Mike Robertson, co-owner of IFAST and host of the Physical Preparation Podcast, dives into the balance of braking and propulsion vital for athletic performance. With over 20 years of coaching experience, he shares insights on optimizing movement patterns, particularly for off-season athletes. The discussion covers the evolution of training philosophies, blending strength with functional mobility, and practical strategies for enhancing recovery. Mike also reflects on the joy of coaching youth sports and the lessons learned from nurturing young talent.
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volunteer_activism ADVICE
Squat Variations for Athletes
Use anterior-loaded squat variations like goblet and safety bar squats to restore motion.
Flywheel squatting variations mimic sport demands and improve rhythm and elasticity.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Bench Press Alternatives
Favor floor pressing and alternating bench work over heavy barbell bench press.
These variations reduce compression and allow better shoulder and thorax movement.
insights INSIGHT
Exercise Selection is Contextual
Exercise selection should be context-specific, based on goals and individual needs.
There's no one-size-fits-all; range of motion and overload depend on purpose.
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Today's podcast features Mike Robertson. Mike Robertson is the co-owner of IFAST in Indianapolis and host of the Physical Preparation Podcast. With over 20 years of experience training athletes from the NBA to everyday clients, Mike is known for blending biomechanics, strength, and smart programming to get real-world results. He’s a respected educator and a leader in the performance training space.
The more advanced we get in the world of functional training, human movement, and biomechanics, the more difficult it can be to manage our programming. Having a set of basic principles and foundations for movement coaching helps us to serve a wide variety of athletes throughout their seasons and careers.
On today’s episode, Mike speaks on the nature of his programming, and how he treats the primary squat, deadlift, bench, and split squat movement patterns with the needs of an athlete in mind (with particular emphasis on off-season pro athletes). Mike goes into concepts on braking and propulsion and how to use the weightroom to impact this balance of forces, hinge mechanics, lessons from coaching youth sports, and much more.
Today’s episode is brought to you by TeamBuildr’s Gym Studio.
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View more podcast episodes at the podcast homepage. (https://www.just-fly-sports.com/podcast-home/)
Timestamps
4:32- "Evolution from Powerlifting to Athletic Movement Training"
17:32- Foot Support and Motion Control in Strength Training
23:37- Flywheel Training Advancements in Professional Basketball Conditioning
33:23- Center of Mass Restoration for Explosive Athletes
33:51- Optimizing Performance Through Propulsion and Braking
42:14- Enhancing Athletic Performance Through Hinge Variations
50:00- Bilateral Offset Stance Benefits in Exercises
52:46- Internal Rotation Stance for Hip Mobility
1:00:41- Maximizing Athletic Potential through Tailored Training
1:10:05- Enhancing Coaching Skills Through Immersive Soccer Experience
1:17:49- Evolving Coaching Techniques in Basketball Training
1:19:44- Innovative Techniques for Creative Thought Management
Quotes
(14:18) "I've gone away from like really like chasing outputs or trying to push outputs up to, hey, Man, I just want to restore outputs, right? Like, can we just get you back somewhere near your top end in the off-season? So we know you still got it, but we're just touching it, right? So I talk about touching intensity." - Mike Robertson
(14:34) "Some of my biggest go-to's, I still love anterior loaded squat variations. for benching variations. Very little barbell stuff. I'm talking more on like, the aging athlete side. I really love alternating work. I love floor-pressing variations. Anything where we're one is up, one is down, so we can maintain some motion through their thorax. And then as far as deadlifts go, if I'm going to deadlift somebody, I still really like Like a high-handle trap bar deadlift." - Mike Robertson
(20:21) "Depending on your situation, your environment, context, like you can make an argument for just about anything." - Mike Robertson
(22:25) "Especially as we age, I just think of three buckets. There's the mobility and movement quality bucket. There's the neurological outputs bucket so you can speed, power, strength, and then there's like the, the metabolic capacity buckets." - Mike Robertson
(26:49) "In, this is the thing that I always come back to. Right. Like, Bill and I have had this discussion so many times, like, in passing in the gym. It's like, oh, my gosh, like, just how easy was it to train in your 20s?" - Mike Robertson
(38:37) "I used to always joke around with athletes and I was kind of right. But I used to always say like weightlifting and like strength training is the only sport where it benefits being on your heels. Right.