Special Topics

Periodization of Conditioning: A Scientific Practical Approach

The major difference between present-day athletes and those from the past is the ability of present-day athletes to perform their skills at a greater intensity. This is possible because today’s athletes are much better conditioned than those from year's past. But what exactly is conditioning? Conditioning is the balanced development of the following qualities: speed, strength, endurance, agility and flexibility.

Program Design: Constructing Training Programs: Part I | Part II

We can trace the first information about women's sports activities back to ancient Greece. Xenophon and Pausanias left detailed descriptions of the kind of contests that took place among women at the time, as well as information about the Olympic facilities and the costumes of the contestants.

The Influence of Weightlifting on the Woman's Body: Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV

Recently, more and more women have become interested in the sport of weightlifting. A considerable number of women in many countries have been working out and participating in contests. This article is to provide further information regarding the influence of weight training on women.

Strength Preparation of the Tennis Player

Exercises specifically appropriate for tennis are: the back squat with weights, squat on one leg; the half squat with weights; the jump squat, from full squat position (with two legs); and the basketball drill.

Bulgarian Leg Training Secrets

Ten years ago, the full squat was the foundation of exercise programs for almost all elite athletes in the Soviet Bloc nations, whether they were weightlifters or not. Soviet athletes - be they wrestlers, runners, fencers, soccer player or swimmers - all squatted. But studies led some to conclude that a particular form of what we'll call the high step-up had two significant advantages over the standard back squat.