Cam Josse | Balancing Individual and Sport Demands to Optimize Training Programs

To individualize or not? This question is often the source of intense debate in the world of sports performance and training. Should nearly all athletes be following training programs that are 80% the same? Or are there sport and individual factors that should differentiate training programs?

In this episode, Cam Josse joins to provide a deep dive into the debate around the importance of individualization when crafting training programs for athletes. He emphasizes the importance of understanding an athlete's training age and the sport demands when constructing training programs. He explores the idea of creating a "performance passport" for athletes, which allows coaches to measure and track physical, psychological, technical, and tactical performance indicators. He also discusses the differences between training athletes at the college and professional levels, the importance of monitoring key performance indicators, and the impact of measuring an athlete's performance on various aspects.

Cam also shares insights on understanding training stress, assessing performance, tracking player load, injuries, and balancing individualization with the team dynamic. He also touches on the impact of mobility on performance and the role of understanding fascia lines and anatomy in enhancing movement capacity. Cam's unique perspective and experience offer a comprehensive understanding of the art and science of individualized training programs!

Time Stamps:

[6:27] The future of speed research for team sports

[13:20] The two most important factors to consider when individualizing training

[28:12] How Cam defines and accounts for training age

[35:59] Identifying and breaking down the demands of the sport and applying them to programming

[45:09] Assessing recovery capacity and making training adjustments

[51:27] When individualization can go overboard

[55:53] Assessing athletes' mobility needs

Cam Josse is an assistant football strength and conditioning coach at the University of Auburn. He began his career working with Joe DeFranco in 2013, before transitioning to the world of college football in 2020. In addition to his coaching, Cam is also pursuing a PhD, working with Dr. JB Morin at the University of St. Etienne in France. His research focuses on describing sprint performance in American football, analyzing the force-velocity metrics, and the sprinting kinematics of football players.

You can follow Cam on Twitter and check out his books, The Process series and Complete Conditioning for Football.

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