Mission Statement
Our aim is to improve the quality of the athletic programs at Austin Peay State University through methodical, scientifically sound program design and implementation, focusing on enhancing performance and prevention of athletic injury.
It is our responsibility to provide an environment driven by purpose, direction and motivation through which athletes will build character and leadership skills that will serve them well now and in years to come.
Our facility will operate in a way that reflects well on the University and the community around us and will, in every way possible, maintain the highest standards and level of integrity within the field of strength and conditioning.
Philosophy
An athlete's success is the sum of his/her effort and the input of others; ours is measured solely by that of our athletes. With that mindset, we approach strength and conditioning. We strive to inspire the greatest efforts possible from our athletes and provide them with every opportunity to succeed. Our efforts are dedicated to the wellbeing of our athletes, as well as their overall athletic performance.
Even a star player can be the weakest link of a team if he or she is sidelined with injury. Injuries can not only end the season for an athlete; they can have lasting effects. For that reason, our No. 1 priority is to minimize the incidents of injury through providing a safe environment and developing programs that target injury prevention and overuse issues. We strive to be proactive and engage in "pre-hab" movements as part of our conditioning.
Great athletes don't become hard workers; hard-working athletes become great. To facilitate greatness, we design programs with intent and purpose, striving for repeated maximal efforts each and every time. Our priority is on highlighting movements rather than individual muscle groups. We do so while concentrating on exercises and drills that promote speed, power, agility, explosiveness and stability; these include:
- olympic lifts (and variations thereof);
- unilateral and contra-lateral movements;
- plyometrics and directional change;
- sport-similar movements;
- eccentric contractions; and
- core (to include hips, abs and low back)
