Talking Strength with Castle & Kumar

In Episode Three of our "Shorts" series, Mike shares his initial understanding of 'de-loading'. Nakul provides a detailed insight into the science of de-loading, including its contextual nature, impact on performance and recovery and how to time them appropriately.

In Episode Two of our 'Shorts' series, we discuss Nakul's recent ACL reconstructive surgery as well as some of the implications of rehabilitation of athletes for coaches.

The concept is simple: 15 minutes | One Topic!In Episode One of our 'Shorts' series, we discuss some of the pedagogical principles and challenges behind developing self-reliance in our athletes. Have any suggestions of other 'Shorts' topics you'd like us to cover? Send them in!

In episode 8, we were joined by Dr. Sylvia Moeskops. During the podcast, we discuss some of the challenges around working with young athletes, early-specialisation and some of the issues in trying to physically scaffold development during the pandemic.Dr. Moeskops also gives the full rundown of her PhD research as well as some top tips for coaches.

In episode 7, Dr. Lea-Cathrin Dohme shares her journey into the world of Sport & Exercise Psychology.Sharing her work on Life Skills, discussing components and challenges of motivation and the importance of developing psychological skills in athletes, Lea teaches us the value of coaches better understanding psychology in and for their practice.

In this episode of Talking Strength, hosts Mike Castle and Nakul Kumar review some of the key themes discussed on the previous episodes and also briefly touch upon topics such as easing back into the gym post-lockdown, focussing on the process as opposed to the outcome, common marketing practises and the need for the fitness industry to focus on health rather than aesthetics.

In this episode of Talking Strength, we pick up the conversation with Ben Pullen where we left off. We discuss Ben's interpretation of Physical Literacy and it's psychological impact and also touch upon the constructs of motivation and confidence. Finally, we battle with how some of these terms are loosely thrown about within the health and fitness industry and suggest how perceptions of exercise may need to change as a result.

In this episode of Talking Strength, Ben Pullen gives us an insight as to how working within different S&C and PE environments shaped his current practise and his passion for developing physical literacy within a youth setting. He also touches upon some ideas to keep children motivated, and structured vs unstructured session design.

On this episode of Talking Strength, the discussions with Steph revolve around her idea of scaffolding with regard to athlete development, what's currently missing from S&C coach education and the influential people in her career so far.

In this episode of Talking Strength, Tom Hales tells us about how he went from being an International Ski Racer, to being an Aerospace Engineer, and eventually decided to follow his passion and start coaching.He touches upon some of the experiences and individuals who have helped shape his current coaching practises, and also talks to us about what drives him to constantly learn and continue expanding his knowledge base.