Sports & Fitness: Performance Training, Rules & Recovery

Elite athletic performance and general fitness are sustained through structured hypertrophy strategies, sport-specific conditioning, and rigorous adherence to injury prevention protocols.

tennis ball

What Are Tennis Balls Made Out Of?

From the pressurized rubber core to the felt covering, man-made materials make up most parts of a tennis ball. In some cases, recycled PET plastics are used to make the felt that covers tennis balls.

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Trainer working with woman on exercise mat

American Sports & Fitness Certification

The American Sports & Fitness Association, or ASFA, is an organization offering bargain-priced online fitness certifications, including personal trainer certifications and various fitness class teaching certificates.

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Foot in Cast

How to Bear Weight After a Broken Foot

Your foot is a relatively small part of your body, but it contains close to 25 percent of all of your body's bones. Since your feet are responsible for bearing your weight and helping you move, breaking a bone can be very painful.

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Yoga Cobra position

Exercises for Psoas Major & Iliacus

Because of their close proximity and their tendency to work together, the psoas major and iliacus muscles are commonly referred to as the iliopsoas.

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Woman swinging at golf course

What Is the Best Shaft for a 90 MPH Swing Speed?

With a swing speed of 90 miles per hour, golfers will typically fall in the moderate category of swing speeds. These players swing fast enough to generate torque and spin on approach shots but do not swing hard enough for extra stiff offerings.

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Why Adrenaline Speeds up Heart Rate

Adrenaline, also called epinephrine, is a hormone secreted by your adrenal glands, which sit on top of each of your kidneys. Once released by these glands, adrenaline produces a variety of effects on your body, including increases in your heart rate.

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Young woman jogging on street with mp3 player, checking time

How to Stop Thigh Chafing While Running

Chafing occurs when something such as skin or clothing rubs against the body and irritates it. Runners often have chafing on the armpits, groin area or inner thighs, since those are common sites of friction when running.

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Girl working out doing push ups press exercise in park

Acid Buildup in the Muscles

Lactic acid, or lactate, is a substance produced in your muscles when you need to move quickly or engage in certain other types of physical exertion. The buildup of this substance triggers pain in active muscles and decreases your chances of causing long-term muscle damage.

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Numbness in the Outer Thighs

Numbness in the outer thigh is commonly known as meralgia paresthetica in the medical community. This disorder is characterized by numbness, tingling and a burning sensation on the outer portion of the thigh. This condition can be painful or sensitive to the touch.

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The Best Drills for Fast Hands & Hitting in Fastpitch Softball

Fastpitch softball is a variation of the game of softball in which the pitchers throw the ball underhand at speeds that can top 75 mph. On a regulation softball diamond, the pitcher’s mound is 43 feet from home plate. In baseball, that distance is 60 feet.

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Male Athlete Doing Pull Ups

Why Are Pull-Ups Hard to Do?

Pull-ups are an effective exercise, but many people have difficulty performing them, even if they are in overall good shape. For example, very muscular people might have difficulty lifting their body weight. The best way to increase the number of pull-ups you can perform is to practice.

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Four Men Watching a Football Game on Television

Why Is Football the Most Popular Sport in America?

Baseball may be as American as apple pie, but it's football that Americans list as their favorite sport. A 2010 poll by Harris Interactive showed that 35 percent of people who follow sports choose football as their favorite. Baseball is a distant second, with 16 percent listing it as their favorite sport.

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Close up of feet kicking the soccer ball, night time in the stadium

The Difference Between Soccer & Rugby Cleats

At first glance, rugby and soccer cleats may look the same, yet they have some characteristic differences. Rugby players hold the ball, while soccer players maneuver the ball with their feet. Key features make each type of cleat more appropriate for rugby or soccer.

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Close up male arm pain isolated white background.

What Causes Pins & Needles in the Arms While Playing Sports?

Pins and needles, defined as a tingling or prickling sensation, is medically known as paraesthesia. Temporary paraesthesia can result from a brief, harmless constriction of circulation -- for instance, from kneeling or assuming an uncomfortable position -- and goes away when you change position.

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Man with pain of the cervical

What Muscles Are Worked During Neck Extensions?

Neck extensions are performed for a variety of reasons, including physical therapy after a neck or upper body injury, to relieve arthritis or joint pain, and as a strength building exercise. By gently stretching and strengthening the muscles, you can gradually alleviate your neck pain.

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Guitar Exercises to Increase Finger Strength & Flexibility

Playing the guitar requires strong, flexible fingers. You need to be able to move your fingers easily along the neck of the guitar while holding the strings firmly. Your fingers also need the proper dexterity to both work together and independently of each other.

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Runner crossing the finshline

The Pre-Marathon Diet

You have trained for months to run 26.2 miles and want to perform your best. Part of marathon training is learning to fuel properly. Use the weeks and days before your marathon to hone your diet as much as your stride, speed and gear to get the most out of race day.

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Fit young woman doing the cobra pose in fitness studio

Core Muscle Stretches

Your core consists of the muscles within your abdomen, hips and lower back. These muscles support your pelvic girdle and spine, and facilitate movements of your hips and torso. Performing stretching exercises that target the core muscles may increase flexibility and enhance muscular function.

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Rear view of woman athlete jogging in park

The Best Cross Trainers for Flat Feet

Cross trainers are athletic shoes that can be used for court sports such as tennis, low mileage jogging and for weight lifting. They are designed to provide stability to the foot and ankle for lateral movements and also the cushioning for jogging and resistance training.

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