Athletic Republic Capitol Region is a sports performance training center notable for producing top collegiate recruits and professional athletes, but it's much more than a gym. It’s also a community resource and a destination for events that draw athletes from all over the country and, even, the world. It’s the result of the vision of its three owners--Carl Williams, Mark McCain, and Russell Thomas--who saw opportunity in the combination of a troubled stretch of real estate, a proven sports performance training system, and their far-reaching vision for their community.

 

According to Charlie Graves, Athletic Republic’s CEO, “Carl, Mark, and Russ are a powerful trio; for while they all bring different skills and professional backgrounds to their partnership, they share a common vision and goals. All have kids, saw the need, wanted to bring this resource to their area.” 

 

The facility in District Heights, Maryland is located 10 miles due east of our nation’s Capitol in a neighborhood in dire need of revitalization. The partners are aligned with St. Paul’s Baptist Church, which purchased a shopping plaza that had lost most of its tenants--including a basketball center, a grocery store, and various smaller businesses. The plan focused on making the retail center a gathering place for the community, so in addition to turning the basketball facility into an Athletic Republic franchise, the former grocery store became a community church led by Williams’ father and brother. 

 

The Athletic Republic facility is the largest in the world, boasting not only a sports performance training center, but 8 basketball courts, a 700-meter running track, two turf fields, an MMA ring, three studio rooms, 200-seat cafeteria, hot yoga studio, and a tutoring center. In normal times the center is always buzzing with activity, between local athletes and teams training or competing, athletes from the greater metropolitan area who are making the commute to AR, drawn by the results its athletes are achieving, and large basketball and volleyball tournaments that attract participants from all over the world.

 

“We joined Athletic Republic because the brand reflected the same core values we each lived and wanted to teach our athletes; we share a passion for transforming our community one athlete at a time”, said McCain, who serves as the General Manager.

 

The ownership team has built the reputation of Athletic Republic as a premier destination for athletes, aided in no small degree by the considerable accomplishments of the partner’s sons, all of whom trained with the Athletic Republic system. Readers may recognize the most decorated of the group: Caleb Williams, a highly sought-after 5-star QB recruit who recently enrolled at the University of Oklahoma. AR Capitol Region’s success is also aided by the sheer breadth of its offerings; beyond the sports performance training, they offer sports academies, skills clinics and evaluation systems, sponsored league teams, facility rentals, virtual training, and most recently, a streaming video service that allows parents, players and coaches to tune in to practices and tournaments.

 

“The story of AR Capitol Region is one that continually inspires us here at AR HQ,” says Graves. “They chose to not to listen to popular opinion, but brought the power of sport to a struggling neighborhood, to help local kids improve their lives, either through a pathway to college, or just by giving them the tools to succeed in any endeavor they set their minds to. They personify Athletic Republic’s mission of transforming potential into performance.”

 

This article originally appeared in the February 2021 issue of Franchise Journal

 

 

What does it take to become an elite athlete? Sports performance training such as that which is offered at Athletic Republic is one element of the equation -- but as we all know, athletic success is attributable to far more than a conditioning program, however sophisticated. Mark Williams, a Professor at the University of Utah and recognized expert in skill acquisition has recently published a book that delves into all the factors that go into creating a highly successful athlete. Titled “The Best: How Elite Athletes are Made,” it utilizes stories, interviews with leading athletes, and research to uncover some surprising answers. 

 

We spoke with Professor Williams recently to learn more about the book and its findings. According to him, much of an athlete’s success is attributable to things over which they have no control whatsoever. Their parents’ background and resources will have an enormous impact. So, surprisingly enough, will birth order. That’s right, younger siblings are statistically more likely to be successful in sport. “They not only have the early exposure to the sports that their siblings play, but they also benefit from the more relaxed parenting approach that the youngest in a family generally enjoy,” says Williams. “They’re often less pampered, and therefore often more resilient.” 

 

Of course, where the athletes are born and raised is a big factor -- not only in terms of local access to opportunities to play, but the local sports culture. Cities where there is a significant amount of casual “street sport” tend to be hotbeds for elite athletes who pick up a sport early and put in long hours playing in unstructured settings. And then, of course, there is sheer luck and serendipity, unexpected moments that can make or break a career.

 

But it’s not all luck; there are also the physical AND mental adaptations that occur in an athlete after prolonged participation in a sport. Those who rise to the top are those who are best at developing “game intelligence” and mental toughness. These mental aspects, while shaped by genetics, are skills that can be developed and refined with a lot of work and study, which Williams lays out in many entertaining and enlightening examples.

 

While he doesn’t examine the physical elements of athleticism as much as the mental ones, he did acknowledge in our conversation that as athletes develop, their physical abilities and, correspondingly, their training needs to become more and more specific to the demands of their sport. However, it also needs to be built on a solid foundation of more “generic” conditioning requirements, thereby laying a base of general athletic skills. This is a progression that is familiar for anyone who trains at Athletic Republic, where the initial focus is on perfecting fundamental movement skills before honing in on the functional movement skills required by each sport. 

 

The benefits are not merely physical; according to Williams, “Anxiety arises when you perceive an imbalance between the challenges ahead of you and your ability to cope. If you feel physically well-prepared, then this will enhance confidence and help insulate you to a degree from the negative impact of anxiety and increase your perceived control over the outcome.” This confidence is an important side benefit of a thorough training system like Athletic Republic’s.

 

But don’t take our word for it. We highly recommend The Best: How Elite Athletes are Made as a great sports psychology book for athletes, parents, and coaches alike. Its many insights and ideas should be valuable to anyone dedicated to the pursuit of athletic excellence. 

For more than 30 years Athletic Republic has perfected the many ways to use our specialized Super Running Treadmill as a training tool. This period of continued scientific learning discovery and commitment to athletic development has taught us that when used appropriately, the treadmill not only improves speed but is an important part of a comprehensive training program.

 

There are five major benefits of training on the Super Running Treadmill and/or ways we can use the treadmills as a training tool. They are:

 

First, the treadmill is an efficient means of teaching proper running mechanics. When learning any skill, it is easier when you can see, hear, and feel how to do it correctly. Studies have shown that most athletes are visual learners, so having real-time visual feedback is important. The placement of a forward facing mirror and the effective use of video playback helps the athlete to see what they are doing. Additionally the trainer can provide verbal cues to the athlete and make corrections in real time. Combining these visual and auditory cues helps the athlete to feel what it is like to run properly, making improvements easier to execute once the athlete is back on the field, court, or track. 

 

As seen in the above before and after, athletes can completely transform their running with just 15 minutes of coaching, incline running drills, and video feedback. Future training will consolidate these gains.

 

In addition to providing an ideal coaching environment, the treadmill enables incline running, which is ideal for naturally developing perfect running form. Inclines force the athletes to drive their knees high and land with their foot directly underneath them. As a result, stride angle increases, and more of the energy they generate moves them forward instead of upward, thus improving efficiency. Athletes are drilled on running form on an incline, and are able to preserve the improved running form on a flatter slope.

 

The second major benefit we get out of treadmill training is improving explosive power. Speed coaches have known for decades that running up hills improves power. Running on a treadmill is even more effective because the treadmill does not slow down like the athlete might when running on a hill outside. Research has shown that running on a properly designed treadmill compared to running on the ground has minimal differences; one positive difference, however, is that the athlete cannot slow down, thus forcing them to maintain consistent power output over the course of the entire bout.

 

The third benefit from treadmill training is that it offers pinpoint control over training variables. With a touch of the button, the trainer can precisely adjust the speed, incline, and duration for each running bout. The Athletic Republic super running treadmill has the ability to reach 28 mph in under three seconds and a maximum incline of 40 % grade. These two widely adjustable variables give us the ability to create running protocols that maximize both the velocity and power segments on the force-velocity curve. The power output per unit of body weight that an athlete must produce  at a given speed and grade is known precisely when running on a treadmill, which makes it easier to design training programs that safely fit within the specific demands of almost any sport. With total control over speed and incline, we can put athletes through overspeed training, a progression that culminates in high-velocity bouts that raise the athlete’s threshold of speed.

 

 

Fourthly, using the treadmill we can also introduce contrast training, in which we apply resistance to the athlete performing a movement, in this case running, in order to elicit greater muscle activation during the movement.  Upon removing the resistance the nervous system will continue to elicit the additional motor units, resulting in a faster and more powerful performance.

 

The first and simplest form of contrast training utilized on the treadmill comes simply from changes in incline. Ramping the incline up to higher grades increases the degree of difficulty and facilitates proper form; as the session progresses the incline is decreased while speed increases the end result being a smooth transition that helps maintain mechanics while still providing high velocity training. Another obvious form of contrast training on the treadmills for more advanced athletes is the use of Athletic Republic’s proprietary sprint cords. This resistance activates the hip flexors and extensors, improving the overall frequency while increasing the velocity and power of the running musculature.

 

And finally, Athletic Republic treadmills can be used to train running backwards. They're fitted with special bars and harnesses that make it safe and effective to incorporate this unique activity into training protocols.  Why do we do that? Backpedaling, also known as retrograde treadmill exercise, elicits in up to 200% of the muscle activation compared to forward walking and running and is an excellent means of conditioning the running musculature while also providing a sport specific training effect for those athletes (usually defensive players) whose sport requires that they be able to move backward quickly and fluidly.

 

The Super Running Treadmill was one of the first pieces of specialized equipment developed by Athletic Republic, and it continues to be a centerpiece of our training programs. Contact us to learn how it can benefit you!

As the COVID pandemic continues, many Athletic Republic training centers around the country, when allowed to be open by local regulations, have actually thrived. Athletes whose team activities have been curtailed have turned to us to maintain their readiness to compete, as have adults who recognize that fitness and a healthy immune system are more important than ever before. 

 

How have these sports performance training centers provided a safe training environment for athletes of all ages? Above all, by recognizing that safety is their number one priority, and that every step possible must be taken to protect their athletes while helping them achieve their performance goals. These steps, along with the happy coincidence of the Athletic Republic training model and best practices, include:

1. Membership. Athletes purchase training packages, so we know our members. Our model is based on small-group training and individualized attention; all training sessions are scheduled by appointment and there are no open ‘drop-in’ classes.
2. Only healthy athletes are permitted in the training center. Our touch-less check-in process includes a temperature check and a health questionnaire every time an athlete enters the training center. Customers are constantly reminded to be aware of their contacts and not come to train if there is any question they may have been exposed.
3. No close contact. Our small group training system allows athletes to maintain a minimum safe distance between each other. Spreading out the training equipment and distributing athletes around their training stations naturally allows for proper distancing.
4. Constant cleaning. Athletes disinfect the equipment they touch before another athlete comes in contact and trainers clean the training spaces between classes.
5. Wearing masks. Trainers wear masks at all times when in the center, and athletes at a minimum must wear a mask at entry and exit. Some centers have ‘mask mandatory’ policies when training older athletes or depending on local circumstances. 
6. Air flow. The training centers circulate a higher level of outside air than most indoor spaces to reduce the concentration of potential contaminants.

Throughout the pandemic, much concern has been expressed about the risks of going to gyms. Our experience at AR centers around the country has shown that when proper procedures are followed, it doesn’t have to be dangerous but rather a positive, beneficial experience that furthers our mission of transforming potential into performance.

Amid the concern about the trend towards early specialization, young athletes today are hearing that it’s incredibly important to participate in multiple sports. It's well-recognized by coaches that playing different sports gives athletes an edge because they have the chance to become more well-rounded, developing complementary skills and building versatility. In addition, mixing up the demands they place on their bodies helps minimize stress on muscles and joints, making multi-sport athletes less susceptible to injury. Those who play the same sport all year round are at risk for developing repetitive movement injury, from working joints and muscles the same way over and over again. 

 

What if an athlete feels they can’t (or don’t want to) compete in multiple sports? Fortunately, the right off-season or pre-season training and conditioning program can develop the athletic versatility and resistance to overuse injuries they would naturally obtain doing a different sport. In the words of John Brenkus, Athletic Republic’s Chief Sports Science Officer, they can effectively work on developing “the whole athlete” by following a well-balanced training program.

 

John Brenkus has made a career of exploring all aspects of athleticism, in showcases like his Emmy-award winning “Sports Science” show on ESPN. ““While I knew of Athletic Republic’s existence, it was not until I first experienced its training back in 2017 that I saw for the first time a company applying the principles of sports science to sports training in a replicable way. I was intrigued, so I went through all the protocols and looked at everything under the hood. I thought, ‘Wow, if I were to open a gym, it would be exactly like Athletic Republic.’ They completely understand what being a great athlete is all about, and I knew I had to get involved in the company.”

 

He explains, “A lot of athletes fall into the training trap of thinking that they have to be ‘strong’ without really understanding what that means. For them ‘training’ means ‘strength training’ and it’s going to be focused just on their sport. The truth is, they need to have some component that trains the whole athlete—that means not only training strength but training speed. And not only training speed, but training agility. Not only training agility, but training endurance, balance, stability, and mobility. You're building an entire athletic repertoire in that way." He continues:  

Being a complete athlete not only improves performance on the field, but it plays a critical role in injury prevention beyond the avoidance of repetitive use stress. The reason being is that by far the biggest potential roadblock for an athlete’s career is getting injured. As Brenkus explains, “For young athletes, the priority is keeping the kinetic chain intact. When an athlete gets injured, as many of not most athletes do, they break the kinetic chain. And once that  happens, their bodies need to be able to make up for the weaknesses that have now manifested themselves in the form of redistributed energy. Athletes that are physically well-rounded are one, less likely to get injured, and two, if they are injured they can bounce back better with fewer long-term repercussions because they have the ability to avoid that downward spiral of one thing breaking down after another.”

 

Athletic Republic is built around the mission of developing the whole athlete. Our Acceleration Training program does this by:

• Increasing speed
• Building explosive power
• Developing dynamic stability
• Increasing agility
• Increasing strength and anaerobic capacity
• Maintaining mobility and flexibility
• Improving balance and coordination

This may seem impossible to accomplish in 2 or 3 hour-long sessions a week, but our protocols are carefully structured and periodized for maximum effectiveness. Pre- and post-program testing assesses areas that need to be worked on and measures results.

 

Interested in seeing what Athletic Republic’s proven training system can do for you? Contact us to learn more.

Runners who experience pain or discomfort during a run, who struggle with injuries, are frustrated with how slowly they are going, or who are simply not enjoying it much may be making one or more basic mistakes with their form. At Athletic Republic we coach a lot of teen and adult athletes in proper running form. Here are three of the main points we usually end up correcting during evaluations:

 

Keep your feet under you.

To avoid overstriding, which creates a “braking” effect and sends shock up the kinetic chain, focus on making sure your feet make contact with the ground directly under your hips/center of gravity.  When you do this, you’re automatically set up to push through the landing and propel yourself forward. If your foot is out in front, you first have to haul your body forward to catch up to it before you can get any forward propulsion. It’s very inefficient, and inefficiency is going to drain your energy.  However, this doesn’t necessarily mean you’re shuffling along with teeny-tiny steps. You’ll want to drive with your knees during each step, which will help propel you forward, making you a more efficient (and faster) runner. 

 

Perfect your posture.

Sprinters need to run upright, but if you’re running any kind of distance you’ll want a slight forward lean. The best way to picture the ideal running posture is to stand tall on both feet. Imagine a vertical line extending upward from the tips of your toes. Lining up the front of the shoulders with this line gives the body a subtle forward lean that is barely noticeable. On the other hand, you don’t want to ‘lead with the head,’ which is inefficient and will lead to back strain. A balanced posture, one that’s not too far forward or back, leads to better foot strike closer in line below the hips for less braking action, and greater transfer of force into the ground, which makes you faster and more efficient. And remember, your upper body is naturally going to move slightly as you run. Trying to hold it perfectly rigid is counterproductive.

 

Use your arms … correctly.

Your arms are more important than you think. They can really help or, if you’re not using them right, they can really cause problems. The key is to relax. Relax your shoulders down and back, unlock your elbows, and unclench your hands. Make sure to keep your elbows relaxed and slightly bent, with a little bit of space between your arms and your trunk. As you run, swing them in a relaxed way and slightly toward the midline of your body, but don’t allow your hands to cross your midline since that becomes energy that isn’t moving you forward. In addition to being inefficient, the core rotation generated by a ‘crossover’ arm swing can also lead to knee and lower back pain.

 

Want to really become a better runner? Come into Athletic Republic and talk to a trainer about how we can get you running faster and farther, in greater comfort. Athletic Republic centers are outfitted with  video analysis systems to give instant feedback on form. Many people are visual learners, and being able to see what the trainer is talking about makes it easier to correct poor form. We can also create before-and-after videos to reinforce the learning and help integrate good habits. Contact us to learn more!

2020 has been a year like few others in recent memory, and for athletes, it’s been a tough one. Thanks to COVID-19, postponed seasons and some cancelled seasons are common at every level from youth to college and beyond. Team gatherings have been restricted or banned. In many parts of the country things have relaxed somewhat but if there is anything we know now, it’s that the situation can change again in a heartbeat. What’s a serious, goal-oriented athlete to do when their sports season is cancelled?

 

Managing these challenges takes a high degree of mental toughness. The most resilient athletes are the ones who put setbacks in their rear view mirror and focus on what’s ahead. For inspiration, think of all the Olympic athletes whose Games were postponed. You can be certain that they are not taking off a few months of training because their plans changed. 

 

It's Time to Train

 

The important thing to recognize is that these cancellations create opportunities in the training center. Physiologically speaking, advances in overall athleticism take place during the off-season, when you’re not focusing on skill or teamwork development. There are many reasons that athletes would want to focus on training during this time. Enhancing your athleticism is always a great goal, but there are some situations in which it’s particularly important. They include:

 

• ACHIEVING BALANCE - If you’re an athlete who has been at risk of overspecialization by focusing on a single sport 12 months a year or only one position on the field, here’s a chance to round out your physical ‘tool set’ and develop complementary functional skills and strengths.
• INJURY PREVENTION - If you’ve been plagued by injuries, now is the perfect time to address the underlying causes of the injury (e.g. poor alignment, weak supporting musculature, etc.) and work on what is needed to reduce the chances of future injuries. Every minute on the field is now precious, and you don’t want to risk losing any more of them.
• LAYING THE FOUNDATION - Even if you haven’t suffered injuries in the past, you need to be wary of coming back to practices and competition without an adequate pre-season to prepare. Injury rates have been skyrocketing among athletes who have been returning after a layoff and did too much, too soon. Laying a strong athletic foundation is key.
• COMBINE PREPARATION - If you have big combines or tryouts coming up, now’s the time to take your athleticism to the next level and turn a few heads next spring. These performances could be especially important if you don’t have game tape to send out thanks to cancellations. 
• BENCH TO STARTER - Above all, if you’re tired of watching games from the bench, tired of being called “too slow,” or you’re ready to make your dreams a reality, here’s the perfect opening to step up and commit to becoming better. Because if you commit, you WILL become better.

 

Your Partner in the new "Off Season"

 

Athletic Republic’s approach to athletic development is perfectly aligned with enabling you to take advantage of this unexpected “off season.” Our data-driven approach relies on a pre-training assessment to get an accurate picture of where you are physically, and to enable us to build a training program that’s right for you. Once your needs are established, we develop an individualized program that’s appropriate for your existing level of conditioning, and mixes speed work and plyometrics with complementary strength and stability training. 

 

Getting Results

 

If there has been any upside to this COVID-19 crisis, it has been the gift of time. Athletes now have the time to fully exploit the potential of our sports performance training and come out ahead athletically. Studies of collegiate football players who completed our 8-week/24-session training program showed the following results:

• .20 second decrease in 40-yard dash time (that’s 6 feet of separation on the field)
• 2-4 inch increase in vertical jump
• 20% gain in leg strength (peak force and power)
• 33% improvement in agility and dynamic stability tests

 

What kind of difference will these results make in your next season? Give yourself a chance to find out. There are two kinds of athletes who will emerge from this cancellation situation: those who progressed and those who fell behind. Which will you be? Athletic Republic’s there to help you make your next season your best season. Contact us to learn how.

2020 has been a year like few others in recent memory, and for athletes, it’s been a tough one. Thanks to COVID-19, postponed seasons and some cancelled seasons are common at every level from youth to college and beyond. Team gatherings have been restricted or banned. In many parts of the country things have relaxed somewhat but if there is anything we know now, it’s that the situation can change again in a heartbeat. What’s a serious, goal-oriented athlete to do when their sports season is cancelled?

 

Managing these challenges takes a high degree of mental toughness. The most resilient athletes are the ones who put setbacks in their rear view mirror and focus on what’s ahead. For inspiration, think of all the Olympic athletes whose Games were postponed. You can be certain that they are not taking off a few months of training because their plans changed. 

 

It's Time to Train

 

The important thing to recognize is that these cancellations create opportunities in the training center. Physiologically speaking, advances in overall athleticism take place during the off-season, when you’re not focusing on skill or teamwork development. There are many reasons that athletes would want to focus on training during this time. Enhancing your athleticism is always a great goal, but there are some situations in which it’s particularly important. They include:

 

• ACHIEVING BALANCE - If you’re an athlete who has been at risk of overspecialization by focusing on a single sport 12 months a year or only one position on the field, here’s a chance to round out your physical ‘tool set’ and develop complementary functional skills and strengths.
• INJURY PREVENTION - If you’ve been plagued by injuries, now is the perfect time to address the underlying causes of the injury (e.g. poor alignment, weak supporting musculature, etc.) and work on what is needed to reduce the chances of future injuries. Every minute on the field is now precious, and you don’t want to risk losing any more of them.
• LAYING THE FOUNDATION - Even if you haven’t suffered injuries in the past, you need to be wary of coming back to practices and competition without an adequate pre-season to prepare. Injury rates have been skyrocketing among athletes who have been returning after a layoff and did too much, too soon. Laying a strong athletic foundation is key.
• COMBINE PREPARATION - If you have big combines or tryouts coming up, now’s the time to take your athleticism to the next level and turn a few heads next spring. These performances could be especially important if you don’t have game tape to send out thanks to cancellations. 
• BENCH TO STARTER - Above all, if you’re tired of watching games from the bench, tired of being called “too slow,” or you’re ready to make your dreams a reality, here’s the perfect opening to step up and commit to becoming better. Because if you commit, you WILL become better.

 

Your Partner in the new "Off Season"

 

Athletic Republic’s approach to athletic development is perfectly aligned with enabling you to take advantage of this unexpected “off season.” Our data-driven approach relies on a pre-training assessment to get an accurate picture of where you are physically, and to enable us to build a training program that’s right for you. Once your needs are established, we develop an individualized program that’s appropriate for your existing level of conditioning, and mixes speed work and plyometrics with complementary strength and stability training. 

 

Getting Results

 

If there has been any upside to this COVID-19 crisis, it has been the gift of time. Athletes now have the time to fully exploit the potential of our sports performance training and come out ahead athletically. Studies of collegiate football players who completed our 8-week/24-session training program showed the following results:

• .20 second decrease in 40-yard dash time (that’s 6 feet of separation on the field)
• 2-4 inch increase in vertical jump
• 20% gain in leg strength (peak force and power)
• 33% improvement in agility and dynamic stability tests

 

What kind of difference will these results make in your next season? Give yourself a chance to find out. There are two kinds of athletes who will emerge from this cancellation situation: those who progressed and those who fell behind. Which will you be? Athletic Republic’s there to help you make your next season your best season. Find an Athletic Republic sports performance training center near you to find out how.

Turning 30 is a big deal for a lot of people. When you’re a company that has stayed on the cutting edge of sports performance training for 30 years, it’s a VERY big deal. If you think about all the fitness fads that have come and gone in that time (Step Aerobics, Thighmaster, Tae Bo, and many more) the staying power of the Athletic Republic system is truly remarkable. And remember, a safe, reliable training system for younger scholastic athletes didn’t even exist -- AR pioneered that category. We may shake our heads and marvel at how much athletic training progressed since then but really, it’s simply a matter of public perception catching up to what Athletic Republic has known all along.

 

The key to the AR system and, indeed, its staying power is the solid foundation of science and evidence-based iteration. When an exercise science physiologist from North Dakota named John Frappier made his fateful visit to the Soviet Union in 1986, he probably had little idea his findings would be the basis of a long-lived, successful brand or that the systems he would develop based on his observations from that trip would help millions of dedicated athletes achieve their goals. 

 

He learned that the astounding success of the Soviets in sport in the previous decades was based on several approaches, including “overspeed training” in which the body was artificially pushed beyond its normal limits to raise its performance threshold. This principle of neuromuscular training is still that basis of much of AR’s training protocols today. Why? Because it works. It’s a complex process that gets the athlete’s system firing faster, at a higher level, and with much greater efficiency. At Athletic Republic better athletes are made, not born. 

 

Another concept Frappier explored during his trip to the USSR was the comprehensive testing employed to gather data and validate results. These results informed future training, further reinforcing the superiority of drawing on scientific principles to train athletes.

 

At that time, there was very little science and a lot of tradition involved in the training of most athletes, at least those who weren’t lucky enough to be part of an Olympic or national team. But when scientific principles were applied to training, the results immediately jumped out. Upon his return to Fargo, Frappier began experimenting with applying and refining his learnings from his trip. Within two years, three football athletes enrolled in his program had signed with the University of Nebraska football program, a first for a town not known for producing high-level athletes. Things only took off from there, and his methods and the results being achieved by his athletes began attracting notice not only from university coaches but from pro athletes as well.

 

Well beyond the founding of Acceleration Products in 1990, Frappier continued to refine and innovate. He is, in fact, considered an early pioneer in plyometric training, studying the benefit of low impact, quick movements to improve stability and foot speed.  He was so far ahead of his time that many of the concepts, protocols, and equipment that he developed over the course of the next decade are still considered cutting-edge today. 

While Frappier has long since retired from training, Athletic Republic is well positioned to continue its trajectory of innovation in sports performance training with the recent addition of Dr. Jim Walker to its staff, who brings to the table many years of experience in training athletes leveraging his considerable scientific knowledge, as well as a deep understanding of and experience with the Athletic Republic system. Under his guidance, new programs, new protocols, and a strengthened emphasis on continuing education for trainers to help them deliver the high quality experience to their athletes are being rolled out. In addition, new technology products that will enhance the training experience for clients are in the works, and the company is continuing to aggressively work to expand into new markets, both in the U.S. and abroad. 

 

In the meantime, we’ll be celebrating this big milestone in our history by honoring everyone that’s been a part of our legacy: our athletes, our franchisees, our training staff, and our partners. We’ll be celebrating the entire month of August with live social events, commemorative anniversary gifts, limited-edition swag, weekly giveaways, community give-back, and more. Stay tuned on our social media sites for daily updates and be part of the celebration.

As the Sunrise community begins to reopen up for businesAthletic Republic Sunrise is excited to be able to offer our community a way to stay fit and continue to progress towards their athletic goals. Of course, our priority is to make sure everyone is staying healthy at the same time. Following are the measures we are taking to be sure we are operating in a safe and responsible manner.

 

How will you comply with social distancing requirements?

Athletic Republic’s model of small-group training makes it easy for us to more readily comply with the social distancing requirements mandated by the [local / state  entity laying out rules]. We are further restricting our class sizes in the center to ensure athlete and trainer safety, to no more than 5 athletes per session. At the same time, we ask that all our athletes be respectful of the personal space of everyone else in the center and keep an appropriate distance.

 

We are/we are considering offering training outdoors, where we can accommodate larger groups (such as teams) while still maintaining appropriate distancing. We will be complying with the requirement that these groups be limited to no more than 20 at a time.

 

What will you do about your virtual training?

For anyone in an at-risk group or who is simply not comfortable training in a group environment yet, we will continue to offer virtual classes for the foreseeable future. Check our schedule for times.

 

Are there other options for training?

You are always welcome to talk to us about private training sessions, where you and/or your family would have the opportunity to work out without others present. Additionally, we are happy to work with teams to develop custom training plans that can be executed in-center, outdoors, or virtually.

 

How are you keeping the center clean?

First off, we ask that upon entering the center, everyone wash their hands well or use hand sanitizer. We wipe down frequently-touched surfaces in the reception area to ensure cleanliness as well. We have added time between classes to give trainers the opportunity to clean after each class to ensure that you are entering a safe environment when you come in to train. At the end of each day, we clean thoroughly, and steam-clean the turf area every week. 

 

Additionally, during workouts we are asking our athletes to help out by wiping down everything they touch when they finish at a station, in addition to limiting the equipment that is shared by different users and providing everyone with their own mat to use for floor exercises. The water fountains are off-limits for now to ensure everyone’s safety, so be sure to bring a full water bottle with you.

 

Are you screening athletes as they come in the door? 

When athletes enter the center, we check athletes' temperature, have them clean their hands, and guide them to a designated spot on the turf to roll out while we wait for everyone to get there. That way people aren’t congrating by the front door. 

 

Of course, it goes without saying that if you are symptomatic in any way, please stay home. Additionally, we would request that you stay home if anyone in your household is symptomatic or you’ve had close contact with someone who has recently tested positive or has traveled out of state. We’re not out of the woods yet, and 

 

What about masks - are you requiring them?

Cloth face coverings can add a layer of protection, given that COVID-19 can be transmitted by people who are not showing any symptoms and don’t know they are infected. Our staff will always wear masks when leading a workout, and we recommend but don’t require that our athletes do, since it can be difficult to breathe through a mask when you’re working hard. We have masks available upon request. 

 

Is there anything else I should know? 

To limit chances of infectious materials being brought into the center, we ask that all athletes come into the center ready to work out (workout shoes on, no jackets, full water bottles). It would also be helpful for you to take care of any transactions (payments, enrollments, etc.) online or over the phone prior to entering the center, to eliminate time spent standing at the front desk. 

 

While things have improved locally, we’re not out of the woods yet, and the situation may change in the future. Please follow us on social media to stay up-to-date on the latest news. Thank you for your support of Athletic Republic Sunrise!