Back To School Athletes Shopping List

Jason Price, MS, CSCS, ATC, LAT, CPT, USAW Club Coach

Being mid September and with College, High School and Youth Athletes all back to school the fall sports season is in full swing.  Most athletes have bought new items like lap tops, clothes and school supplies.  But, how many have purchased items that will help to improve their training and performance in sports.  That is what we want to do here is to provide the shopping list for all athletes.  These items I consider necessities:

Foam Roller – There are a bunch of uses for a foam roller but I believe the best is for a self massage.  Rolling on a foam roller is great for recovery, preparation and for injury rehabilitation. One of the best ways to improve performance is to improve your recovery from training.  If you ain’t rolling on a foam roller you are missing out.

Stretch Out Strap – The stretch out strap is a excellent tool to help improve flexibility.  It allows for stretching the extremities in multiple planes without the need for a partner.  I use the Stretch Out Strap daily as part of my flexibility routine.  For under $25.00 it is one of the best investments an athlete can make.

Heart Rate Monitor – Heart rate monitors are a great tool to keep you honest in your training.  Wearing one will give you an idea of how hard you are training.  Whether you are training for cardiovascular fitness, endurance, resistance training, etc using a heart  rate monitor will help you to improve the quality of your training.

Jump Rope – They are useful as a warm up tool, a conditioning tool, and a plyometric training tool.  A jump rope is a great addition to the gym bag. 

SuperBands - These bands are great for training.  They are multi dimensional as they can be used for prehab, rehab, strength training, activation exercises, and much more.  Toss a couple different thickness in your gym bag and you have a moble gym.

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