Want to add plates to your bench press? You need to maximize your stability. Read on to learn 3 tips to perfect your form and add lbs to your bench today - the last one's a little weird, but trust us: it works!
Read MoreVolt couldn't be prouder to be delivering customized strength training programs to the athletes on the U.S. National Football Team! The official strength and conditioning provider of USA Football, Volt designed and delivered individualized training programs to the National Team athletes, geared to peak them for the upcoming International Bowl. Learn more about the team and what Volt is doing to help our players bring home the Win!
Read MoreIt is no secret that some baseball coaches live to hate the bench press. The bench press develops the muscles of the chest and anterior shoulder, and, when used too often in strength training programs, can cause tightness and imbalances that put baseball and softball players at risk for shoulder injury. But does this mean we should simply ditch the bench altogether? Scott Colby, M.A., CSCS, lends his expertise on the relationship between the sport of baseball and the bench press, and makes a case for keeping this controversial lift in your training program.
Read MoreResilience, determination, grit, a “never-say-die” attitude—all attempt to describe the intangible qualities that produce mental toughness, or MT, in an athlete. Guest contributor Tyler Christiansen of the NSCA helps Coach Jace define this tricky "X-factor" that coaches look for, and how athletes can develop it.
Read MoreCoach Jace and Volt Advisor Mike Favre, Director of Olympic Sports Strength and Conditioning at the University of Michigan, broke down the importance of POWER in the vertical jump in Part 1 of this series. Now, Volt Advisor Justin D. Smith, Co-Director of Athletic Performance at the University of Vermont (UVM), and Coach Jace analyze the second ingredient to an impressive vertical: SPEED.
Read MoreThe off-season is almost over. But does that mean your resistance training should be? Coach Jace explains how in-season training can improve performance and prevent injury—as long as it's done right.
Read MoreRecovery is the unsung hero of performance development. Ask any NFL player on a bye week: maximizing your recovery times so that you can get back in the weight room or out on the field is a huge advantage. Managing when to rest, when to take it easy, and when to get back out there and go 100% is a product of how well you manage your post- and pre-training maintenance.
Read MoreIf you plan on asking other people to pick things up for you for the rest of your life, feel free to skip learning how to deadlift. On the other hand, if you plan on being a strong, capable, powerful athlete, the deadlift is an essential tool in your movement toolkit. Even for non-athletes, the deadlift is worth learning in order to develop the mechanics to interact with objects in your environment—furniture, luggage, etc.—in a safe and efficient way. To learn the safest way to progress athletes into the deadlift, read on.
Read MoreThe benefits of having a strong grip go beyond just making a good impression when shaking hands or opening jars of tomato sauce. There are serious performance benefits from developing some good, old-fashioned “old-man” grip strength. Sadly, a direct focus on increasing grip strength is often neglected in strength training programs—and more grip strength can translate to better sport performance. Increasing grip strength for sports like baseball, lacrosse, and hockey helps improve the force transfer from the arms through the bat or stick. And contact/combat sport athletes can benefit from having hands like vices, which make tackles and take-downs much harder to escape. Adding focused grip work into your program doesn’t take much time or planning, and can keep your workouts fun by challenging new areas of improvement.
Read MoreA weight belt is not there to protect you. It's not a back support and it won't keep you from damaging your spine if you're lifting with bad mechanics. The only thing that keeps you safe in the weight room is lifting properly. While weight belts definitely provide a great service in the world of weightlifting and powerlifting, what about athletes weight-training specifically for their sport? Should all athletes use weight belts while lifting—or can a weight belt actually cause more harm than good?
Read MoreJoin a community of over 2 million athletes, coaches, first responders, and anyone dedicated to pursuing peak athletic performance.
Volt Athletics © 2025
