A large factor in achieving success in volleyball is the ability to quickly react to situations on the court and use full-body strength to win points. Whether players are training on the court or in the weight room, increasing player agility, power, and speed will enhance game day performance. Here is a list of volleyball-specific exercises that coaches can implement before or after practices when players do not have access to the weight room.

Football preseason is just around the corner. It’s time for players to start getting into the right mindset to get ready for the first kick off in September. Preparing for preseason marks the start of football season and is a time for players to work through new plays with new teammates and give it their all on the field. It is the first chance an athlete has to make a good impression and will set the bar for the rest of the season.

Preparing for competition both mentally and physically is essential for the big day. From late night practices to intense strength and conditioning training, water polo teams have put in the hard work to get ahead of their competition. The weeks and days leading up to tournaments are crucial and there are many preparation aspects that go into maximizing player performance come game day.

Going through a complete warm up and cool down before and after competitions and training sessions is a simple way for athletes to maximize their athletic performance. Even though it takes just an extra few minutes, it is easy for athletes to fall into the habit of not warming up or cooling down. Pre and post workout exercises play a crucial role in preparing the body for activity and assisting in full recovery.

Strength training causes a series of physical changes to the body and it’s easy to notice external changes like increases in muscle tone and mass; however, it is less obvious to see hormonal responses and changes within the body.

Strength training develops motor neuron pathways that enhance an athlete's brain-body coordination during functional movements. The “neural adaptations” athletes undergo in training refer to the brain’s ability to recruit muscles to contract and produce a particular movement. Practicing an exercise with resistance teaches an athlete's brain to fire the correct muscles to achieve the desired motion. Over time, the athlete’s technique for the exercise becomes ingrained and the movement becomes more automatic.

Strength to weight ratio is an important concept for all athletes to keep in mind. In sports that place high value on both endurance and speed, such as swimming and running, the strength to bodyweight ratio is a good measure of overall athletic efficiency. In gymnastics, strength to bodyweight ratio is incredibly critical to an athletes ability to suspend themselves throughout various positions. In general, a high strength to weight ratio is favorable. To develop strength without gaining excessive body mass, bodyweight exercises are the way to go about doing so. These movements will increase an athlete's functional strength: strength that utilizes the whole body rather than isolating parts of it. Most strength programs will have a combination of bodyweight and regular weighted exercises to achieve various strength goals. To delve into this topic further, one extremely valuable bodyweight exercise: the pull-up.

Many athletes and coaches wonder whether strength training produces better results when performed before or after practice. In many sports, practice is the cardiovascular portion of a workout, and combining cardio with strength training in one session can be extremely taxing to the body. Importantly, there is little scientific research to date favoring one method over the other, but read more to learn about both theories in context.

Protein intake is important for all athletes, especially while endurance training. Oftentimes, athletes tend to focus on carbohydrate intake rather than focusing on protein intake, which could have a negative effect on health and overall athletic performance. Muscle growth and repair are heavily dependent on protein levels.