques. Let’s say it is a specialization phase, aimed at obtaining a base performance but linked to the activity and its skills.

The third phase is pure sports training. Here, work is done on what was created in the two previous stages and the improvement and use of the athlete’s capacity in the activity is pursued. In other words, the objective is to help the athlete to give his maximum performance in that sport, polishing his technique with respect to the physical activity to which he is dedicated.