In recent years, sweeping changes have been going on behind the scenes of the world of sports. Athletes in every sport have made training for power a higher priority. This power training is taking place in weight rooms and courage corners around the world in every level of sports from high school to the pros. Even in sports where weight training is not traditionally done, such as tennis and cross-country running, athletes have found that extra power is what gives them an edge over the competition. The enduro fitness model of prior years had a stranglehold on the fitness world, but a few power athletes have proven this model to be false. It is this new breed of athletes that is dominating almost every sport, yet for some reason, some of their competitors are almost oblivious to what is happening.

     An excellent case in point is Andre Agassi. He is by far one of the most talented players of all time and he got by for years without being the fittest player on the tour. However, his career gradually declined and eventually took a nose dive when his rank hit an all-time low of 142. The critics thought he was finished, that his brilliant career had come to an end and that he was too old to make a comeback. On the road to getting back in top form, he sprinted the hills of the Las Vegas area and hit the weights in a big way. When he returned to the game, we saw a muscular, hairless, dominant player. He not only made a comeback, but he became a better player than he ever was before. He even won the French Open for the first time, a tournament that demands extreme fitness because it is played on clay.

     Another excellent case is the Williams sisters and their current dominance in the sport of women's tennis. Before them, talented smaller women like Martina Hingis reigned supreme. It was a game of grace and finesse. When the Williams sisters came in, they were inexperienced in competition and took a few years for their mental games to catch up to their physical performance. However, now that they are equally experienced, they now dominate the game with their power and speed. You do not have to be a sports scientist to look at them and guess that they are doing some type of strength training. In light of this it is interesting that players such as Martina Hingis would dedicate a significant portion of her training to distance running. After five hours of tennis, pounding their joints on the concrete courts, players somehow see a need for another beating on their long distance runs. It is no coincidence that Hingis is considering retirement due to problems with her ankles.

     In basketball, Kobe and Shaq are the most dynamic duo in the sport. For a big guy, Shaquille O'Neill has surprising athleticism. Compared to most guys of his size, he has the grace of a ballerina and the power of…well, the power of Shaq! In a recent TV commercial starring Kobe Bryant, we're taken on a tour of his training program. It shows him boxing with his trainer and running some sprints. The best shot is of him performing squats with chains. The intent of this exercise is to maximize power output throughout the entire range of motion of the squat. Compared to the days of short shorts, the basketball players of today are far more explosive. I am hesitant to say that they are more talented, because the players of the past were definitely skilled. However, skill is more mental than physical. Can you tell the difference between someone who can juggle and one who cannot? I do not think the athletes of today are much more talented than in the past. However, with modern training methods, athletes have grown more powerful and their bodies are now capable of expressing talents that were not possible in athletes with less physical prowess. Athletes of today are not born with greater potential than those of yesteryears, but through power training they are now performing closer to their potential.

     Football is possibly the most powerful sport of all mainstream sports. It is incredible to see men the size of refrigerators running with the speed of a sprinter. In recent years, the players have gotten stronger, faster and bigger. Michael Vick of the Atlanta Falcons is probably the most exciting quarterback in the game. He has the wheels of a running back and a cannon for an arm. As a freshman at Virginia Tech, he benched 325, vertical jumped 38" and ran a 4.33 forty. As a sophomore, he set a position record with a 515 squat. He just completed his second season in the NFL, but people are already saying he might be the quarterback of the future. Jerry Rice could best be described as the player of the past, present and future. He has set almost every record a wide receiver could set and is arguably one of the best players to ever play the game. In his 19th season this year, he made it to the Pro Bowl for the 12th time. Clearly, age has not slowed him down. At 41, he is still one of the most dynamic wide receivers in the game. With intelligent training, there is no reason that an athlete cannot age like a fine wine.

     I could keep listing athletes, but it is more pertinent to explore the connection between the ones mentioned. They are all power athletes. Compared to their peers, these athletes have reached levels of physical excellence that transcend all of the athletes that came before them. They are paving the way for athletes of the future who will model themselves in the images of these power athletes. It is the goal of Power Athletes Magazine to participate in this new revolution, the evolution of the power athlete, by providing quality training information. It is our hope that we can disseminate this information for the benefit of athletes and non-athletes of all ages. It is just as important for this information to reach ordinary individuals, because they need to train just as athletes do. While power athletes are great to watch, it would be a shame if the rest of the world were to waste away as sedentary spectators. Participate in the Power Athlete revolution, it is for everyone!

Tyler Hass is the publisher of Power Athletes Magazine and a multi-sport recreational athlete. After playing college tennis, he is now focused on being in shape for anything. He can be reached at .