Think of how professional athletes look.  Or even most college athletes.  Typically, they look strong and lean.  On top of that, they are capable of doing things most people could only dream of.  Yes, they do have lots of natural talent.  At the same time, they can do things most people can't because they train in ways most people don't. Learning to train like an athlete does not mean training the exact same way.  Instead, it means incorporating some of their training methods into your routine.  Doing so can help you lose weight and body fat, gain muscle size, get stronger, faster, or just help you stay healthier and avoid injuries.

Here we go with a few ways to train like an athlete:

1. Sprint, sprint, sprint: Run sprints in a gym or on a track, or perform sprints on a treadmill, bike, or elliptical.  You do not have to run unbelievably fast, just as fast as you can.  Sprint for 10-20 seconds, then rest a minute.  Perform 5-10 sprints.
2. Move laterally:  Lateral, or sideways movements work the hips, glutes, hamstrings, quads, and core far differently than your basic squats and lunges will.  You can perform shuffles on a track, gym floor or on a treadmill.  Do a couple moving each direction as part of your warmup, or, do them fast or with weight as part of your workout.  Side lunges, sideways step-ups, or sideways jumps onto a box or bench are great substitutes for their regular versions
3. Ditch the crunches and situps:  Add in planks, bridging, and rotational exercises.  These all mimic train the body to stabilize and rotate as they would in real life movements.  They also train the hips and low back, along with the abs.
4. Lift heavy weights:  Only do this if you have been weight training for a fair amount of time.  Don't worry about lifting obscene amounts of weight.  Instead, add some weight to what you normally use so that you can only perform 5-6 reps.  Doing this for one exercise per body part, just once a week will make you much stronger.  It will also allow you to complete more reps with lighter weights, which will lead to muscle gains.  Heavy lifting also keeps your metabolism elevated long after your workout, helping you to lean out. Think of how professional athletes look.  Or even most college athletes.  Typically, they look strong and lean.  On top of that, they are capable of doing things most people could only dream of.  Yes, they do have lots of natural talent.  At the same time, they can do things most people can't because they train in ways most people don't.

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