Performance and Training Improvement

Everyone now a days is trying to improve their athletic performance. We have reached levels of performance that we previously thought were not possible. New world records have been set recently in the marathon distance by women and men. At the 2006 Austin Freescale marathon, a new masters womens world record was also set. Athletes of all ages are incorporating new techniques and methods of training to improve athletic performance in a way which keeps the athlete healthy and injury free. As more research is performed in sports nutrition, injury prevention and improving performance, the competitive athlete will benefit from staying abreast of new research and reading information which will help in improving performance well into masters and seniors age group levels. Knowledge is the key and knowing where to get unbiased information is important and often it is difficult to weed out the unsolicited advertisements on the internet for products which don't provide the "bang for the buck". Performance beyond 40 years of age no longer has to be a barrier to setting new PRs.

The internet is overloaded with information with websites telling us how to improve our performance. We always seem to want the quick fix to an injury or a secret to boosting speed or endurance. The nutritional supplements industry is a multi-billion dollar industry and often is always pushing new supplements with empty promises. They promote supplements which give us longer endurance or help burn fat to lose those last few pounds. How does one weed out all the false advertising and how do you know what is legit and what is not. All to often we get new athletes who fall for the "quick fix" supplement to help them improve their performance, only to find out later that it was only a waste of money. How do we weed out all the bad stuff and false advertising. It's very difficult.

We all have our websites that we feel loyal to and we constantly refer to for information. Below is a short list of websites of organizations that have actually performed the research and provide valuable information on how to improve performance or supplement information. Organizations such as the ISSN are dedicated to researching new and existing products of sports nutrition. I personally don't put anything in my mouth unless I have seen the research and read the information proving that the supplement actually provides some benefit. I also do not incorporate anything or recommend anything to other athletes on training techniques or methods unless their is proven research that has provided a positive benefit in performance.

Peak Performance Online   When it comes to training methods and techniques, I recommend the following website. These guys do alot of research on improving performance, but they sell their information in the form of published pamplets and books that you buy on their website. However, you can sign up for their free newsletter which always has a wealth of information and their website has tons of free articles on all sports.

There's plenty more reputable internet websites to get information. If you know of any in particular that provide unbiased inforamtion and would like to share, send me an email and I will include them on the list.