The Athlete Inside

Section 1 - Introducing "The Athlete Inside"
Section 2 - Athletic Training & Conditioning Class: The First Week
Section 3 - Need to Know! Fitness Terms & Exercise Principles
Section 4 - Athletic Training Workout Design
Section 5 - Sports Lectures & Workouts
Section 6 - Another Game/Student Projects
Section 7 - More Sports!
Section 8 - It's All in Your Mind (at least 75%)
Section 9 - Personal Trainers & Group Instructors: How to Use this Information
Correspondence Course Assignments
Online Course Descriptions
"How to Order."

INTRODUCING The Athlete Inside

GO TO ASSIGNMENT 1

Everyone who is capable of movement has the opportunity to function with the mental attitude of an elite athlete. I feel that this mental attitude of being an athlete can benefit anyone who exercises. If anyone, from the post-sedentary beginner to those with competitive goals, would put on the athlete's mental attitude of achieving personal best, his or her fitness program would be more effective. With this course, you will learn to find and train the athlete who resides inside you and your fitness students and clients.

I will present the method I use to teach a college level fitness course called "Athletic Training and Conditioning." Even though the name of the course implies sports, I have designed this course to help anyone improve in his or her activity of choice. I promote this class for anyone who wants to improve personal or athletic performance. During the school semester skills are taught for strength and endurance weight training. I also include a lot of aerobic, anaerobic, and plyometric drills, and activities involving agility and coordination. The students learn how to individualize their workouts for their needs. In essence, they learn to be their own personal trainers.

Some of my "lectures" are adaptations of articles I wrote for my regular newspaper column. I've covered topics dealing with athletic training and specific sports quite often, so I'll be sharing them with you.

After I explain the information I teach in this college class, I'll show you how to apply it to your class needs. I'll make suggestions for adapting this book to the health and fitness club setting for both group fitness instructors and personal trainers. Why would an aerobics instructor need this information? Traditional aerobics classes are changing and students want variety and cross-training.

Sport based movements challenge the muscles in different ways and increase the conditioning effect. It can give the sport minded students some new ideas about how to train for activities. The sport specific exercises give students the opportunity to "try" an activity without total commitment. After a fun sport oriented group class, some may decide to really take up a new sport or activity.

A knowledge about athletic training allows the personal trainer to assist people in training for their sports. It is common for personal trainers to have clients who are participating in various sports or who desire to try new activities. Knowing how to assist them in the conditioning aspect of sports training will help them progress physically, reduce the risk of injuries, and provide mental motivation and encouragement to expand their physical interests.

One more point I want to mention. An instructor doesn't have to play the sport in order to understand its training concepts and teach them. The idea is to use movement analysis for the purpose of assigning well known strength and stretching exercises to a sport discipline, as well as cardiovascular exercise and plyometrics. The sport or team coach is the actual skill expert who would help hone the actual play. Instructors, especially personal trainers, often work closely with the coach in training athletes.

Everyone who exercises can get some good suggestions from this book and have a lot of fun with the ideas. My main attraction to teaching this kind of class is the element of fun. So lighten up and enjoy!