Workout Program Increases Strength and Endurance
by KFYR TV, Juli McDonald
Posted on 4/2/2010
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Some might say great athletes are born, but there’s a lot more to it than that. The most dedicated athletes spend hours upon hours of training to improve their performance, and Bismarck is home to one of less than 200 Acceleration programs around the world.
The Athletic Republic Acceleration program was founded by a North Dakota Native in the 1980’s. Since then it has taken off as a highly successful training program used by athletes of all levels.
Olympic athletes usually don’t win by a mile. It`s those few tenths of a second, a couple extra inches that determine the win. Here at St. Alexius Human Performance Center, those seconds and inches are exactly what athletes are striving for.
The Athletic Republic Acceleration program is an agility workout that helps athletes get stronger and faster by pushing them harder during training.
“The thing with the Acceleration program is it’s an overspeed training program, so when you look at developing speed you need to do some kind of overspeed training that will stimulate your body from a physiological side,” said Human Performance Center Acceleration Coordinator Wayde Schulz.
Programs are modified by sport, and athletes train four days a week for six weeks with treadmill and strength workouts.
“You do a variation of different exercises and runs. Every run has something different that it helps. You saw us doing the cords when he had us hooked up. That makes you stronger in different areas instead of just flat out running without resistance against you,” said athlete Tessa Delzer.
The program teaches athletes’ bodies how to perform at intense levels, which benefits them on the field.
“The body takes about six weeks to start remembering certain tasks you’re trying to do and what they’re doing in this training is working a lot of muscle memory stuff. So at that six week point they see a lot of that becoming natural,” said Schulz.
Both trainers and athletes see amazing results over the span of the program.
“I notice a huge difference with my stride length. That really increased a lot, and also my endurance. I’ve noticed at the beginning I’d probably only last like 20 seconds at a certain speed, but later on I could go like 40 to 50 seconds each time,” said athlete Jon Feist.
Both Delzer and Feist have been preparing for their athletic seasons through Acceleration for years, and each year those extra inches and those tenths of a second are putting them a head above the rest.
Schulz works with kids and adults of all ages and levels. To learn more about how the Acceleration program could improve your athletic performance, visit Athletic Republic or the Human Performance Center at St. Alexius.