With innovations in technology and training, it’s never been easier to enhance your athletic performance, and professional athletes are breaking boundaries like never before. However, if you’re not quite at that level it can be frustrating when you’re not seeing an improvement in your athletic performance. Continue reading our helpful guide on how to improve sports performance. Ways to improve sports performance Sports performance is the definition of how participation in sport is measured. It’s a mixture of biomechanical functions, training techniques and emotional factors, and the term ‘performance’ represents the pursuit of excellence during sporting competition, where an athlete measures performance as a progression towards success. Whatever you’re aiming to achieve with your body, whether it’s a sporting competition or simply improving your fitness, health and weightlifting results in the gym, there are plenty of ways to improve sports performance. Follow our steps below to get the most out of your athletic performance. Vary and track your performance Hydration is a priority Recovery is important Make use of supplements Fuel your body with the right food. Vary and track your performance The first of our tips to enhance your athletic performance is to vary your workouts and track your progress. Many athletes don’t need to build muscle all over the body, bulk out and lift the maximum amount of weight possible. In fact, making sure your body is the best it can be is about focusing on the muscles you do need to perform well. Working out the specific muscles you’ll use training is the best way to condition your body to react effectively within the sporting environment you’re in. For example, a competitive driver in Formula 1 or any other racing discipline does not need to build up muscles like a 100m sprinter would. Another key way to improve sports performance is to track your progress. Using apps on your smartphone or smart watch like Strava and Training Peaks, it’s the only way you’re able to know if you’re running further than before, or faster than ever, or if you’re lifting heavier weights. Hydration is a priority It goes without saying but you should always remain hydrated before, during and after exercise. When exercising, your muscles produce heat, which increases your core body temperature. As a result, you sweat in a bid to cool down. During exercise, you can lose up to 1.3 litres of water per hour. So it’s imperative that you remain hydrated. It’s recommended that you drink between 20 and 40 ounces of water per hour during a workout. Hydrating before an exercise ensures that your body is hydrated enough to produce sweat. Afterward, the water will help with recovery. As well as water to hydrate your body during exercise, you can also use electrolyte tablets which help to prevent muscle cramps, headaches and even nausea during workouts. Designed for effective hydration, Hydro Tablets are a great way of ensuring you’re effectively hydrated to produce your best performance. Recovery is important Another way to improve sports performance is to allow your body to properly recover. Overdoing exercise and pushing your body beyond its limits is a sure-fire way to cause injury and ruin your levels of performance. Sleep is important for recovery because during this restful period, your body replenishes its energy and repairs cells, tissues, and muscles. Taking sleep supplements can aid recovery further. Always try to set aside time throughout the week for recovery for your body. On top of that, use Rego Recovery Powder to aid and speed up your recovery. Looking after your body properly can greatly enhance your athletic performance. Make use of supplements To maintain and boost your athletic performance, you need to ensure your body can sustain the output and maintain its energy levels. To do this, you can use energy supplements such as our running gels that can provide on-the-go easily digestible carbohydrates. We have a large variety of energy products from gels and powders to more food-like options such as bars, bakes or chews! Which you choose is highly dependent on your preference of format and flavour, see the full range here. Energy gels like these Mixed GO Isotonic Energy Gels Pack are great because they’re easy to digest, fast absorbing, and delay the onset of fatigue by maintaining blood glucose. To achieve the highest level of performance from your body, you should consume between one and three per hour of exercise to lift your carbohydrate intake to between 60g and 90g. For exercise longer than 2.5 hours though we recommend trying to consume 80-120g of carbohydrate instead, our high carbohydrate Beta Fuel range can be a great way of meeting these requirements. Enhance your athletic performance with SiS Science in Sport is a world-leading performance nutrition brand that combines world-class knowledge and scientific formulations to provide optimal performance solutions across the nutritional needs states of energy, hydration, and recovery. Through our world-leading research and performance solutions team, we formulate evidence-based products that truly impact performance. We have a stunning range of products including energy powders, electrolyte gels, vitamins and minerals that aid performance, as well as bottles & shakers. If you’d like any further information or advice on how to improve your performance, contact us today at nutrition@scienceinsport.com. Written By aimeejones