MOPs & MOEs

Discover how to break into tactical human performance careers! The hosts dive into the growing interest among service members transitioning to this field. Learn about different employment paths, from contractors to federal civilian roles, and get tips on writing standout federal resumes. They also discuss essential certifications like CSCS and funding options available for service members. With insights on networking and gaining hands-on experience, this conversation is a treasure trove for anyone looking to thrive in tactical strength coaching!

When leaders across the Department of Defense have questions about biosensing, wearable devices, or human performance data, Josh Hagen is frequently at the top of the list of experts they reach out to. He has his Bachelors in Chemical Engineering, Masters in Materials Engineering, and PhD in Materials Engineering all from the University of Cincinnati. Josh executed his graduate research in bioelectronics at the Materials and Manufacturing Directorate at Air Force Research Labs, and shortly after joined the 711th Human Performance Wing where he began his current research thrust in Human Performance Monitoring and Augmentation. His work there focused on measuring physiology utilizing wearable sensors and blood biomarkers, developing novel analytics for correlating and modeling data, and beginning to understand how to take that data to optimize performance in elite military and athletics populations. In 2018, Josh became the Director of the Human Performance Innovation Center at the Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute at West Virginia University, as well as Assistant Professor in the Department of Neuroscience. His latest role is Director of the Human Performance Collaborative where he leads a multi disciplinary team focused on human performance optimization.

Scott's first appearance was our most popular episode of 2022, so we're kicking off 2023 by bringing him back to answer your most frequently asked questions about Zone 2 training! This conversation covers everything from how to implement it in group training settings to incorporating rucking and low impact modalities. It's one more step in our mission to #MakeEnduranceGreatAgain. Scott is an accomplished endurance athlete in his own right, and his coaching resume includes everything from elite special operators to Olympians. Of particular note, there's a big update since our last episode: he has launched Evoke Endurance! You can find out more at https://evokeendurance.com/ Towards the end of the episode we briefly discuss how recovery tracking devices can have a placebo effect on performance, whether or not they're accurate. The paper mentioned is available here, and it finds that not only is there an effect, but the placebo is stronger than self reported experience: https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/features/xlm-a0035546.pdf

If you asked Santa for more MOPs & MOEs for Christmas, your wish has come true! 2022 is coming to an end, and we wanted to look back at all the ground we've covered in our first year of podcasting. Well, technically it's 3/4 of a year in review since we started this adventure in April. In this episode we shout out our most popular episodes from the first year of the MOPs & MOEs podcast and highlight some of the key themes we've discovered after all of these conversations with health and fitness professionals around the world. Thank you all for joining us on this journey, and please let us know what you want to hear from us in 2023!

We're trying something new with this episode and diving into the research a little bit. We're reviewing the International Olympic Committee's consensus statement on training load and injury risk. They assembled a panel of international experts and pulled together a huge amount of research to come up with some actionable recommendations for anyone who supervises physical training. This discussion is particularly timely as we head into the holidays, which for many people means a few weeks of lower training volume. Leaders might feel the urge to "make up for lost time" by hitting it hard when everyone gets back, but the evidence suggests that this is a perfect storm for injury risk.  Spoiler alert: the answer is there's probably no such thing as too much. But there is definitely too much too soon. Here are the links if you want to read it yourself: Part 1: https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/50/17/1030 Part 2: https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/50/17/1043

You guys have been asking for a cognitive performance episode for a while, so we brought Mike on to dive into it. We knew he would bring a valuable perspective when he said he had a particular interest in measuring the effectiveness of cognitive interventions. Mike has worked in a variety of research and human performance roles, starting with the United States Naval Academy until he decided he wanted to be on a winning team instead so he switched over to the Army's 7th Special Forces Group. His credentials include a masters degree in Applied Psychological Research from Penn State University, a Leadership and Management certificate from Wharton School of Business, and Chartered Psychologist status from the British Psychological Society. He makes some strong arguments against oversimplifying cognitive performance and emphasizes that it is both individual and task dependent. 

Reilly is a legend up in the frozen north where he runs JBER Strength and Conditioning. It took us a while to get him on here, but he's definitely the most requested guest we've had on the podcast and the wait was worth it. Especially because all of those requests came from soldiers he has trained who can vouch for the impact he has on everyone who comes through his facility. After well over a decade of training soldiers, Reilly was recently recognized as the Tactical Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year, which is particularly noteworthy since unlike much of the industry he not only doesn't seek attention, he actively avoids it. There's nowhere to buy programs from him, and if you request to follow him on Instragram he won't accept it. This guy is all about doing the work, and getting soldiers Arctic Strong. The proof is how much leaders have invested in him: both his facility and Wolf's Lair up at Ft Wainwright are the tangible results of his work, and he was one of the first two civilians ever to graduate from the Army's Cold Weather Orientation Course, earning him the coveted Arctic tab.

In this engaging discussion, Matt Fitzgerald, an infantry officer turned lawyer with expertise in military social media ethics, sheds light on the complexities of online conduct for service members. He shares how monetization of social media prompts ethical dilemmas, and examines the tension between personal branding and military rules. Matt critiques inconsistent enforcement of policies and explores whether platforms like LinkedIn pose ethical risks. His insights emphasize the need for clearer guidelines in the evolving digital landscape.

Alex and Drew share essential strategies for building effective training plans without a coach. They emphasize the importance of setting measurable, relevant goals. The hosts discuss foundational movement patterns, balancing intensity and volume, and the significance of conditioning over mere strength. They outline how to assess training history and incorporate agility. Furthermore, they explain the need for sustainable training practices and offer advice on organizing weekly stress to maximize performance. Finally, they tackle the flexible nature of exercise selection.

Continuing our side quest of talking to the professionals calling BS on their professions, we're chatting with Chiropractor Aaron Kubal. He works specifically with chronic pain patients whose previous treatments have failed. Utilizing education & exercise, Aaron delivers a unique model of care that involves no manipulations whatsoever but rather focuses on graded exposure and patient empowerment. His approach is all about working WITH the person not on them. Aaron is a huge advocate for evidence-based practice and has become extremely outspoken on social media in a way that is refreshing, but also makes many of his chiropractic peers very angry. His practice is delivered entirely through telehealth, which may be surprising to people who assume that chiros are all about cracking backs. As a result of his unique approach he is routinely invited to speak to audiences ranging from chiro students to orthopedic surgeons. Follow him on Instagram @aaron_kubal or we hear he's a big deal on TikTok but we're too old for that.