Training Tips

Below are just a few tips from our coaches to help you with you training program while you are away from API. Please "JOIN US ON FACEBOOK" to get weekly training tips, as well as, videos with new workout ideas.

Training Tips from your API Performance Coaches:

Push Them Out, Keep Them Out
In order to recruit the correct muscles while performing the squat, make sure you push your knees out while performing the exercise. Not only will this recruit the appropriate muscles but pushing your knees out will also serve as a great way to prevent any knee injuries.

Squeeze the Life Out of the Bar
While performing the bench press, make sure you squeeze the bar as hard as you can. By doing this, you're causing a response throughout your body to stay tight which will prevent your from having any energy leaks. Squeeze the life out of the bar and reap the benefits of staying tight while lifting weights.

Plant Your Feet
Looking to bench press more weight? Plant your feet and drive them into the ground. Planting and pressing your feet into the ground, creates a "close kinetic chain" and can allow the body to exert more force. The less your feet move the better. Plant your feet into the ground and see the difference.

Try a Single-Leg Exercise
Looking for some change in your ever monotonous workouts? Try including more single-leg exercises to add a little spice to your workouts. Not only are they extremely effective at increasing the strength of the entire leg but they also work the deep muscles that stabilize the leg and hip. Starting including single-leg exercises into your workouts and see the difference.

A Vital Part of Every Workout
More often than not, people will skip their warm-up before they attack the weights. This is a classic mistake and should be avoided at all costs. An effective warm-up can lubricate the joints, increase the body's temperature, and increase the metabolic effect of your workouts. Start including a couple of warm-up exercises into your workouts and your body will thank you later.

Stay on the Balls of Your Feet
When sprinting, the athlete must stay on the balls of the feet. This creates less ground contact which will eventually help the athlete achieve faster times.

Keep Your Toes UP
Toes must be up or in a dorsi-flexed position at all times when sprinting. When the toes are pointed down, the athlete can create a breaking force when trying to accelerate which can slow the athlete down.

Swing From the Shoulders
When pumping the arms, the athlete should swing their arms from the shoulders and not the elbows to complete the full range of motion. When the arms are back, the arms should be in a pulling motion with the hands stopping at the glute. Simultaneously, the front arm is to swing forward with the hands stopping at the eye. Each arm should be in a sweeping motion with a down stroke while the legs are moving in a cycling motion.

If you have a specific question for one of our coaches about performance training, you can submit a question via trainingtips@athleticperformanceinc.com. We will be answering your questions via our fan page on Facebook throughout the month.