What exactly is MAX Performance?  Is it just another training facility for athletes?  Is it any different than other sports performance training facilities?  Can I really develop my speed and strength here?  These are just a few of the many questions we get here at MAX Performance when an athlete walks through our doors for the first time.  What it comes down to is our medical-model approach to performance development.

“What?” you say.  “Medical-model?  What is that?”  We’ve noticed a few things here at MAX.  First, there are more and more young athletes competing on fields and in gyms across the country.  With this increase in athletic competition, we have also seen an increase in sport-related injuries, both in competition and during training sessions.  Many of these injuries could have been avoided with proper training and injury prevention techniques, especially those that occur outside of competition while the athlete is training.  Knowing that injuries are on the rise, MAX set out to reverse the trend.  Hence, the medical-model approach.

When an athlete walks through our doors and decides that we are going to be his or her training destination, the first thing we schedule is an orthopedic screen with one of our licensed physical therapists.  The athlete goes through a thorough screening that checks for muscle strength, muscle weakness, muscle imbalances, joint integrity, and flexibility.  Not to mention, a background review of previous injuries.  All this information is then reviewed by the performance specialist who will be training the athlete and taken into account when designing the athlete’s training program.  If any outstanding red flags pop up during the screen that the therapist and performance specialist believe will hinder or harm the athlete during training, then the athlete will be directed to a rehab option that will allow him or her to improve his or her issue prior to training.  At no time is an athlete thrown into a training program if these issues are not resolved first.  The safety of the athlete is a top priority.

Once the training program does begin, there is a strong emphasis on staying injury-free by not only training hard, but training smart.  Athletes will learn how to prepare their bodies prior to competition (dynamic warm-up) and how to recover afterwards (flexibility and myofascial release).  All of this designed to improve athletic success by lowering the chance of injury.  So, what is MAX Performance?  Bottom line, it is safe, effective sports performance training designed to improve athletic potential while at the same time lowering the chance of sport-related injury.  Because if we can keep the athlete injury-free, then the athlete can showcase his or her ability time and again on the field of competition.