By Evan Gray, Athletes' Performance
The trainers at Athletes’ Performance—the same coaches behind miCoach—have been working with Germany’s national team for the 2012 UEFA European Championships taking place in Poland and the Ukraine. Working together with the team’s coaching staff, Athletes’ Performance specialists create team and individual training plans to meet each player's physical needs and the team's unique style of play. The fundamental training principles used with these elite players are the same ones employed in every miCoach workout.
While you might think world-class athletes don’t need to work on their quality of movement, it’s necessary for athletes at every level to address movement issues and refine technique. "In the first part of training camp, we worked on improving movement patterns, techniques, and habits," says Darcy Norman, fitness and rehab coach for Germany’s squad. "During part two of camp, we focused on getting stronger and more powerful."
The focus shifts again at their home of operations for the tournament. "At our base camp in Gdansk, Poland, we work on recovery and regeneration," says Norman. "We minimize their workload and do things to keep their bodies tuned up for optimal performance. The goal is to have the players as fast and explosive as possible for the first whistle."
Norman says this strategy applies to athletes of all levels. If you follow a miCoach Strength & Flexibility plan, this progression is built in for you. Early phases of the miCoach training plans focus on technique and getting in game shape, while later phases are designed to help you develop more strength, speed, and power.
Focusing on recovery techniques is also important to stay fresh and ready to compete. "People get nervous leading up to competitions and sometimes try and do too much," Norman says. "The last thing you want is to be overtired leading up to a big game." You can add more recovery work to your miCoach training plan at any time by customizing your plan with single workouts focused on regeneration.
To train like the best, get started on a Strength & Flexibility plan here http://a.did.as/L7wJNF