Step Up Your Game: The Revolutionary Program Elite Athletes Use to Increase Performance and Achieve Total Health
As a sports and wellness medicine practitioner whose clients include Olympic and professional athletes, triathletes, and weekend warriors, Dr. Naresh Rao has uncovered the secrets of how and why elite athletes consistently perform at the highest levels. In Step Up Your Game, he reveals what separates the best athletes from the rest of us, despite our best efforts in any chosen sport.

According to Rao, top athletes know that peak performance requires much more than consistent practice. He reveals a comprehensive program that takes into account every aspect of optimizing wellness—from monitoring health to improving nutrition, following a thorough training protocol, and developing a plan for recovering from and preventing injury. The mental game is just as important as the physical one; these athletes make sure to address their motivational, psychological, and spiritual needs, too. In short, the athletes who are at the top of their game know that if they want to improve—whether it’s their accuracy at the goal, time at the finish line, or consistency of play—they need to take each of these aspects into consideration every single day.

Step Up Your Game reveals how remarkable success is available to athletes with the conviction and desire to improve. By integrating Dr. Rao’s program into an existing fitness routine, readers will take ownership of their training in a systematic way, remove the stress that often hampers outcomes, and—most importantly—begin to fully enjoy their exercise experience as they work to achieve their healthiest selves.

Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Sports Publishing imprint, is proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in sports—books about baseball, pro football, college football, pro and college basketball, hockey, or soccer, we have a book about your sport or your team.

In addition to books on popular team sports, we also publish books for a wide variety of athletes and sports enthusiasts, including books on running, cycling, horseback riding, swimming, tennis, martial arts, golf, camping, hiking, aviation, boating, and so much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to publishing books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked by other publishers and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.
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Step Up Your Game: The Revolutionary Program Elite Athletes Use to Increase Performance and Achieve Total Health
As a sports and wellness medicine practitioner whose clients include Olympic and professional athletes, triathletes, and weekend warriors, Dr. Naresh Rao has uncovered the secrets of how and why elite athletes consistently perform at the highest levels. In Step Up Your Game, he reveals what separates the best athletes from the rest of us, despite our best efforts in any chosen sport.

According to Rao, top athletes know that peak performance requires much more than consistent practice. He reveals a comprehensive program that takes into account every aspect of optimizing wellness—from monitoring health to improving nutrition, following a thorough training protocol, and developing a plan for recovering from and preventing injury. The mental game is just as important as the physical one; these athletes make sure to address their motivational, psychological, and spiritual needs, too. In short, the athletes who are at the top of their game know that if they want to improve—whether it’s their accuracy at the goal, time at the finish line, or consistency of play—they need to take each of these aspects into consideration every single day.

Step Up Your Game reveals how remarkable success is available to athletes with the conviction and desire to improve. By integrating Dr. Rao’s program into an existing fitness routine, readers will take ownership of their training in a systematic way, remove the stress that often hampers outcomes, and—most importantly—begin to fully enjoy their exercise experience as they work to achieve their healthiest selves.

Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Sports Publishing imprint, is proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in sports—books about baseball, pro football, college football, pro and college basketball, hockey, or soccer, we have a book about your sport or your team.

In addition to books on popular team sports, we also publish books for a wide variety of athletes and sports enthusiasts, including books on running, cycling, horseback riding, swimming, tennis, martial arts, golf, camping, hiking, aviation, boating, and so much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to publishing books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked by other publishers and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.
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Step Up Your Game: The Revolutionary Program Elite Athletes Use to Increase Performance and Achieve Total Health

Step Up Your Game: The Revolutionary Program Elite Athletes Use to Increase Performance and Achieve Total Health

by Naresh C. Rao
Step Up Your Game: The Revolutionary Program Elite Athletes Use to Increase Performance and Achieve Total Health

Step Up Your Game: The Revolutionary Program Elite Athletes Use to Increase Performance and Achieve Total Health

by Naresh C. Rao

Hardcover

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Overview

As a sports and wellness medicine practitioner whose clients include Olympic and professional athletes, triathletes, and weekend warriors, Dr. Naresh Rao has uncovered the secrets of how and why elite athletes consistently perform at the highest levels. In Step Up Your Game, he reveals what separates the best athletes from the rest of us, despite our best efforts in any chosen sport.

According to Rao, top athletes know that peak performance requires much more than consistent practice. He reveals a comprehensive program that takes into account every aspect of optimizing wellness—from monitoring health to improving nutrition, following a thorough training protocol, and developing a plan for recovering from and preventing injury. The mental game is just as important as the physical one; these athletes make sure to address their motivational, psychological, and spiritual needs, too. In short, the athletes who are at the top of their game know that if they want to improve—whether it’s their accuracy at the goal, time at the finish line, or consistency of play—they need to take each of these aspects into consideration every single day.

Step Up Your Game reveals how remarkable success is available to athletes with the conviction and desire to improve. By integrating Dr. Rao’s program into an existing fitness routine, readers will take ownership of their training in a systematic way, remove the stress that often hampers outcomes, and—most importantly—begin to fully enjoy their exercise experience as they work to achieve their healthiest selves.

Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Sports Publishing imprint, is proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in sports—books about baseball, pro football, college football, pro and college basketball, hockey, or soccer, we have a book about your sport or your team.

In addition to books on popular team sports, we also publish books for a wide variety of athletes and sports enthusiasts, including books on running, cycling, horseback riding, swimming, tennis, martial arts, golf, camping, hiking, aviation, boating, and so much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to publishing books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked by other publishers and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781613218303
Publisher: Sports Publishing
Publication date: 02/02/2016
Pages: 304
Product dimensions: 6.20(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.30(d)

About the Author

About The Author
Naresh C. Rao DO, FAOASM, is an award winning primary care sports medicine specialist who is board certified in Family Medicine and Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment, and holds a Certificate of Added Qualifications in Sports Medicine. Dr. Rao has been a contributing author for several medical books and articles for scientific journals and is in the media regularly. He is a partner at Sports Medicine at Chelsea, a premier multispecialty practice in the Flatiron district of New York City. He is the head physician of the USA men's water polo team and is on Team USA's sports medicine team for the 2016 Summer Olympics.

Table of Contents

Introduction ix

The Step Up Your Game Philosophy xii

The Sports Grid xviii

How This Book Works xx

Now, It's Your Turn xxii

Chapter 1 Creating a Playbook: Determining Goals, Strengths, and Deficiencies 1

The Athletic Mission Statement 3

Setting the Right Goals 11

Meet the Elite Athlete Entourage 16

Connecting the Roles for Peak Performance 19

The Step Up Your Game Quiz 20

Chapter 2 The Team Physician 27

The Qualities of a Team Physician 28

10 Questions Every Team Physician Should Be Able to Answer 30

The Step Up Your Game Sports Physical 32

Critical Conversations to Have with Your Doctor 38

Meet Paralympic Medalist Tucker Dupree 46

The Team Physician Is the Quarterback for Your Health 48

In Case of Injury 49

Developing a Recovery Protocol 51

Home Remedies: Treatments You Can Do on Your Own 52

Be Your Own Medical Researcher 54

Chapter 3 The Physical Therapist 57

When to Use Physical Therapy 59

Physical Therapy Tools 59

Anatomical Weaknesses That Cause Injury 61

Maintaining Balance and Coordinating Movement 63

The Importance of Stretching 64

The Injury Prevention Workout Grid 65

Group 1: Upper Core Exercises 67

Group 2: Back Exercises 76

Group 3: Lower Core Exercises 80

Group 4: Balance Exercises 86

Meet Physio/Kinesiologist and Track and Field Decathlete, Joe Hippensteel 89

Physical Therapy Specialists 91

Athletic Trainers 92

Emergency First Aid 93

Chapter 4 The Trainer 95

Step 1: Pre-Participation Baseline Screening 96

Step 2: Select Exercises That Expedite Your Goal 99

Step 3: Create Training and Game Day Programs 102

Pregame Dynamic Stretching Routine 103

Postgame Flexibility Routine 109

The Sports Grid Training Workout 109

Level 1 Anaerobic Exercises 110

Level 2 Anaerobic Exercises 115

Level 3 Anaerobic Exercises 119

The Sports Grid Aerobic Conditioning Workout 127

The Flexibility Workout 130

The Sports Grid Weekly Training Calendar 131

Meet Gymnast and Coach Wendy Hilliard 132

Step 4: Monitor Technique and Modify as Necessary 133

Meet Triathletes and Trainers Roch Frey and Heather Fuhr 135

Tools You'll Use 137

Hiring an Expert 139

Chapter 5 The Dietitian 141

Meet Sports Dietitian Shawn Hueglin 144

The Step Up Your Game Essential Eating Instructions 145

Common Food Pitfalls 148

Eating for Your Exercise Type 151

Swapping Macronutrients 163

Step Up Your Game Shakes 173

Dietary Quick Fixes 178

Dietitians Track What You Eat 179

Finding the Right Dietitian 180

Chapter 6 The Coach 182

The Ideal Coach 183

The Secrets to Self-Coaching 188

Coaches Keep Athletes Focused and Track Their Progress 194

Meet Olympic Coach Adam Krikorian 197

A Coach's Game Day Responsibilities 199

Hiring a Professional Coach 201

Recognizing a Really Bad Coach 202

Chapter 7 The Competitor 204

The Qualities of a Strong Competitor 205

The Three Types of Competitors 209

Using Competitors to Your Advantage 212

Meet America's Cup Winner Peter Holmberg 212

Learning from the Best: The Army-Navy Football Rivalry 216

Chapter 8 The Role Model/Hero 218

Using Role Models to Your Advantage 220

Reclaim Your Hero 221

The Elite Athletes' Mutual Admiration Society 223

Becoming a Hero 224

Meet Olympian Tony Azevedo 225

Chapter 9 The Psychologist 228

The Sport Psychologists' Best Practices 231

Meet Sport Psychologist Burt Giges 240

Sport Psychologists Address Real Mental Health Concerns 242

Chapter 10 The Spiritual Leader 246

Meet NFL Superstar Ed White 250

Developing Your Spiritual Side 252

Chapter 11 Creating a Unified Program 256

The Step Up Your Game Checklist 257

Success On and Off the Field 259

References 261

Appendix: Consumer Resources 265

Acknowledgments 265

Index 268

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