The stats are in!
With data from over 200* athletes, 12 sports, 12 tests, and an age range of nearly 30 years there have been a lot of numbers to crunch.
So what did we find and what does it all mean for you?
EP.70 - The Plyo Step
Taking off the Athletic Handbrake: The World's Greatest Most Important, Best Stretch
EP.17 - Basketballers: Stop Doing Slides
EP.10 - Agility Ladders. Good or Bad?
Podcast (8 Minutes) - Agility is an often misunderstood topic, in this episode we cover the most important principles regarding effective agility training
We discuss:
- Agility (speed) ladders and their appropriate/inappropriate use
- The differences between foot speed training and change of direction
- Why the fancy drills we see on the internet may not be as effective as most people think.
One Muscle to Rule Them All: Gluteus Maximus
Gluteus Maximus (or glute max to its friends) is the single biggest muscle in the human body. Along with its sidekicks Gluteus Medius and Minimus it has a huge role to play in our athletic performance. The problem for most athletes is that their glutes are either not working at all, or are very, very weak. The good news is that glutes are pretty easy to strengthen, provided you know what you are doing.
Before we get to how to work the glutes, you need to understand why they are such a big deal.
Reason 1: Strong glutes provide hip extension
Hip extension is a really really big deal, at least as big as stretching and rolling, which you can read about here and here. Powerful hip extension is one of the key qualities that separates great leapers from the vertically challenged. It's also the bedrock of speed and acceleration. Have you ever seen a great sprinter without great glute development? No. Me neither. The reason for this is that to move forwards we have to push backwards. To push backwards we need strong glutes.
