Youth sports are more competitive than ever, and the rise in popularity and competitiveness will likely only continue to increase. But have you ever considered the disparity in talent, even within the same age group? In this episode, NSCA certified trainer and sport performance coach Aaron Patterson discusses the impact of Relative Age Effects and Biological Maturity through the lens of a recent research article titled The Influence of Relative Age and Biological Maturity on Youth Weightlifting Performance.

Citation

Morris, S., Oliver, J., Radnor, J., Hill, M., Haff, G., and Lloyd, R., (2025). The influence of relative age and biological maturity on youth weightlifting performance. Pediatric Exercise Science, 38:1; 1-9.

https://doi.org/10.1123/pes.2024-0083

Congratulations! You have set new goals and are excited to move forward with your new plan. This means the work is beginning and the inevitable challenges awaiting. The saying, "If it were easy, everyone would do it," is pretty accurate because the hard part isn't necessarily setting goals but following through with them. In this episode, certified trainers Aaron Patterson and Frank Eyeson have a conversation about building sustainable habits so you can stay on track and achieve your goals.

Can caffeine change the game? We have heard that caffeine can, in fact, improve performance whether that is through research or personal experience. In this episode, NSCA certified trainer Aaron Patterson walks you through a meta-analysis published in 2024 that looks into the effects of acute caffeine intake on specific performance in intermittent sports. It can be found in the Human Kinetics Journals.

Can Caffeine Change the Game? Effects of Acute Caffeine Intake on Specific Performance in Intermittent Sports During Competition: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis https://ecs.page.link/FKJZJ

The calendar shouldn’t dictate when you set new goals, but with the new year, it is top of mind for many people. As you prepare for these changes, ask yourself if you are setting the right type of goals. In this episode, NSCA certified trainer and Mental Performance Consultant Aaron Patterson discusses the three types of goals you should consider, and why goal setting works.

We know the benefits of strength training as we age, but what about specifically for parents? In this episode, trainer, author, and parent Betina Gozo discusses the importance of strength training as a parent of young kids, and tips for staying consistent with training during a busy season. Get more tips and insight in her book, Women's Muscle and Strength.

Women's Muscle & Strength https://ecs.page.link/AQj4X

Betina Gozo Shimonek

Betina Gozo Shimonek has over a decade of experience as a certified trainer. She has worked for over 10 years as a Nike Global Trainer, programming and consulting for the brand, and she was featured in the Nike Training Club app leading a popular Strength for Beginners program. In 2016, she won the Women's Health Next Fitness Star contest. She published The Women's Guide to Strength Training in 2017. she also partnered with Prevention magazine in 2019 to create Get Strong With Betina Gozo, a four-week workout DVD for beginners and aging people who want to stay active.

Gozo Shimonek cohosts the lifestyle podcast Beyond the Routine alongside her husband, Nic. They also created an accessible performance training platform, LiNE UP With Us. She was one of the original 21 trainers featured on the Apple Fitness+ team teaching weekly strength and core workouts and leading the service's Workouts for Beginners program. She is also a contributor to the Nike Well Collective, which focuses on five pillars of holistic fitness: movement, mindfulness, nutrition, rest, and connection.

Gozo Shimonek is passionate about empowering women to work out in any stage of their lives. From killer workouts to tips on how to navigate the weight room, she shares her expertise to help women get the most out of their resistance workouts. She also travels the world, empowering and connecting women through her women's only strength training workshops and women's strength training camps.

When Samantha Wood began her career, she was interested in physical therapy and using methods to help individuals recover from injury. While working with a pro basketball team, she learned that Pilates was one of those methods that could help bring athletes and gen pop clients back to health in a safe and efficient way. She believed in it so much that she wrote a book about it. In this episode, she discusses how she brought the world of Pilates and rehab together, and how others can benefit from the methods that have helped her find success. You can learn more in her book, Pilates for Rehabilitation, Second Edition.

Pilates for Rehabilitation, Second Edition https://ecs.page.link/MyXLy

Samantha Wood, MPT, MBA, NCPT, RYT

Samantha Wood is a licensed physical therapist, and an associate faculty member for BASI Pilates. She is a Yoga Alliance-certified teacher and holds the Nationally Certified Pilates Teacher (NCPT) credential. She previously owned and operated The Cypress Center in Pacific Palisades, California, where for over 23 years she and her staff integrated Pilates with physical therapy for people of all ages and abilities. Her clinical expertise includes Pilates-based rehabilitation, yoga therapy, orthopedics, sports therapy, and functional rehabilitation.

Wood received her bachelor's degree in exercise science from the University of Southern California (USC), where she worked as a student athletic trainer with athletes from all sports but specialized in volleyball, football, and track. After graduation, she worked as a fitness instructor for The Golden Door Spa on board Cunard cruise ships. Two years later, she earned a Master of Physical Therapy (MPT) degree from Western University of Health Sciences. She also holds an MBA degree from USC. She has worked with many celebrities and professional athletes; while at HealthSouth in Arizona, she was a physical therapist for the Phoenix Suns, Phoenix Coyotes, Phoenix Mercury, and Arizona Rattlers. In 2010, she was selected as the physical therapist for the EAS Unstoppable Tour, where her responsibilities included keeping elite athlete Sam Tickle in top physical condition as he completed his 30-sport, 30-city, 30-day journey.

Wood began her Pilates studies in 2001 with Rael Isacowitz and has since attended many of Rael's advanced courses, including the prestigious Legacy program (Mentor, Master I, Master II, and Honors Course). She created and teaches three advanced education courses for BASI Pilates: two for Pilates teachers and one for rehabilitation professionals. She has been presenting these courses, as well as teaching other workshops and lecturing at Pilates conferences around the world, since 2010.

Wood writes for Pilates Style magazine and contributes a monthly article for The Pilates Journal based on the most current research in the Pilates industry. in 2024, she was the runner-up for The Pilates Journal Educator of the Year award. 

Wood can be found at @samanthawoodphysio on Instagram and YouTube. Her website is Samanthawoodphysio.com.

Have you ever heard an athlete say they wish they were slower? Quite the opposite. Speed can be a difference-maker for an athlete, and could be the difference between making a play or winning a game. But what is speed and is it the same for every sport? In this episode, NSCA certified trainer and Certified Speed and Agility Coach Aaron Patterson takes a dive into the topic of speed development, what it means to be fast, and the similarities and differences in training for speed based on sport.

Additional Resources

Developing Speed, Second Edition https://ecs.page.link/WmUag

The Anatomy of Speed https://ecs.page.link/zJtmn

Developing Agility and Quickness, Second Edition https://ecs.page.link/f6S9j 

Human Kinetics Journals https://ecs.page.link/swHVD

Aaron Patterson, M.S., NSCA-CPT, CWPC, CSAC, CTPS 

Aaron provides informative and educational content for Human Kinetics in the areas of health, fitness, strength and conditioning, and sport performance including exercise technique videos, author interviews, and podcast episodes.

Certified through the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA), Aaron has over 11 years of experience as a personal trainer and sport performance coach. He holds specialty certifications as a Certified Weightlifting Performance Coach (CWPC), Certified Speed and Agility Coach (CSAC), and Certified Tennis Performance Specialist (CTPS). Training primarily middle school and high school athletes, Aaron recognized the growing need for athletes to also work on their mental performance. It was then that he pursued his master's degree in Kinesiology with a focus in Exercise and Sport Psychology to become a Certified Mental Performance Consultant.

As a track and field coach specializing in jumps and sprints, Aaron is also a Certified American Sport Education Program Coach, and is a member of the National High School Strength Coaches Association (NHSSCA), the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA), and the Association for Applied Sport Psychology (AASP). Aaron completed his Master of Science in Kinesiology, Exercise and Sport Psychology, from Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville.

Sarcopenia. Osteoporosis, Chronic disease related to aging. There are multiple reason to continue gaining strength and building muscle as we age. Whether you want to look and feel healthy, or combat the effects of sarcopenia and osteoporosis, Chad Landers is here to help. In this episode, the 2018 NSCA Personal Trainer of the Year discusses the importance and benefits of building strength and muscle after age 50, and explains how to do it. He even throws in some 80s references for the Gen X crowd. Listen along and learn more in his book, Building Strength and Muscle After 50. 

Building Strength and Muscle After 50 https://ecs.page.link/mPPXz

Chad Landers

Chad Landers is a 1991 graduate of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign with a bachelor's degree in kinesiology. He has a graduate diploma in sports nutrition from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and he was the National Strength and Conditioning Associate (NSCA) Personal Trainer of the Year in 2018.

Landers is in his 32nd year as a personal trainer in Los Angeles, California, and has owned and operated PUSH Private Fitness, a personal training-only gym, for over 20 years. He is known for his work with actors and musicians who need to look their best for the stage and screen. Current and former clients include William (Billy) Zabka, Duff McKagan, Sarh Hyland, Robbie Amell, Lyndsy Fonseca, and Corbin Bleu, among others.

In addition to competing in the sport of powerlifting, Landers enjoys writing and public speaking. He has been featured in Men's Health, Women's Health, People, AARP The Magazine, Onnit, Yahoo!, Personal Fitness Professional, and Personal Trainer Development Center and has been a guest on numerous podcasts.

Kettlebells are a versatile tool to use in training, especially for athletes. Dr. Michael Hartle, author of Kettlebell Strength Training Anatomy, joined NSCA certified trainer Aaron Patterson to discuss kettlebell training and how it can be used to enhance athletic performance.

Kettlebell Strength Training Anatomy https://ecs.page.link/S4T56

Dr. Michael Hartle

Dr. Michael Hartle is a full-time chiropractic physician. He is also certified as a nutritionist (DACBN), chiropractic sports physician (CCSP), and strength and conditioning specialist (CSCS). He also holds the Master Instructor certification from StrongFirst (StrongFirst.com). He is the co-developer of the StrongFirst SFL barbell certification. Dr. Michael travels around the United States and the world teaching barbell and kettlebell certification courses. He is also currently working toward his PhD in exercise science at Concordia University Chicago. He has been practicing in Fort Wayne, Indiana, for the last 27 years.