The Speed Lab Podcast

Episode 21 – Eccentric Loading, Sprint Mechanics & Building Athletes That Last | ft. Colby Wortman

Guest host Darren Hansen sits down with Colby Wartman, Speed Lab Director and owner of Origin Performance in Dickinson, ND. Colby shares his personal journey through addiction and sobriety, the mentorship that shaped his coaching philosophy, and how eccentric loading has become the foundation of his athlete development system. From the TreadMetrics leg press to resisted runs and depth jumps, Colby breaks down the tools and methods behind his results — plus a candid conversation on youth athlete burnout and what college coaches are really looking for today.

Timestamps

• 0:00 – Intro & Hero/Hardship/Highlight
• 3:07 – Colby's background & new facility build
• 5:40 – Eccentric loading philosophy & Coach Pete Leno
• 11:55 – TreadMetrics eccentric leg press deep dive
• 19:47 – Recovery, programming frequency & in-season management
• 22:05 – Youth athlete overload & burnout
• 29:23 – Sprint mechanics: negative foot speed & ground attack cues
• 36:35 – Colby's core training toolkit
• 38:27 – Simplifying speed development for coaches
• 41:13 – Shifting to a speed-first program
• 43:40 – What college coaches actually want from athletes
• 44:53 – Where to find Colby & wrap up

If you are interested in getting connected with Colby, Darren, and 200+ private facilities in the country - see if your facility is a fit for the Speed Lab Partnership: https://universalspeedrating.com/learn-more-partner-with-universal-speed-rating-speed-lab-podcast

Guest host Darren Hansen sits down with Erica Mulholland to talk about coaching young female soccer players the right way: balancing skill work with strength, reducing overuse injuries, and why load management + recovery matter way more than most athletes realize. Erica shares how a meniscus tear changed her approach, what she’s seeing with ACL injuries in young girls, and the big rocks coaches should focus on if they want athletes to stay healthy and keep improving long-term.

• 0:29 – Erica’s early inspiration: discipline, hard work, and chasing big goals
• 1:11 – Meniscus tear → wake-up call on load management + recovery
• 4:09 – Why “skills-only” training fails young girls (and drives overuse injuries)
• 4:29 – ACL injuries becoming more common in young girls (and what pushed Erica deeper into S&C)
• 15:59 – Calling out bad coaching trends you see on Instagram (and why it matters)
• 48:33 – Where to find Erica / socials

In this episode of The Speed Lab Podcast, guest host Darren Hansen sits down with coach and mentor Matt Erdman for a powerful conversation on the art of coaching. Matt Erdman Owns Veritas Athletic Performance and is a Universal Speed Rating Speed Lab Director. 

They dive deep into building trust with athletes, the power of positive communication, adapting coaching style to the individual, and why relationships—not just programming—drive long-term results. This episode is packed with practical insights for coaches, gym owners, and anyone looking to create a stronger training culture that actually lasts.

00:00 – Intro & why Matt Erdman stands out as a coach

03:30 – Opening a facility: lessons learned & early mistakes

06:20 – Systems, organization, and why clarity matters

07:20 – Transition into The Power of Positive Selection

11:10 – Coaching delivery, trust, and athlete relationships

14:15 – Universal Speed Rating milestone & impact

15:25 – Individualizing coaching styles (men vs women, personalities)

18:05 – Building culture & uniting rival athletes

21:10 – Being approachable without lowering standards

24:10 – Consistency, clarity, and losing athlete trust

27:20 – Coaching less, saying more with fewer words

29:15 – Meeting athletes where they are mentally & physically

33:10 – Creating “wins” even on bad training days

35:05 – Communicating progress to parents

37:20 – Building resilient athletes beyond speed & strength

39:15 – Final thoughts & closing remarks

If you'd like to learn more about how to working with Universal Speed Rating in your facility, schedule a call: https://universalspeedrating.com/learn-more-partner-with-universal-speed-rating-speed-lab-podcast

Darren Hansen sits down with Joe Pedulla to discuss rethinking acceleration training, working with youth athletes, and practical coaching strategies for time-constrained programs. They explore how to identify athlete types, balance strengths vs. weaknesses in training, and prepare for their upcoming webinar.

Timestamps

00:00 - Introduction & Triple H (Hardship, Highlight, Hero)

05:09 - Rethinking Acceleration: Joe's general philosophy

07:50 - Teaching young athletes: Gorillas vs. Cheetahs framework (force production vs. speed)

10:16 - Visual cues for coaches to identify athlete movement types

16:02 - Training strengths vs. weaknesses: when to focus on each

17:20 - In-season training: keeping athletes engaged and stimulated

19:21 - Working with limited time (2-3 hours/week with athletes)

23:40 - Sled training loads and programming discussion

32:58 - Why sleds rarely make athletes slower + recovery considerations

34:56 - Lateral movement patterns and "squat accelerators" in sport

39:18 - Program design: subtle changes for different athlete profiles

44:56 - Acceleration vs. deceleration: what separates athletes at game speed

47:27 - Where to follow Joe + closing thoughts

The Speed Lab Podcast - Episode 17

Substitute host Darren Hansen of HansenAthletics sits down with Ryan Paul, owner of New Athlete and veteran performance coach with over two decades of experience training athletes. With more than 12,000 athletes trained since 2001, Ryan shares his evolution from conjugate periodization to an eccentric-focused training philosophy centered on force reduction and deceleration. The conversation dives deep into why athletes often return from college slower despite being stronger, the critical importance of teaching athletes to absorb force before producing it, and how long-duration isometrics (up to 300 seconds) are transforming athlete durability and performance. Ryan also breaks down his unique assessment methods using lunge positions to identify sprinting tendencies and explains why training volume in the weight room should better reflect the demands athletes face on the field.

• 0:00 - Introduction with Darren Hansen
• 0:44 - Ryan Paul's background and 23+ years of athlete development
• 2:41 - Evolution from conjugate training and its limitations
• 3:54 - Why athletes get hurt decelerating, not accelerating
• 5:08 - Common deficiencies: athletes can produce force but can't absorb it
• 7:29 - Why college athletes return slower but stronger
• 9:39 - Programming ratios: ~80% eccentric/deceleration work
• 11:08 - Long-duration isometrics explained (5–300 seconds)
• 16:01 - Cueing isometric lunges and assessing sprint type
• 20:49 - Using USR technology to validate training observations
• 22:29 - Redefining "recovery" and reducing systemic inflammation
• 26:21 - Personal results from eccentric training
• 27:01 - Favorite movements: Bulgarian split squats and toddler patterns
• 29:34 - Crawling, coordination, and cortex development
• 31:00 - Daily integration of eccentric training
• 31:45 - Results: healthier athletes, better repeatability, reduced injury severity
• 33:26 - Advice for coaches: match training volume to game demands
• 36:21 - Closing remarks

In this episode of The Speed Lab Podcast, Les Spellman sits down with Dr. Marc Lewis, Director of  Applied Sports Science for the Houston Texans, for a deep, practical conversation on what sport science really looks like inside elite performance environments.

Dr. Lewis shares his unconventional journey — from military service to earning a PhD and leading applied sport science at the NFL level. Together, they unpack how sport science evolved in the U.S., why systems matter more than tech, how to actually manage athlete load (without “doing less”), and what coaches at any level can apply immediately.

The Universal Speed Rating partners with private training facilities around the country that want to improve their speed system and grow their business. If you are interested in becoming a Speed Lab, click the link below to schedule an intro call with our team. 

https://universalspeedrating.com/learn-more-partner-with-universal-speed-rating-speed-lab-podcast

00:00 – Introduction & context

02:00 – Marc Lewis’s early life & military background

06:00 – Discovering human performance

10:00 – Education path & research foundation

14:00 – Entering sport science before it was a role

18:00 – Why sport science over traditional strength coaching

22:00 – Evolution of sport science in the U.S.

27:00 – Building systems vs chasing technology

32:00 – Athlete communication & buy-in

37:00 – Load management philosophy in team sports

44:00 – Practical guidance for high school coaches

52:00 – Fatigue monitoring & force plate philosophy

1:00:00 – Hidden stressors in NFL football

1:04:00 – Final thoughts & future of performance

In this episode of The Speed Lab Podcast, host Les Spellman sits down with Matt Hank to challenge conventional speed training.

They dive deep into acceleration and max velocity mechanics, why most coaching cues get lost in translation, and how elite speed is actually developed. 

The Universal Speed Rating is looking to work with more elite training businesses through our Speed Lab partnership. If you are interested in systemizing your speed training and growing your business, click the link below to schedule a intro call with our team. 

https://universalspeedrating.com/learn-more-partner-with-universal-speed-rating-speed-lab-podcast

00:00 – Matt’s background & entry into speed training

03:50 – Why respectful disagreement moves the industry forward

05:00 – Building athletes from the ground up

08:50 – USR milestone & why testing matters

09:32 – Horizontal force vs coaching language

14:00 – Organizing acceleration in a weekly plan

19:00 – Key components of an acceleration model

21:00 – Assessing athletes & teaching coaches what to see

25:15 – Principles of max velocity

27:00 – Do sprint drills actually matter?

32:40 – Strength, coordination, and late swing mechanics

36:50 – Forward foot speed explained

38:09 – Why flexion-based drills fall short

42:17 – Why getting better at drills ≠ getting faster

44:18 – What “works” vs what actually improves speed

48:00 – Extension, reflexive movement, and elite sprint models

52:20 – Reactive vs non-reactive athletes

55:00 – Physical qualities vs coaching cues

58:00 – Advice for athletes right now

59:00 – Individual differences in sprinting

01:01:00 – Closing thoughts on open dialogue & growth

In this episode, Les Spellman sits down with Scott Salwasser, Head NFL Combine Coach at EXOS, to break down what goes into preparing elite athletes for the NFL Combine.

From managing 50+ athletes at once, to profiling speed safely, to using force plates, and the 1080 Sprint to drive real performance.

Scott walks through EXOS’s intake process, how data impacts programming and how low-volume, high-intensity speed work wins in the long run. 

The Universal Speed Rating is seeking to partner with more elite training businesses nationwide through our Speed Lab initiative. If you are interested in systemizing your speed training and growing your business, click the link below to schedule a call with our team. 

https://universalspeedrating.com/learn-more-partner-with-universal-speed-rating-speed-lab-podcast

Episode Timestamps

00:00 – 02:30: Reconnecting, Sparta roots, and why the old-school stuff still matters

02:30 – 05:30: Scott’s path to EXOS and stepping into a leadership role

05:30 – 08:30: How EXOS manages 50+ combine athletes without chaos

08:30 – 12:15: Weekly speed structure: acceleration, max velocity, resisted sprinting

12:15 – 16:45: Intake process: PT evals, force plates, LVP testing, and profiling safely

16:45 – 20:30: How data actually changes training (and when it should)

20:30 – 24:30: Force plate insights, asymmetries, RSI, and individualizing plyos

24:30 – 28:30: Strength profiling, OPR, and why some athletes need to train fast — and others heavy

28:30 – 31:00: Kaiser squats, barbell work, and combine-specific realities

31:00 – End: 225 bench pacing, combine lessons learned, and coaching takeaways

In this different type of episode, Les shares the messy, unpolished origin story: from building the first “Speed Lab” in a school closet, to testing elite athletes before the system even existed, to struggling financially while trying to scale something no one had ever built before. He breaks down how analytics, education, business systems, and community became the pillars that carried the company past 200 Speed Labs worldwide.

If you are interested in learning more about becoming a Speed Lab, schedule a time with our team at the link below. 

https://universalspeedrating.com/learn-more-partner-with-universal-speed-rating-speed-lab-podcast

Episode Timestamps

00:00 – 01:02: Why this episode is personal + hitting 200 Speed Labs

01:02 – 03:40: How COVID, fatherhood, and a school basement led to the first Speed Lab

03:40 – 07:15: The first athletes tested & discovering what a “Speed Lab” really was

07:15 – 12:10: Standardizing speed, early testing chaos, and building the MPH database

12:10 – 17:17: Building software, courses, systems — and why community became the backbone

17:17 – 20:35: Burnout, overexposure, money struggles, and NFL players stepping up to invest

20:35 – 24:57: Finding his role, rediscovering the excitement, and blending family + business life

24:57 – 27:28: Lessons learned: Start before you’re ready & simplify everything you build

In this episode, Les Spellman sits down with Kyle Bolton, Oregon Football Director of Speed & Performance, to break down how a top program actually builds, measures, and keeps speed all year long. They get into Oregon’s offseason blueprint, GPS and testing, how they balance Big Ten size with real game speed, and what NIL + the transfer portal mean for today’s strength/speed coaches. Kyle also shares what separates college speed work from combine prep and what athletes should be doing now if they want a shot at the league later.

The Universal Speed Rating is looking to partner with more elite training businesses around the country with their Speed Lab partnership. If you are interested in systemizing your speed training and growing your business, click here to schedule a call with our team. 

Episode Timestamps

• 00:00 – Intro & Kyle’s path to Oregon
• 02:30 – Building Oregon’s offseason speed plan
• 07:15 – Testing, GPS, and making data actually useful
• 12:00 – Getting bigger for the Big Ten without losing speed
• 21:30 – In-season speed, “go” drills, and game-speed standards
• 35:15 – Fastest dudes on the team & what they’re hitting
• 42:25 – NIL, coaching future, and where the job is headed
• 55:25 – Combine prep vs college speed & advice to athletes