Why You Should Stop Neglecting Agility In Your Workout Routine
Most people think of strength and cardio exercises when they are putting together their workout routine. But what about agility? Agility is an important component of fitness that is often overlooked. In this blog post, we will discuss the importance of agility and some different exercises to improve it.
What Is Agility?
Agility is the ability to move quickly and easily. It is the ability to change direction quickly and maintain balance while doing so. If your agility is poor, your movements are not as fluid. This can lead to a number of problems in your everyday life, as well as your workouts.
Why Is Agility Important?
There are several reasons why agility is important. First, poor agility can lead to injuries. If you cannot change direction quickly or maintain balance, you are more likely to fall or pull a muscle. So, improved agility helps you avoid the aches and pains of working out.
Second, poor agility can lead to a loss of speed and power. If you cannot move quickly, you will not be able to perform at your best in sports or other activities.
Third, poor agility can lead to a decrease in overall fitness. If you are unable to move easily, you will not be able to work out as hard or for as long.
Finally, poor agility can lead to a decrease in stamina. If you cannot maintain balance and move quickly, you will be unable to perform at your best for long periods of time.
Agility is also important in your everyday life, especially as you get older. As you age, your agility decreases. This can lead to a number of problems, such as difficulty with balance and coordination, and general movement. Unless you make a distinct effort to improve your agility, your overall physical abilities will suffer.
It's not just about physical abilities either, it also helps with your cognitive function. When you make short, sharp movements, your brain is forced to make very quick connections. So, you are giving your brain a workout at the same time.
How Can You Test Your Agility?
There are several different tests that you can use to test your agility. Some of these tests include:
Shuttle Run Test: This is a simple test in which you run back and forth between two lines as quickly as possible, changing direction at each line. The distance between the lines should be equal to your height.
T-Test: This is another simple test that measures your agility and balance. You stand with your feet together and touch one hand to the opposite toe. Then you quickly switch hands and touch the other toe. You continue this pattern for as long as possible.
Agility Ladder: This is a more complex test that measures your agility and coordination. You run through an agility ladder as quickly as possible, making sure to touch each rung with both feet.
If you try these exercises and you find that you struggle with them a lot, you are not very agile and you should think about working on your agility. The problem is most people either do cardio or strength training when they exercise. Although there are cardio and strength exercises that also improve agility at the same time, many do not.
If you want to ensure that you are agile as you get older, here are some specific things you can try.
How To Incorporate Agility Into Your Workout Routine
Sports
There are so many great sports that help with agility. Basketball, soccer, and football are all great sports that require a lot of agility, for example. If you were just to go running, you build a pace slowly and there are no rapid changes in speed or direction. So, you'll get a good cardio workout, but you won't improve agility. If you play one of these sports, on the other hand, you are constantly moving up and down the pitch in different directions, switching speeds on a regular basis. This gives you a good cardio workout and builds agility at the same time.
Racquet sports are also excellent for agility. There are a lot of explosive movements from a stationary position when you are moving from one side of the court to the other. You also practice movements with the upper body, which is something you don't get as much with sports like soccer. Pickleball is a particularly good sport for improving agility and it helps with hand-eye coordination a lot too. You can get some paddles and balls from a place like Fromuth pickleball store and get a game going right away. The short, sharp movements and coordination skills involved will help keep your body and mind agile as you get older.
Yoga
Yoga may not seem like it helps with agility because it involves a lot of slow movements. However, it helps build flexibility and strength throughout the body. This is important because agility requires you to be able to move your body in a variety of different ways. Yoga will help with this, as well as improve your balance and coordination. Focus on poses like these that help with strength, power, and agility. Even just 5 minutes a day can make a big difference to your overall physical wellbeing and improve your agility in a big way.
Ladder Drills
Ladder drills are a fun and simple way to improve your agility. There are so many different types of ladder drills that you can do, including:
Two Feet In, One Foot Out
Side Shuffle
High Knees Ladder Drills
You can pick up a workout ladder relatively cheaply from most sporting goods stores. These drills are a great way to improve your agility, coordination, and balance. They can be done almost anywhere as long as you have the floor space for a ladder. They are a good exercise to do as part of a warm-up, so you can easily incorporate them into all of your workouts. By adding this one simple drill to your exercise routine, you can drastically improve your agility.
Agility Balls
Agility balls (sometimes called reaction balls) are a great piece of equipment that makes improving your agility so easy. You simply bounce the ball on the floor or against a wall and it is designed to shoot off in a random direction. This means you are constantly reacting to the ball and trying to catch it or bounce it back with your hands. It is a simple exercise that improves agility, coordination, and reaction speed. You can do this drill on its own for just a few minutes each day or as part of warm-up drills before working out or playing sport. Just make sure that you have plenty of free space around you because the balls are very unpredictable.
Hurdles
Hurdles are similar to ladder drills, but you are jumping over the hurdles rather than stepping in and out of them. This means that you have to use more explosive movements than you would when going through the ladder, which is great for improving your agility. You can pick up a set of hurdles from most sporting goods stores or online. This one is a little more demanding, so make sure that you have warmed up properly before you start.
Agility is an important aspect of overall fitness and is often overlooked. By adding some simple agility exercises to your routine, you can drastically improve your ability to move quickly and easily in any direction. These exercises are fun, easy to do, and don't require a lot of space or equipment. They will also reduce the chances of injury, improve your physical wellbeing, and even boost brain function, so stop neglecting agility in your workout routine!
