Almost any sport can benefit from a combination of speed and endurance. Most athletes spend the bulk of their training time focused on endurance, but speed training is a great way to kick your performance up a notch. The key to improving speed is a have a structured and committed approach.  Here are some tips to help you create a program.

Interval training has been the basis for athletic training routines for years.  Many traditional workouts used for conditioning are based off the knowledge and research on interval training.

Strength training is an important part of a balanced exercise routine that includes aerobic activity and flexibility exercises.  Regular aerobic exercise, such as running or using a stationary bike, makes your muscles use oxygen more efficiently while strengthening your heart and lungs. When strength training with weights, you're using your muscles to work against the extra pounds, therefore increasing the amount of muscle mass in your body by making your muscles work harder than they're used to.

Feeling nervous before a a game is part of your body's way of helping you do your best. The adrenaline that your body produces at time can actually help you focus.  The downside to pre game adrenaline rush is when worry and stress about performing get to be too much. 

These practical tips on goal setting can help make it easier to set and reach goals:

1. Specific, realistic goals work best. When it comes to making a change, the people who succeed are those who set realistic, specific goals.

Advance My Athlete understands the physiological and physical demands of an athlete, which is why we've created the opportunity for athletes to help advance their athletic careers. Advance My Athlete has specifically designed programs by some of the world’s best athletes.  Whether you’re running passing routes, shooting jump shots, fielding ground balls or shooting wrist shots, nobody knows how to get ready better than those who do it for a living.

Rest and recovery for any athlete is just as important as spending time perfecting the skills needed to be successful on the ice, the court or on the field.

Most aerobic and strength training programs inherently cause muscles to contract and flex, but stretching does more than get the blood flowing: