Today’s show is a Q&A with Joel Smith, answering your questions on training and human performance.  It’s great to see what’s on everyone’s minds from a training perspective, as well as be able to synthesize thoughts on each question.

On the Q&A today, we have a wide range of questions, but the focal points are things like speed training for athletes new to training, coaching speed in a manner that doesn’t cause negative compensations, isometric training, weightlifting, and even swimming.

Today’s episode is brought to you by SimpliFaster and Lost Empire Herbs.  For 15% off your Lost Empire Herbs order, head to www.lostempireherbs.com/justfly

View more podcast episodes at the podcast homepage.

Podcast Questions/Topics

What is a simple way to recover from an ACL and meniscus injury and surgery?

Programming/training strategies for more strength and muscle driven athletes when limited access to weights? Still worth transitioning to more elastic training style even if they thrive with more longer GCT and joint angle strategies?

Which is more spiritually demanding: 5 minute lunge or 3 minute scap hang?

Your favorite workouts for speed development (mainly for athletes new to track)

What’s the purpose of eccentric loading for speed and jumps?

How do you like to teach hip extension?

Thoughts on hang power snatches?

Best cues or general approach to single leg jumping off the non-dominant foot.

Vestibular training assessment, your take, valuable resources for that etc.

Can we do extreme isometric lunges every day?

What’s the best way to get athletes to always train with intent?

What are some things you’ve found that can help your athletes give more. In terms of their efforts and intent during a workout to get the most out of every session.

The balance of hypertrophy and RFD in throwing and swinging sports.

In a conversation on pronation, Gary Ward mentioned he would not advise powerlifters to pronate under load, but he would for anyone else. If running and jumping causes more force than weight does most of the time, why would he recommend it for that but not for lifting?

Specific foot exercises for high arches?

Suggested protocol for rehabbing Achilles tendinopathy? Gary ward’s wedges, suspension drop.

How to incorporate rhythm in training?

How do you structure a warm-up for elastic/max-speed sprinting? Games into drills into progressive efforts?

As a coach, what are you looking at in real time when an athlete is performing, say acceleration? What is the mental process in your head to make your job easier?

Optimal level of stiffness and compliance in athletes. Assessments and training.

Is coaching dorsiflexion a double edged sword? Does cueing it too persistently result in athletes losing that nice shin angle too early during drive phase?

Some drills for jumping technique?

Weight room training, plyos, etc as it pertains to high school mid distance- XC. Also, good resources.

Coupling load - plyo exercises for post activation potentiation.

Do you differentiate between swimming techniques the amount of heavy strength training that they do? Elastic Vs muscular athletes (a backstroker vs a breastroker for example). I found that normally, simultaneous technique athletes are more muscle driven, comparing to the others. I would like to know your thoughts on that and the effects that too much heavy barbell has on the rhythmic component of the swimming technique.

About Joel Smith

Joel Smith is the founder of Just Fly Sports and trains athletes and clients in partnership with Evolutionary Fitness in Cincinnati, Ohio.  Joel hosts the Just Fly Performance Podcast, has authored several books on athletic performance, and trains numerous clients in the in-person and online space.  Joel was formerly a strength coach for 8 years at UC Berkeley, working with the Swim teams and post-graduate professional swimmers, as well as tennis, water polo, and track and field.  A track coach of 11 years, Joel coached for the Diablo Valley Track and Field Club for 7 years, and also has 6 years of experience coaching sprints, jumps, hurdles, pole vault and multi-events on the collegiate level, working at Wilmington College, and the University of Wisconsin, LaCrosse.

Joel has coached 2 national champions, multiple All-Americans and school record holders in his time as a track coach. In the realm of strength and conditioning, his programs have assisted 5 athletes to Olympic berths that produced 9 medals and a world record performance at Rio in 2016.

In 2011, Joel began Just Fly Sports with Jake Clark as a central platform to promote information for athletes and coaches to reach their highest potential.  In 2016 the first episode of the “Just Fly Performance Podcast” was released, now a leading source of education in the sports performance field.  The evolving mission of Just Fly Sports is focused on teaching athletes to realize their true, innate power, and achieve the highest joy in their training, competition, and in the community.

Joel has also spent several years in the realms of college lecturing, personal training, and thesis research.  Joel’s certifications include Neurological and Physical Typing from BATI, CSCS, MAT Jumpstart, and NKT level 1, as well as USA Track and Field credentials.  Joel is also well-versed in the Be-Activated protocols as taught by Douglas Heel, Foot training and biomechanical concepts from Gary Ward, and has been extensively mentored by sprint and sport movement coach Adarian Barr.