101 Tips for Athletes

101 Tips to Maximize Sports Performances Must – Have Strength, Conditioning and Nutrition Tips for Every Athlete and Coach

The Copyright Blurb... Ok, here’s the deal. I WANT you to give this report away to as many athletes, coaches and parents as possible, simple as that.

If you keep this ebook in its entirety then please feel free to give it to as many people as you can so they benefit and improve their sportsl performance too.

The only thing I ask is that you don’t just copy and paste bits and pieces. Keep everything just the way it is right now and it’s yours to give away...

Please help me in my goal of helping 10,000 athletes, coaches and parents world-wide discover the truth about successful sports performance training and nutrition.

2 Copyright 2013 Steve Preston - All Rights Reserved

101 Tips to Maximize Sports Performances Must – Have Strength, Conditioning and Nutrition Tips for Every Athlete and Coach

About the Author Steve Preston is a Sports Performance Specialist and Physical Education Specialist in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

He has taught, coached, and trained thousands of young students and athletes for over 20 years.

He is a former Strength and Conditioning Specialist for the acclaimed Las Vegas Baseball Academy.

He has also been featured on FOX News for his successful training programs.

He has trained athletes ranging from youth sports to the NFL.

Steve is the Author of “Ultimate Wrestling Strength” - Complete Strength and Conditioning for Wrestlers.

Steve is also the Author of “Bodyweight Sports Training” - 12 Week Blueprint To Maximize Your Sports Performance.

You can get a ton more free tips for improving your sports performance at his blog: http://steveprestontraining.com You can reach Steve for questions on the blog...

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101 Tips to Maximize Sports Performances Must – Have Strength, Conditioning and Nutrition Tips for Every Athlete and Coach

1. Use a Foam Roller One of the best things you can do as an athlete is add a foam roller to your training regimen. Foam rollers allow you to knead your muscle in those tight areas that develop into nagging injuries during the season. Use it only on your “tight” areas.

2. Don’t Be Scared of Strength Training One of the biggest myths handed down from generation to generation with athletes is that strength training is bad for you and will ruin you as an athlete. Nothing could be further from the truth... as long as you strength train properly. Training like a bodybuilder is NOT the way to go.

3. Treat Your Body Like a Rear Wheel Drive Muscle Car Your ability to generate speed and power for sports from the back of your body, much like the power generated from an old GTO comes from the rear wheels. If you concentrate on making the rear side of your body stronger you will benefit in your ability to generate power.

4. Stay Away From Energy Drinks Old habits die hard, and some young athletes are addicted to energy drinks. They believe that the energy drinks will make them more alert. Whether this is true or not, these energy drinks are horrible for your heart. The dangers of stimulating your nervous system with some man-made concoction outweigh the possible benefits. I’d stay away if I were you.

5. Train All Parts of Your Triceps Your triceps muscle has 3 heads. All 3 heads are important to the extension necessary when throwing a ball. It’s important to train all 3 heads of the triceps muscle. You do this by including an extension move and a pushdown move when setting up your program. These 2 types of moves together allow you to train all 3 heads of the triceps.

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101 Tips to Maximize Sports Performances Must – Have Strength, Conditioning and Nutrition Tips for Every Athlete and Coach

6. Do Hammer Curls Want to help prevent an eventual Tommy John surgery? Do hammer curls. Hammer curls are like a regular dumbbell curl except you keep your palms facing your body instead of facing up as with a regular dumbbell curl. This turn of the wrist heavily involves the brachialis muscle of the forearm. By doing this you start building a support system within your elbow.

7. Don’t Be Afraid Of Overhead Presses One of the silliest superstitions athletes have in regards to strength training is being afraid of pressing overhead or doing any exercises overhead. The standing front barbell press can be very beneficial to an athletes ability to transfer power from the hips and legs through the core and upper body. It helps develop a connection between using the thighs, hips, core and the arms.

8. Supportive Nutrition If you’re truly serious about becoming a better athlete you need to focus on supportive nutrition. This is a term I use for meals that are very balanced optimally for energy, strength and the ability to stay alert. Getting in “supportive” meals is easy. Simply put a lean protein, a complex carbohydrate (starch) and a fibrous carbohydrate (vegetable) on your plate in visually equal portions. This will give you just the right ratio of macronutrients so you’re always strong, energetic and alert.

9. Train Your Posterior Deltoid Want to know the secret to avoiding shoulder surgery? Get your posterior deltoids stronger. When you throw hard, your rotator cuff muscles take a beating unless your posterior deltoid is strong. When it is, it slows down the violence on the shoulder with hard throwing.

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101 Tips to Maximize Sports Performances Must – Have Strength, Conditioning and Nutrition Tips for Every Athlete and Coach

10. Get Your Hip Abductors Strong When you move side to side on the field, you are using your Abductor muscles in your hips. Training your Abductors to be strong is really important to generate power through your hips for these purposes.

11. Get Your Hip Adductors Strong TOO Every muscle that “shortens” and “lengthens” has an opposing muscle that works in opposition. In the case of your Hip Abductors, the opposing muscle (antagonistic) are the Hip Adductors. The Hip Adductors work to bring your leg in towards the middle of your body. It’s really important to keep the Hip Adductors strong relative to the Hip Adductors so you don’t develop muscle imbalances that lead to injuries.

12. Stretch the Internal Rotators of your Hips One way to avoid an overuse injury with the hips is to regularly stretch the Internal Rotators of the Hips. These are the Gluteus Minimus, Semitendinosus, Semimembranosus and Tensor Fasciae Latae muscles. These muscles are basically your hips and glutes areas. You can stretch the Internal Rotators by lying on your back with knees bent, feet on floor 10 inches apart. Now pull your knees to the middle as you keep your feet on the floor. This stretches the Internal Rotators. (Most athletes could benefit from this stretch).

13. Drink MORE Water Every Day Water is so important for your health and body functioning. But what many ball players don’t realize is how much water you should actually drink as an athlete. If you want to stay alert and be able to react during a game, you should always keep your body hydrated. Since you practice and play outside in the Sun, you will dehydrate quickly. A good rule of thumb I tell my players is to drink half your bodyweight in ounces each day. Example: A 150 pound ball athlete will drink 75 ounces of water each day.

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101 Tips to Maximize Sports Performances Must – Have Strength, Conditioning and Nutrition Tips for Every Athlete and Coach

14. Do the Scramble to Balance Drill One of my favorite drills/exercises for all athletes who play running sports to develop that strong first step is the Scramble to Balance drill. It’s easier to see in action then it is to explain. Look for a video of it on my blog.

15. Don’t Put Too Much Emphasis On A 60 Yard Dash While it is important to have speed for sports, the 60 yard dash is rather unrealistic in comparison. You never get a perfect step during a game like you do running a sprint. Get faster on your sprints but be more concerned with developing the extra strength and balance needed for unusual game situations. You can do this with one leg exercises.

16. Do Trap Bar Deadlifts There are so many benefits of deadlifting with a special bar called the Trap Bar for athletes. The Trap Bar Deadlift gets your hips, glutes and low back stronger without the wear and tear of a straight bar. Plus, the weight is lifted using more muscle mass than with a regular bar. This exercise is fantastic.

17. Eat Small, Frequent Meals The key to having energy for the entire game comes from your nutrition. How often you eat is actually more important than what you eat. Of course you don’t want to eat garbage (more on that in a bit) but if you can give your body small, frequent feedings it will reward you with more energy and alertness.

18. 1 Cup of Coffee Whether it’s hot or cold, one cup of Joe before a game can give you a sense of alertness. This helps you react to any game situation. The important thing is never to overdo it. Too much caffeine will make you jittery and defeat the purpose. You don’t want to feel “jacked up”. You just want to gain a sense of mental and physical alertness.

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101 Tips to Maximize Sports Performances Must – Have Strength, Conditioning and Nutrition Tips for Every Athlete and Coach

19. Train the Middle Deltoids Your shoulders muscles are made up of 3 heads. Each head on the muscle serves a different purpose for moving your arms. The middle head is responsible for bring your upper arm straight out from your sides. The middle head is used heavily by many athletic movements. You use it when you are batting and keeping your back elbow up. You use it when throwing with both arms. The thing is that most guys neglect this important muscle. Use Lateral Raises with dumbbells or manual resistance from a qualified trainer to maximize your middle deltoid strength.

20. Eat Your Veggies Have you ever heard that carrots are good for your eyesight? Well, veggies in general are excellent for your eye strength and the ability to see a fast ball. Up your daily veggies intake and you will maximize your eye sight on the field.

21. Even Out Muscle Imbalances Whenever you practice by repeating the same movements over and over, you are at the risk of developing over-use injuries. One of the jobs of a properly designed strength training program for athletes is to help even out these imbalances of tight muscles that get overused. This will help you play better as well as avoid nagging injuries. One way to even out muscle imbalances is to stretch tight muscles at the end of practice or training. Another way is to be sure to train opposing muscle groups so that their strength is equal.

22. Use a Dynamic Warmup The best way to warm up for sports is through a comprehensive dynamic warmup. This is basically loosening up your muscles through movement. Dynamic warmups ease your muscles through the loosening process without creating a stretch reflex response that tightens you up more.

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101 Tips to Maximize Sports Performances Must – Have Strength, Conditioning and Nutrition Tips for Every Athlete and Coach

23. Use Static Stretching On Tight Muscles After Practice Or Training Just as you should warm up your muscles before games, practice or training using dynamic warmups, you should perform static stretching at the end. Static stretching (the type where you hold a stretch from 10-30 seconds) for the tight areas at the end of practice, game or training will suffice. You don’t need to stretch the whole body either... just your tight areas. 24. One Leg Exercises A fantastic complement to your sport-specific leg training should involve some sort of 1leg exercise. By training with one leg you build the supportive muscles around the hip, knee and ankle. You also get more direct quadriceps training, which is so important to any athletic movement which requires running or jumping.

25. Multi-Vitamin Supplement Let’s face it, nutrition is tough to get right. Most people never eat the way that “they should.” Because of this, you should seriously consider supplementing your diet with a multi-vitamin. Think of it as an insurance policy. It’s not like steroids or some magic pill/potion that is going to transform you into a major leaguer overnight. It’s just meant to keep your body systems running optimally. This in turn will keep you performing at your best on the field. Here is an excellent choice for a multi-vitamin: Prograde MultiVitamin/Mineral

26. Train All 3 Planes of Motion The body has 3 planes of motion that the human body is capable of moving through: Sagittal, Coronal and Transverse. If you want to be the best athlete you can be you must train your body in all 3 planes of motion. Most athletes neglect to do this and don’t ever reach their potential. Be sure to incorporate exercises to the front, side and rotational.

27. Get Your Hamstrings Strong Your hamstrings are made up of 3 different muscles. Two of those muscles assist your Hip Abductors in stepping into a pitch. Get your hamstrings strong in combination with your hips to maximize your power while doing anything athletic.

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101 Tips to Maximize Sports Performances Must – Have Strength, Conditioning and Nutrition Tips for Every Athlete and Coach

28. Meal Replacement Drinks I mentioned before of the importance of meal frequency for creating energy. This in turn means you’ll play better. But sometimes it’s not practical to get in those multi-meals daily. Or sometimes you don’t have decent food choices available. If your serious about keeping up with your high-performance nutrition for sports you may need to turn to meal replacement drinks. These are low-medium calorie powders that contain a balanced ratio of protein, carbohydrates and healthy fats. I recommend this one: Prograde Meal Replacement Powder

29. Zinc For Eye Health Zinc, along with Omega-3 Fatty Acids are important to eye health. This is important to athletes because if your eyes aren’t healthy and strong you may miss that big play. Zinc is found in meat, poultry, dairy, nuts and sees.

30. Eat More Healthy Fats Fats get a bad rap in regard to nutrition. It is very important to your overall baseball performance that you get enough healthy fats. Remember, baseball is a sport that relies heavily on your ability to react. By ingesting healthy fats you keep your body systems operating smoothly. You also optimize hormone levels which is important if you want to be stronger for sports. Fats also aid you eyesight. Stick to unsaturated or polyunsaturated fats such as nuts, nut butters, olive oil, flax seed oil. 31. Do Scapular Retractions You’re probably reading this and saying,”what is he talking about? What in the world are scapular retractions?” Your Scapulae (also referred to as your Shoulder Blades) connect your upper arm (Humerus) with your collar bone (Clavicle). The Scapulae move in various ways while you throw and bat. One way to strengthen the entire shoulder area is to perform Scapular Contractions. Here’s how: Get into a top pushup position. Instead of bending the elbows and lowering into a pushup, keep the arms straight and allow your scapulae to squeeze in towards each other. Then reverse the movement and consciously spread your scapulae apart. Remember, the arms never bend during this exercise.

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101 Tips to Maximize Sports Performances Must – Have Strength, Conditioning and Nutrition Tips for Every Athlete and Coach

32. Gain Strength During Your Offseason The offseason is where Strength Coaches like to get players strong. It is the time to lay a foundation of strength that will transfer to the field or court come game time. Even if you play year round you should designate at least some time to offseason strength building.

33. Gain Power and Speed During Your Preseason After you have built a base of strength during your offseason you now have the ability to turn that brute strength into overall speed and power. It’s important to work on basic strength levels before trying to improve power power and running speed with fancy exercises. Training with plyometrics (fast exercises such as jumping) are useful for short periods of time I like to designate as the Preseason.

34. Train During Your Season One of the biggest mistakes many athletes make is not training during the season. The “IN” season is when you water down your workouts a bit in terms of frequency (2 x per week is fine), volume of exercises and number of sets. Your goal with in-season training is to maintain the strength, power and speed that you developed with your Offseason and Preseason training.

35. Sleep 7-8 Hours Each Night Sleep is so underrated when it comes to optimal sports performance. If you don’t get full rest and recovery you will always lag when it comes to playing at your best for a full season. My rule of thumb is that you should never have to wake up to the sound of an alarm clock.

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101 Tips to Maximize Sports Performances Must – Have Strength, Conditioning and Nutrition Tips for Every Athlete and Coach

36. Creatine is Optional I always get asked about creatine by athletes, coaches and parents. The truth is, creatine does work. Does it work like steroids? NO. But it does give you a few pounds of body weight since it volumizes your muscle cells. But you don’t have to use it either. In fact, youth athletes elementary age through middle school shouldn’t bother. High School age athletes and up can benefit from it as their strength training is highly strength producing. Two things about creatine. Take it in apple juice, grape juice or Gatorade. Also, drink more water if you decide to use it.

37. Reverse Hyperextensions One of the top exercises any athlete can do is the Reverse Hyperextension. It is an apparatus that is designed to get your glutes and hips stronger without compromising the safety of your low back. It is one of my top exercises for athletes trying to develop hitting power and running speed.

38. Increase Your Strength To Body Mass Ratio The stronger you can make your body in relation to your overall body mass the better. The better athlete usually has a good strength/body mass ratio. One indicator of your strength/body mass ratio is your ability to do chinups. If you can do a lot of chinups you have a good strength/body mass ratio. One leg squats are another great indicator of this. Get strong on these exercises. 39. Do Body Weight Circuits As an athlete it’s good to include body weight circuits along with standard strength exercises. Body weight circuits are a group of exercises that are done back to back. The circuit should have you performing exercises for the upper body and lower body. They should also train you in all 3 planes of motion as I mentioned before.

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101 Tips to Maximize Sports Performances Must – Have Strength, Conditioning and Nutrition Tips for Every Athlete and Coach

40. Interval Cardio How many times have you seen athletes have to jog 2 miles during a game? NEVER! So why do coaches like to send their players for long jogs?? Jogging is aerobic. The running needs of most sports are anaerobic in nature. So, what form of cardio is best for these sports? Interval Cardio. If you choose interval training, perform a cardio exercise at an interval of 2 minutes at a pace you could maintain for 8 minutes. Rest 2 minutes and repeat up to 6 times.

41. Multi-Directional Lunges Lunges are an excellent exercise for athletes.. But most guys don’t perform them in multiple directions. Training Lunges forward, backwards and to each side strengthen your legs to prepare for stepping in to any type of pitch, whether it be inside, outside, high or low.

42. Use Closed Chain Exercises Exercises where your hands or feet are stationary and the barbell or your own body weight are moving are called Closed Chain exercises. Some examples are Squats, Deadlifts, Dips, Chinups, Weighted Pushups, Step Ups. I love these types of exercises for athletes seeking increased strength because you will use the most amount of muscle fiber without the shearing effect of “open chain” exercises. Open Chain exercises involve the hands or feet moving through space. In general, Open Chain exercises have a shearing effect on the joints. This is definitely something to avoid if you’re an athlete.

43. Use the Glute Ham Raise Machine A Glute/Ham Raise is an incredible exercise. If you have an opportunity to include it in your sport-specific training I would highly recommend you do so. A Glute/Ham Raise is literally an exercise that trains your Hamstrings, Glutes and Hips like no other. It’s a perfect example of a Closed Chain Hamstring exercise.

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101 Tips to Maximize Sports Performances Must – Have Strength, Conditioning and Nutrition Tips for Every Athlete and Coach

44. Ditch The Situps and Crunches It’s so important to have a strong core as an athlete. The power generated from the hips transfers through the core when you are doing so many athletic movements. So, many coaches have their players working on the core by doing lots of crunches and situps. STOP! Not only are they a waste of time as far as getting those little core areas that you want to concentrate on, but they can also be dangerous on your spine.

45. Use The Pullover Machine Years ago the Nautius company invented a machine called the Pullover. it was described as the perfect upper body exercise. Well, it’s not a total upper body exercise. It’s a great back builder, specifically for your “lats.” Even better, it’s a fantastic exercise for throwing athletes. The only thing is that they are hard to find these days. If you don’t have one, you can do a dumbbell pullover lying across a bench.

46. Russian Twist This core exercise will get those Internal Oblique muscles that you need for anything that requires generating power. To perform, sit on the floor with your knees bent and feet 2 inches off the floor. Lean your torso back with both hands on a medicine ball. Rotate the medicine ball form side to side.

47. Eat Like a Caveman The more you stay away from processed foods and opt for natural foods instead, the better. Foods from natural sources that utilized more efficiently. Your body will react better, you’ll have more energy, and you’ll have more strength. Fruits, veggies, lean meats, whole grains are all great examples of foods that will help you play baseball better overall.

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101 Tips to Maximize Sports Performances Must – Have Strength, Conditioning and Nutrition Tips for Every Athlete and Coach

48. Don’t Go Overboard with Sports Performance Drinks Young athletes are crazy about Gatorade and other Sports Performance Drinks. But take out the salt and electrolytes and you have a high-sugar drink much like drinking CoolAde or Soda. The sugar content in these drinks make them a very poor choice for consumption .

49. Eat Your Carrots It’s true that carrots in their raw form are excellent for eye health. Hey, if you’re serious about seeing better you should try to do everything you can to get that performance edge. Try adding raw carrots to your salads a few times per week. Can’t hurt, right?

50. Get Protein From a Variety of Sources Protein is the macronutrient responsible for repairing tissue and letting you add muscle. Protein is not stored in the body cells like fats and carbohydrates though. You should have some protein in at least 3 meals daily if you want to add the muscular strength you’ll need to perform better during games and competition.

51. One Arm Triceps Extensions Strong triceps are a must for a strong throwing arm, as well as when you extend your arms to mash a fastball into the seats. One Arm Triceps Extensions are a great way to train the Triceps muscle group. The one-arm element allows you to train the area more intensely.

52. Bodyweight Training Be sure to include bodyweight training in your sports- specific training program. Bodyweight training allows you to get functionally strong for sports, add muscle, improve conditioning, gain power and burn fat while minimizing stress on the joints and cutting in to recovery time.

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101 Tips to Maximize Sports Performances Must – Have Strength, Conditioning and Nutrition Tips for Every Athlete and Coach

53. Do A Strength Day, Speed Day and Conditioning Day with Bodyweight One simple system I’ve found to work great for athletes looking to improve sports performance is to train 3 days per week on bodyweight exercises. Each of the 3 days is separated into a strength day, speed day and conditioning day. Try it some time. You’ll gain speed while noticing improved sports performance.

54. Do “Pre-Loaded Starts” This is a drill that will help you build explosion when your weight isn’t centered, as with many athletic challenges you face in sports. Here’s how you do it:  Lie on stomach  When coach says “go”raise into a pushup position and bring one foot forward under torso so knee is under chest.  On second “go” explode forward off loaded leg and sprint to first base or for 30 yards. 55. Hill Sprints A great way to get into sports condition is to run hills. Running up then walking down can be a fantastic way to increase your level of conditioning. It also works the quadriceps hard on the way up and the hamstrings on the way down. Of course, you may be limited by lack of hills in your area, but have a look.

56. Train 3 Days Per Week During the Offseason I never have athletes strength train more then 3 days per week during the Offseason. If you’re interested in building strength and doing it correctly, then 3 days is plenty. Any more training would just be counterproductive and unnecessary.

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101 Tips to Maximize Sports Performances Must – Have Strength, Conditioning and Nutrition Tips for Every Athlete and Coach

57. Train 3 Days Per Week During the Preseason Although the preseason is geared towards taking the strength you gain during your offseason training and converting it to power and speed with different exercises, you should still train no more than 3 days per week. You can do speed/agility training or conditioning on the days in between strength workouts but don’t do more days of strength training. More is not better if you’re doing it right.

58. Train 2 Days Per Week During the Inseason Once your season arrives, it’s time to reduce your workouts in terms of volume and frequency. By reducing the Inseason training to 2 times per week you will keep your strength while still concentrating on your sport. The number of exercises and sets is reduced slightly as well.

59. Do 1-Leg Box Jumps One of my favorite preseason exercises to develop power and speed in athletes are 1Leg Box Jumps. To do these you stand in front of a box or bench on one leg. Crouch into a quarter squat and explode up on to the box/bench landing on one leg. Step back down and repeat.

60. Do 1-Leg Quarter Turn Box Jumps After you’ve mastered the 1-leg Box Jump you can try adding a quarter turn. Stand with the box or bench at your side as you are on one leg. As you jump up you take a quarter turn towards the box and land on one foot on top of the box. These are great for developing that first step out quickness you need during a game.

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101 Tips to Maximize Sports Performances Must – Have Strength, Conditioning and Nutrition Tips for Every Athlete and Coach

61. NO STEROIDS! Ok, will all of the fuss about Performance Enhancing Drugs in sports I have to take a stand as a Sports Performance Specialist. You don’t need steroids EVER to be a great athlete. Steroids are used to increase strength as well as repair tissue. Most guys who do or don’t take steroids never reach their strength potential because they don’t train properly. If you train on a sport-specific program consistently, you will develop all of the strength you’ll ever need to perform without having to resort to dangerous, illegal drugs.

62. Do Medicine Ball Slams Medicine balls are a great tool to develop the core strength and power needed for athletic success. BUT, only in conjunction with a proper strength training program. In other words, if you do only Medicine Ball exercises without working out the rest of your body they won’t do you much good. Take a soccer throw hold on the medicine ball behind your head. In one swift motion, bring the ball overhead and slam it on the ground. Pick the ball up, reset and repeat for desired reps.

63. Do Medicine Ball Side Wall Throws Stand sideways next to a wall holding the medicine ball straight out in front of you at chest level. Rotate the ball away from the wall using your core. In one swift motion, rotate quickly towards the wall and release, so that the ball slams into the wall. Pick the ball up, reset and repeat for desired reps. This is a great exercise for training explosive power. Remember, you must train both sides of your body to keep balanced strength on both sides for efficiency and injury prevention.

64. Eat Complex Carbs Carbohydrates are your body’s preferred source for quick energy. They are broken down into 2 categories: simple and complex. Simple carbs come from white bread, sugar, soda and chips. Complex carbs contain fiber, which slows absorption in the body so you have a longer energy burn. Complex carbs are much more efficient for the body to use and less likely to be converted to fat unless you ingest too many calories.

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101 Tips to Maximize Sports Performances Must – Have Strength, Conditioning and Nutrition Tips for Every Athlete and Coach

65. Super-Charge Your Water I mentioned in a previous tip how important it is for athletes to stay hydrated. I also mentioned how many players go overboard on sugary sports drinks instead of drinking water. Here’s how you can have the best of both worlds: Super charge your water instead of loading up on all of the sugar and salt found in the sports drinks. Simply mix half of your Gatorade, Powerade or Vitamin water into your regular water.

66. Never Go On A Low-Carb Diet As an athlete you never want to cut out carbohydrates. I know this can be popular with those who want to lose body fat, but it’s a disaster for athletes. You need to have carbs for fuel in order to stay sharp, focused and energetic.

67. Do Side to Side Squats This exercise is great to work on the glutes and hips as well as the abductors and adductors in your thighs that are so important for lateral movement while playing. To perform, you hold one dumbbell between your legs with both hands. Step out to one side then squat down. Return to upright position, then step back in towards middle. Immediately step out to other side with opposite foot and then squat down. Return to middle and repeat for desired reps on each side.

68. Eat On A Schedule Eating on a schedule will automatically prevent your body from undereating or overeating. If you have regularly scheduled meals your energy levels will pick up tremendously. You’ll also be able to add more strength and muscle to your frame. You should be eating a meal or a snack every 21/2-3 hours all day long.

69. Thick Bar Exercises Exercises with a specially made “thick bar” are awesome for athletes. The thick bar is more like a pipe in circumference. It is a great piece of equipment that allows you to contract your muscles harder.

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101 Tips to Maximize Sports Performances Must – Have Strength, Conditioning and Nutrition Tips for Every Athlete and Coach

70. Eat Breakfast If you want to play your best during competition you should be in the habit of eating breakfast. Your breakfast should consist of complex carbs, protein and some healthy Omega-3 fats if possible.

71. Consume Omega-3 Fatty Acids Essential fatty acids and Omega-3s are essential for young athletes. Not only are they great for energy, but they allow your heart and arteries to keep up with your increased workload. They can also decrease inflammation in joints as well as improve your sense of alertness.

72. Speed Skater Squats This is a great exercise for athletes of any age. They work the hips, glutes an quadriceps at the same time. They’re fantastic because there is no loading of the spine. This makes them great for guys who have back problems and youth athletes. Hold dumbbells at your sides with one leg trailed behind you on a bench and standing on the other leg. Dip straight down until your front thigh is parallel with the floor. Come up only half way and pause. Lower back down to bottom and then come up all the way to a standing position. Basically, each repetition is a 11/2 reps.

73. Keep Your Blood Sugar Levels Stable Snacks are important each day so that you keep your blood sugar stable. By keeping your blood sugar stable, you will be able to focus at practice and in games more. Some great snacks that will help you keep your blood sugar stable are: Healthy granola or protein bars, trail mix, banana, peanuts, half of a PBJ sandwich, cheese stick and some pretzels.

74. Standing Broad Jump The traditional standing broad jump is an excellent plyometric exercise for athletes. By jumping off both feet and landing on both feet you build the explosive power that your legs need for physically reacting on the field or court.

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101 Tips to Maximize Sports Performances Must – Have Strength, Conditioning and Nutrition Tips for Every Athlete and Coach

75. Eat the Right Pre-Game Snack Stabilize your blood sugar levels as you have all day by eating frequently, provide immediately usable energy for your game and help you avoid hunger during your game. Some great examples of pre-game snacks are:    

Banana and pretzels and a bottle of water Turkey sandwich on whole wheat with a bottle of water Breadsticks and a yogurt with a bottle of water Low protein/low sugar energy bar with bottle of water

76. Pass On The French Fries If there is one junk food that has absolutely no nutritional value nor any place in an athlete’s diet it’s french fries. They are loaded with calories and saturated fats. Some fries even has trans-fats, which are worse then saturated fats for your health.

77. Stiff-Arm Pulldowns This is another great exercise for throwing athletes. This exercise will focus on the important latissimus dorsi muscles in the back while giving you a healthy stretch in your shoulders. To perform stand in front of a pulldown machine that has a straight bar attached to the pulley. Place hands shoulder width on the bar and push straight down with arms straight. Now bend your head down slightly as you allow the bar to come back up and over your head. Stretch out the lats, and repeat.

78. Bench Press Many athletes shy away from the standard barbell bench press. They think it is for bulking and are worried about their shoulders. If you use good form and proper weight, this exercise is outstanding for “overall” body strength. It involves the entire body when trained properly. You can substitute dumbbell presses if you prefer.

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101 Tips to Maximize Sports Performances Must – Have Strength, Conditioning and Nutrition Tips for Every Athlete and Coach

79. Last Meal 2 Hours Before Bed In order to get a good nights sleep for re- energizing your body, be sure to have your last meal or snack 2 hours prior to going to bed. This is especially true of sugar and caffeine.

80. Melatonin for Sleep Melatonin is a natural sleep aid. Many doctors will recommend it as a daily supplement to help young people and adults with their sleep problems. It is nonaddictive and nonhabit forming.

81. Glutamine Another great supplement for athletes who want to add strength and muscle without resorting to dangerous PEDs is Glutamine. Glutamine is the most abundant amino acid in your body. It is responsible for growth and repair. Supplementing your body with additional Glutamine can really help you build and keep your muscle as the season wears on.

82. Run Backwards One of the best way to improve running form which transfers into greater overall speed is by running backwards. Start with walking, then half speed and then full speed runs. The key is to keep your arms pumping and a forward lean. The body has a unique way of ironing out flaws in running form this way. Over time you’re speed during games will improve.

83. Colorless Urine If you play sports outside all of the time on hot Summer days you have to be extra conscious about getting in enough water. Yeah, I gave you a little formula before, but how do you really know if you’ve had enough water each day? It’s simple: your urine tells all. If you are drinking enough water to make a serious athletic difference in your game, your urine should be almost colorless. The more yellow it is the more dehydrated you are. Use this as your guide and you’ll never go wrong.

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101 Tips to Maximize Sports Performances Must – Have Strength, Conditioning and Nutrition Tips for Every Athlete and Coach

84. Wood Choppers This is one of the best exercises any athlete can do for their core. I love this exercise because it trains your core while you are standing... just like you need your core when you are competing. To perform, you use either a high cable with a handle or an elastic band that’s set up over your shoulder. Begin with both hands on cable handle or elastic band reaching over one of your shoulders. Look straight ahead as you pull both hands down and across your body to the outside of your opposite hip. Return to start and repeat. As always, do this on both sides of the body.

85. Reverse Wood Choppers This exercise is just a variation of Wood Choppers described above. This exercise requires the elastic band or cable to set low, outside of your foot. With both hands grab the band or handle so that both hands are outside of your foot. In one motion stand while bringing both hands up and stretched out over the opposite shoulder. Repeat for desired reps.

86. Side Stepping Drill We have always had good success with athletes in our gym by including the Side Stepping Drill. This is a bodyweight drill designed to improve the mobility and range of motion in your hips. It’s a very good functional exercise for your adductors and abductors. To perform set up a bar or dowel so that it is at the level of your mid to upper thighs. Stand next to the bar so that it is just outside your thigh. Start drill by picking up your inside foot and stepping over the bar. As soon as you touch the floor with your foot, reverse directions and bring the foot back over the bar to the floor. Repeat for desired reps or time, then switch sides.

87. Agility Drills One Day After Strength Training My young athletes always do their sports-specific agility drills the day after strength training... especially leg training. This allows you to loosen up and start the recovery process from an anaerobic leg workout.

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101 Tips to Maximize Sports Performances Must – Have Strength, Conditioning and Nutrition Tips for Every Athlete and Coach

88. Agility Drills Twice Per Week I usually have my players do their agility drills twice per week. This works well with fitting in practice, strength training and conditioning. Agility drills are meant to be done fresh so you are explosive and effective. Some drills can be done one time per week but usually two.

89. Interval Training Two Or Three Times Per Week Interval cardio training is such a great way to get into anaerobic condition for sports. I mentioned how to set it up before for reference. If you have the time and you’ve been consistently getting in your strength training and proper baseball nutrition then do a third day. Nutrition and rest play a key role in how many days of cardio should be done.

90. Have Your Pre-Game Meal 60-90 Minutes Before You Play Try not to eat immediately before your games or practice. Give yourself 60-90 minutes so you are ready to play hard without feeling sluggish or bloated.

91. Carb Up The Night Before Your dinner the night before a game or tournament should be a high carbohydrate meal. Spaghetti with Meatballs is my favorite. Although I recommend a pre-game snack, it’s really only to keep your blood sugar stable. Your real energy for the game will come from the dinner you had the previous night.

92. Use a Full Range of Motion When you perform a strength training workout to improve your skills, you need to train each exercise through a full range of motion. If you shorten your reps and don’t allow the muscle to fully stretch and contract, you will be doing yourself a disservice. This leads to the dreaded muscle imbalances that cause injuries and poor performances on the field.

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101 Tips to Maximize Sports Performances Must – Have Strength, Conditioning and Nutrition Tips for Every Athlete and Coach

93. Train Your Rotator Cuff If you are your Posterior Deltoid strong this may not be necessary. It’s an insurance policy to keep your shoulders in check. But as I explained before most shoulder injuries occur because there is a weakness or imbalance within the posterior deltoid. When you get the posterior deltoid strong there is less stress placed on the 4 muscles of the rotator cuff.

94. Do Hill Sprints or Stadium Steps This drill improves speed endurance by training a delayed onset of lactic acid buildup. It’s also a great drill to keep players lean and mentally tough.

95. Stability Ball Leg Curls This is a another fantastic exercise for athletes. It serves a few purposes:    

Increase your hamstrings strength Increase your hips strength Increase your core strength Increases joint stability in your knee

96. Ankle Alphabet Ankle stability is very important to have as an athlete. One great warm-up and cool-down exercise to help keep stability and mobility in the ankle joint is the Ankle Alphabet. To do this, lie on your back with legs out straight. Raise one leg off the ground and trace the letters of the alphabet: A-Z. Once you’ve completed it for one ankle, repeat for the other side.

97. Progressive Resistance If you want to truly increase your sports strength you must seek to increase the resistance on your exercises. That means you have to try to get stronger. If you just do the same thing each time you’ll never layer the muscle tissue that will equate to more sports strength.

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101 Tips to Maximize Sports Performances Must – Have Strength, Conditioning and Nutrition Tips for Every Athlete and Coach

98. Listen To Your Body Even if you have the perfect training plan, you must listen to your body. If an exercise hurts, don’t do it. Just as in sports where you have to listen to your body in regard to little aches and pains, you must do so in the gym as well. There is always another way to train each of your muscles, even if some exercises don’t agree with you.

99. Perfect Form As an athlete you practice for hours and hours. Your goal is to master your technique. Form is everything. The same thing applies to your strength training. You should be seeking to perfect your form on each and every strength training exercise. Perfect form not only reduces chances of injury, but also recruits more muscle fiber that will result in better strength gains over time.

100.Be Consistent You have to be consistent with practice if you’re going to be a great athlete. You have to consistently practice so you improve your skills. You must also be consistent with your strength, conditioning and nutrition. Consistent strength training, conditioning and nutrition will make you so much better on the court or field. Remember, a missed workout can never be made up!

101.Hire A Sports Performance Specialist If you need professional tax advice you go to a Certified Public Accountant. If your car needs repairs you take it to a qualified mechanic. So if you are serious about maximizing your baseball performance you should work with a Sports Performance Specialist. You’ll cut out years of wasted time and effort. You’ll reach your goals faster too. Don’t rely on the advice of some guy who “works out.” Go with a professional who will help you maximize your baseball performance.

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101 Tips to Maximize Sports Performances Must – Have Strength, Conditioning and Nutrition Tips for Every Athlete and Coach

Recommended Resources Bodyweight Sports Training

Your 12 Week Bodyweight Training Blueprint To Maximize Sports Performance.

 This is a complete resource to dramatically improve your strength, speed, power and conditioning for any sport!  Perfect for athletes of any age and any sport  A Must-Have Resource For Every Athlete, Coach and Parent Click Here To Get Bodyweight Sports Training

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101 Tips to Maximize Sports Performances Must – Have Strength, Conditioning and Nutrition Tips for Every Athlete and Coach

Meal Replacement Powder

This is a highly-recommended nutritional supplement for all serious athletes.

Your sports nutrition must be optimal if you want to perform at your best. This is like getting a perfect sports meal in one simple to make shake.

You will feel strong, energetic and ready to compete, without getting slowed down with dense foods and fatty, sugary meals.

Click Here To Get Prograde Meal Replacement

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