February hits hard: cold mornings, late practices, weekend meets, and a school calendar that won’t quit. We dive straight into the reality of athletic overload and replace vague advice with a practical system built on three pillars that actually move the needle: sleep, fueling, and real downtime. Using an easy phone-battery analogy, we show how to close the mental “apps,” dim the brightness, and get full charges so training pays off when it matters.

We walk through sleep tactics backed by research and field-tested in the gym: consistent bed and wake times, morning and sunset light to anchor circadian rhythms, a cool dark room, and thirty screen-free minutes before bed. You’ll hear simple ways to manage late-night homework without wrecking sleep, plus the bedroom rules that make it easier to fall and stay asleep. From there, we shift to fueling and hydration, where many athletes unintentionally operate on fumes. Learn how to structure small, frequent meals and pre-pack snacks, use Sunday prep to save hours, and refuel after practice so your body can repair tissue, restore glycogen, and consolidate skills.

We also tackle culture: social media myths, “what I eat in a day” pitfalls, and the difference between looking fit and being fueled to perform. You’ll get ideas for bringing a sports dietitian to your team, involving parents in grocery and prep, and modeling the habits you want athletes to keep. Finally, we make the case for parasympathetic time—scheduled off-switch blocks, short breaks, and even strategic vacations—to lower stress and protect consistency through the grind. If you want to show up in the thick of season with energy, execution, and a clearer head, this playbook is your edge.

Enjoying the show? Follow, share with a teammate or parent, and leave a quick review with your top takeaway so we can help more athletes thrive.

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The line between “normal sore” and “season-ender” can be thinner than a springboard. We’ve been seeing a spike in shin pain as athletes ramp into meet season, so we dug into what actually separates routine aches from stress reactions and fractures—and how to act before things break. You’ll hear the red flags we never ignore, why focal anterior tibia pain is different from posteromedial soreness, and the simple rule of threes that helps coaches and athletes make better calls on the floor.

We share the four-stage path we use in the clinic—relative rest, strength, plyos, and sport return—and why early action shrinks each phase. One surprising insight: bone is most responsive to the first 20 to 60 impacts, especially in the morning, which means a short dose of depth drops and pogo hops can outpace long, junk-mile sessions. Add in heavy calf work, single-leg plyos, and targeted landing mechanics, and you get a plan that builds resilience without burning the fuse. We also talk realistic event modifications, smart rep caps for vault and floor, and checkpoints for progressing from rod to floor and from soft board to springboard.

Underneath the protocols are the big levers: workload honesty, technical efficiency, and adequate fuel. Many athletes aren’t weak; they’re over-spiked, under-fueled, and landing hard. Tidy up shapes, let the equipment return energy, and loop in sports nutrition when progress stalls. If your goal is college gymnastics or simply a healthy, complete season, the bravest move is often stepping back for two weeks to save the next twelve. Listen to learn the exact tests, numbers, and conversations that help athletes stay on track and out of boots. If this episode helps, subscribe, share it with a coach or teammate, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway.

We appreciate you listening!

To learn more about SHIFT, head here - https://shiftmovementscience.com/

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Also, please consider rating, reviewing, and sharing the podcast with your friends! 

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Thanks for listening to The SHIFT Show! Check out SHIFT's most popular courses here!

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Want to join our online educational community of over 1000 gymnastics professionals and get 40+ hours of gymnastics lectures? Join The Hero Lab below!

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We break down a clear, research-backed path to better flexibility using simple daily stretching, short soft tissue work, heavy eccentrics, and active drills that help the nervous system keep new range. We finish with a practical circuit, progress timeline, and a resource for coaches who want more depth.

• Static stretching dosage that drives change 
• Warm-up sequencing that protects power 
• Short, moderate soft tissue work to prime tissues 
• Eccentric exercises for lasting adaptation 
• Active flexibility drills to own end range 
• Technique and programming that make gains stick 
• A simple circuit and four to five week timeline

“Definitely check out the gymnastics flexibility brewprint... if you're working in gymnastics or dance or cheerleading or ballet, that course is going to be a dream come true.”

We appreciate you listening!

To learn more about SHIFT, head here - https://shiftmovementscience.com/

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Also, please consider rating, reviewing, and sharing the podcast with your friends! 

Thanks :)

Thanks for listening to The SHIFT Show! Check out SHIFT's most popular courses here!

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Want to join our online educational community of over 1000 gymnastics professionals and get 40+ hours of gymnastics lectures? Join The Hero Lab below!

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Check out all our past podcast episodes here!

https://shiftmovementscience.com/podcast/

Thanks for listening to The SHIFT Show! Check out SHIFT's most popular courses here!
 
https://courses.shiftmovementscience.com/

We lay out a clear, test-driven plan for returning to gymnastics after an Achilles injury, from strength benchmarks and load progressions to surface mixing and smart skill choices. We also explain why removing a single back pass can cut risk without cutting value.

• why we avoid midroll ads and keep focus
• clearance, range, and strength symmetry before plyos
• force plate isometrics and practical alternatives
• Baxter continuum to map Achilles load tiers
• weekly split balancing plyos and heavy strength
• soft surfaces first with low volume
• mixing surfaces before raising intensity
• event caps and next-day symptom checks
• modifying floor passes to reduce risk
• timelines, expectations, and communication with coaches

We appreciate you listening!

To learn more about SHIFT, head here - https://shiftmovementscience.com/

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Also, please consider rating, reviewing, and sharing the podcast with your friends! 

Thanks :)

Thanks for listening to The SHIFT Show! Check out SHIFT's most popular courses here!

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Want to join our online educational community of over 1000 gymnastics professionals and get 40+ hours of gymnastics lectures? Join The Hero Lab below!

https://shiftmovementscience.com/theherolab/

Check out all our past podcast episodes here!

https://shiftmovementscience.com/podcast/

Thanks for listening to The SHIFT Show! Check out SHIFT's most popular courses here!
 
https://courses.shiftmovementscience.com/

We start with the thrill and fear of automation, then channel that energy into a clear, practical plan for gymnastics preseason. Power first, targeted anaerobic work, and smart progressions turn combinations into confident full routines without spikes in injury risk.

• Four training buckets: skills, strength and power, metabolic conditioning, athlete wellness
• Off-season focus: new skills, lifting twice weekly, aerobic base, injury clean-up
• Preseason shift: link skills to halves, then fulls, add high-intensity power, anaerobic work
• Floor is most metabolically demanding; avoid rushing full routines
• Use the floor “beep test” to gauge event-specific endurance
• Power menu: accelerations, broad jumps, depth drops, seated jump progressions, med ball throws
• Upper body and core power: plyo push-ups, rope climbs, straight-arm patterns, snap shapes
• Circuits first, hybrid event cardio next; prioritize safety with pits and soft surfaces
• Weekly rhythm: basics Monday, hard Tuesday, unload Wednesday, build Thursday
• Twelve-week floor-to-ceiling model to manage workload and reduce injury risk

We will try to include the articles mentioned in the show notes so people can check it out

We appreciate you listening!

To learn more about SHIFT, head here - https://shiftmovementscience.com/

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Also, please consider rating, reviewing, and sharing the podcast with your friends! 

Thanks :)

Thanks for listening to The SHIFT Show! Check out SHIFT's most popular courses here!

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Want to join our online educational community of over 1000 gymnastics professionals and get 40+ hours of gymnastics lectures? Join The Hero Lab below!

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Check out all our past podcast episodes here!

https://shiftmovementscience.com/podcast/

Thanks for listening to The SHIFT Show! Check out SHIFT's most popular courses here!
 
https://courses.shiftmovementscience.com/

We share a candid week of ACL and knee scares to examine why progress stalls and how to respond without blame. From honest workload talks to puberty timelines and recovery basics, we lay out a practical checklist clinicians and families can use right away.

• listener growth and how to request topics
• case stories that trigger self-reflection not self-blame
• second opinions, re-evals and fresh metrics
• workload honesty and adherence barriers
• risk framing for athletes who choose to play
• puberty, growth plate injuries and realistic timelines
• early specialization and repeated flare-ups
• sleep, fueling, hydration and stress as the 80 percent
• when to escalate to imaging or meds
• recap checklist for new clinicians

Support at shift movement science.com

We appreciate you listening!

To learn more about SHIFT, head here - https://shiftmovementscience.com/

To learn about SHIFT's courses, check our website here - https://courses.shiftmovementscience.com/

Also, please consider rating, reviewing, and sharing the podcast with your friends! 

Thanks :)

Thanks for listening to The SHIFT Show! Check out SHIFT's most popular courses here!

https://courses.shiftmovementscience.com/

Want to join our online educational community of over 1000 gymnastics professionals and get 40+ hours of gymnastics lectures? Join The Hero Lab below!

https://shiftmovementscience.com/theherolab/

Check out all our past podcast episodes here!

https://shiftmovementscience.com/podcast/

We appreciate you listening!

To learn more about SHIFT, head here - https://shiftmovementscience.com/

To learn about SHIFT's courses, check our website here - https://courses.shiftmovementscience.com/

Also, please consider rating, reviewing, and sharing the podcast with your friends! 

Thanks :)

Thanks for listening to The SHIFT Show! Check out SHIFT's most popular courses here!

https://courses.shiftmovementscience.com/

Want to join our online educational community of over 1000 gymnastics professionals and get 40+ hours of gymnastics lectures? Join The Hero Lab below!

https://shiftmovementscience.com/theherolab/

Check out all our past podcast episodes here!

https://shiftmovementscience.com/podcast/

We push back on the “eat less when you’re hurt” myth and show how fueling drives better rehab, stronger muscles, and faster tissue healing. From creatine and omega‑3s to collagen timing and vitamin D, we map practical steps that help ACL and OCD athletes progress.

• the case for calorie sufficiency and daily protein
• why creatine and omega‑3s support strength and tolerance
• vitamin D, vitamin C, and collagen timing for tissue support
• reframing nutrition as fuel for performance, not weight loss
• how REDs and underfueling stall progress and raise risk
• workload vs recovery for OCD bone healing
• simple routines teens will actually follow: snacks, sleep, hydration
• when to refer to a sports dietitian and what to screen

We appreciate you listening!

To learn more about SHIFT, head here - https://shiftmovementscience.com/

To learn about SHIFT's courses, check our website here - https://courses.shiftmovementscience.com/

Also, please consider rating, reviewing, and sharing the podcast with your friends! 

Thanks :)

Thanks for listening to The SHIFT Show! Check out SHIFT's most popular courses here!

https://courses.shiftmovementscience.com/

Want to join our online educational community of over 1000 gymnastics professionals and get 40+ hours of gymnastics lectures? Join The Hero Lab below!

https://shiftmovementscience.com/theherolab/

Check out all our past podcast episodes here!

https://shiftmovementscience.com/podcast/

Want to learn more from SHIFT? Check out our courses here!
https://courses.shiftmovementscience.com/

Six weeks off resets our pace and sharpens our focus as we map the two big hip profiles: lax undercoverage vs. stiff overcoverage. We compare symptoms, tests, workloads, and when to choose conservative care, injections, or surgery.

• undercoverage laxity causing end-range subluxation and labral overload
• overcoverage FAI producing flexion–IR compression and anterior pinching
• subjective patterns that separate kicks and splits from deep squat pain
• movement tests for each profile aligned to the mechanism
• imaging cues: alpha angle, lateral center-edge angle, dysplasia markers
• diagnostic injection as a decision hinge before surgery
• active flexibility over passive oversplits and ankle weights
• workload changes that actually calm irritable hips
• posterior-chain and rotator strength to build control through range
• growth and early specialisation shaping expectations and skill choices
• matching athlete profiles to skills and roles to reduce relapse risk

We appreciate you listening!

To learn more about SHIFT, head here - https://shiftmovementscience.com/

To learn about SHIFT's courses, check our website here - https://courses.shiftmovementscience.com/

Also, please consider rating, reviewing, and sharing the podcast with your friends! 

Thanks :)

Thanks for listening to The SHIFT Show! Check out SHIFT's most popular courses here!

https://courses.shiftmovementscience.com/

Want to join our online educational community of over 1000 gymnastics professionals and get 40+ hours of gymnastics lectures? Join The Hero Lab below!

https://shiftmovementscience.com/theherolab/

Check out all our past podcast episodes here!

https://shiftmovementscience.com/podcast/

The transition from summer to fall brings new challenges for gymnasts as they balance back-to-school demands with increased training loads, requiring careful planning to prevent injuries and build a foundation for competition season. We discuss how to create a training plan that accommodates the physiological, mental, and lifestyle changes that occur during this critical period.

• Four key "buckets" for successful preseason training: strength/conditioning, metabolic capacity, gymnastics progressions, and physical preparation/education
• Why traditional cardio methods like long runs and endless panel mat jumps qualify as "junk mileage" that doesn't effectively prepare athletes for the demands of competition
• Difference between aerobic conditioning (not sport-specific) and the 60-90 second anaerobic bursts needed for gymnastics routines
• Sport-specific cardio progressions that build capacity while minimizing injury risk
• Why recovery between sessions is where actual improvement happens, not during the training itself
• Importance of proactively educating athletes and parents about sleep, nutrition, hydration and stress management
• Creating gym cultures that normalize recovery practices rather than only addressing them when problems arise
• Simple, practical ways coaches can incorporate education about recovery into daily practice

Try collecting high-quality, evidence-based resources on sleep, nutrition, hydration, and stress management to create simple one-page PDFs for parents and athletes as part of your welcome packet or regular communications.

We appreciate you listening!

To learn more about SHIFT, head here - https://shiftmovementscience.com/

To learn about SHIFT's courses, check our website here - https://courses.shiftmovementscience.com/

Also, please consider rating, reviewing, and sharing the podcast with your friends! 

Thanks :)

Thanks for listening to The SHIFT Show! Check out SHIFT's most popular courses here!

https://courses.shiftmovementscience.com/

Want to join our online educational community of over 1000 gymnastics professionals and get 40+ hours of gymnastics lectures? Join The Hero Lab below!

https://shiftmovementscience.com/theherolab/

Check out all our past podcast episodes here!

https://shiftmovementscience.com/podcast/