We've all heard of "sport-specific training" when it comes to preparing athletes for performance—but what does that really mean? Does the human body function all that differently in volleyball than in field hockey? Guest author and Volt Advisory Board member Devan McConnell explains why he uses "Human-Specific Training" with his athletes, and why it works so well.
Read MoreThe psoas is, quite literally, the "filet mignon" of the human body. As your primary hip flexor, the psoas works to help you run, sprint, and even walk—and it is critical to keep this muscle happy. When the psoas is either too short or overstretched, it can throw off your body's mechanics and put you at real risk of injury. Learn how to diagnose and treat your "filet mignon" muscle in this week's post.
Read MoreAthletes are competitive people, and often too eager to jump to the hardest lifts, at the heaviest loads, at the hugest volumes—but progressing too quickly can get you into serious trouble. Before you can flip 1000-lb tires like J.J. Watt, you have to first master the bodyweight squat. And I’m talking master—because if you don’t have a black belt in “the basics” of strength training, then you better put down that tire.
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The off-season is almost over. But does that mean your resistance training should be? Coach Jace explains how in-season training can improve performance and prevent injury—as long as it's done right.
Read MoreShakira gets it. Happy Gilmore gets it. But unfortunately, many athletes don't get that when it comes to performance, it’s all in the hips. Guest author Adam Shildmyer DPT tells us why hip stability is so important, and how to get it.
Read MoreThink lifting will make you a bulky, slow runner? Think again...
Read MoreMike Favre, the Director of Olympic Strength and Conditioning for the University of Michigan Wolverines and member of Volt's Advisory Board, and Coach Jace break down the components of the vertical jump, and how you can train athletes to improve theirs.
Read MoreIt’s been a long-held belief that static stretching (holding a stretch for longer than 30 seconds per muscle) should be done prior to training to reduce injury risk and promote greater range of motion for activity. While these tenets hold true, opponents of static stretching argue that it impedes and decreases athletic performance, and should be considered an outdated method of warming up. This debate tends to get pretty heated, pretty fast, and has resulted in many an ugly comment war in forums across the Net. But a study published in the December 2014 issues of Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research might just be the tipping point in this battle.
Read MoreRecovery is the unsung hero of performance development. Ask any NFL player on a bye week: maximizing your recovery times so that you can get back in the weight room or out on the field is a huge advantage. Managing when to rest, when to take it easy, and when to get back out there and go 100% is a product of how well you manage your post- and pre-training maintenance.
Read MoreWhile our quads get a lot of love in the gym, our hammies are often neglected—partially because we sit so much, under-train our posterior chain, and just plain forget about them because they're on the back of our bodies. In the conclusion to this two-part series, Coach Christye explains the RIGHT way to train and maintain your hamstrings—and how to avoid catastrophic hamstring injury during competition.
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