Issue link: http://www.wacmagazine.com/i/721677
O ptimal performance. It's what athletes seek no matter their chosen sport. To achieve your best performance, you must train hard and smart. After all, being at your best a few days before or after the big day isn't what you want. You want your best performance when the moment counts most. When we train for a specific sport we often call it sports performance training. Such training typically incorporates explosive movements and focuses on flexibility, reaction times, speed, agility, core strength, and balance. Although conventional training may involve many of the same exercises, it usually puts more emphasis on body transformation, weight loss, or muscular build. Sports performance training, on the other hand, focuses on building agility, power and endurance specific to a single sport. A volleyball player, for example, will want to develop an exercise routine that puts her through movement patterns that mimic what she can expect on the court. As is typical in most sports, she will also want to work across planes of motion rather than in a single plane, which is common in conventional strength and conditioning programs. Using integrated movements that focus on functional strength and neuromuscular efficiency will help achieve this. Good examples of these types of exercises include: Barbell front squats The barbell front squat builds strength in the lower body by engaging the quads and core. Front squats are more forgiving on the back and knees than back squats, an important benefit for volleyball players, who often experience knee injuries. Raise your game Love a sport? Get better with targeted training WAC Personal Trainer Roy Coleman Jr. works with member and volleyball player Stephanie Elliott as she executes a barbell front squat. J O H N B A N G ( 4 ) Getting Fit By Roy Coleman Jr., WAC Personal Trainer; and Eric Chen, WAC Nutritionist 30 | Washington Athletic Club Magazine | SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2016