Wall Sit

Exercise of the Month

By William Parker, CSCS

Athletic Performance Center

October – Wall Sit

            Leg strength is an important factor in being a good athlete.  Wall Sits are a great exercise to help improve your overall leg strength.  Another benefit to doing Wall Sits is that it helps keep proper muscle alignment or tracking throughout your legs.  It also can be done just about anywhere, because all you will need is a stable wall.  Using a stop watch or countdown timer will be helpful to track your time. 

            To perform a Wall Sit properly first, start by leaning your entire back and hips against the wall with your feet shoulder width apart.  Place your heels about one foot length away from the wall.  Then with your hands on your hips, sit down so the crease of your hip is the same height as your knee, while keeping your hips and back flat to the wall.  The first time you try Wall Sits is always the hardest, so do not get frustrated and quit.  Some shaking and discomfort is expected in the legs, especially the thighs.  Try holding the Wall Sit as long as you can and time yourself to see how you do.  Then after about 2 weeks of training with the Wall Sit, try it again to see if you get better.  Start by holding the Wall Sit for 30 seconds 2-4 times with a 60 second rest in between each.  Eventually challenge yourself by holding for longer time intervals or shorter rest times.  

Fall Endurance Runner's Clinic

The Fall Endurance Runner's Clinic, co-sponsored by Nike and The Athlete's Foot, featured an expert panel discussion on the pros and cons of Barefoot Running, and breakout sessions including Running Mechanics, Dynamic Warm-Up, Foam Roller/Myofascial release techniques, Mini-Band Training, Dartfish Video Gait Analysis, and more!

Core development exercises with Elizabeth Evans, PMA, RYT, Pilates conditioning specialist (on left).

The Mini-Band "Monster Walk" for developing proper knee/ankle alignment and hip abduction/external rotation strength, with Dennis Meszler, PT, MPT, SCS (on right).

Using foam roller for myofascial release, to remove adhesions between muscle tissues and fascia, for greater flexibility, strength, and injury prevention, with Elizabeth Fortener PT, MPT (top left).

Wall Sits with Elle Evans, for quadriceps strengthening, and variations for spinal alignment and joint stability.

Dartfish Video Gait Analysis, for high precision performance analysis and movement education and correction. Dartfish reveals functional errors in alignment and movement execution that can be corrected for heightened performance.


APC would like to thank our friends at Nike and The Athlete's Foot for co-sponsoring the clinic, and we'd like to thank all the athletes in attendance for making it a success! For advance notice of clinics and special programs at APC, please sign up for our Email Newsletter- stay tuned for the Spring Running Clinic at APC!

Back Extensions

Exercise of the Month

By William Parker, CSCS

Athletic Performance Center

September – Back Extension

            Having a strong back is a good key to becoming a better athlete.  There are many exercises that require a strong back and other core muscles.  If a person does not have a strong core then they are not able to perform many exercises in a safe way, and cannot get the benefit of that activity.  This situation would severely limit the potential of that athlete.  Below is an exercise called Back Extensions, which is a basic movement that helps strengthen the back muscles. 

It is very easy to perform a Back Extension correctly.  You would start by lying face down on the floor or other stable surface with your arms straight and next to your body, as in the picture for the Down Position.  Then lift your chest and shoulders as high as you can off the floor holding this for one second, while keeping your feet down on the floor, as shown in the picture for the Up Position.  Finally, return to the Down Position and repeat the Back Extensions until you cannot do any more.

Down Position

Up Position

Athlete of the Month- Alec Creel

Alec Creel has made some significant progress in his training at APC over the past two months, dropping 0.14 seconds from his 20 Meter Dash, adding 4 FEET to his Kneeling Powerball Toss, and progressing from level 21 to level 33 in the Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test.

He says of his training, “I think that the training at APC has really helped me both physically and mentally, and would recommend their program to any athlete.”

Although he plays Basketball and also does Archery, Alec’s love for baseball is apparent to anyone who has seen him pitch, and he has hopes of being a professional player in the future. He says his father Craig has had the biggest impact on his life, because they are “always practicing baseball and basketball together.”

If he could visit anywhere in the world, Alec would choose Boston, to watch the Red Sox play at Fenway. Congratulations and keep up the hard work Alec- you might get to see it from the mound!

Congrats to Terrell Hudgins!

APC congratulates Terrell Hudgins, who made his first two NFL receptions in last night’s match-up against the Cincinnati Bengals. Hudgins, #14 Wide-Receiver for the Dallas Cowboys, trained with us at APC from January to March in preparation for his Pro Day at Elon and the 2010 NFL season. 

Great stuff Terrell, keep it coming!