October 2016

Active Recovery

After a long a weekend of games and you are tired, sore, and everything hurts the last thing you want to is be active. Just because you are tired and sore from training or competition does not mean you just sit and do nothing. That is probably the worst thing you could do; the better choice is to add an active rest and recovery day or two into your regular training program. Active rest and recovery includes exercises such as light bike riding or jogging, dynamic and static stretching, TRX exercises, mini-band exercises, PowerPlate exercises and

Strengthening the Hamstrings

 At Compete Sports Performance and Rehab, single leg straight leg deadlifts are an essential exercise in a lower body strength program. A majority of sports are performed on one leg (running, cutting, skating, etc); therefore, athletes need to train and perform single leg exercises. Single leg straight leg deadlifts focus on strengthening the posterior chain which includes the glutes, hamstrings, and back extensors. Along with working on strength, it also requires balance......

Improving Lower Body Strength

Lower body strengthening is a huge part of any sports performance program, but how you strengthen is more important. Many athletes we see come in squating or deadlifting big numbers, but when we put them in positions that they will be in during their sport, they struggle. I'm not saying that squatting or deadlifting are bad for you or that they do not play a part in sports performance training, but that there are many different ways that can be effective. When you think about sports, how often is the athlete in a squat position with the weight equally balanced between the two feet? In most sports, it's pretty rare. Think about 

 

Importance of In-Season Strength Training for Soccer Players

Most injuries in soccer occur during season because of the amount of practices and games played increases. However, majority of those in-season injuries are non-contact and can avoided, such as muscle strains. The assumption is that because you are practice 3 to 4 times a week and playing up to 2 games a weekend, that there is no way that you are out of shape or that your muscles are weak. Contradictory to that common assumption, in-season strength training is just as important as it is in the off-season. Strength training is not an aspect of training that can