5 Underrated Exercises Every Athlete Needs for Explosive Performance
5 Most Underrated and Unknown Exercises for Athletes
In the world of athletic training, certain exercises dominate the spotlight—squats, deadlifts, and bench presses often take center stage. However, there are some hidden gems that offer immense benefits to athletic performance, yet are often overlooked. These underrated exercises can build strength, prevent injuries, and enhance performance in unique ways.
Here are five of the most underrated and unknown exercises every athlete should consider incorporating into their routine:
1. Trap Bar Deadlifts
Why it’s Underrated:
While the conventional deadlift is widely recognized, the trap bar variation doesn't get the same attention. The trap bar allows for a more upright posture during the lift, making it more accessible for athletes with mobility limitations.
How it Helps Athletes:
This movement is one of the best for building total-body strength, particularly in the legs, hips, and core. The trap bar deadlift is easier on the lower back than the conventional deadlift, making it safer while still providing powerful strength-building benefits. For athletes, the trap bar deadlift translates well into explosive movements, such as jumping and sprinting, because it mimics the mechanics of vertical force generation(
How to Perform:
- Stand inside the trap bar with feet shoulder-width apart.
- Grab the handles and push through your heels to lift the bar while keeping your back straight.
- Return to the ground in a controlled manner.
2. Copenhagen Planks
Why it’s Underrated:
Athletes often neglect the adductors (inner thigh muscles), which can lead to imbalances or even injury. The Copenhagen plank specifically targets these undertrained muscles and is a fantastic exercise for injury prevention.
How it Helps Athletes:
Strengthening the adductors helps with stability during lateral movements—crucial for athletes in sports like soccer, basketball, and tennis. This exercise also improves balance and strengthens the core, leading to better control during dynamic activities. It’s an excellent tool for reducing groin injuries, which are common in athletes who perform frequent cutting or side-stepping motions(
How to Perform:
- Place one leg on a bench or elevated surface and the other leg extended straight out.
- Hold a plank position with your core engaged, ensuring your hips stay level.
3. Nordic Hamstring Curls
Why it’s Underrated:
The Nordic hamstring curl is well-known in rehabilitation settings but rarely makes it into regular training programs. This eccentric exercise is excellent for strengthening the hamstrings, especially at their weakest points.
How it Helps Athletes:
Eccentric hamstring exercises, like the Nordic curl, have been shown to significantly reduce the risk of hamstring injuries. Strong hamstrings are essential for explosive movements like sprinting, jumping, and changing direction quickly. By strengthening the hamstrings eccentrically, this exercise helps athletes sprint faster and jump higher while remaining injury-resistant(
How to Perform:
- Kneel on a padded surface and anchor your feet under a stable object.
- Slowly lower your body forward, using your hamstrings to control the descent.
- Push back up to the starting position using your hamstrings or a slight push-up assist.
4. Prowler Pushes (Sled Pushes)
Why it’s Underrated:
Sled pushes, also known as prowler pushes, don’t get enough credit for the full-body workout they provide. This exercise is particularly effective for building leg strength and conditioning, and it offers a low-impact way to improve explosiveness and endurance.
How it Helps Athletes:
Sled pushes develop leg power and cardiovascular endurance simultaneously. By varying the weight on the sled, you can train for explosive power (lighter sleds pushed quickly) or brute strength (heavier sleds pushed slower). Sled pushes are also a functional movement, mimicking the type of force generation needed in many sports
How to Perform:
- Load a sled with an appropriate amount of weight.
- Push the sled forward as fast as possible, keeping your core tight and your hips low.
- Perform sets of short distances (10-20 yards) to focus on power and endurance.
5. Banded Deadlifts
Why it’s Underrated:
While the standard deadlift is a staple in strength training, banded deadlifts provide a unique variation that emphasizes speed and power, particularly during the lockout phase of the movement.
How it Helps Athletes:
The addition of bands increases resistance as you lift, forcing you to accelerate through the movement and engage your fast-twitch muscle fibers. This is particularly beneficial for athletes needing explosive strength, such as in football or track and field. Banded deadlifts are also great for improving deadlift technique, as they help strengthen weak points in the lift(
How to Perform:
- Set up a barbell as you would for a regular deadlift, but attach resistance bands to the ends of the barbell and anchor them to the floor.
- Perform the deadlift, focusing on speed through the lift and maintaining proper form as resistance increases.
Conclusion
Incorporating these underrated exercises into your routine can help you build strength, power, and resilience in ways that traditional exercises might not. By strengthening often-neglected muscle groups and improving explosive power, these exercises can give you a competitive edge in your athletic performance.