This article is sponsored by the Ultimate Athlete Project.
I Found UAP on Google and Decided to Give It A Try
by Sarah Staller
At the end of the club season last year, my team met to discuss how to get to the next level of competition and what we should be doing in the off-season. Several of my teammates brought up the importance of weightlifting as part of our training. Somehow, I have managed to play competitive sports for over 20 years, including college soccer and club Frisbee, and I have never lifted weights on a routine basis. I have always trained year round for ultimate, but my workouts focused on running, interval training, and body weight exercises. In the past few years, I have struggled with plantar fasciitis and IT band syndrome, so I felt eager to change things up and try something new.
I found the Ultimate Athlete Project through a google search and decided to try it. It’s a complete ultimate specific training program with strength, agility, and conditioning workouts that take you from the off-season through the postseason. There is a lot of focus on weight training to build power, quickness, and speed. The workouts are very organized and can be tailored to a busy schedule. There are videos of each exercise that are easy to follow. And Melissa Witmer, the founder, responds quickly to any questions with lots of helpful advice.
The program is divided into several phases: preparation, off-season, pre-season, and in-season. There are suggested schedules based on how many days a week you want to do the program, from two to six days a week. I typically lifted and did a core workout twice a week, as well as one or two strength/agility/quickness (SAQ) workouts per week. To complete the majority of the workouts I needed a bench rack, dumbbells, a cable machine, bands, a pull-up bar, and a stability ball, all of which can be found at most gyms. Most workouts took me about an hour with warm-up. Sometimes I did the conditioning workouts from UAP, but I also substituted soccer games, pickup and league, backcountry skiing, mountain biking, and team practices for these workouts. One of the most surprising things about the program for me was how little conditioning there was, compared to how I used to train. Plus the conditioning workouts were more about speed and interval training instead of longer runs. This actually fit much better into my busy schedule and felt more efficient and effective.
I felt pretty intimidated going into the weight room for the first time. However, the program taught me so much about my body, and how to lift correctly, that I started to feel more confident every time I went to the gym. When the season started, I was interested to see how my off-season training would affect my performance. From the beginning, I have felt quicker, stronger, and more explosive than I can ever remember. I have minimal soreness on day 2 of a tournament, and my fitness helps me feel fresh until the last point of the weekend. My throws have gotten stronger and more consistent as well. I attribute all of this to the Ultimate Athlete Project workouts that I have been doing since December. I would highly recommend the program to anyone who wants to elevate their game. I am definitely a convert!
Sarah Staller has played ultimate frisbee since 2000. She lives in Boise, ID, where she works as a family doctor and plays for Lochsa Ultimate.
Why UAP Works for Mature Athletes
by Kim Blakemore
The Ultimate Athlete Program (UAP) has been a lifesaver for this grandmaster, never quit ultimate frisbee lady (i.e., me). I am a work from home mom and until discovering the UAP would constantly experiment with different online conditioning/strengthening programs or experiment with local Crossfit gyms. The UAP has allowed me to work out on my own schedule and to work with an intensity my very mature body can handle.
As a mature athlete, my main concern is injury prevention as well as not to collapse from fatigue while covering someone half my age. The UAP has levels of intensity and flexibility that work for all ages and plus has fantastic video footage to help those who have never followed a formal plan. I especially find the weightlifting tips and illustrations very helpful since before I started UAP, I had never weight lifted so was unaccustomed to the terminology. Although I haven’t been able to stay 100% uninjured since starting the program, I’d like to think I’ve kept away many many injuries I’d sustain if I were not doing the program., in general, general feel much stronger which in and of itself is a big gain.
So if your hemming and hawing about investing, I say go for it. I definitely was skeptical when I first started and possibly a bit overwhelmed by all the content but once you to the deep dive and commit, the outcome is exactly what you will need to stay healthy and strong and be ready for the game.
Find out more about The Ultimate Athlete Project or try it for yourself at TheUltimateAthleteProject.com
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