Why Coaches Are Fired Up about Perform-X
Why Coaches Are Fired Up about Perform-X
Interview with Nick Reese
Resistance cord training with Perform-X is great because it offers coaches and trainers nearly unlimited possibilities for customization, combination, and configuration to fit the unique goals and needs of their athletes and facilities.
But once these possibilities are realized in your training environment, what are the benefits for you and your athletes? Why are coaches everywhere, from Steve Englehart, Director of Strength and Conditioning for Olympic Sports for Men’s Basketball at CU Boulder to Coach Lew Porchiazzo, Assistant Director of Strength and Conditioning at the University of Michigan, so excited about the impact of Perform-X cords on their programs and athletes?
I’ll start with the simplest—but also the most essential—benefit of training with Perform-X cords: the ability to maintain constant tension throughout the entire range of motion. The constant load ensures that muscles are engaged in both lifting (concentric) and lowering (eccentric) phases of an exercise, leading to more balance and effective muscle development.
But due to the superior quality and diverse functionality of the different Perform-X cords and systems, the defining characteristic of resistance cords—the constant load—is only the beginning of a range of other benefits that are nearly too many to name. Here are a few more factors that have coaches and trainers fired up about Perform-X.
Athletes are excited to use Perform-X
As any coach or trainer knows, it’s important to keep training new and exciting. It’s why gym memberships predictably spike around the new year, then taper off a few months—or weeks—later. Simply put, it’s tough to stay motivated when you’re bored with your workouts. This can be especially true for beginners, who need more support and feedback as they learn how to train effectively.
For many, resistance cord training is a totally new and exciting form of training. While many have used resistance bands, Perform-X cords are eye-catching both in their unique appearance and their obvious quality. They’re light but still substantial. They’re color coordinated by level of resistance, but they don’t look flimsy like many resistance bands. Compared to the weights and machines that people expect to see, they’re a unique and attractive new feature in any athletic space.
When it comes to how it actually feels to train with Perform-X cords, it’s unlike anything most athletes have ever felt. For experienced athletes, it adds a dimension of movement and control that feels challenging and unique. For beginners or less experienced athletes, it feels intuitive and natural, giving them an immediate sense of competence and confidence.
The constant load of the cords and dynamic variety of applications engages athletes in totally new ways, which can help them stay motivated. Coaches often report that when they start incorporating Perform-X into their programs, whether it’s increasing resistance with a Squat and Bench Station, jumping and plyometrics with a Platform Station, or speed training with a Wall Station, athletes are more excited to train. In other words, they’re pumped to use Perform-X.
Perform-X is approachable, not intimidating
Strength and performance coaches at schools know how difficult it can be to attract new or younger students to their weight and fitness rooms. For many, traditional weightlifting is intimidating, both because of the heavy, often unwieldy equipment, and because of all the foreign movements to master. What is proper squat form? How much does the bar weigh? What the heck is a Romanian deadlift?
Perform-X cords allow beginners of all ages to engage with these strength training concepts in a simple and intuitive way, making the experience less intimidating and more approachable. The color coding system makes it easy to identify different resistance levels, and the uniformly light weight of the cords means switching them out for others isn’t a workout in itself. Again, the constant tension load provides the physical feedback that helps athletes of every level intuitively understand the exercise they’re performing, and how to adjust their form to perform it correctly.
Safety first strength training
Safety is such an essential benefit of Perform-X cords that it almost goes without saying. But it has to be said: Perform-X cords are one of the safest forms of strength training out there. First, there’s the safety of the cords themselves, which are constructed from the highest quality materials here in the US. Second, there’s the safety of training with resistance cords as compared to traditional weights.
A lot of people never experience the joys and benefits of strength training because they’re afraid of getting hurt. Unfortunately, due to improper training, shoddy or unwieldy equipment, and other unpredictable factors, those fears are often justified. With Perform-X cords, there’s no risk of getting injured by dropping weights, pinching your fingers while stacking plates, or overloading bars. Because of the constant, precise feedback the cords provide, there’s less risk of hurting yourself by using too much resistance with incorrect form. With the support of coaches and trainers, Perform-X cords are a perfect way for athletes of all levels to train safely.
What’s the biggest perk? Peak performance
Ultimately, all of these benefits culminate in the outcome all coaches strive to help their athletes achieve: better performance. Every Perform-X system allows for a dynamic range of exercises that can be tailored to specific sports or activities, helping athletes at any level perform better on the field, court, beam, ice, or track. Whether it’s explosive power for football players, speed for sprinters, agility for soccer players, mobility and flexibility for seniors, or general strength building for P.E. students, resistance training with Perform-X benefits athletes at every level, in any training environment.
