MOPs & MOEs

On this week's episode we're tackling a topic we've been meaning to discuss for a long time: Despite being pervasive in both performance and medical spaces, SMART goals are no actually an evidence based way to change health and fitness behaviors. They may even, in some cases, be harmful.Our guest, Dr. Christian Swann, is a Professor of Psychology at Southern Cross University in Australia where he leads the Physical Activity, Sport and Exercise Research (PASER) group.Christian's background is in sport and exercise psychology, and his expertise is in goal setting. His research focuses on how to set goals to increase and maintain physical activity, and he is particularly interested in how different goal setting approaches make us feel while we pursue them — as well as how they influence our mental health. As part of an international team of researchers he published ⁠"The (over)use of SMART goals for physical activity promotion: A narrative review and critique."⁠ This article aimed to answer a few key questions:Is the SMART framework based on theory? Is it consistent with existing evidence? Does it consider what type of goal is set? Is it applied consistently? Is it being used as originally intended? Does it carry any risks?Once you learn the history of SMART goals, some of the answers become a lot less surprising...

MOPs & MOEs is ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠powered by TrainHeroic!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠To continue the conversation, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠join our Discord!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ We have experts standing by to answer your questions.In this week's episode we're breaking down some recently published research. Specifically, "Personalized, Evidence-Informed Training Plans and Exercise Prescriptions for Performance, Fitness and Health" by Henning Wackerhage and Brad Schoenfeld. Up front, the article itself is an opinion piece, but it's based on an extensive review of the literature, and provides thorough citations. It's a useful article specifically because it synthesizes so much evidence into some practical guidelines for coaches.The authors advocate for an athlete, client and patient-centered approach whereby an individual’s needs and abilities are the main consideration behind all decision-making. They also lay out a subjective, pragmatic six-step approach that details how to write a training plan or exercise prescription that is partially based on scientific evidence.

MOPs & MOEs is ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠powered by TrainHeroic!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠To continue the conversation, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠join our Discord!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ We have experts standing by to answer your questions.Find ⁠Tactical Alpinism on Instagram here⁠You can find Mauri's podcast on ⁠Spotify⁠ or on ⁠Apple PodcastsWe recently had Mauri on to discuss his research on lactate threshold based training, but after he joined the conversation on our Discord we found out we missed an even more important topic. Fitness plays a huge role in ROTC cadets' ranking, and those rankings determine their choices of component and branch. As an instructor, Mauri's human performance focused approach dramatically enhanced his school's outcomes, so in the conversation we explore what worked.We discussed news of a cadet's death at Advanced Camp, you can find that story here.You can find coverage of the ROTC "rebalancing and optimization" (downgrading programs) here.

On July 31st President Trump signed an executive order re-establishing the President's Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition and directing the new council to develop a proposal on bringing back the Presidential Fitness Test. This test figures prominently in the childhood memories of many Americans, with pride for some and trauma for others. In this episode we break down the latest news within the decades of historical context that got us here. You can read "The Soft American" here (we consider it mandatory reading for MOPs & MOEs followers)For background on our mention of physical education in Europe (especially the Turnverein movement) check out our episode History of Army Fitness with Dr. EastFor some context on the President's Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition, check out our episode with former council member Rob WilkinsWe mentioned Maintenance Phase's episode on the PFT and you can find that hereWe also mentioned a similar perspective on the test presented in this article on VoxDrew referenced the official history of the council provided on the HHS websiteAlex referenced the FitnessGram teacher training which provides an overview of the program This article highlights the lack of academic scrutiny focused on physical education, including FitnessGramThe source of the claim that the average school budget for physical education is $764 annually is this article from TimeYou can read the La Sierra High School Physical Education handbook here, including the basic philosophies as well as the specific events and standards

MOPs & MOEs is ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠powered by TrainHeroic!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠To continue the conversation, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠join our Discord!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ We have experts standing by to answer your questions.This episode includes a reference to this Defense Health Agency report that found that the more H2F resources provided for Reserve soldiers, the better results they saw.If you follow the MOPs & MOEs blog, you already know this week's guests from things like his 5 part series "The Other 28 Days" on how to implement human performance for part time service members or his "Maximizing Fitness Efficiency" piece on minimal effective dose training. Members of our discord server know he's always bringing research citations to the conversations happening there.Mark Christiani is an Army Veteran who served in Ranger Regiment before transitioning into the human performance space. He currently works with O2X as an On-Site Human Performance Specialist at the 81st Readiness Division of the Army Reserve. Mark served as the Brigade Lead Strength and Conditioning Coach for GAP Solutions for not just any brigade, but 44th Medical Brigade where Drew works. He holds a Master of Science in Sports Medicine from Georgia Southern University and is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) and Registered Strength and Conditioning Coach (RSCC). 

This week's episode we're answer a few audience questions, going through some military fitness news, and discussing some recently published research. It's a bit of rapid fire content, if you want a deeper dive on any of the individual topics, please let us know!Here's everything we discuss:Joint Fitness Test RumorsAir Force Fitness Test ChangesOccupationally Specific Fitness Test for EODMarine Corps Body Bearers PT StandardsUpdates on Athletic Trainer ContractsNDAA and Human Performance FundingCongressional Amendments and Military SpendingRunning Injuries and Research InsightsModernizing Army Dining: A Critical PerspectiveMAHA Wins: Analyzing Food Industry ChangesNeck Training: Myths and Practical Insights

MOPs & MOEs is ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠powered by TrainHeroic!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠To continue the conversation, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠join our Discord!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ We have experts standing by to answer your questions.Find Tactical Alpinism on Instagram hereYou can find Mauri's podcast on Spotify or on Apple PodcastsYou can download a copy of Mauri’s thesis, “Relationship Between the Lactate Thresholds and Endurance Performance in Trained Runners” hereIn this episode we're returning to the topic of how mountain athletes and tactical athletes have similar fitness demands. Mauri is particularly qualified to discuss this topic since he is a bit of both. His perspectives include being an infantry officer, alpinist, coach to endurance athletes, certified mountain guide, and more.Mauri served in a multitude of leadership roles as an infantry officer in the US Army. During that service he applied many advanced planning and navigation techniques to make mountain missions successful. He adapted the military's operational planning process for use in the mountains by combining military planning and navigation techniques with mountain objectives. He now leads Tactical Alpinism, where he provides training and education for both tactical professionals and civilians pursuing high levels of performance in the mountains. This includes both physical training and technical mountain navigation.

MOPs & MOEs is ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠powered by TrainHeroic!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠To continue the conversation, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠join our Discord!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ We have experts standing by to answer your questions.A few weeks ago we mentioned that the Navy provides pilots with human performance resources, but it turns out we were wrong! A common complaint in that community is "I've been told my entire career that I'm an athlete, but I haven't been treated like one." Our guest this week is a Sports Medicine MD who is working on several initiatives to bring human performance resources to the fleet.We'll forgive him for his past affiliation with Navy football. Commander Kevin Bernstein, MD, MMS, CAQSM, FAAFP is currently Director of Sports and Performance Medicine for Naval Special Warfare Group TWO in Virginia Beach, VA. He is also Chairman of the Human Performance Sub-Community for Navy Medicine’s Neuro-Musculoskeletal Readiness Community and Specialty Leader for Navy Primary Care Sports Medicine. He is an Associate Professor of Family Medicine at Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences.He received his Bachelor of Science in pre-medicine with minors in biology and Jewish studies from the Pennsylvania State University, and his Master of Medical Science and Medical Degree from Drexel University College of Medicine. He completed residency training at Naval Hospital Pensacola where he served as Chief Resident, and fellowship training in Sports Medicine at Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton.After residency, he reported to Fleet Surgical Team SEVEN forward-deployed 24 months as staff Family Physician on 5 patrols augmenting medical support aboard 3 large deck amphibious platforms (LHA 5, LHD 6, LCC-19) in support of amphibious and expeditionary exercises in 7th Fleet.He then reported to Naval Health Clinic Annapolis, serving as Team Physician for 10 NCAA D1 teams including Navy football, Director for Public Health, Chair of the Medical Executive Committee, and Sports Medicine faculty for 5 GME residency programs and USUHS medical students.

MOPs & MOEs is ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠powered by TrainHeroic!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠To continue the conversation, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠join our Discord!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ We have experts standing by to answer your questions.This week's episode is just the two of us, and we're discussing a topic that we've referenced a few times on social media: Nazareth Syndrome. One of the simplest ways to explain this phenomenon is "nobody trusts the hometown kid." The origins of this idea are biblical (Jesus was rejected by his own community because to them he was just the carpenter they knew), but the applications are very practical. Have you ever seen a leader latch onto an idea from a guest speaker or outside consultant that their subordinates have been trying to explain for ages? That's because human nature makes us more receptive to these messages from outsides than from people we're too familiar.In this conversation we break down how this affects the military, and specifically how it plays out in human performance settings (both within teams, and between the teams and the units they support).

Dr. Rachele Pojednic, Director of Scientific Research & Education at Restore Hyper Wellness and a Stanford lecturer, dives into the science of human performance. She discusses the interconnectedness of holistic health practices with longevity, highlighting nutrition, sleep, and social connections. Rachele emphasizes the importance of effective science communication, advocating for infographics to bridge gaps in public understanding. She also critiques the impact of misinformation on health perceptions and calls for proactive health management over profit-driven solutions.