If you're a dedicated athlete, performing at your peak each and every time you compete is your ultimate goal. Whether you're chasing down a fly ball in the outfield, fighting off a lineman to get to the quarterback, streaking down the basketball court on a breakaway or trying to put away an opponent with a powerful overhead smash, you approach each and every moment of the game as another opportunity to be the best you can be.

Being your best on the field of play not only means being mentally prepared to face the challenge but, obviously, physically prepared as well. The physical demands of sport are better handled if you've prepared your body for the unique movements and physical demands of your particular sport. Imagine playing baseball without the arm strength to throw out the runner at the plate, playing football without powerful leg strength to power your way through the line, playing basketball without the endurance to run up and down the court for 48 minutes.

Even those sports that some people don't normally think of as physically demanding – golf, swimming, auto racing – require the participants to train specific muscle groups to excel in the sport.

The bottom line: if you want improve in your sport, there are specific exercises that can help you reach that goal.

Let's look at a few sports and some key exercises that can help you improve your performance in vital areas.

Baseball

Because of the nature of the game, baseball requires you to have a variety of skills: speed, strength, and agility, not to mention great hand/eye coordination. Unlike sports where the players' roles are limited to either offense or defense or positions with limited involvement, all baseball players in the game must hit, field and run (yeah, we know about the designated hitter, so let's just say we're talking about interleague play in an National League ballpark). Because of this, the muscles that control those actions are the ones you should focus on, but make sure to proceed with special caution.

Since much of baseball involves the arms (throwing, hitting, etc.), it's important to build these muscles while retaining flexibility. To accomplish, this, focus on the trapezius muscle, the bicep and the tricep.

The trapezius muscle, which runs from the base of the skull to the middle of the back and out to the shoulder blade, is key in throwing and exercises such as the shoulder shrug (hold a dumbbell in either hand and simply shrug your shoulders) can help develop this muscle. Next, work the biceps with curls, either with individual dumbbells or a barbell. Follow that with tricep pull-downs that target the back of the arm and then a barbell wrist curl which targets the forearms (hold a barbell with palms up on your knees and curl your wrists inward). This exercise is important because forearms are key to getting power behind a swing. Don't go overboard with the wrist curls. Except in instances of rare players, big and bulky forearms won't result in a quick, powerful swing and can actually slow down your swing.

Finally, be sure to include exercises that target the rotator cuff. One of the most frequently injured areas on a baseball player, rotator cuffs are the key to the circular motion of the arm that is the basis of throwing. The constant and violent motion of throwing (particularly with pitchers) can wear down bone and muscle and lead to severe pain and injury. To help protect you, perform a rotator cuff exercise such as this: lie face down on a bench or other flat surface. Holding a light weight, extend your arm at shoulder level and bend your elbow at a 90-degree angle. Keeping your elbow bent, rotate your arm upward and raise it to shoulder level. Lower it and repeat the motion several times, then switch to the other arm.

When strengthening your arms and upper body for baseball, don't overdo it. Use lighter weights just to keep the muscles toned. Trying to pump heavier weights can do damage to the shoulder.

As for developing speed, weights can only go so far. For that explosive speed you need to get the jump on a fly ball, you need to train your legs to respond quickly. Interval running is a good way to improve your speed. Start with a light jog for a few yards, followed by a full-on sprint for approximately 30 yards, then down to running speed, then back down to a jog. Repeat the sequence several times.

Football

On the surface, football seems to be all about brute force. The sheer size of most of the players involved, coupled with the violent action of the game, makes it seem as if all it will take to succeed in the sport is bulk. And with so many of the players in the game tipping the scales at 300 pounds or more, it's not hard to see why so many people may believe this to be the case.

But as any real fan of the game can tell you, even the biggest players in the game have a speed and agility that belies their size. These skills come from specific exercises designed to not only increase their strength but keep them agile as well. Accomplishing this is a delicate balance, as bigger muscles can sometimes mean a loss of speed or agility. Or both.

Therefore, a successful football exercise program will try to address three key elements that make up a good football player: strength, speed and agility. Let's start with strength, which many people place at the top of the list. Strength is definitely important to football, but the type of strength (and the exercises that generate it) can differ based on the position you play.

For linemen, a good strength/weight training regimen will include:

• Squats, which not only train the upper body to handle large amounts of weight, but also condition the legs and hips for the explosive power you will need to block or move and opponent. Don't load the bar too much; you want to be able to stand upward quickly on each rep to develop that explosive power.
• Bench presses, both with a barbell and dumbbells. As with squats, you want to explode upward on each rep and hold for the maximum benefits. In addition, working occasionally with individual dumbbells can train each arm and chest muscle individually to give you equal power in both arms.
• Pulling exercises, such as the dead lift, barbell row or lat pull-down are important to balance out the strength you have in your chest with the strength in your back. When you push an opponent, your strength is first generated in your back muscles. This makes it important to perform exercises that build the trapezius, the deltoid and the latissimus dorsi.
• Legwork, but not ordinary legwork. Rather than simple leg presses, leg work for linemen involves the clean and snatch and the dead lift, weight lifting motions that not only build the leg muscles but train them to react explosively while moving large amounts of weight. It should be pretty simple to see how this type of training can be incorporated into actual gameplay.

While quarterbacks may not need or have the bulk of a lineman (Tim Tebow notwithstanding), they do need to be strong. But their strength is concentrated in areas that you might expect: their arms and legs. So a weight training routine for a quarterback should involve the chest, shoulders and arms (particular the triceps), all muscle groups that are important for throwing.  Concentrate on the dumbbell overhead press and the dumbbell incline press. Next, build up your back and arm muscles with lat pull-downs, deadlifts, bicep curls, wrist curls and grip supports. For the last one, put enough weight on a barbell to just surpass the amount you can dead life. Bend over, pick up the bar and hold onto it for at least 30 seconds to build your grip strength. This will help develop the muscles vital to holding on to the football.

Finally, work on building your leg muscles, but not enough to slow you down. You want strong legs to break the grip of a lineman or sprint out of the pocket, not slow you down. Use leg curls and leg deadlifts for strength, but also incorporate walking lunges and other stretching exercises to retain the flexibility you'll need to sprint for the first down.

Running backs carry a heavy load, both literally and figuratively. In many instances, they do the bulk of the ball carrying for a football team and often have to do so with 300-pound linemen hanging on their backs. So a training plan for this position will include bench presses to build the upper body, lat pull-downs for a strong back, crunches and sit-ups with weights for a strong core (which helps with the agility needed to change directions quickly on the run) and bicep curls and tricep pull-downs to develop arms that can keep a tight grip on the ball.

Running backs should also be focused on developing their legs, not just the muscles but also the ability of the muscles to respond explosively. Not only should running backs perform muscle-building leg exercises but they should also perform exercises such as box jumps that help to develop explosive leg power. Stand next to a platform or even the seats in a stadium bleacher section that is about at knee level and jump up on to the level with both feet. Repeat this exercise several times for maximum effect. Running in place, with an emphasis on high knee raises, is also a great way to develop the driving force you will need to break tackles.

Wide receivers and defensive backs may not necessarily need the bulk linemen or running backs, but they do need upper body and core strength to ward off would-be tacklers, bring down receivers and make quick route changes. Among the best exercises for developing this skill are squats and deadlifts with an emphasis on driving the weights upward as quickly as you can. This action will help you develop power as well as speed, a lethal combination.

Basketball

When it comes to exercises specifically for basketball players, it might be more important to pump your legs than pump iron. Sure, it doesn't hurt to build strong arm and chest muscles if you plan on dominating the boards and taking control of every rebound in sight, so hitting the weights (especially for power forwards and centers) is useful. But first you have to get TO that rebound, which means focusing on exercises that help develop speed, agility and jumping power.  In this category are exercises such as squats (both full squats and single leg squats), and "plyometric" exercises that involve, in one form or another, leaping, vertical jumps and lunges, all motions that frequently come into play in the course of a basketball game. By performing exercises such as box jumps (leaping up to a platform that is at least knee height), basic vertical jumping off of one foot or both, "power skipping" (highly exaggerated skipping movements designed to increase the thrusting power of the legs) and jumping over objects of various heights on a course, you can develop your quick leaping power and your agility as well. Finally, running sprints the length of the basketball court will help build the endurance needed to survive the near-constant motion that makes up much of the 48 minutes of the average regulated basketball game.

When it does come time for a basketball player to hit the gym, it's best for guards to focus on weight training that builds strength and not bulk and for centers and power forwards to work on developing strength AND bulk. Both groups should employ weight training programs that target all muscle groups (arms, chest, back and legs) but approach them in different ways. Guards and small forwards should lift heavy weights with a low number of repetitions to increase their strength without affecting their speed and agility, while the "big men" should also lift heavy but perform more reps to increase their bulk.

Tennis

Like basketball, baseball and some aspects of football, tennis requires strength, agility and endurance to succeed. But unlike those sports, it's just you alone out on the court with no one to back you up should you falter in any of those categories. Which just might make specific exercises for tennis even more important than it is with some of the other sports.

First, a general weight training routine is a great way to get in shape for the rigors of tennis. Because tennis generally relies on power coming primarily from one side of the body, there is a tendency for players to have a muscle development imbalance. This makes weight training that targets the entire body so important.

Tennis players should focus on exercises that target the major muscle groups: Chest (bench press, incline bench press), back (lat pull-downs, rows), arms and shoulders (bicep curls, tricep pull-downs, barbell wrist curls (described in the baseball section, for forearm strength) and legs (leg curls, squats and lunges). Also, core exercises are important as well, since agility and the ability to react quickly can make all the difference in getting to a ball. Incorporate crunches and lunges with twists into your exercise routine to address this concern.

Next, focus on building your endurance. Tennis is, for the most part, a game of short bursts of energy (which also includes running backwards) followed by brief periods of rest, so you want to make this the focus of your endurance training. For example, a sprint of 30 seconds followed by a 60-second rest period is a good way to build the endurance you need to last through a particularly grueling volley. Then there is the infamous tennis "spider drill" which has been a mainstay in tennis endurance training. In this drill, tennis balls are placed at various locations on a court and object is to race to each location, pick up a ball and return it to the home location. The drill requires you to run forwards and backwards from the home location to the ball (simulating the forwards and backwards running involved in a match) and to remain low to the ground as if you were playing for a point.

Swimming

There are many athletes that use swimming as part of their exercise routine for their particular sport. Because the act of swimming involves the entire body and is a great cardio workout as well, it's a well-rounded workout that has benefits for almost all sports. But what about actual swimmers? What exercises can they do to help them become better in the water? The answer may be getting out of the water and into the gym. By utilizing a combination of weight training, plyometrics and resistance training, swimmers can improve their performance in their sport.

With regards to weight training, swimmers should employ exercises that target the three main areas of the body: legs, arms and core. Working out all three areas can't be emphasized enough. Swimmers often focus on arms and legs since these areas provide the propulsion through the water, but abs are vital as well since all of the movements associated with swimming are first generated at the midsection.

For the legs, squats, leg presses, leg curls and leg extensions can build the strength you need to perform powerful kicks and propel yourself through the water.  Upper body exercises, such as lat pull-downs, bent-over rows and shoulder presses, can help you develop the muscles in your arms, shoulders and back for a powerful stroke. Finally, build your abs and core by performing exercises such as crunches, double-leg pikes (lie on your back with your arms extended over your head and then lift your arms and legs to bring them together above you in a pike position) and scissors (lie on your back, lift your legs and separate then cross your legs, one over the other, in a rapid motion).

No matter what the sport, with any of these exercises involving weight training, it's important to proceed cautiously. In the desire to see fast results, some people may be tempted to lift more weight than they should or lift without adequate rest in between sessions. This can do more harm than good. Working out too often and lifting more than you should can damage muscle. A common weight-training motto is "train, not strain".

With most of these sports and playing positions, it's important to develop strength rather than muscles, and if you didn't know there's a difference, you should. Developing strength means becoming stronger while retaining (or developing) agility. When you build excessive muscle, you lose some of that agility. That's something you don't want to lose if you're trying to beat the town to third or if you spot a sliver of daylight between two defenders.

So how to do you accomplish this? First, determine how much weight you can effectively lift during a routine. As a rule, you should only lift as much weight as it will take to complete your desired number of reps (short for "repetitions", or the completion of one exercise, as in, one bicep curl is one rep) for each exercise. For instance, if you plan on completing 12 reps, you should be able to just barely complete the 12th rep in the sequence. As for the number of reps you should do, some professionals suggest between eight to 10 reps to develop muscular strength and from 12-15 to increase muscular endurance.

It's also equally important to rest, not only between sets but also between workouts. Rest gives the muscles time to recuperate and rebuild, thus resulting in stronger muscles. Ignore this recovery phase and work out excessively and you'll only tear your muscles down and risk injury. The excessive weight training combined with the actual muscular rigors of your sport itself can result in some serious damage if you're not careful. As a rule, you should give yourself a day between workouts to let your muscles rest and recuperate.

Supplements to help:
You may also want to consider adding certain nutrients and bodybuilding supplements to your diet to help with your strength development. If you aren't already doing so, start taking a multivitamin daily, particularly one created for men. There are certain vitamins and minerals that have a particular benefit for men. For instance, athletic men require extra magnesium, at least an extra 200 mgs a day (beyond the 200 to 400 mgs they regularly require). A multivitamin a day can help address not only your basic vitamin needs as a man, but also the extra vitamins you'll need to sustain you during your workout period,.

Next, consider taking daily supplements of whey protein, one of the best supplements to build muscle. Unlike other forms of protein supplements (soy protein, for instance), whey protein contains the ideal amino acid profile to build muscle size, help increase strength and rebuild muscle after a workout. Whey protein decreases the amount of time your body needs to recover from a workout, repairs muscles faster, increases your metabolic rate (the rate at which your body burns calories) and, as a bonus, can also boost your immune system.

Finally, creatine supplements can take your workout to the next level. Creatine has become the go-to supplement for athletes in all sports for almost 20 years. Thousands of football, baseball and basketball players had added creatine to their dietary plans, as have athletes in many non-contact sports such as track and field and swimming.

Humans obtain much of their natural creatine through the consumption of meat and fish, after which it is stored in the skeletal muscle. During exercise, cells in those skeletal muscles release energy molecules (also known as "adenosine triphosphate"). Creatine increases the frequency at which the energy molecules are regenerated. Supplemental creatine increases the frequency of this regeneration, resulting in more energy and more muscular output for a longer amount of time.

Creatine has been found to increase muscle size and overall strength. In addition, creatine has also been found to combat some of the effects of aging and improve muscle function, which can be a benefit to older athletes. And not only does creatine assist athletes in their performance during a game but it has benefits during the training phase as well, letting athletes train for longer periods of time with a higher intensity.

While there have been questions about the long-term effects of creatine on the male body, extensive research has found no significant consequences, including to the kidney and live as previously suspected (when creatine is taken in recommended doses).

Whether you're looking for more power at the plate, an extra boost off of the line of scrimmage or a stronger kick to the finish line, performing sport-specific exercises that target the muscle groups that are key to your activity and position can give you an advantage over your opponent. Combined with nutritional supplements that can further enhance the gains you make in the gym, these targeted exercises can help you excel at the game you love.

Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/sports-and-fitness-articles/sport-specific-exercises-to-improve-your-performance-fast-5563839.html