Ultimate Athleticism: 4 Characteristics to Develop Better Athletes

By Corey Beasley

What characteristics make a great athlete?

SPEED?
STRENGTH?
ENDURANCE?

The truth is that you need to acquire all of these traits to become the Ultimate Athlete, but the order in which you acquire these traits may be the most important piece of the puzzle that most people are missing.

4 Characteristics of Athleticism

1. Flexibility/Mobility
In order to become a highly functioning athletic machine you must first lay a solid foundation of movement quality. This is comprised of your flexibility and coordination. It MUST be acquired first or you will be laying other traits on top of a faulty system. Think shooting a cannon from a canoe.

2. Strength
Once a person is moving optimally it is time to simply load up those movements with weights or by using leverage. This continues to strengthen connective tissues, making the athlete more resilient.

3. Speed
It is generally unsafe to move at high speeds if one has not first laid a solid foundation of movement quality and strength underneath it. Moving at high speeds is one of the hallmarks of an excellent athlete and, with the prerequisites listed above, can be achieved safely and improved quickly.

4. Endurance
Endurance is generally the easiest trait to acquire and improve (or lose) in the shortest amount of time. It, along with speed, are the most damaging if done without a solid foundation of movement and strength.

Let the pyramid be your guide. Focus on laying a solid foundation and building from the bottom up. You will be rewarded with speed and strength that never quit and a body capable of withstanding any stressors that can be thrown at it.

To learn more, check out Max's new book called...

Building the Ultimate Athlete

• How a few simple movements will give you a grip that could crush a potato and help keep your elbows healthy
• The easiest way to cut through all the programming confusion and set up your workouts for ultimate efficiency and success
• The simple key to gaining the endurance you need for YOUR sport
• How to convince your nervous system it’s safe to give you up to 50% more strength instantly!
• The fastest way to improve your posture and flexibility
• The two muscle groups you need to be focusing on to unlock all of your athletic potential

While others make getting strong and athletic complicated, Max boils it down to a few simple drills and then provides a ton of progressions and regressions for each. This book would be a great resource for any lifter, fighters, grapplers or coaches looking for an edge on the competition.

Over 200 pages of exercises, program design, workouts and more. This book is a must have for any strength enthusiast.

"Max, I enjoyed your Ultimate Athleticism book. It is straightforward, effective, and will be beneficial to many aspiring athletes. It's nice to see a program that isn't focused on a single quality or tool. Your approach is clearly balanced and the results that you've obtained are obvious. In a world of talkers, it is always refreshing to find someone who walks the walk and practices what they preach. Great job!"

Ross Enamait

"Simplicity is your friend. And so is Max Shank. What Max has put together in Ultimate Athleticism is nothing short of wonderful. I have a saying, the problem isn't your conditioning, the problem is you can't even begin to think about your conditioning. Take your time, work through this program and let its simplicity and beauty work for you. I have no doubt that ultimate athleticism will cultivate the strength and skill your searching for."

Jason C. Brown, CSCS

"The first time I heard about Max Shank was when I saw a video clip of him busting out single leg RDLs with 315 lbs like it was nothing. Naturally, I wanted to know more about the way he trained. Max adheres to a very intriguing and effective system of training, and I believe that numerous lifters will appreciate his training methods for building functional strength and athleticism. Ultimate Athleticism is Max's magnum opus, and he spent many hours putting the product together. If you are interested in improving your functional capacity, then I highly recommend this product . As a side benefit, by purchasing this product, you are supporting a guy who has tremendous integrity and passion for the field of strength & conditioning. Max might be a total beast in the gym, but he's an all-around great guy in general."

Bret Contreras, CSCS, MA

• Q: Will I need a ton of equipment?NO! In fact, a barbell, parallettes, and rings will be all you ever need. Even if you had to purchase all of these yourself you could spend under $300 for a lifetime of quality training equipment..
• Q: What if I’m a girl?These movements are possible for both girls and guys alike. Ladies will have an advantage in the lower body and flexibility aspects, and men will have the advantage in the upper body movements. There is a great symmetry between flexibility and strength that yields unique benefits for guys and girls.
• Q: I’m a total beginner can I handle this?ABSOLUTELY. This book outlines every step along the way from barely being able to hold a pushup position to pressing up into a handstand. It’s all about steady and healthy progress.
• Q: Will I gain muscle?Yes, definitely. Not only will you build muscle, but it won’t be that puffy muscle–it will be highly functional muscle built from increasing the density of the myofibrils. This is one of the major keys to having a high pound-for-pound strength.
• Q: Will I get ripped?Getting ripped is largely due to how dialed in you have your nutrition, training, and stress levels. If you stick with the program, eat healthy, and get plenty of sleep you are going to be a shredded beast.