MOPs & MOEs

For the final episode of our NASA series we're welcoming Judy Hayes, Chief Science Officer for NASA's Human Health and Performance Directorate. She joined Johnson Space Center (JSC) in 1984 as a research scientist in the Neurosciences Laboratory and established the JSC Exercise Physiology Laboratory in 1987. She was principle investigator on two Space Shuttle experiments studying the effects of microgravity on skeletal muscle performance in astronauts. During her career she managed the physiology laboratories, Reduced Gravity Programs, Space Medicine Project, and integration of biomedical research for the Space Shuttle, Russian Mir-Shuttle, and International Space Station programs. In addition to JSC, she managed NASA laboratories at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia. Judy earned a Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in Exercise Physiology from West Virginia University followed by a Master of Public Health degree in Occupational Health/Aerospace Medicine from the University of Texas Health Sciences Center. She completed a joint fellowship at The Royal College of Surgeons of England and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine supporting epidemiologic research in the development of clinical practice guidelines for the National Health Service in the United Kingdom. She has been awarded the NASA Silver Snoopy and WVU Outstanding Alumnus. She was inducted into the WVU Hall of Fame and the WVU Academy of Distinguished Alumni. The wealth of experience that Judy brings made this a great conversation about many of biggest physiological challenges that NASA faces trying to keep humans healthy during long duration space missions. Some of the topics we discussed were how NASA simulates space for research here on earth (everything from parabolic flight to underwater labs to long term isolation experiments), how they're adjusting their protocols for planned missions to the moon and Mars, and how they select and develop equipment solutions for use in space. Commercial Destinations in Low Earth Orbit E4D (European Enhanced Exploration Exercise Devices) Complement of Integrated Protocols for Human Exploration Research (CIPHER) Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog (CHAPEA) NASA Spinoff Bone and Mineral Evaluation and Analysis (this involves scans every three years, including on retired astronauts) Spaceflight Associated Neuro-ocular Syndrome (SANS)

This episode is a continuation of last week's conversation, so if you missed it we highly encourage you to go back and start there. We have NASA's Astronaut Strength Conditioning and Rehabilitation (ASCR) team joining us, including Corey Twine (Strength and Conditioning Coach), Danielle Anderson (Physical Therapist), Bruce Nieschwitz (Athletic Trainer), and Christ Keeler (Athletic Trainer). In the previous conversation we focused on pre-flight preparation for astronauts and we transitioned into the in-flight training they do to mitigate the effects of microgravity. This time we wrap up the in-flight conversation and transition into post-flight rehabilitation. We discuss everything from how to do a dynamic warm up in space to the potential for things like wearables and blood flow restriction training in space. Like lasting time, we learn a lot about the fascinating challenges involved in keeping humans healthy and fit in space. NASA makes a huge amount of their information publicly available, here are a few for those of you that want to dive deeper into some of the topics we discussed: NASA has a dedicated page to highlight technology spinoffs that were developed for spaceflight but now benefit those of us here on earth. You can even find Bowflex on there! The Commercial Low Earth Orbit Development Program (CLDP) is NASA's program to assist companies with developing commercial access to low earth orbit. Astronaut flight assignment process⁠ ⁠EVA (extravehicular activity/spacewalk) spacesuit⁠ ⁠Human adaptation to spaceflight⁠ (if you search “exercise,” you’ll find quite a few references to how exercise is used as a countermeasure in spaceflight)

Welcome to episode 2 of our NASA series! This is the first of two conversations we had with the Astronaut Strength Conditioning and Rehabilitation (ASCR - pronounced "acer") team. Much like the interdisciplinary human performance teams supporting military organizations, we'll hear from a Strength and Conditioning Coach (Corey), two Athletic Trainers (Bruce and Christi), and a Physical Therapist (Danielle). And it doesn't stop there, you'll hear how they collaborate with a broad range of professionals to integrate human performance into spaceflight. The challenges these folks are faced with on a daily basis are incredible. For example, no one can be using the exercise equipment when the space station needs to change altitude, or when a spacecraft is docking with the station. They're also responsible for teaching the astronauts to use the exercise equipment in zero gravity, including a resistance training machine that can be loaded up to 600lbs. Bios for each of the team members are below, but first, here are some links to resources we mentioned during the conversation: Astronaut flight assignment process EVA (extravehicular activity/spacewalk) spacesuit Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) Human adaptation to spaceflight (if you search “exercise,” you’ll find quite a few references to how exercise is used as a countermeasure in spaceflight) Corey Twine is an ASCR Specialist at NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC) for KBR. Prior to this role, Corey served as a strength and conditioning coach for the Army Special Forces as a part of the POTFF contract at KBR. He also supported astronauts during the shuttle era, acting as the primary ASCR for several shuttle missions, including STS 114 "Return to Flight" in 2005. Since returning to KBR in 2018, Mr. Twine has worked extensively on projects spanning the design and implementation of mission-specific strength and conditioning programs for individuals in obscure environments. Major Danielle Anderson is a Physical Therapist currently assigned to Johnson Space Center, National Aeronautics and Space Administration. She delivers a spectrum of neuromusculoskeletal care preparing and supporting both U.S and International Astronauts for long duration space flight aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Additionally, she provides consultation and management recommendations to Crew and Deputy Crew Flight Surgeons. She serves as the Air Force's liaison to the Military Musculoskeletal residency, a tri-service one-year Physical Therapy residency, where she oversees admittance, regional instruction, and successful program completion of Air Force, Army and Navy Physical Therapists. Christi Keeler is an ASCR at NASA Johnson Space Center for KBR's Government Solutions U.S. Science and Space Business Unit. Prior to this role, she worked in several orthopedic settings and in organ and tissue procurement. Since joining KBR in 2022, Mrs. Keeler has worked extensively supporting the neuromuscular care program by evaluating, treating and rehabilitating injuries for both U.S. and international astronauts for long duration spaceflight aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Her role also includes servicing crew by instructing mobility classes, completing functional fitness evaluations, and training on spaceflight Advanced Resistance Exercise Device (ARED). Bruce Nieschwitz is an ASCR for KBR at NASA-JSC. Bruce's primary role is to provide comprehensive strength and conditioning, physical medicine, and rehabilitation services for pre-flight, in-flight, and post-flight to active astronauts. Since Bruce began at KBR in 2006, he has served as the primary ASCR assigned to numerous shuttle and ISS missions. He also provides perspective, serving as a subject matter expert for designing and using exercise hardware for spaceflight. He is a board-certified and Licensed Athletic Trainer earning his B.S. from Kent State University and was a Graduate Assistant Athletic Trainer at Mankato State University.

Welcome to the first episode of our four part series with NASA, focusing on how they approach human performance for the unique demands of spaceflight. We're starting with an astronaut and in the rest of the series we'll be talking with the human performance and research teams who support them. Stay tuned! Colonel (retired) Shane Kimbrough is a 1989 West Point graduate where he was captain of the baseball team. He was commissioned as an aviation officer and flew Apaches, including in Desert Storm. He got his Masters of Science degree at the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1998, and headed back to West Point to teach in the math department. While he was teaching he got selected by NASA to be an astronaut and he entered that program in 2004. He completed his first spaceflight in 2008 on STS-126, one of the last shuttle missions where they were building the international space station. He spent almost 16 days on the mission to expand the crew living quarters to accommodate a six-member crew on the International Space Station (ISS). He performed two spacewalks during this mission. On his second spaceflight, Kimbrough launched to the ISS on the Russian Soyuz MS-02 spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. This mission lasted 173 days as part of Expeditions 49 and 50, where he performed four spacewalks and numerous science and maintenance activities. He most recently served as commander of the NASA/SpaceX Crew-2 Dragon spacecraft, which launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Once on the ISS, Kimbrough served as Flight Engineer of Expedition 65/66. He performed three spacewalks during the 199-day mission. Kimbrough now has a total of 388 days in space. For additional insights into Shane's approach to fitness, your can read his profiles in Men’s Health and Men’s Journal.

This week's episode is all about work capacity. What is it? How do you train for it? What programming principles apply? This is another one of our recurring "how to" episodes, and it essentially fills in the gap left after our strength and endurance episodes. Somewhere between those two is the fuzzy concept of work capacity, which brings up related concepts like "mixed modal training" and even the dreaded CrossFit. We start with a few definitions (some better than others) and even a quick science lesson. After that the bulk of this episode focuses on Drew's "Theoretical Guide to Work Capacity" which lays out his multi-pace theory. We highly recommend you pull up the blog post if you can, some of the framework is easier to digest when you can look at a chart. To some extent, this also builds on the previous blog post "Three Strategies for Functional Conditioning." Subscribers to our Long and Strong program may enjoy this look into the method behind the madness of the work capacity sessions they've been doing a lot of. If this episode gets you curious, we'd love to have you join us! One of our definitions of work capacity came from the very smart Greg Nuckols of Stronger by Science. Another came from T-Nation, which can be a good resource as long as you're on guard for their shameless and aggressive supplement sales. Unsurprisingly we also touch on CrossFit's definition as well And Drew also specifically cites OPEX's framework, specifically maximal aerobic power. Finally, and perhaps oddly, one of our definitions came from the Indian Journal of Environmental & Occupational Medicine. It turns out there is a large body of research focused on work capacity in the context of manual labor. Based on their less than impressive grasp on physiology, this might be an opportunity for some exercise physiology folks to help them out.

On this episode we're diving into the mental health conversation, and we hope it's only the beginning. Our guest is Jonathan Wilson, a former Navy SEAL with multiple deployments to both Iraq and Afghanistan. His transition journey included an MBA from University of Oxford's Said Business School and working as an equity trader at Goldman Sachs. While it all looked great on paper, he still found himself struggling with his own mental health. This led him to founding the SEAL Future Foundation in 2012. Our focus in this episode though is his role as CEO and Founder of INVI Mindhealth. They are leveraging some interesting technology to monitor physiological indicators of distress, but more importantly they're combining the tech with human to human interaction. In what is starting to becoming a theme with our favorite episodes, we threw the plan for this conversation out the window almost immediately. So join as we go down many of the rabbit holes involved in military and veteran mental health.

Data Driven Strength is on a mission to translate research, integrate experience, and develop strength. On this week's episode we have Zac and Josh who, along with their partner Jake, are researchers and coaches who directly apply evidence based approaches to developing powerlifters. In particular, they leverage their knowledge to individualize training programs based on monitoring performance data. Some themes of this discussion involve rethinking traditional notions around RPE and maximal strength and acknowledging the complexity of truly individualizing both research and programming. We even dive in to the potential impact of AI on strength and conditioning, but as you might expect that's a little more complicated than it might seem on the surface. The work they're doing with Data Driven Strength has definitely impacted how we talk about these issues, and you can see its influence on our programming, so we hope you enjoy some deeper insight into their methods. You can find a wealth of resources, including their own podcast and blog on their website. Almost everything we referenced in this conversation can be found on their blog. The one exception is we did reference Range by David Epstein. It's a great discussion of how humans learn if you want to dive into that.

On this episode we welcome Newton Cheng back to the podcast, but this time he's taking over hosting duty! In his previous episode we focused on what military human performance could learn from corporate wellness, but he wanted to turn the tables and find out what corporate wellness could learn from military human performance. Newton is a father, world-class powerlifter, engineer, and Google's Director of Health and Performance. In his work, he leads a team with the mission to support the physical, mental, social, and spiritual health and well-being of Google's global workforce. At the time this episode is publishing, he's also just a few days out from competing in primetime at USAPL raw nationals. If you're curious to learn more about his (impressive) powerlifting, check out his Instagram page. This wide ranging conversation is all about helping someone with an outside perspective understand how the military approaches human performance, including both the good parts and the bad parts. We hope this will become a continuing conversation, since we have a lot to learn from each other in this space. In our discussion about spirituality we recommended Soul Boom by Rainn Wilson, which you can find here. In our attempt to define both corporate wellness and military human performance we cited several sources, those are: Human Performance Optimization: A Framework for the Military Health System Booz Allen's Human Performance Training for Military Missions RTI International's Military Health and Human Performance Human Performance Resources by the Consortium for Health and Military Performance (CHAMP) Bureau of Labor Statistics' What attributes characterize a successful corporate wellness program?

This week's guest is Tyler Fillion, the current Company 1SG and Senior Enlisted Advisor to the 75th Ranger Regiment Selection and Training Company. The Company conducts assessment and selection programs, known as RASP1 and RASP2, as well as a pre-Ranger School course known as SURT (small unit Ranger tactics). Additionally, the Company runs an extensive Pre-RASP program that prepares service members for RASP1. Tyler has been serving in the Army since 2005 and attended Ranger School shortly after a 15 month deployment to Iraq during the surge. That was his first exposure to Ranger Regiment soldiers, and after another deployment he attended one of the first editions of the RASP1 course in 2010. His career has taken him from 3rd Ranger Battalion, to Regimental Headquarters, to 1st Ranger Battalion, and now back to Fort Moore with Selection and Training. Tyler holds a Masters degree in Psychology with a focus on Industrial and Organization Psychology. It's very clear from our conversation that Tyler cares deeply about human performance and is a huge believer in the Army's H2F system. As you might expect from a leader in Ranger Regiment, he's all about challenging people to achieve things they might not have thought were possible. This episode has a lot of good information for any soldier who aspires to serve in Ranger Regiment, but it's also full of insight for anyone who is interested in how to incorporate human performance staffs into a military unit. The Rangers have been doing it for over a decade now, and Tyler speaks to how they get the most value out of their Ranger Athlete Warrior program. For insight into assessment and selection processes, Tyler recommended this documentary about the British Pegasus Company. To understand the culture in Ranger Regiment, Tyer recommended the 6-part Ranger Creed series. You can find those videos, along with plenty of others about life in Ranger Regiment on their YouTube channel. To find the monthly challenges we talked about, check out @75th_humanperformance_wellness on Instagram. RASP also has their own Instagram page that offers glimpses into the assessment and selection process. And finally, if you're ready to take the next steps towards becoming a Ranger, you can find their recruiting team here.

This week's episode is an exciting one. If you've been following MOPs & MOEs on Instagram you'll know that, in additional to the normally scheduled military human performance content, we occasionally transform into a fan page for the one and only Chandler Smith. This week, we finally have him on for a chat! When we recorded this conversation Chandler was in the final weeks of preparation for his fourth CrossFit Games appearance, where he ultimately placed 7th. This year was a comeback season for him after a massive asthma attack during last year's semifinals derailed his season. Chandler grew up around athletics, his father was an NFL fullback and now works as a strength and conditioning coach for the Dallas Cowboys. Chandler wrestled throughout high school and at West Point, discovering CrossFit as a conditioning tool along the way. Graduating in 2015, Chandler commissioned as an Armor Officer and started focusing more and more on training for competitive CrossFit with a goal of making it to the Games by 2022. Despite a couple setbacks including losing part of his left ring finger in an Army training accident in 2017 and having to train in extremely austere conditions while deployed in 2018, he ended up beating his goal and qualifying for the Games in 2019. He has since separated from the Army and is now a full time professional CrossFit athlete. Chandler is also very involved in the programming of his training, reflecting his interest in understanding the why behind various training approaches. This gives us a unique opportunity to talk to someone who is not only well versed on the Xs and Os of training, but is also applying those principles at an elite level. If you want to learn more about what happened to Chandler last year, we highly recommend the In the Arena documentary following his 2022 season. You can find Chandler on Instagram here.