---
title: Strength and Conditioning Blog | BridgeAthletic | Performance Trends (26)
description: Performance Trends | The BridgeAthletic blog features workout routines and advice designed to give athletes, coaches, and trainers a competitive advantage. (26)
---
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## [Wearable Fitness Technology: What You Should Be Measuring | BridgeAthletic](https://blog.bridgeathletic.com/your-guide-to-the-best-wearable-fitness-technology-bridgeathletic)
By [Megan Fischer-Colbrie](https://blog.bridgeathletic.com/author/megan-fischer-colbrie) on April 09, 2015
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Wearable fitness technology is fast becoming an integral component of elite athletics. BridgeAthletic created this guide to help coaches and athletes make a well-informed decision on the fitness tracker that will give them a leg up on the competition. When deciding upon relevant parameters to measure for elite athletes, consider which metrics most closely relate to performance. Accessory measurements like steps taken or calories burned are interesting to know, but they do not directly apply to an athlete’s performance in a game, race, or event. Heart rate and sleep monitoring should provide key information to coaches and athletes to help them train with more specificity and efficiency.
[Read More](https://blog.bridgeathletic.com/your-guide-to-the-best-wearable-fitness-technology-bridgeathletic)
[Nutrition](https://blog.bridgeathletic.com/topic/nutrition) [Performance Trends](https://blog.bridgeathletic.com/topic/performance-trends) [Competition](https://blog.bridgeathletic.com/topic/competition) [Travel](https://blog.bridgeathletic.com/topic/travel)
## [5 Ways to Improve Stability](https://blog.bridgeathletic.com/5-stability-tricks-to-boost-your-athleticism-bridgeathletic)
By [Megan Fischer-Colbrie](https://blog.bridgeathletic.com/author/megan-fischer-colbrie) on March 19, 2015
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Stability is a critical component of athleticism. No matter what sport you play, good stability enables you to move quickly, fluidly, and safely. Elite athletes develop this trait to protect themselves from injury, improve their technical prowess, and harness their performance potential.
[Read More](https://blog.bridgeathletic.com/5-stability-tricks-to-boost-your-athleticism-bridgeathletic)
[Performance Trends](https://blog.bridgeathletic.com/topic/performance-trends)
## [4 Exercises to Power Up your Lacrosse Shot | BridgeAthletic](https://blog.bridgeathletic.com/4-exercises-to-power-up-your-lacrosse-shot-bridgeathletic)
By [BridgeAthletic](https://blog.bridgeathletic.com/author/bridgeathletic) on March 03, 2015
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A lacrosse shot demands a full body effort. Like many movements in sport, the shot begins way down in the lower body and ends with the whiplash of the upper extremities. For complex movements like this, force production in the torso and efficient force transfer across the body is critical to creating the peak power necessary for a strong shot. If you’re going to need a lot of force behind your movement, you need to train explosively.
[Read More](https://blog.bridgeathletic.com/4-exercises-to-power-up-your-lacrosse-shot-bridgeathletic)
[Performance Trends](https://blog.bridgeathletic.com/topic/performance-trends) [Competition](https://blog.bridgeathletic.com/topic/competition)
## [Bulk vs. Strength: Your 5-minute Guide to Optimal Muscular Hypertrophy | BridgeAthletic](https://blog.bridgeathletic.com/bulk-vs.-strengthyour-5-minute-guide-to-optimal-muscular-hypertrophy-bridgeathletic)
By [Megan Fischer-Colbrie](https://blog.bridgeathletic.com/author/megan-fischer-colbrie) on February 20, 2015
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I was recently approached by an athlete who asked me how to put on more muscle mass. He wanted to bulk up a little bit, and was curious to know how his strength program could accommodate this goal. My usual response to this is, “Do you want to get stronger, or really just bulk up?” for how you define your fitness goals usually affects the end result. Athletes and non-athletes alike should seek to build *strength*, in which hypertrophy can be a happy byproduct, over bulk. Since these terms are often used interchangeably, let’s take a look at how to distinguish them to fit your strength goals.
[Read More](https://blog.bridgeathletic.com/bulk-vs.-strengthyour-5-minute-guide-to-optimal-muscular-hypertrophy-bridgeathletic)
[Performance Trends](https://blog.bridgeathletic.com/topic/performance-trends)
## [How does Duke Lacrosse Warm up for Games and Practice? | BridgeAthletic](https://blog.bridgeathletic.com/lacrosse_dynamic_warm_up)
By [BridgeAthletic](https://blog.bridgeathletic.com/author/bridgeathletic) on February 20, 2015
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**13-Step Duke Lacrosse Dynamic Warm-Up**
All lacrosse players warm up before competition and training sessions. Or at least I should say, all players go through the motions of a warm-up. The best lacrosse teams, like the 2-time NCAA champions of Duke Lacrosse, activate their muscles through a rigorous dynamic warm-up that truly gets the blood flowing. How do they do it? And why? Carl Christensen,strength coach for Duke University Lacrosse and a BridgeAthletic Performance Advisory Board member overseeing BridgeLacrosse, frequently sees young players dismiss this critical part of their preparation. He says, “Watching high school camps, many kids don’t even warm up. Or sometimes, only half the team warms up, while attackmen go shoot on the goalkeeper—and then they start playing.”
[Read More](https://blog.bridgeathletic.com/lacrosse_dynamic_warm_up)
[Performance Trends](https://blog.bridgeathletic.com/topic/performance-trends)
## [VO2 Max for Measuring Athlete Fitness | BridgeAthletic](https://blog.bridgeathletic.com/vo2-max-a-gold-standard-for-measuring-fitness-bridgeathletic)
By [BridgeAthletic](https://blog.bridgeathletic.com/author/bridgeathletic) on February 12, 2015
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VO2 max (also referred to as maximal oxygen consumption, peak oxygen uptake) is the maximum rate of oxygen consumption as measured during incremental exercise, usually on a treadmill or cycle ergometer. Maximal oxygen consumption represents the aerobic physical fitness of an individual and is important in determining his or her endurance capacity in prolonged athletic activity. Given this definition, it should be easy to measure your VO2 max and see how your cardiovascular fitness stacks up, right? The answer, however, is not so obvious.
[Read More](https://blog.bridgeathletic.com/vo2-max-a-gold-standard-for-measuring-fitness-bridgeathletic)
[Performance Trends](https://blog.bridgeathletic.com/topic/performance-trends)
## [Swimmer’s Shoulder-Prevention and Dryland Training Strategies](https://blog.bridgeathletic.com/swimmer-shoulder-prevention-dryland-training-strategies)
By [Dr. Emily Kraus](https://blog.bridgeathletic.com/author/dr-emily-kraus) on January 16, 2015
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In the culture of swimming, it’s often expected to “train through the pain” in order to get to the top1. If you consider yourself a competitive swimmer, you likely have experienced shoulder pain at some point in your career, with it being the most common musculoskeletal complaint in swimming with an incidence ranging from 52% to 73% in elite swimmers2. A competitive swimmer usually exceeds 4000 strokes for one shoulder in a single workout3! Needless to say, the shoulder can make or break a swimmer’s season and athletes should focus on prevention to avoid a season-ending injury.
Swimmer’s shoulder usually involves impingement or pinching of the rotator cuff muscles by the acromion bone as they pass through a narrow opening called the subacromial space (see figure below).
[Read More](https://blog.bridgeathletic.com/swimmer-shoulder-prevention-dryland-training-strategies)
[Performance Trends](https://blog.bridgeathletic.com/topic/performance-trends)
## [Avoiding Injury in High-Risk Areas](https://blog.bridgeathletic.com/3-exercises-to-help-you-avoid-injury-in-high-risk-areas-bridgeathletic)
By [Megan Fischer-Colbrie](https://blog.bridgeathletic.com/author/megan-fischer-colbrie) on January 15, 2015
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Much of injury prevention for elite athletes lies in the quality of his or her conditioning and the adequate balance between training and recovery. However, there are a few common areas of the body that are exceptionally prone to injury for all athletes. Chief among these are the shoulders, lower back, and knees. These areas can be hypermobile, as in the case of the shoulder, prone to bearing excessive load, as in the case of the lower back, or both. With a greater understanding of what constitutes a high-risk joint or muscle group, and which exercises can support these areas, all athletes will be better prepared for training and peak performance.
[Read More](https://blog.bridgeathletic.com/3-exercises-to-help-you-avoid-injury-in-high-risk-areas-bridgeathletic)
[Performance Trends](https://blog.bridgeathletic.com/topic/performance-trends)
## [How to Warm up as a Water Polo Goalie](https://blog.bridgeathletic.com/position-specific-training-water-polo-goalies)
By [Nick Folker](https://blog.bridgeathletic.com/author/nick-folker) on December 12, 2014
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This is the fourth and final post in our [USA Water Polo ODP](http://www.usawaterpolo.org/odp/) series.
Playing goalie on any team requires performance skills that differ from the rest of the players, whether this takes place in the pool or on land. Water Polo is no exception, and it is vital that goalies in the sport understand how this will affect their individual approach to strength and conditioning. The best athletes have an intimate understanding of their position and its demands on the body. Let's dive into the strength exercises tailored to goalies for maximum performance in the cage.
[Read More](https://blog.bridgeathletic.com/position-specific-training-water-polo-goalies)
[Performance Trends](https://blog.bridgeathletic.com/topic/performance-trends)
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