The Gym Sports Site

While actually playing different  gym sports is great, it isn’t always practical.  Depending on time constraints and the ability to get others together to play, it might be better to incorporate some of the gym sport exercises into your workout.

Many boxers will jump rope to warm up their body and work on their dexterity.  It also a great way to work on your jump height for your next basketball game.  I like to start with this exercise.  It gets your heart rate up and gets your body in a calorie burning mode.

If your gym has punching bags, this is a fantastic upper body exercise.  Incorporate some kickboxing techniques to work the lower body as well.  Don’t forget the sit-ups and crunches to work your abs.  A strong core is crucial in boxing.

For your tennis game, you may want to exercise your forearms.  The best way to do so is to get some adjustable dumbbells or a barbell and perform wrist curls that isolate your forearm muscles.  Use a calf machine to strengthen these muscles which are crucial to keeping agile and enable yourself to quickly chase after the ball.

When it comes down to it, running and being fast is a huge part of nearly every sport.  Run some miles on the treadmill or head outside to take in some sun.  It may seem silly, but think about some of your favorite sports movies.  Run up a huge set of stairs and celebrate at the top like Rocky or just start running everywhere you go like Forest Gump.

Finish your workout in the pool with water polo gym workouts.  Polo is a vigorous gym sport due to the resistance of the water against your body.  Water polo gym workouts would include sprinting laps in the pool to improve your speed as well as learning how to stay afloat in the pool as long as possible.

A great way to wind down at the end of your workout is a relaxing trip into the pool.  After some vigorous calorie burning laps, take a few slow laps to bring your heart rate back to normal and cool down.  Using the pool as a time to stretch is also great due to the lower gravity underwater.

Athletes have workout regimes that are aimed to make them the best and fittest in their sport.  Following their guidance for workout ideas can be helpful.  Hopefully adding these exercises can help keep your workout fun and exciting while making you better at a variety of gymsports.  Be safe!

Some of my greatest memories from when I was younger come from the time when I was on a youth swimming team.  As soon as I would hit the water, I would feel like a fish who had finally been returned to the water.  Incorporating it these days as a gym sport was easy and fun.

The pool in my gym is a good size pool, not Olympic size, bit sufficient none the less.  Luckily, they also organize an intramural water polo team which is incredibly fun.  For those of you who have never played water polo, I want you to picture a game of soccer in a pool.  Water polo gym workouts are even more exhausting than they sound, which is why it makes a great gym sport. When you are in the pool, you don’t even feel like you are even working out.  It’s only when you step out that you can feel how sore your muscles are.

Making the water polo a weekly gym sport was an easy decision.  However, taking the swimming aerobics class took a bit of convincing.  I guess I sort of doubted how an actual class could give you a good workout.  But after taking the class once, I was shocked by how worked my muscles felt.

Besides water polo gym workouts, even simply swimming laps for a while is a phenomenal way to burn calories and get in better shape.  Most gyms with swimming pools will have designated times for laps.  It’s also a great workout for senior citizens, because the water is better for brittle bones and bad joints.  Since the gravity isn’t as strong, there is less pressure in the joints.

It is also a phenomenal way to end your workout.  I particularly enjoy it after my kickboxing class or using one of the multi gyms.  When you aren’t swimming too fast, it feels great.  Sometimes I’ll even do my stretching in the pool.

Even not treating it as a gym sport and playing a game of Marco Polo or water volleyball can a great way to burn calories without even realizing it.
Like tennis and golf, certain gyms may not have a pool, so always inquire before joining.  If they don’t, you could also look into a community pool.

You’ll want to watch out for the chemicals like chlorine that are put into the pool.  They are needed, especially since so many people share the pool each day.  Click here to check out some great goggles to keep your eyes from getting red and dried out.