EXOS

EXOS, formerly named Athletes' Performance, is an American company founded in 1999 to maximize the potential of athletes. In 2014 the brand names Athletes' Performance and the subsidiary Core Performance were integrated into one brand name, EXOS.

The company focuses on proactive health and performance for elite athletes, the military and businesses. ^[1] Founded by Mark Verstegen in 1999 and based in Phoenix, Arizona,^[2] it has private training facilities in Phoenix, Arizona, Fieldhouse USA in Frisco, Texas; at StubHub Center in Carson, California; the SKLZ headquarters in Carlsbad, California and at the Andrews Institute in Gulf Breeze, Florida. The company offers training and nutrition services in Raleigh, North Carolina and Cary, North Carolina through a partnership with Raleigh Orthopedic Clinic.

EXOS has trained 6 NFL overall #1 picks, 94 NFL first round draft picks and 459 total NFL draftees, 9 NBA first-round picks, World Cup heroes (US Women's Soccer and German Men's Soccer), and hosts of All-Stars across every major sport. Members of the Boston Red Sox have spent part of their off season time with EXOS.^[3]

It is a private personalized performance training institute,^[4] described by MLB.com as "a high-tech fitness boot camp for professionals,"^[5] and by ESPN as "a sprawling weight room/running track/football field/swimming pool/café/spa."^[6] Training programs can include aspects such as a nutrition program, massages, metabolic tests, cardiovascular work, drills, and aptitude and media training.^[7]

History

1999–2000: Founding and incorporation

EXOS was founded as Athletes' Performance, Inc. in Tempe, Arizona in 1999 by Mark Versetegen. The same year, the company formed a partnership with adidas.

2001–2008

The API Tempe, Arizona facility opened in 2001, and that same year API began an NFL Combine preparation program for prospective NFL athletes, training them for the NFL Combine tests. In the spring of 2001 Sports Illustrated noted that Roberto Alomar had spent the prior December at API, and was noticeably stronger.^[8]

All Star Kevin Youkilis

In 2002 Peter Gammons of ESPN reported that "prospect Carl Crawford is tearing it up in the Triple-A International League, showing far more power to go with his extraordinary speed after spending the winter working at [API].^[9] And when in August 2002 Wayne Gretzky, then a long-retired managing partner with the Phoenix Coyotes, took part in the team's four-week session at API, that prompted unfounded rumours that he would return to competition.^[10]

After the 2002 season Boston General Manager Theo Epstein sent Kevin Youkilis to API for an intensive six-week training regimen, which Youkilis liked so much that he moved his offseason home to Arizona, and began training at API on his own dime.^[11]

In 2003, API opened a second facility in Carson, California, primarily for soccer, tennis, cycling, and track and field athletes.^[12] Its athletes have included Olympic gold medalists, MLS Cup champions, and major sport All Stars. That year the Boston Globe and MLB.com reported that in Curt Schilling trained at API as well in 2003 and 2005.^[13][14][15]

In 2004 EXOS founder, Mark Verstegen, released his first book "Core Performance. The next year, the company started a relationship with the German National Soccer team in preparation for the 2006 World Cup. In 2006, the company began providing solutions to the United States Military. The company launched CPRO and CPESD products in 2008 and entered an innovation and development partnership with adidas miCoach. From inception until 2008, more than 25 first round picks were API athletes, including 8 each in the 2005 and 2006 NFL Drafts.^[4][16][17]

In the 2005–06 offseason Giants starter Jason Schmidt spent part of his time at the API, playing catch in the mornings with Schilling, taking a course in nutrition, and hitting the weights diligently enough to add 20 pounds, while shedding body fat.^[18] He leveraged the opportunity by also picking Schilling's brain during their time together as to how he approaches the game, something that in earlier years one could only expect to do with teammates.^[19]

In the summer of 2005 a negative note crept into API's track record, as Mike Ricci of the Phoenix Coyotes injured himself while training at API, and needed surgery to repair a disk in his upper back which was creating pressure on a nerve.^[20]

In 2006 Sports Illustrated reported how Vernon Davis, tight end of the San Francisco 49ers, had performed what he described as "aggressive, intense, and raw" two-a-day, 90-minute, core-strengthening workouts six days a week for six weeks at ATI.^[21] Davis performed three or four sets of each exercise, focusing in turn on different muscle groups so he could work longer with less fatigue.^[21] He lowered his time in the 40-yard (37 m) dash from 4.56 to 4.38, increase his vertical leap from 40 to 42 inches (1,100 mm), and gained nine pounds.^[21] The 49ers took him sixth overall. That year a third facility was opened in Las Vegas, Nevada, for basketball players. Nine of its athletes were first-round draft picks in the 2006 NBA Draft.

After the 2006 season Dustin Pedroia worked out at API with a group that included Youkilis, Baltimore's Brian Roberts and Jay Gibbons, Travis Buck (Oakland) and Brandon Wood (Angels), and Crawford, in workouts starting at 9 a.m. with a two-hour speed work session, followed by two hours of baseball-related drills, followed by two hours of lifting weights, followed by another round of conditioning.^[22] "I've put a lot of hard work in," Pedroia said. "The days over there are kind of tough. We're always moving around, lifting, sprints, all that stuff. It's hectic, but for me and Youk we have put in the time and it's going to pay off."^[22]

In 2007 a fourth facility was added in Gulf Breeze, Florida, to focus on rehabilitative and performance services.^[4]

In 2008 another use of API was demonstrated by Larry Johnson – a place to work out during an extended contract holdout.^[23]

In spring training in 2008, Red Sox manager Terry Francona noted how much conditioning and training had progressed since his own playing career, and pointed to the prevalence of training facilities like API.^[24] "These guys have access to so much," he said. "They take advantage of it and when they come in [to camp], it makes the baseball part easier."^[24]

2009–2013

In January 2009 USA Today reported that Josh Hamilton was spending a month at the facility, where he was in bed by about 7:30 each night and headed to work out before 6 a.m.^[25]

Among other athletes who have trained at API are Cody Ross,^[26] Josh Hamilton,^[25] Joe Saunders,^[27] Justin Morneau,^[5] Jason Bartlett,^[5] Eric Chavez,^[28] and Manny Ramirez,^[29] In 2009, the Core Performance brand opened the first Corporate Performance Center with Google. The company was named Fast Company "Most Innovative Company in Sports" in 2011. The same year, the company began working with the US National Men's Soccer team. In 2012, EXOS supported training for 60 London Olympic Medalists, including 24 gold medal winners. The same year, EXOS trained 14 NFL 1st round draft picks and supported the LA Galaxy soccer team back to back MLS Cup wins.

In 2013, EXOS announced the NFL Players Association Trust Program and was selected as the sole Human Performance Provider for U.S. Special Operations Forces as part of the POTFF program.

Subsidiaries

Core Performance

Core Performance is a subsidiary of Athletes' Performance Inc. and aimed at bringing the same methodologies used to train athletes to the general public and to employees of companies who use Core Performance.

On December 18, 2014 EXOS acquired MediFit Corporate Services Inc.

References

External links

• Official website
• Core Performance website
• Core Performance Center website
• "Headed to the Combine: Aaron Curry and ESPNTheMag.Com (Uh, Separately)," ESPN, 2/18/09