Outer Limits Athletic Performance Center opens new location

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Neighbors | Submitted.One of the first athletes to sign up at Outer Limits Athletic Performance's new location on E. Western Reserve Road was Canfield High School baseball center fielder Matt Pappas, shown performing a stabilizing split squat.

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Neighbors | Submitted.Former Pittsburgh Steelers defensive lineman Ziggy Hood (left) trained at Outer Limits Athletic Performance's Valencia, Pa., location with owner Bill Nichol (right). The training paid off this past offseason with a $16 million, four-year contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

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Neighbors | Submitted.One of the many features of Outer Limits Athletic Performance's new location on E. Western Reserve Road is an Astroturf track to help measure an athlete's 40-yard dash time.

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Neighbors | Submitted.An overhead view of Outer Limits Athletic Performance's Astroturf track plus its selection of weights and exercise equipment.

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Neighbors | Submitted.NFL offensive lineman Brice Schwab (left) trained at Outer Limits Athletic Performance's Valencia, Pa., location in preparation for a comeback from injury with Outer Limits owner Bill Nichol (right).

Poland, Ohio is the new home to a state-of-the art athletic training facility called Outer Limits Athletic Performance.

After the success he has had with the first facility, established in 2008 in Pittsburgh, Bill Nichol has added a second location at 590 E. Western Reserve Road. Outer Limits provides one-on-one customized training for athletes ranging from middle school to professional level.

Nichol, the owner and professional trainer at Outer Limits, discussed some of the training programs and why his facility is not a typical gym.

“The philosophy of Outer Limits is based on developing speed, strength and explosiveness,” says Nichol. “I wanted to create a facility specifically for athletes and design customized, multi-phase training programs based on periodization to meet each athlete’s individual needs. Periodization is how the body responds to a training stimulus, how it recovers, and what the next training phase entails.”

During the past six years, at the Pittsburgh location, the Outer Limits client base has been mostly high school athletes but also attracts collegiate and professional athletes, including former Pittsburgh Steelers defensive end, Ziggy Hood, and NFL offensive lineman, Brice Schwab. Hood was a first-round draft pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2009 and parlayed his time at Outer Limits into a $16 million, four-year contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Nichol says the most rewarding part of his job is seeing the results. Athletes who have trained at Outer Limits improved 40-yard dash times by up to a half-second and added an average of 6-8 inches on their vertical jump. During his time there, Hood lowered his body fat from 24 to 18 percent. He lost 18 pounds of fat and added 20 pounds of muscle. Hood’s explosive 50-inch box jump training video has generated over 60,000 views on YouTube.

“I have always been interested in the science of how the body responds to athletic training,” Nichol said. “I enjoy seeing the confidence and self-esteem increase as the results begin to show in the body and on the field. It feels good to know that I played a part in the athlete’s physical and mental development and I am proud when our training leads to college recruitment, scholarships and record-breaking performances.”

The new Outer Limits location in Poland is 4,500 square feet and has a multitude of equipment, including free weights, flex bands, electronic evaluation devices, stability and balance equipment, plyometric equipment and a 40-yard Astroturf field used for speed development and agility drills. The facility officially opened on Sept. 22 and started building a client base with high school athletes from the area, including centerfielder for the Canfield High School varsity baseball team, Matt Pappas.

A graduate of Penn State University with a Bachelor of Science degree, Nichol became familiar with the Youngstown area because his wife, Patty Pash Nichol, grew up in Poland and graduated from Poland Seminary High School and YSU. He noticed that the area did not have anything like Outer Limits.

“Unlike typical training facilities that take on 10-20 athletes at one time and follow a standard group training program, Outer Limits instead focuses on quality one-on-one individualized training,” he said.

Training is available for any athlete involved in organized sports. Nichol personally meets with interested athletes and parents [before signing up] to tour the facility, discuss athletic goals, areas of strength and weakness, and different training package options.

For more information and to view before and after photos and videos, visit www.outerlim.com. To schedule a visitation to train at Outer Limits, call Bill Nichol at 412-860-0023.