Sign up to save your podcasts
Or
Share 211: Cory Schlesinger Q&A on Autonomy-Driven Sports Performance, Isometric Training, and the Sport-Skill Continuum | Sponsored by SimpliFaster
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Or
211: Cory Schlesinger Q&A on Autonomy-Driven Sports Performance, Isometric Training, and the Sport-Skill Continuum | Sponsored by SimpliFaster
Today’s episode features Phoenix Suns' head strength coach, Cory Schlesinger (and myself) answering questions on athletic performance training sent in from listeners. Topics for this show ranged from programming based on athlete-autonomy, to isometrics, to foot training, as well as important questions on blending strength work into a level of high-performance play where sport skill development far super-cedes one’s physical strength development.
Cory previously appeared on this show for episode #138 and is a popular speaker and podcast guest. Cory’s creative, yet practical style is an “athlete-first” method that gets results and leaves athletes with not only a first-class physical training experience but also facilitates their ownership in the process.
Today’s episode is brought to you by SimpliFaster, supplier of high-end athletic development tools, such as the Freelap timing system, kBox, Sprint 1080, and more.
View more podcast episodes at the podcast homepage.
Timestamps and Main Points
4:50 The utilization of tumbling and wrestling means into athletes of various levels of development (college/amateur, up to pro)
22:40 What the “Sun Café” is, and how it deals with the power of autonomy
34:05 Cory’s favorite isometric exercises for athletes
44:10 Achilles tendon injury prevention and gait biomechanics
51:50 Using floating heel work to improve the connection from the foot to the hip
Progressing an athlete’s strength development in tandem with their skill development
“You genetically gifted athletes who don’t need a lot of bar(bell) work, to be honest”
“Certain people need experiences that are a new experience, or experiences that give them a lot of confidence”
“Your grinders… what makes them confident? Squatting heavy weight, and you have got to give them that, but how do I expose them to things they are not good at to make their human capacities better?”
“You leave breadcrumbs to where you think the athlete needs to go”
“When I saw squat numbers go up, when I saw force place numbers go up… I did not see wins go up!”
“I don’t care what squat pattern a kid does, I really don’t”
“At Stanford, there was an environment where they got to pick the squat pattern, the extension pattern, whatever the meat and potatoes was that day”
“There is nothing more intentful, than them getting to choose what they want to do… having that autonomy is going to drive more results than them getting to predict their own success”
“Just because they do a between-the-legs dunk doesn’t make them a good athlete, that’s just one aspect of athleticism”
“The biggest low hanging fruit to get work done for me, is isometrics”
“My favorite (isometric) is a yielding isometric at the sporting angles that they create the most often”
“One of my favorite movements to load up is safety bar split, with a Hatfield hold (with a floating heel)”
“The one thing I do the most when identifying energy leaks, is super-heavy prowler pushes”
“In isometrics, if you put them in a position for long enough, you are going to see where their energy leaks are”
“The prowler was the original “floating heel squat”, if you do it right (without letting the heels mash down)”
“That’s how most Achilles tears happen (in basketball), is that false step, right into that forward (drive)”
About Cory Schlesinger
@schlesstrength
Cory Schlesinger is currently the head strength and conditioning coach at the Phoenix Suns. He has over a decade of experience as a strength and conditioning coach, having spent the previous three seasons at Stanford University. Cory also has experience working at UAB, and Santa Clara University. Schlesinger also has experience as a coach at the Olympic Training Center and as a sports nutritionist for Major League Soccer’s San Jose Earthquakes.
Cory has worked with NBA and NFL players as well as Olympic Games athletes. Schlesinger served an undergraduate internship at Wake For...
View all episodes
By Joel Smith, Just-Fly-Sports.com
4.9
363363 ratings
Today’s episode features Phoenix Suns' head strength coach, Cory Schlesinger (and myself) answering questions on athletic performance training sent in from listeners. Topics for this show ranged from programming based on athlete-autonomy, to isometrics, to foot training, as well as important questions on blending strength work into a level of high-performance play where sport skill development far super-cedes one’s physical strength development.
Cory previously appeared on this show for episode #138 and is a popular speaker and podcast guest. Cory’s creative, yet practical style is an “athlete-first” method that gets results and leaves athletes with not only a first-class physical training experience but also facilitates their ownership in the process.
Today’s episode is brought to you by SimpliFaster, supplier of high-end athletic development tools, such as the Freelap timing system, kBox, Sprint 1080, and more.
View more podcast episodes at the podcast homepage.
Timestamps and Main Points
4:50 The utilization of tumbling and wrestling means into athletes of various levels of development (college/amateur, up to pro)
22:40 What the “Sun Café” is, and how it deals with the power of autonomy
34:05 Cory’s favorite isometric exercises for athletes
44:10 Achilles tendon injury prevention and gait biomechanics
51:50 Using floating heel work to improve the connection from the foot to the hip
Progressing an athlete’s strength development in tandem with their skill development
“You genetically gifted athletes who don’t need a lot of bar(bell) work, to be honest”
“Certain people need experiences that are a new experience, or experiences that give them a lot of confidence”
“Your grinders… what makes them confident? Squatting heavy weight, and you have got to give them that, but how do I expose them to things they are not good at to make their human capacities better?”
“You leave breadcrumbs to where you think the athlete needs to go”
“When I saw squat numbers go up, when I saw force place numbers go up… I did not see wins go up!”
“I don’t care what squat pattern a kid does, I really don’t”
“At Stanford, there was an environment where they got to pick the squat pattern, the extension pattern, whatever the meat and potatoes was that day”
“There is nothing more intentful, than them getting to choose what they want to do… having that autonomy is going to drive more results than them getting to predict their own success”
“Just because they do a between-the-legs dunk doesn’t make them a good athlete, that’s just one aspect of athleticism”
“The biggest low hanging fruit to get work done for me, is isometrics”
“My favorite (isometric) is a yielding isometric at the sporting angles that they create the most often”
“One of my favorite movements to load up is safety bar split, with a Hatfield hold (with a floating heel)”
“The one thing I do the most when identifying energy leaks, is super-heavy prowler pushes”
“In isometrics, if you put them in a position for long enough, you are going to see where their energy leaks are”
“The prowler was the original “floating heel squat”, if you do it right (without letting the heels mash down)”
“That’s how most Achilles tears happen (in basketball), is that false step, right into that forward (drive)”
About Cory Schlesinger
@schlesstrength
Cory Schlesinger is currently the head strength and conditioning coach at the Phoenix Suns. He has over a decade of experience as a strength and conditioning coach, having spent the previous three seasons at Stanford University. Cory also has experience working at UAB, and Santa Clara University. Schlesinger also has experience as a coach at the Olympic Training Center and as a sports nutritionist for Major League Soccer’s San Jose Earthquakes.
Cory has worked with NBA and NFL players as well as Olympic Games athletes. Schlesinger served an undergraduate internship at Wake For...
More shows like Just Fly Performance Podcast
View all
The Strength Coach Podcast
237 Listeners
Barbell Shrugged
2,596 Listeners
Power Athlete Radio
593 Listeners
Pacey Performance Podcast
62 Listeners
Joe DeFranco's Industrial Strength Show
1,250 Listeners
Physical Preparation Podcast Archives - Robertson Training Systems
196 Listeners
Dave Tate's Table Talk
529 Listeners
Jochum Strength Podcast
42 Listeners
Elite Baseball Development Podcast
289 Listeners
Jacked Athlete Podcast
65 Listeners
The Dan John Podcast
259 Listeners
The E3 Rehab Podcast
84 Listeners
Mike and Brooker Show
34 Listeners
Move the Needle: The Human Performance Podcast
21 Listeners
Coach Em Up Podcast
34 Listeners