Athletes

What You Need to Know about Becoming a Professional Athlete

December 31, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

It seems like it’s every little boy or gir’s dream to become a professional athlete. And what’s not to dream about? Traveling around the world, making lots of money, being admired by old and young everywhere, and of course, the money. But it takes much more than a dream and a desire to be a professional athlete. If you think you’ve got what it takes to make it in the pros, check out these tips.

1. Find your passion. You can’t be an expert in everything. If you like to play basketball and baseball, decide which sport you like best and stick with it. You’ll need a lot of dedication and practice to make it in the big leagues, so sticking to just one sport will give you the chance to really improve your sport.

2. Be physically fit. Again, becoming a professional athlete does not come by just wishing it. You have to work out and be physically fit in order to be successful. Every athlete in the world works out, eats right, and takes care of their body. When your body is in top physical shape, you’ll be able to push it to its limits and really excel.

3. Have a realistic attitude. If you get too caught up in making it big, you may actually miss the good times you can have playing sports. Don’t let your dream of being a professional athlete get in the way of actually loving the sport. If you take it too seriously, you’ll end up not liking the hours and hours you’ll have to play in order to get really good.

4. Set goals. Any successful person, in sports or in business, sets goals. Set your goals small at first, such as getting strong enough to run a mile, and then set bigger goals. You need goals in order to succeed.

Follow these simple steps and you may find yourself playing sports professionally one day.

Filed Under: Athletes, Professional Sports, Professional Teams Tagged With: Major League Baseball, People, Professional sports, Sport

Becoming a Professional Baseball Player

December 29, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

: Image via Wikipedia

Is it your dream to become the next Derek Jeter? If you have a dream to become a professional baseball player, then you know there’s a lot of work ahead of you. You can’t just wake up one morning and decide you’re going to be a baseball player. You have to practice, keep in shape, and most importantly, you have to have some talent. If you think you want to play in the big leagues and become a professional baseball player, ask yourself these questions before you set out to work on your dream.

1. Do you have talent? No matter how much you want something, if you don’t have any natural talent, it may be a lost case. You could still work towards your dream if you don’t have any talent; it’s just going to be a lot harder.

2. Are you prepared to work? There’s no doubt about it. Becoming a professional baseball player will take work – a lot of it. You’ll have to practice, even on the weekends and give up hanging out with friends.

3. Do you eat right? Part of being a professional baseball player is being healthy. That means eating right and exercising. Sure, that Twinkie might look good, but if you are serious about becoming an athlete, you better put the Twinkie down and pick up an apple instead.

4. Are you realistic? Most professional baseball players don’t end up signing with the Yankees or the Giants their first year. In fact, many baseball players never make it out of the minor leagues. If you want to play ball, be sure that you have realistic expectations.

Now, itâ€™s time to get out there and start playing ball! Nobody ever got to their dream of being a professional baseball player by sitting around thinking about it. Start practicing and you could be in the big leagues before long.

Filed Under: Athletes, Professional Sports, Professional Teams Tagged With: Baseball, Derek Jeter, Major League Baseball, Twinkie

What Does a Pro Athlete’s Diet Look Like?

December 21, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

Have you ever wondered what a pro athlete’s diet looks like? You probably know a professional athlete, whether playing basketball, football, baseball, or any other professional sport consists of healthy eating. Things like lean protein, lots of fruits and vegetables, and drinking lots of water are definitely on the list. But have you ever wondered what a day’s worth of meals actually looks like? Let’s take a look at a sample professional athlete’s daily food intake.

Most athletes eat smaller meals throughout the day. Instead of the typical three meals a day that the average person eats, an athlete will eat 6-7 smaller meals. A day of food may look like this:

Breakfast: Bowl of cereal with fiber, such as Raisin Bran. Orange juice and a piece of fruit, like a banana or an orange.

Snack: yogurt, piece of fruit, cottage cheese.

Lunch: turkey sandwich on whole wheat bread (lean protein and carbs in one meal). Glass of milk and another piece of fruit.

Snack: Peanut butter sandwich or a couple of granola bars.

Dinner: Baked chicken, baked potato (forget the sour cream), steamed vegetables, and a small dinner roll.

Snack: Yes, another snack. An English muffin or another piece of fruit.

And, of course, there’s plenty of water in there too. There are no sugary drinks or carbonation in this menu plan.

As you can see, the pro athlete’s diet is very simple and very healthy. All of the food choices an athlete puts into his body has to make a difference. If he’s about to play a game, he’ll need the carbs for energy. If he’s had a tough strength training workout, then the protein is extremely important for building muscles that have broken down. All of the food an athlete eats make a difference in his performance, so every calorie counts.

Filed Under: Athletes Tagged With: Eating, Raisin Bran, Snack food

Train Like a Basketball Player

December 19, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

We all know it. Professional basketball players are in great shape. They have defined muscles, lean bodies, and practically zero percent body fat. But if you aren’t a professional basketball player, how do you get the body of one? It’s simple. Through diet and exercise. Check out some of the exercises a professional basketball player might do to keep in shape.

1. Lift weights. Yes, professional basketball players lift weights. Strength training is an important part of a workout schedule. Muscles burn more calories, so you are more likely to stay at your target weight when you add in weight lifting. You are also stronger and better able to play actual sports when you are have muscles.

2. Cardio. Heart health is vital to a pro basketball player. An athlete spends a lot of time running up and down the court, so their heart and lungs must be in great shape. Try running on a treadmill or swimming to get a good cardio workout.

3. Yoga. It might be surprising, but many professional athletes practice yoga. Yoga is great for increasing flexibility, which is something athletes need. Yoga also helps with stress relief. When an athlete has less stress, he is better able to concentrate on the game.

4. Stretching. This is especially important after a strength training workout. Stretching keeps muscles limber and reduces soreness. Nobody wants a stiff basketball player out on the court.

Most importantly, if you want to train like an athlete, you’ve got to keep everything in moderation. Take a break after a hard workout and don’t berate yourself if you run into an obstacle. Just keep going and you’ll continue to get stronger. Even if you never make it to the basketball court, you’ll feel better in your daily life if you stay in shape and workout like an athlete.

Filed Under: Athletes, Training Tagged With: Basketball, Sports, Strength training

Typical Athletic Strength Training Workout

December 17, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

One thing is for certain: professional athletes are strong and in shape. They have to be, right? In order to play well, win games, and run up and down courts and fields, an athlete definitely has to be in shape.

Do you want to train like a professional athlete? Check out a sample strength training workout for athletes. You may never set foot on the football field of the basketball court, but you can at least look like an athlete if you follow a plan like this one.

Try squats. Squats are great for building leg muscles, especially in the calf and hamstring. When your legs are strong, you can run faster and longer. Remember, when you squat do not let your knee go over your toes. If you extend too far, you risk damage to your knees.

Free weights. Another way to build strength is with free weights. You could bench press, use some hand weights, or even use resistance bands. The key with weights is to take it slow and keep it steady. If you try to go too fast when you are lifting weights, you will start to use momentum instead of your muscles.

Do not forget the cardio. This might seem to be in the wrong category, but cardio exercises are actually important to strength training routines. Cardio keeps your heart strong, which is important for endurance. A day of cardio also gives your muscles a break from the weights, which gives your muscles time to recover and build after a hard workout.

It is important to always stretch after a workout. Stretching keeps your muscles limber and will help prevent soreness and stiffness. After your cool down, take 5-10 minutes for stretching. Breathe in deep and find your calm place. Your muscles will thank you for these few minutes of stretching.

Filed Under: Athletes, Training Tagged With: Muscle, Physical exercise, Strength training, Weight training

Professional Athletes Have to be Healthy

December 10, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

The professional athlete mystic is that these guys play hard and then party hard. In reality, this is not the case for most successful professionals who enjoy a long and prosperous career. Makes sense that serious professional athletes have to be healthy to survive an athletic career.

Once he makes the team, a professional athlete is put through a series of tests before he can even begin training. His aerobic capacity is tested. If you’ve ever felt like your heart was going to explode after jogging up a hill, you’re no pro. A player without top form heart and lung conditioning will never make it to game day. Other good health indicators are tested through body fat assessments, stress tests, and then those factors that are important in the game of choice. Every football player at every level remembers the dreaded forty yard dash.

Naturally, strength is key to being a healthy professional athlete. The trainers and coaches want to see how many times an athlete can bench press a determined amount of weight. Along with the other tests, the results give the coaches an idea about the athlete’s overall well being. An athlete who is an injury risk is money down the drain. A star is a star when he’s playing the game.

Proper nutrition and hydration will play a big factor in the athlete’s stamina. Just like anybody else, serious professional athletes eat plenty of lean protein and healthy carbohydrates to sustain strength and energy. The old play and then party myth is really a play and then party and then be a failure truth! Those great players who perform game after game and year after year get plenty of rest, good nutrition and proper exercise conditioning. A guy who starts to sputter out at the end of the year may not have such a healthy lifestyle.

Real pros live and play healthily.

Filed Under: Athletes, Professional Sports, Professional Teams Tagged With: Health, People, Professional sports, Sports

Professional Athletes Don’t Always Make Millions

December 7, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

There is an angry myth that professional athletes are overpaid. That’s a generalization if you apply that idea to every professional athlete. They don’t always make millions. In fact, the average salary of a professional athlete is around $30,000 per year.

The big bucks come in when there’s a big draw for the sport, the team or the athlete. Along with a salary from the team, there are endorsements, too. In that case, athletes get paid like celebrity actors and musicians. Hopefully everyone will strive to make a career in something they love. The difference between a hobbyist and a pro is that the professional athlete will work much harder than a weekend warrior. If he doesn’t produce, he won’t have that big salary and fame for long.

When you take the MLB, NBA, and NFL out of the mix, there really aren’t that many million dollar players. Soccer has David Beckham, but his fifty million a year contract in the U.S. proved to be a bad buy. Hockey has had it’s big ticket players, too, but not all professional sports teams are major league.

There are minor league teams that require professional athletes in many cities across the country and world. Since the draw is not as big, the pay isn’t either. For instance, the average salary of a Minor League Baseball player is about $1,000 a month with a $20 a day meal allowance if the game is on the road. Many of these professional athletes are forced to hold extra jobs to make ends meet.

Soccer is a sport with relative salaries based on where it’s being played. In the U.S., a Major League Soccer player can make as little as $20,000 or as much as 6.5 million. However, in Europe, soccer players average around $128,000 per week. It’s best to say that professional athletes have no pay guarantees, so they better manage the money right while they’re making it.

Filed Under: Athletes, Professional Sports, Professional Teams Tagged With: Association football, David Beckham, Minor League Baseball, Professional sports

Professional Athlete as a Career Goal

December 6, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

We all have dreams and passions and desires, and at some point in our youth we start to see some of these dreams as career goals. A professional athlete as a career goal may seem far fetched, but if you possess the talent and skill, then it shouldn’t be considered any less attainable than becoming an actor, musician or college professor, for that matter.

People who excel in a certain field typically have the talent to do so. If your best assets are your physical ability and prowess in a particular sport, then recognizing it, committing to it, and then setting a plan in motion to become a professional athlete can be a reality. It won’t be easy, but the right steps and planning can be the difference between making the cut or not.

Regardless of natural talent, practice is necessary. As a young person, get involved in community leagues, school teams, and any other opportunities to improve. Pay attention to coaches. Spend that extra time one on one, if you can. Study the sport. Learn the rules, regulations and techniques that will make you worth it. Academic grades are important, too, because many professional athletes get the boost into the pro world via a college team. Very few young athletes are good enough upon graduating from high school to make it to the pros.

Great athletes are great at the mental game, too. Therefore, a professional will have intense concentration, a great attitude, determination, and extreme discipline. Professionals get up and work out or practice without excuse. They don’t let a set back break them down. They see every failure as a challenge, and they welcome them. A pro is always looking for opportunities to get better.

How you conduct your life can make a difference, too. If you’re the best player that ever lived, you might get some slack, but if you’re in the pack, team owners don’t have time for trouble.

Filed Under: Athletes, Professional Sports, Professional Teams Tagged With: College and University, People, Professional sports, Sports

Professional Athletes and Alcohol

December 3, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

By the time an athlete has made it to the pros, many of the habits and addictions that will eventually cut their careers short have already been a part of their lives before they ever signed a contract. A year doesn’t go by that the press isn’t having a field day because of professional athletes and alcohol or drug abuse.

Typically, the problem starts in high school or college, and because it hasn’t been successfully managed at that level, it certainly won’t just go away overnight in the professional arena. Sports Illustrated published an opinion piece on the irresponsibility of Major League sports franchises that coddle their players instead of giving them a big kick in the pants and demanding they grow up.

Turning the other cheek doesn’t only cut a career short, it destroys a life. The fact that the problem isn’t systemically addressed leads one to believe that a professional athlete is nothing more than a gladiator to be disposed of when he falls. That’s a lot of money down the drain.

The lifelong trials and tribulations of a professional athlete with an alcohol problem are often coupled with minimal life skills. If substance abuse cuts the career short, then what? What’s the point of getting out of your bad youthful situation if it’s just where you’re going to end up again?

On a societal note, professional athletes are often the most visible role model a young person has. To fall from grace because of embarrassing behavior and waning performance due to alcohol or drugs is no way to inspire a child. Maybe it doesn’t matter since we live in a time where the attention span is short and the worst of behaviors is regularly glorified. That’s all well and good until the spotlight goes out and a human being, who happens to be a professional athlete, is left to face his demons alone.

Filed Under: Athletes, Professional Sports Tagged With: Health, Professional sports, Substance abuse, Tumblr Directory

Easy Access of Performance Enhancing for Athletes

December 2, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

It is frightening how easy the access to performance enhancing drugs is for athletes. Most people think of anabolic steroids when they think of performance enhancing drugs, but many athletes use everyday products to enhance performance. And some performance enhancing products are sold as if they are health food items.

When used as prescribed, the everyday health products that are used by athletes aren’t bad. Stimulants fall into this category. Coffee in small amounts is enjoyed worldwide. Antihistamines that are used for their intended purpose and in their intended dose are very helpful. Diet pills are a waste of money, no matter how their used. Yet any of these products can be very dangerous if taken in large amounts to improve athletic performance. When used in unintended doses in repetition, the cycle starts. Weight loss, heart palpitations, convulsions, brain hemorrhages and heart attacks can occur. Some athletes may even resort to cocaine.

A commonly seen product in the health food section of grocery stores are supplemental shakes and food bars that contain creatine. This is a performance enhancing substance that naturally occurs in the body and helps build muscle through protein rich foods. Science has formulated ways to add more of the compound through nutrition. After awhile, creatine build up will become water build up in the muscles, and this causes dehydration and damage to vital organs. It’s a case of messing with nature only to have it bite back.

Certainly steroids are a concern. Not only do professional athletes use them to enhance performance, but more and more youth athletes feel compelled to try them. There just seems to be something about the psychology of success that makes people want to take a substance they know can hurt them. Even though their known to cause unwanted side effects and health problems, they haven’t gone away.

There needs to be a shift in athletic culture towards health instead of performance.

Filed Under: Athletes, Training Tagged With: Anabolic steroid, Creatine, Performance-enhancing drugs