Monitoring and Analytics Part 2: Front-End Monitoring

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Monitoring and Analytics Part 2: Front-End Monitoring

Devan McConnell, Head Sports Performance Coach and Division I ice hockey strength coach at the University of Massachusetts-Lowell, is back with another installment in his popular series on Monitoring and Analytics. In Part 2, he lays out how he and his coaching staff at UMass Lowell implement front-end physiological monitoring with their athletes. Monitoring allows coaches to gain insights about how "ready" athletes are to compete, and how they can better adapt their training programs to help athletes stay healthy and perform.

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Hot Off the Press! Cold vs. Heat: Which is Best For Muscle Soreness?

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Hot Off the Press! Cold vs. Heat: Which is Best For Muscle Soreness?

It's the age-old rehab question: should you use ice or heat on sore muscles after a tough workout? A new study in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research reveals some surprising results on the effects of cold vs. heat on muscle soreness. Are ice baths obsolete? Do heat packs cause inflammation? Read more to find out.

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Movements You LOVE to HATE: the Prone Fly

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Movements You LOVE to HATE: the Prone Fly

Sometimes your training program calls for a movement that you just plain hate. You know that it's good for you, that it's serving a purpose, but you still hate it. We feel you. In fact, we hate a lot of movements! In this new series, we talk about the movements we hate and why, and how we can try to learn to love 'em.

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The Complicated Relationship Between Baseball and the Bench Press

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The Complicated Relationship Between Baseball and the Bench Press

It is no secret that some baseball coaches live to hate the bench press. The bench press develops the muscles of the chest and anterior shoulder, and, when used too often in strength training programs, can cause tightness and imbalances that put baseball and softball players at risk for shoulder injury. But does this mean we should simply ditch the bench altogether? Scott Colby, M.A., CSCS, lends his expertise on the relationship between the sport of baseball and the bench press, and makes a case for keeping this controversial lift in your training program.

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All You Need To Know About Acceleration: Zero to Sixty With Alex Harrison

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All You Need To Know About Acceleration: Zero to Sixty With Alex Harrison

The ability to accelerate—to reach top speed from a dead stop—is crucial in almost every sport. For some athletes, being fast comes naturally. Others have to work at it. But anyone can train to improve their acceleration, so long as they understand and practice these basic principles.

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Developing Mental Toughness

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Developing Mental Toughness

Resilience, determination, grit, a “never-say-die” attitude—all attempt to describe the intangible qualities that produce mental toughness, or MT, in an athlete. Guest contributor Tyler Christiansen of the NSCA helps Coach Jace define this tricky "X-factor" that coaches look for, and how athletes can develop it.

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