Peak Performance Starts with Quality Sleep: Unveiling the Science of Sleep Hygiene for Athletes

Peak Performance Starts with Quality Sleep: Unveiling the Science of Sleep Hygiene for Athletes

Athletes seeking peak performance must not overlook the critical role of quality sleep. This blog explores the intersection of sleep hygiene and athletic success, highlighting essential factors like nutrition, environment, and circadian rhythms. Discover how simple changes in daily routines can significantly enhance sleep quality and, in turn, improve athletic outcomes.

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Integrating Sports Performance and Sports Science: Building a Winning Team Culture

Integrating Sports Performance and Sports Science: Building a Winning Team Culture

As sport coaches or athletic department administrators, you're constantly seeking ways to enhance performance and create a winning culture for your teams. In a recent interview with Coach Stephanie Mock, Assistant Athletic Director for Sports Performance at the University of Pittsburgh, Volt Performance Coach and Podcast Host, Tom Smalley delved into the strategies behind merging sports performance and sports science to elevate athlete development and success.

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Optimizing Muscle Recovery: A Guide to Nutrient-Rich Foods

Optimizing Muscle Recovery: A Guide to Nutrient-Rich Foods

Muscle recovery is a critical component of any effective fitness regimen, pivotal in unlocking peak performance and achieving fitness goals. Yet, amidst the fervor of exercise routines, the role of proper nutrition in this process often goes overlooked.

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Mastering Consistency: How Champions Celebrate the Holidays While Training

The holiday season brings joy, festivities, and, often, a myriad of distractions that can challenge an athlete’s focus and dedication to training. Coaches, athletes, and trainers face a unique challenge during this time – balancing the celebration of the season with the maintenance of disciplined training routines. Amidst the tempting aromas of holiday feasts and the allure of relaxation, staying focused on training can be an uphill battle. However, with strategic planning and unwavering determination, athletes can not only navigate but also excel during this festive period.

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Pump Your Brakes: The Power of Deceleration in Sports

Pump Your Brakes: The Power of Deceleration in Sports

We've all heard it before: what goes up must come down. This basic principle doesn't just apply to gravity, but to sports as well. While we're usually focused on acceleration as coaches and athletes, it's time to shed some light on the other side of the equation: deceleration.

Acceleration is undoubtedly important for success in sports, but to excel, athletes must also be efficient at slowing down. This is especially true for sports that require changes in direction and quick movements.

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Coaching Athletes on Their Period: Normalizing the Conversation

Coaching Athletes on Their Period: Normalizing the Conversation

If you’re reading this, chances are that you have women in your life that are important to you or you may coach female athletes at some point in your career. People often debate whether female athletes should be coached differently than male athletes. This article will talk about important physiological differences between females and males that coaches need to take into account when training female athletes.

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Reasons Why Fitness and Mental Health Go Hand in Hand

Reasons Why Fitness and Mental Health Go Hand in Hand

You’ve heard that regular exercise is important for your physical health, but what about the effects that it can have on your *mental* health? Maybe you’ve heard about the correlation between the two, but never understood the ‘why’ of it all. Regular physical activity has been shown to have a profoundly positive effect on anxiety, depression, and ADHD.

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Pre- and Post-Workout Nutrition

Pre- and Post-Workout Nutrition

Athletes and fitness gurus are always looking for ways to improve their performance and achieve their goals. This is why knowing what to eat before and after a workout is so important. Consuming nutrients before exercising will not only help maximize your performance and minimize muscle damage, but it will also give you the energy and strength that you need to perform.

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Rethinking Weight Loss

Rethinking Weight Loss

People commonly attempt or desire weight loss because they want to “be healthy”. Athletes might pursue weight loss to “get faster”, “jump higher”, or “perform better”. However, many efforts to lose weight consist of practices and behaviors that are harmful to health and can work against optimal performance. Why do we think “weight loss” is the answer in the first place?

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How to Prepare for In-Person and Remote Training

How to Prepare for In-Person and Remote Training

For some, facilities have been completely shut down, whilst others are limited by time or minimal equipment. These scenarios make it difficult for coaches to provide resources that still allow for physical development and preparation. Fortunately, this is a problem that Volt is helping thousands of coaches solve!

In this article, I’m going to show you how the #VoltFamily gets it done.

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