4 Innovative Ways to Improve Athletic Performance – When most people think of ways to improve athletic performance they think about physical fitness but forget to include brain fitness in the equation. Just as you train and condition your body, you need to train your brain for Peak Performance in athletic competition. But how do you know what Brain Training tools are right for you? Take a look at the following ways to see how you can 4 Innovative Ways to Improve athletic performance so that your brain and body perform at their maximum potential.
1. Get Over Mental Blocks
It’s no secret that physical fitness can improve athletic performance, but did you know that when you enhance your brain fitness you can overcome mental blocks that will improve your physical fitness? That’s why Olympic and professional athletes use tools like our Peak Performance training program, part of which includes achieving a winning edge.
A qEEG is a map of the brain that measures specific brain wave patterns in individuals, and no two are alike. Using the brain map, we can identify places where athletes may be struggling and then target those areas to positively affect change. Using targeted neurofeedback, we train athletes through a process of brain self-regulation to overcome mental hurdles and perform better in competition. The end result? Athletes who work with us not only overcome mental blocks, but they can help control physiological processes such as muscle tension, blood pressure, and heart rate to build better speed, balance, focus, and coordination.
In competition, it’s said that mental attitude accounts for up to 80% of success. Using Peak Performance training tools, athletes can help monitor physiological and psychological reactions to rise to the occasion and perform their best during any competition, with elevated confidence.
2. Improve Motor Coordination
With improved motor coordination and timing you can run faster, swing harder, catch and throw with greater speed and accuracy, and anticipate movements to be one step ahead of the game. The Interactive Metronome (IM) is a computer-based rhythmic training program that improves motor coordination, attention, focus, concentration, and sequencing in the brain. Originally it was designed to bring musicians to perfect timing, but athletes benefit significantly from the ability to focus, improve motor control, and block out crowd noise and other distractions.
Professional athletes, including the football players at Notre Dame. Use the Interactive Metronome to enhance their motor control, coordination, balance, and gait. It has additional benefits for language and cognition. When you can focus all your energy on the task at hand, on the field, or in life. You can get “in the zone” and really go for the win.
3. Ensure Proper Nutrition
Athletes achieve peak performance by training and conditioning the body, but of equal importance is what they put into their bodies. Food is fuel, and optimal performance requires optimal nutrition. Including healthy foods like whole grains, lean proteins, and fruits and veggies. Drinking plenty of water and staying hydrated is also hugely important.
What you put in your body also determines how well your brain works. And when your brain is working its best. You can physically perform your best. With the proper metabolic and nutritional guidance, athletes can enhance their brain power, and their physical abilities. With the highest quality fats, brain protectors, and specific brain nutrients.
Read more about Metabolic Brain Therapy.
4. Get More Sleep
Getting enough sleep is critical for athletic performance. Sleep is a time of recovery and neurological growth, and it helps the body rebuild muscle and body tissues. When we don’t get enough sleep–eight hours is recommended for most adults–we can’t perform our best. Using Peak Performance tools at APEX, we can help elite and aspiring athletes achieve more, and better quality, sleep.
A 2011 study showed that when the Stanford University basketball team. Added an average of almost two hours of sleep per night. Their physical performance greatly improved. Players increased their speed by 5%, and free throws were 9% more accurate. Overall, the athletes had faster reflexes and felt happier. Other studies have shown similar benefits for football players and other athletes.
Find out how we can help you reach your athletic performance goals by learning more about APEX Brain Training Programs, and by contacting our Admissions Department today – 4 Innovative Ways to Improve Athletic Performance!
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