SSP 138. Biomechanics with JC Santana

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♦︎ Biomechanics with JC Santana ♦︎

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Functional fitness trailblazer and biomechanics expert JC Santana joins Scott for a spirited conversation about biomechanics, training methodology, and the challenges of marketing real expertise in today’s fitness environment.

♦︎♦︎“The race is not in the gym.” – JC Santana♦︎♦︎

• Can you do more with less? Is the question doing better in the gym, or performing better in a given activity?

• What’s the minimum that can be done to achieve maximum results?

• Performance metrics during a workout are [relatively] unimportant. “The race is not in the gym”.

• Coaching takes a person to “how they want to feel” when they achieve their goal.

• What does balance mean in practical application and what does balance training achieve?

• Mel Siff changed JC’s thinking about balance training.

Base of support influences amount of force that can be generated.

• You don’t need static balance training, unless you’re a Cirque de Soleil performer.

• Momentum and base of support influence balance. Try riding a bicycle very slowly. It’s more difficult to stay upright.

• Power generation is dependent on support. Fred Hatfield once used the analogy of changing a car tire by placing the jack in the sand.

• Don’t train someone out of a natural condition, such as making a left hander a right hander.

• JC trains unilaterally: lunges, alternating curls, etc.

• Science should inform, not dictate. – Scott

Science attempts to explain what we have known for many years. – JC

• Bodybuilding training is best for building muscle.

• Tirelessly coach the basics.

♦︎♦︎“Training isn’t meant to be entertaining.” - JC♦︎♦︎

• JC doesn’t allow cell phone use at IHP. He runs a serious ship because [IHP] has serious clientele.

• The mechanics of a training maneuver should approximate the movement it attempts to train. JC discusses how poorly single-arm kettlebell snatches trains Olympic barbell lifts.

• A karate master doesn’t get certified in individual kicks and punches. So why are certifications needed for specific training tools, like kettlebells, for instance?

• Surviving in today’s world of promotion via social media doesn’t require selling out, but it does require adapting.

• Is it better to be right, or happy? To JC, effective is happy.

• Optimal strength is the [training load] that, when exceeded, does not result in a performance gain.

• Scott and JC discuss reinventing themselves as they age.

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More about JC

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• JC Santana is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist with distinction (CSCS,* D) and a Fellow (FNSCA) of the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA).

• He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Exercise Science from Florida Atlantic University.

• For eight years, he was the sport-specific conditioning editor for the NSCA Journal. He has served as NSCA’s vice president, chairman of the NSCA Coaches Conference, a member of the NSCA Conference Committee, and NSCA state director for Florida.

• His IHP certification system has certified 10,000 trainers and-counting worldwide in over 15 countries, including more than 200 Olympic coaches in China and South America.

• His Institute of Human Performance was voted among the Top Ten Gyms in the US.

• JC’s authored 17 books and manuals and produced over 70 DVDs. He has published more than 300 articles, many in peer-reviewed journals such as the NSCA’s Strength and C...