Dr Mike Young is a nationally recognized researcher, coach, and educator. His depth of knowledge and experience in the field of athletic development is evidenced by his stays at all three U.S. Olympic Training Centers as an athlete (Lake Placid), sport scientist (Colorado Springs & Chula Vista), and coach (Colorado Springs). Mike has an undergraduate degree in Exercise Physiology, an MS in Athletic Administration and a PhD in Biomechanics. Mike has earned NSCA’s Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist, is recognized by USA Weightlifting as a Club and Advanced Sport Performance Coach, a Crossfit Level 1 Certified Trainer, is one of less than 20 USA Track & Field (USATF) Level 3 coaches in the country and has a USATF Level 2 certification in 3 event areas.

Mike has served as the primary coach for national/international team qualifiers in Athletics, as well as Bobsleigh, Skeleton and Weightlifting. InTrack & Field, he has coached or assisted multiple Olympians, National Champions, Masters National and World Champions and Collegiate National Champions. Additionally, he has served as the S&C coach for professionals in the NFL, MLB and MLS. He served as the Fitness Coach for the Vancouver Whitecaps and Carolina Railhawks. Previously, Mike coached Athletics at the NCAA level at 4 Universities, most notably coaching 4 years at LSU where the team won 6 National Championships. Mike is equally qualified as a sport scientist and coach educator. His research on sprinting, stretching, balance and throwing activities have been published and presented in Regional, National and International journals and conferences and he is an invited editor for the Journal of Sports Sciences and Sports Biomechanics.

In this episode Mike discusses:

• Progression from beginner to advanced/ pre session to competition.

• Why teamsports require a high eccentric force generating capacity.

• The importance of building basic concentric strength before progressing to more specific strength qualities.

• His thresholds for focussing on more specific strength qualities.

• A practical rule of thumb for stimulating eccentric strength.

• Some of the tools and methods he uses in training programs to monitor these qualities.

• Ensure the training signal to the body is as clear as possible.

• Practical examples of a training week with his T&F athletes.

You can keep up to date with Mike via the Instagram account: @mikeyoungphd and via the @athleticlab .

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