Today's podcast features Christian Thibaudeau. Christian is a renowned strength coach with over 25 years of experience. He has worked with athletes from 28 sports, including pros and Olympians, and was Head Strength Coach at the Central Institute for Human Performance. A former national-level weightlifter and bodybuilder, he has authored multiple books and has been a prolific writer for T-Nation. He has developed the Neurotyping and Omni-Rep systems, amongst many other contributions to human performance and athletic development.

The majority of training programs, particularly for athletic performance are mostly gas, and very little brakes. They work mostly propulsion while minimizing early stance and reciprocal motion capabilities. They tend to hover on external outputs and bar velocities but do little to cultivate internal awareness of one’s own body.

This podcast is all about the value and history of training at both isometric, lower training velocities, along with combined methods (reps + isometrics) for the sake of skilled movement performance and longevity. Christian digs into the history of the martial arts and bodyweight training methods, and goes into a variety of training techniques to round out one’s weak points, maximize body awareness and build more robust athletes.

Today’s episode is brought to you by TeamBuildr’s Gym Studio and the Lila Exogen Wearable Resistance Training Sleeves.

Use the code “justfly25” for 25% off any Lila Exogen wearable resistance training, including the popular Exogen Calf Sleeves. For this offer, head to: Lilateam.com

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Main Points

5:29 - Antagonist Muscle Engagement in ISO Holds

8:51 - Optimal Movement Performance through Muscle Control

14:49 - Tendon Strengthening for Older Athletes

16:38 - Age-Related Muscle and Tendon Conditioning Exercises

20:27 - Explosiveness Maintenance Through Isometric Training

26:19 - Optimizing Performance with Plyometrics and Strength Integration

27:33 - Optimal Balance: Combining Natural Movements with Isometric Training

41:54 - Enhancing Strength Through Muscle Activation Techniques

Quotes

(00:23) "When you are truly skilled at an exercise, at a movement, you should be able to do it at any velocity."

(09:10) "Maxick. Yes. So that also fits the bill because you are actually, you're trying to contract your muscle by using your own body as resistance. So it's a form of isometric training. And I believe that it is very valuable, especially in the earlier stage of training because I strongly believe that especially when it comes to motor learning and maybe hypertrophy, the better you are at creating tension in the proper muscle, the better results you'll get."

(18:35) "I think that again, long-duration isometrics is something that's going to be very, very positive to prevent the decrease in tendon performance with older athletes."

(26:40) "I work with one of the top karate athletes in the world. Like super explosive, lightning fast. And we don't lift weights. Let me correct myself. The only exercise where we lift weight is a power clean from the hang. Every form of strength work is done with a flywheel and the rest is plyometric and absorption drills."

(38:00) "Don't forget that martial arts, well, especially those of the, the karate, kung fu, and family, judo, it has evolved over two to three thousands of years. And it was not just a system of combat, it was a system of getting into combat shape"

(41:20) "Skill is first shown in slow movement."

(43:39) "The capacity to contract and. Or relax a muscle while contracting surrounding muscles."

(48:52) "I don't honestly see a method that would be more effective for rapid muscle growth than doing let's say a set of say 6 to 10 reps to failure depending on your own personal preferences and then holding for one minute loaded stretch...

Today's podcast features James Wild, a Research & Development and Speed Consultant with Harlequins Rugby Club and a Lecturer in Sport & Exercise Science at the University of Surrey. With expertise in biomechanics, skill acquisition, and motor learning, James has worked with athletes of all levels, including medal-winning teams at major competitions. He is also an author and holds a PhD in biomechanics and motor control of sprint acceleration.

While many approaches exist for speed training, less attention is given to individual movement strategies. Athletes accelerate differently based on sport, movement background, and physical attributes.

James discusses his quadrant system, which categorizes acceleration strategies based on flight/ground time and stride frequency vs. step length. He also covers injury trends, plyometrics, sprint technique, resisted sprints, motor learning, and more. It was great having James back—this episode is essential for anyone interested in speed training and individualized performance.

Today’s episode is brought to you by TeamBuildr’s Gym Studio and the Lila Exogen Wearable Resistance Training Sleeves.

Use the code “justfly25” for 25% off any Lila Exogen wearable resistance training, including the popular Exogen Calf Sleeves. For this offer, head to: Lilateam.com

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View more podcast episodes at the podcast homepage.

Main Points

3:00- Personalized Approach to Enhancing Speed Through Strength

7:25- Distinct Athletic Techniques Across Animal-Inspired Strategies

19:17- Ankle-Dominant Movement and Injury Risk Factors

26:03- Enhancing Performance Through Diverse Sports Integration

36:31- Reactive Strength Optimization for Acceleration Performance

40:24- Technique-Focused Interventions for Acceleration Enhancement

45:03- Enhancing Performance Through Technical Acceleration Cues

51:54- Enhancing Hip Muscle Strength Through Leg Swings

56:29- Tailored Loaded Resistance for Sprint Optimization

1:03:32- Personalized Training Approaches Enhancing Athlete Performance

Quotes

(23:29) "The importance of adaptability: In particular for team sports in what you're doing, that your footwork patterns and the conditions under which you accelerate are going to change, you know, every single time you do it."

(25:00) “The field hockey players tend to adopt a bit more of a spinner type strategy where the step rate's higher, flight times lower and then with the lacrosse players it's a bit more of a, towards more of a bounder type strategy in, in comparison.”

(29:15) "I think it's always useful to know their acceleration strategy. But, but that information alone doesn't mean that you intervene automatically in a specific way."

(32:24) “If it was a bounder picking up repeated calf injuries during those, excuse me, during those warm up sprint efforts that they get week after week or even in the speed sessions, then we might try and get them to focus on a slightly higher step rate.”

(38:30) “What I have fairly consistently found though is that when meaningful changes to those reactive strength stiffness like qualities have been made, typically through a combination of pliers and isometric work, although more along the lines of plyos, contact times typically become a bit shorter. And as a result, what you see therefore is that those player acceleration strategies often move slightly more towards bouncer or bounder strategies where contact times are short relative to their flight times.”

(41:11) "Sometimes it is about trying to identify what might be relatively simple deficits from a strength perspective in an individual and going after those to change their technique as opposed to directly cuing them to do something."

(57:00): “If I was gonna use sleds as a means to try and increase step rate frequency, I might generally load up heavier and there and have them sprint in a way where they're havi...

Today’s podcast features Kevin Mulcahy. Kevin is an experienced sports and S&C coach and owner-operator of the Design the Game Project. He has worked with various sports teams, athletes, professionals, and clubs across three continents, for over 30 years. Kevin takes a multi-lateral focus on human movement, skill development, and S&C, led by a deep interest in ecological dynamics and the constraints-led approach to coaching and motor learning.

Extremely common to have conversations on speed training. It is rare to have conversations on the practical integration of speed training into actual sport tactics. It’s easy to hit the status quo of improving maximal lifts or running athletes through timing gates and seeing better times. It’s more complex to seek an integrated model that fits speed into the constraints of the game itself, but also a more integrated, creative, and ultimately rewarding process.

Today's episode explores Kevin’s approach to game speed training, skill acquisition, and tactical advantages through constraints. He also discusses using games and sport variations to enhance athleticism and tactical ability. Additionally, we get into ideas on acceleration, deceleration, aerobic capacity, and sport-specific tactical demands. This episode ties together key concepts to deepen our understanding of physical preparation and athletic movement.

Today’s episode is brought to you by TeamBuildr’s Gym Studio.

Use the code “justfly25” for 25% off any Lila Exogen wearable resistance training, including the popular Exogen Calf Sleeves. For this offer, head to Lilateam.com

Kevin’s Blog and Coaching Cohort

Coaching Cohort

Substack Blog

View more podcast episodes at the podcast homepage.

Main Points

4:20- Enhancing Skill Development Through Constraints in Sports

10:02- Tactical Advantage through Speed Variation in Sports

17:11- Enhancing Athletic Performance Through Game Speed

21:41- Gaelic Football Speed Training Techniques

27:17- Enhancing Tactical Awareness through Dynamic Game Scenarios

31:46- Strategic Gaelic Football Running Drills for Performance

36:05- Individualized Basketball Training for Skill Development

52:18- Uncontrolled VO2 Running for Enhanced Fitness

56:13- Engaging Games Enhance Tactical Learning Methods

1:04:57- Instinctive Game-Reading for Enhanced Sports Performance

1:11:30- Advanced Vertical Jump Training Techniques

1:18:16- Enhancing Anaerobic Capacity in Team Athletes

Quotes

(5:00) “I have a few core games, like I use Olympic handball a lot, use tag rugby, we play NFL, what we call NFL, which is kind of a tag American football and all sorts of things in between”

(15:40) “I mean every sport, basketball has, has really deeply worked on that over a many number of years to where I think a lot of sports steal those kind of movements from basketball”

(22:17) “Acceleration is absolutely worth training. But then the constraints of the game mean that that's only going to bring you so far”

(24:57) “But then I can start constraining. Does this look like the game? Are these the distances we're going to transition? How do I motivate players and incentivize players to actually go all out? How do I incentivize the defenders to. To be aggressive and try to stop the. Their, their teammates at training? So that's where I've gone the last number of years”

(43:33) "Man to man for me only works if you're more athletic than the opposition. And if you're not, you have to have better tactics."

(50:08) "If your intention is to get fitter, you have probably got a better chance of doing that if they enjoy it."

(55:08) "If we get them turning up again motivated, we're winning."

About Kevin Mulcahy

Kevin is an experienced sports and S&C coach who has worked with various sports teams, athletes, professionals, and clubs across three continents for over 30 years. He is the owner-operator coach of the Design the Game Project,

This episode features performance coach and tendon specialist Jake Tuura. Jake is an experienced coach and educator focusing on athlete hypertrophy, vertical jump improvement, and patellar tendinopathy rehabilitation. He spent seven years as a collegiate strength and conditioning coach as well as time in the private training sector.

Connective tissue is critical in athletic movement and performance, but its relationship to both performance and the rehab process is still evolving. New research is continually coming out that is molding our understanding of what is really happening “under the hood” in training, and how to optimize processes to maximize tendon health and performance.

On today’s podcast, Jake explores tendon science alongside athletic performance concepts. He covers ideas on animal tendon properties, age-related tendon changes, tendon stiffness vs. compliance, and the collagen matrix. On the performance end, Jake talks about the impacts of various training means on tendon adaptation, particularly various forms of isometric training, heavy strength training, plyometrics, and more. This was an awesome show connecting the latest tendon science with practical training solutions for healthier tendons and better athletic movement.

Today’s episode is brought to you by TeamBuildr’s Gym Studio and the Just Fly Sports Online Courses.

To learn more about the Sprint Acceleration Essentials, Elastic Essentials, or Speed ID courses, go to justflysports.thinkific.com

Use the code “justfly25” for 25% off any Lila Exogen wearable resistance training, including the popular Exogen Calf Sleeves. For this offer, head to Lilateam.com

View more podcast episodes at the podcast homepage.

Main Points

6:42- Achilles Tendon Length Disparity: Humans vs. Deer.

9:33- Tendon Regeneration Discrepancy in Wild vs. Racehorses

21:55- Golgi Tendon Organ and Training Optimization

24:39- Age-Related Changes in Tendon Properties

26:44- Collagen Production Influencing Tendon Stiffness Adaptation

28:47- Tendon Compliance Impact on Athletic Performance

40:41- Preserving Tendon Elasticity for Athletic Longevity

45:38- Reframing Tendon Pain as a Healing Signal

53:14- Optimizing Joint Rotation for Enhanced Performance

1:04:41- Tendon Health and Aerobic Fitness Relationship

1:08:01- Tendon Health Benefits of Isometrics and Lifting

1:11:17- Tendon Strain Variability in Plyometric Training

1:16:24- Enhancing Performance Through Muscle-Tendon Synchronization in Plyometrics

1:21:54- Tendon-Focused Training Periodization Strategy

Quotes

(7:38) "It's crazy to see how long that (deer Achilles tendon) is and how little blood flow it gets and they're able to do what they do." - Jake Tuura

(12:50) “I went hunting for three months. So I didn't, I didn't jump at all. It was winter, it was icy out. And then I go back to dunking and (the patellar tendon) blows up again. So it's like the man-made tendon issues are when you change things suddenly.” - Jake Tuura

(21:49) "The worst thing you can do is completely take it away and then try to hop back in. I think it's going to blow up or maybe it's going to have a serious injury." - Jake Tuura

(28:10) “The tendon gets pulled on and then the tendon has a, the cells have a response to get stiffer. So like if you pull on the tendon, let's say 10% of its resting length, which is a pretty big pull on a tendon. The tendon has this, this adaptation where the cells kick out more collagen. It lays down the collagen, the tendon to get stiffer.” - Jake Tuura

(37:00) “Collagen fascicles don't really extend a whole lot. Yeah, like, their strain is very minimal. And the collagen fascicles have this helical rotation, which then is again, more extendability. The helical angle decreases as you get older because the gel is drying up and it becomes more linear.” - Jake Tuura

(47:00) “You have to respect the many months process where it's going to reorient t...

Today’s podcast is with Scott Salwasser. Scott is a sports performance specialist at EXOS, and previously served as the Head of Athletic Performance for Bishop Lynch High School, along with stops at numerous NCAA DI institutions, as well as work in the private sector. Scott is a field leader in assessment protocols and training methodology for physical preparation, speed, and combine development.

As technology continues to push forward, and the data that comes with it, it’s crucial to have practical methods to apply technology to training in a meaningful way. Scott has a strong background in technology/assessment protocols, but is deeply practical and puts coaching and applied techniques at the forefront of his system.

On the podcast today, Scott speaks on his experiences and transition away from sports performance in the NCAA, and talks on athlete assessments for speed and movement abilities, asymmetries, and meeting the evolving needs of an athlete over time. Scott has a great sense of what it takes to distill technology and advanced concepts into the needs of athletes in a performance setting, and it was great to catch up with him for this episode.

Today’s episode is brought to you by TeamBuildr’s Gym Studio and the LILA Exogen Wearable Resistance Training Sleeves.

Use the code “justfly25” for 25% off any Lila Exogen wearable resistance training, including the popular Exogen Calf Sleeves. For this offer, head to: Lilateam.com

For a Gym Studio 14-day free trial, head to gymstudio.com

View more podcast episodes at the podcast homepage.

Main Points

7:28- Athletic Development Through High School Coaching

12:51- Transformative Spirit: The Key to Discipline

14:12- Data-Driven Athletic Assessment for Training Programs

27:15- Personalized Athlete Training Plans Through Data

31:43- Unlocking the Final 5-10% in Sprint Training

33:48- Mental Focus and Environmental Influence in Sprinting

46:25- Quantifying Movement Asymmetries for Enhanced Interventions

52:49- Enhancing Athletic Speed Beyond Isolated Tests

59:59- Tailored Athletic Programs for Individual Performance Gains

1:06:03- Customized Assessment for Enhanced Athletic Performance

1:07:48- Optimizing Performance Through Individualized Asymmetry Analysis

Quotes

"If you have a strength coach standing behind you, hollering at you to get deeper, you're gonna find a way to get deeper however you can, right?" - Scott Salwasser

“I actually did force-velocity profiling, I think it was my second year (of high school coaching). I'm like, okay, I'm gonna just really be over the top here and we're gonna get it. And to oversimplify it, basically told me that we were bad at everything. - Scott Salwasser

“Even at the high school level, is you have a kid run a sprint, that's laser time, he's going to run harder. You have a kid, you're working on explosive strength or speed strength or any avenue in the weight room, you get a VBT feedback on that, the bar is going to move faster” - Scott Salwasser

“Within a healthy scope, and everybody's got to define their own “healthy scope” of variability, But within that, you're going to be better at one thing slightly worse than another. But at what point does it red flag” - Scott Salwasser

"Force and strength with a barbell on your back or in your hands are not the exact same thing." - Scott Salwasser

“Asymmetrical. But it's 5% difference. So we'll keep it in mind. But we're not going to go crazy over it. Oh, it's 30%. All right. Maybe he's not gonna do these exercises. He's gonna get extra, you know, PT and we're gonna take these lifts out and replace them with these” - Scott Salwasser

About Scott Salwasser

Coach Salwasser is a sports performance specialist at EXOS in the Dallas area. He has previously served as the Head of Athletic Performance for Bishop Lynch High School, Director of Speed & Power at Texas Tech, the Director of Strength & Conditioning at Texas S...

Today’s podcast is with Eamonn Flanagan. Eamonn Flanagan is the Lead Strength & Conditioning Consultant at the Sport Ireland Institute, where he oversees strength and conditioning support for Ireland’s Olympic and Paralympic athletes. He holds a Ph.D. in Sports Biomechanics and spent over a decade in professional rugby, working with the Scottish Rugby Union, Edinburgh Rugby, and the Irish Rugby Football Union. Eamonn appeared on episode #250 and has just created a new course on plyometrics in conjunction with Sportsmith

Training methods such as extensive plyometrics and reactive strength testing have become more common in training team sports. At the same time, it’s easy to lose sight of the whole in athlete development when chasing plyometric variables too far.

On today’s show, Eamonn explores the application of plyometric training, including the impact of surface type on performance, the Reactive Strength Index's role in assessment, and strategies for optimizing reactive strength. We also cover plyometric intensity, using extensive plyometric methods, and tailoring programs to individual needs, concluding with balanced approaches to training and performance.

Today’s episode is brought to you by TeamBuildr’s Gym Studio.

Use the code “justfly25” for 25% off any Lila Exogen wearable resistance training, including the popular Exogen Calf Sleeves. For this offer, head to: Lilateam.com

For a Gym Studio 14-day free trial, head to gymstudio.com

View more podcast episodes at the podcast homepage.

Main Points

17:05- Impact of Surface Type on Plyometric Training

22:53- Reactive Strength Index Influence on Plyometric Assessment

25:57- Reciprocal vs. Unilateral Movement Tension Analysis

28:25- Optimizing Performance Through Reactive Strength Training

31:28- Jumping Exercise Progression for Athletes

35:01- Dynamic Acceleration Plyometrics

36:05- Performance Enhancement Through Contrast Training Methods

39:51- Balancing Intensity Levels for Athletic Adaptations

48:34- Enhancing Athletic Performance Through Extensive Plyometrics

49:44- Tailoring Plyometric Training to Individual Needs

1:01:20- Tailoring Plyometric Training for Enhanced Performance

Quotes

(8:42) "I think as an athlete and as a coach, there's always a bit of a balancing act between. Around ego, you know, what do I want to do versus what do I need to do?" - Eamonn Flanigan

(12:30 “An athlete might be on field multiple times a week, but if it's on a soft, you know, very, very compliant surface, I'm not sure how relevant that is to, let's say, what we might expect from adaptation from extensive plyometrics” - Eamonn Flanigan

(13:40 “Let's say in the last Olympic cycle, working with a taekwondo athlete who is, you know, indoors on mats in bare feet. And so the difference in kind of foot, ankle, calf integrity between the two, you know, the taekwondo athletes spending a lot of time in single leg stance, you know, there's an athlete that I'm probably bypassing extensive work pretty quickly” - Eamonn Flanigan

(30:00) “Very often like plyometric ability or that basic quality or reactive strength, it's, it's very neglected. I think sometimes it's not something that is often included. And as a result, I think there's, there's always some, I think there's often some easy wins there” - Eamonn Flanigan

(37:00) “If you're doing repeat hurdle jumps or you're doing, you know, a set of pogo jumps or some bounding. There's also a point at which, you know, if you hit a bad replacement, you just end up like it gets worse and worse and worse. You know, I think, you know, again, varying within a set both up and down allows you to come back down again and build it back up again” - Eamonn Flanigan

(41:10) “I am a little skeptical as to how much, you know, what might be less than 50 reps of an exercise in a week can have on, you know, the, the, the, the running gate of an athlete who's sprinting x number of strides ...

Today’s podcast is with Cal Dietz and Mike T Nelson, authors of Triphasic Training II. Today's podcast features Cal Dietz, of the University of Minnesota and co-author of Triphasic Training, and Dr. Mike T. Nelson, a leading expert in exercise physiology, neurological training concepts, and metabolic flexibility.

Sports performance is like a tree in many respects. It starts with standard strength training methods, then branches out and integrates varying aspects of total human performance. From the period between the original Triphasic Training to Triphasic Training II, Cal has worked through many aspects of athletic performance, interconnecting physiology and neurology. Mike’s work spans many interconnected aspects of human performance, and compliments Cal’s work with physiological underpinnings.

On today’s podcast, Cal and Mike share insights from their new book, Triphasic Training II, focusing on optimizing human performance for athletes and fitness enthusiasts alike. Primary topics in this episode will be practical neurological training concepts, the origin and evolution of the GOAT drill, evolving warmups and training integrations, athletic capacity building, oscillatory training, and much more.

Today’s episode is brought to you by TeamBuildr’s Gym Studio and Lila Exogen.

Use the code “justfly25” for 25% off any Lila Exogen wearable resistance training, including the popular Exogen Calf Sleeves. For this offer, head to: Lilateam.com

For a Gym Studio 14-day free trial, head to gymstudio.com

View more podcast episodes at the podcast homepage.

Main Points

3:55- Embracing Curiosity and Experimentation in Coaching

9:20- Optimizing Strength Training with Triphasic Concepts

15:12- Neurotransmitter-Stimulating Go Drill for Performance Optimization

17:34- Enhancing Performance Through Brain-Stimulating Drills

24:54- Enhancing Performance through Integrated Brain Training

28:32- Enhancing Physical Performance Through Vestibular Training

45:05- Optimizing Nervous System Coordination Through Dosage

48:34- Optimizing Athlete Performance through Targeted Challenges

51:59- Enhancing Coaching Through Experimentation and Data Collection

1:00:13- Aerobic System Development Through Heart Rate Variability

1:02:39- Cognitive Decision-Making in Athletic Performance Optimization

1:11:53- Optimizing Athletic Performance Through Physiological Integration

1:14:44- Utilizing Metrics for Individualized Athletic Recovery

1:21:31- Systemic Movement for Enhanced Athletic Performance

Quotes

(27:50) “If you see kids who do not move athletically, there's something off with them now, you know, modern-day that could be maybe just too much exposure to video games or they could be, they have like I have some severe eye issues, vestibular issues, etc.” Mike T Nelson

(32:45) “That frustration is a key factor. If you're frustrated, you're pushing yourself on all these different levels with all these” Cal Dietz

(34:40) “When we work out, it's basically, we come, we do one GOAT drill, and then we do our 1080 sprint protocol, one rep, and then we come back, and while the resting, they do the GOAT drill again. And so we end up doing four to six go or four to five go drills before the workout” Cal Dietz

(35:50) “I've gotten emails from coaches, high school football coaches. Like, a kid could never catch over his left shoulder for whatever reason, so they all had him on. Well, now he's catching over the left shoulder. When they started integrating that drill in their passing drills” Cal Dietz

(53:55) "The higher level coaches I watch, they all appear to talk less."  Mike T Nelson

(59:54) "The biggest thing with oscillatories is that we feel that our ability to stay injury-free has been increased because of the high speed, because that's how the muscle is getting hurt and that's how it's supposed to function on the field." Cal Dietz

(1:17:05) "In general, the more developed your aerobic system is,

Today’s podcast is a Q&A episode with Joel Smith. Topics include the role of roughhousing games for individual sport athletes, sandbag training, and rhythm-cadence in movement. Joel explores youth sports trends, breaking jump plateaus, and the benefits of flywheel loading. He also covers infrasternal angle training, rotating speed and plyometric days, and integrating team play with weekly speed work. This, plus, a discussion on the value of band resistance in sports training rounds out this comprehensive conversation on optimizing athletic performance.

Today’s episode is brought to you by TeamBuildr’s Gym Studio.

Use the code “justfly25” for 25% off any Lila Exogen wearable resistance training, including the popular Exogen Calf Sleeves. For this offer, head to: Lilateam.com

For a Gym Studio 14-day free trial, head to gymstudio.com

View more podcast episodes at the podcast homepage.

Main Points

00:14- Roughhousing games for non-team sport athletes

08:42- Training Changes Over the Year

33:23- Observations on Youth Sports

36:44- The Role of Fun in Training

40:37- Jump Imbalances and Breaking Jump Plateaus

44:53- Flywheel Loading

46:37- Infrasternal Angle Concepts and Training over Time

53:36- Sprint and Jump Training Programming

59:14- Utilizing Exergeny in Training

1:00:43- Games as Speed Training

1:05:37- Basketball vs. Plyometrics

1:08:24- Band Resistance in Sport Training

About Joel Smith

Joel Smith is the founder of Just Fly Sports and is a sports performance and track coach in Cincinnati, Ohio. Joel hosts the Just Fly Performance Podcast and has authored several books and coaches in both the high school and private sectors.

Joel was 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 17 years, Joel coached for the Diablo Valley Track and Field Club for 7 years and also has 6 years of experience coaching on the collegiate level, working at Wilmington College, and the University of Wisconsin, LaCrosse. He is currently coaching high jump at Milford High School.

Joel has coached 4 national champions, multiple All-Americans, and NCAA record holders in track and field. 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.

Today’s podcast features Bill Hartman and Chris Wicus. Bill Hartman. Bill Hartman is a physical therapist and in-demand educator with his modern approach to human mechanics and training. Chris Wicus is a health and performance professional with 15 years of experience, a former professional ultimate frisbee player, and a 2nd-degree black belt in karate. He has coached a wide variety of athletes across 17 sports and has been mentored by many top experts in the field.

Bill and Chris host the “Reconsider” podcast together and speak on various cutting-edge approaches to human movement in a way that prompts thinking on existing processes in the field, and how to move forward with current understandings of training and biomechanics.

One key link between on-field performance and weight room training is the dynamics of propulsion through the gait cycle. Bill and Chris often use the example of cutting mechanics—going into and out of a cut—which applies to sprinting, jumping, throwing, strength training, and directional changes, highlighting human movement as a series of turns, rotations, and gait phases.

Today's podcast dives into the dynamics of propulsion and the gait cycle, linking field performance with weight room training. Bill and Chris explore "into and out of the cut" mechanics as they apply to sprinting, jumping, throwing, strength training, and directional changes. They compare change of direction to acceleration and top-end speed while discussing propulsion's impact on breathing, reciprocal motion, orientation, performance, and injury prevention. This was a truly illuminating episode and one that garners numerous notes and insights.

Today’s episode is brought to you by TeamBuildr’s Gym Studio.

Use the code “justfly25” for 25% off any Lila Exogen wearable resistance training, including the popular Exogen Calf Sleeves. For this offer, head to: Lilateam.com

For a Gym Studio 14-day free trial, head to gymstudio.com

View more podcast episodes at the podcast homepage.

Main Points

00:55- Propulsion Phases Influence Cut Maneuvers in Motion

8:23- Agility, Relative Motions Training, and Links Between COD and Acceleration Ability

24:28- Late Stance Propulsion for Enhanced Velocity Performance

27:35- Optimizing Performance Through Relative Motion Training

43:42- Proper Breathing in Optimal Performance Training

56:05- Enhancing Control Through Relative Motions in Split Squat

1:04:31- Pelvic Pressure Dynamics and Squatting Depth

1:15:30- Oscillatory Impulse Split Squat Training for Athletes

1:19:03- Explore Bill's Model on UHP Platform

Quotes

(2:15) “Propulsion is moving forward through space in contact with the medium” - Bill Hartman

(9:32) “For you to move what you perceive to be straight sideways, that is actually a turn away from the ground contact” - Bill Hartman

(10:50) “Everything is a turn. And that's why one of the dirty words would be a sagittal plane. Because when we're talking about dynamic movement, we're moving on helices” - Bill Hartman

(13:50) “There's lots of time accumulated with these IR demands with like a 5 10, 5 pro agility, whatever. So that's going to prime you. My assumption would be I would see better starts and accelerations and I would see better shorter sprint performance. But like you had even mentioned intuitively, 200m maybe wouldn't be as good as I need to display ER, I need to be off the ground. That lives in the opposite place from like an agility drill” - Bill Hartman

(16:40) “The sharper the cut, the, the, the, the greater your capacity to have to slow down so you can actually, actually change directions. And so this is an acquisition of relative motion in internal rotation which could have a beneficial effect… if we were just doing say a flying 20, that's a whole different story because the amount of relative movement that you would, that would be required in that circumstance is actually less” - Bill Hartman

Today’s podcast features David Grey. David is the founder of David Grey Rehab, where he works with clients from all walks of life. David’s specialty is assessing his clients' gait cycle in depth to develop a plan to help restore the movement or movements they struggle to perform.  David has learned under many great mentors in the world of human movement, athletic development, gymnastics, Chinese martial arts, and biomechanics, and is an expansive thinker, blending many elements of human movement together in a down-to-earth way we can all resonate with.

Although there are some differences between rehabilitation and performance strength and power training for athletes, there are also a lot of similarities and connections. The more we can understand good training from both worlds, the more effective our programming and outcomes can be.

On today’s episode, David speaks on various aspects of foot training, along with both targeted and overcoming isometric adaptations. He also gets into concepts of loading and intensity in the rehab space, and what tends to be missing from many rehab programs. David covers this and much more in this practical and informative episode.

Today’s episode is brought to you by TeamBuildr’s Gym Studio.

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View more podcast episodes at the podcast homepage.

Main Points

4:17- Sustainable Solutions for Foot Issues Through Orthotics

8:17- Gradual Conditioning for Injury Prevention

11:25- Achilles Tendinopathy Treatment Strategies and Outcomes

12:15- Consistent Methods for Sustainable Fitness Progress

24:19- Intermuscular Coordination in Rehabilitation Exercises

26:17- Optimizing Muscle Function through Inhibition Techniques

27:42- Isometric Exercises Enhancing Nervous System Coordination

29:14- Tendon Health and Safe Training Positions

38:49- Competition-Driven Intensity for Optimal Rehabilitation

50:42- Heavy Loading for Achilles Strength

59:13- Movement Improvement Through Rehab-Inspired Training Approach

Quotes

(5:59) "You need to separate out: This is for analgesic effect before my session and this is separate to that. I am doing these exercises to get stronger or to improve whatever other qualities I need." - David Grey

(7:03) "I will work a lot with how their foot moves. Not because a Pronated foot or a supinated foot is a better foot. Just because I would like, if you have joints, I would like them to be able to move and they don't have to be able to move a lot, but just to be able to move a little bit at least" - David Grey

(7:20) "Not all, but some of the best world-class sprinters that I've been lucky enough to work with have the most mushed-up feet." -David Grey

(29:14) "When you see the shake, you know something is happening." - David Grey

(38:15) "I think it's actually especially in my world, in the rehab world, people will not give you their all. They're holding back either because they're purposefully holding back or they're subconsciously holding back, but they really will not give you their all" - David Grey

(43:58) "It's intensity and competition both missing in rehab hugely. And it's a huge problem. Humongous problem." - David Grey

(44:49) "The stimulus to heal needs to be greater than whatever hurts you."

(59:39) "I just think this is good training, to be honest." - David Grey

About David Grey

David Grey is the founder of David Grey Rehab, a renowned movement and rehabilitation specialist dedicated to helping athletes and individuals overcome chronic pain, prevent injuries, and optimize performance. David has gained international recognition for h...