MOPs & MOEs

We have Kechi Anyadike-Danes back for round two to discuss the second installment of his planned three part research series looking into the divide between human performance research and education and the reality of actual coaching practice. This episode is specifically focused on periodization. We chart the history of how periodization theory developed, and then we look at how coaches responded to a variety of questions about core concepts within periodization. Kechi is a doctoral student at the German Sport University Cologne where he has been looking at various aspects of athlete preparation and how coaches perceive various theories, concepts and strongly held beliefs that exist in the training literature. His doctoral research is being supervised and helped by friend of the pod John Kiely from the University of Limerick and Lars Donath from the German Sport University Cologne. Kechi doesn't just focus on the theoretical, he is also passionate about training and coaching (especially weightlifting). You can find the full text of Kechi's paper here. We also discussed Yuri Verkhoshansky's paper "The End of 'Periodization' in the Training of High Performance Sport" an abbreviated translation of which can be found here. The paper by Matt Clark that we mentioned is available on Modern War Institute here. Some recommended further reading: Foundations of Training Periodization Part I: Historical Outline by Jimmy Pedemonte Foundation of Training Periodization Part II: The Objective of Periodization by Jimmy Pedemonte From Russia with Love? Sixty years of proliferation of L.P. Matveyev’s concept of Periodisation? by Arnd Kruger Kechi asked us to include on correction to the section when was discussing a system used in ancient Rome/Greece. The system was called the Tetrad. It is not known whether this was the only approach but it is one that has been popularly discussed due to it appearing in a book called 'On Gymnastics' by Philostratus. Below is the description: By the tetrad system we mean a cycle of four days, each one of which is devoted to a different activity. The first day prepares the athlete; the second is an all-out trial; the third is relaxation; and the fourth a medium-hard workout. The exercise of the first day, the one that prepares him, is made up of short, intense movements which stir up the athlete and prepare him for the hard workout to follow on the next day. The strenuous day (the second) is an all-out test of his potential. The third, the day of relaxation, so to speak, employs his energy in a moderate way, while on the day of the medium workout (the last day), the athlete practices breaking holds himself and preventing his opponent from breaking away. 

On this episode we have John Mackersie joining us for a little end of year reflection. John is a strength and conditioning coach with over 15 years of professional experience in collegiate athletics and military special operations. He began coaching in Division I athletics and has been working with special operations since 2013. He has spoken and lectured on numerous occasions at national and regional levels, including preparing aspiring coaches for certification exams. He is a strong believer in all things old school (he and Drew share an affinity for stone lifting) but also in integrating newer technologies. He has both his bachelors and masters in psychology, bringing a unique perspective to the strength and conditioning profession. We each prepared for this conversation by thinking of three big things we’ve changed our minds on when it comes to human performance. A common theme was the difference between the “textbook” version of strength and conditioning and the reality of working with actual people who have complicated lives, specific preferences, and plenty of other priorities beyond fitness.   As you listen, think about what you’ve changed your mind on when it comes to your own health and fitness. If you’re listening on Spotify we’ll have a Q&A button on this episode, or you can join us over on the Instagram page to share the lessons you’ve learned.

We're back with another foray into some topics that are often considered outside the scope of military human performance, but play important roles in whether these programs achieve their goals: mental health, veteran healthcare, and the veteran disability system. Our guest brings 15 years of experience working as a clinical psychologist in the VA, plus extensive work on multiple initiatives with the special operations community. Christopher Frueh, PhD is a clinical psychologist by training and Professor of Psychology at the University of Hawaii. He has over thirty years of professional experience working with military veterans and active-duty personnel, and has conducted clinical trials, epidemiology, historical, and neuroscience research. He has co-authored over 300 scientific publications, including a graduate textbook on adult psychopathology. His work on “Operator Syndrome” is helping change the way we understand and treat the complex set of interrelated health, psychological, and interpersonal difficulties that are common downstream outcomes of a career in military special operations. He has advisory roles with SEAL Future Foundation, Boulder Crest Foundation, Military Special Operations Family Collaborative, The Mission Within, VETS, Inc., Quick Reaction Foundation, and to the military special operations community in general. We're actually going to have him back in a couple months to focus on Operator Syndrome because he has a book on the topic coming out, but on this episode we're focusing on his time at the VA, where he worked from 1991-2006. Specifically we're digging into how the VA approaches mental health. He has testified before US Congress, and served as a paid contractor for Department of Defense, Veterans Affairs, US State Department, and the National Board of Medical Examiners. He has also been published, quoted, and cited in a huge range of publications including commentaries in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, The Economist, Reuters, and many others. We strongly recommend listening to our episode with Dan Gade or reading his book if this is a topic that interests you. You'll hear both referenced a few times throughout this conversation. Here are a few of the references he mentioned during the episode: Kessler et al, 2005 - a large scale investigation of lifetime prevalence of mental health disorders. Frueh et al, 2005 - Chris' own research that the VA attempted to prevent from being published

You asked, and now we've delivered. We know the Army runs on checklists. Medevac? There's a checklist for that. Call for fire? There's a checklist for that. Breaching an enemy obstacle? There's a checklist for that. And all of these are simple enough that they can be laminated and stuck in a cargo pocket, or even boiled down to an easily memorized acronym. But the physical training we do every day? Oddly, this is where you're expected to read hundreds of pages of science, guiding principles, and exercises complete with drill and ceremony. How do you simplify that into something actionable? Apparently that's up to you to figure out. When we floated the idea of a simple form (checklist included) for planning physical training, people seemed very interested. So now you can download it for free on our website! We even included an example filled out version. Listen to this episode for a discussion of how to use it. You can certainly go deeper on all of these topics, but we've tried to create something simple and straightforward that will get you off to a good start. Give it a shot and let us know what you think. This will likely evolve based on feedback, and maybe one day the Army will even put it to use officially. And if you're in another service or organization that wants something like this, we'd be happy to collaborate on that too!

If you've spent any time learning about strength and conditioning you're almost certainly familiar with the "energy systems" framework. In this episode we're breaking down why the way these concepts are widely understood isn't supported by the evidence. And don't worry, we're not just here to criticize, we also explore an alternative model that's more up to date. Evan Peikon is back for his second episode (if you missed his first, check it out here). He is a physiologist and bioscientist who focuses on human performance, including consulting for elite athletes and military special operations. He has a particular focus on understanding and monitoring how the body utilizes oxygen during exercise. He the co-founder and lead physiologist at NNOXX, where he and his team developed the first and only wearable device to non-invasively measure muscle oxygenation (SmO2) and nitric oxide (NO) release from red blood cells in real-time. If you're not familiar with the traditional energy systems model, I made this Instagram post about it in the early days of MOPs & MOEs. You can even find this energy systems model on the Army's official page. Evan cited three studies that collectively shatter the fundamental assumptions behind the traditional energy systems model, here are each of those studies: The "glycogen shunt" in exercising muscle Metabolic fluctuation during a muscle contraction cycle Simultaneous in vivo measurements of HbO2 saturation and PCr kinetics after exercise in normal humans

This week's episode has a little bit of everything. The role of team sports in the military, lessons in leadership, how to stay injury free through a career in the infantry, and the challenges of balancing two careers and family responsibilities in a dual military marriage. Our guest has, on top of his successful Army career, played a key role in leading the All Army Rugby team to a decade of dominance in the Armed Forces Rugby Championship. COL Nate Conkey is a current United States Army War College Fellow studying at Columbia University and most recently served as the Regimental Tactical Officer for the First Regiment of the United States Corps of Cadets at West Point, NY. He commissioned into the Infantry in 2000 after graduating from the United States Military Academy at West Point with a Bachelor of Science degree in Aeronautical Engineering. He also holds a Master of Arts in Physical Education from Columbia University's Teacher's College. COL Conkey’s infantry career has taken him from the 2nd infantry division at JBLM to the 101st at Ft Campbell to teaching at West Point’s Department of Physical Education to the 1st Cavalry Division at Ft Hood, back to JBLM for multiple field grade assignments and a stint as the 1st Corps Commander’s Liaison Officer to United States Army Pacific from Fort Shafter, Hawaii. He returned to JBLM as the Battalion Commander for 2-357 IN of 189th INF BDE, and then most recently served as the Professor of Military Science for Auburn University Army ROTC program in Auburn, AL. He has been selected as the next Commandant of the United States Military Academy Preparatory School beginning in Summer 2024. COL Conkey's deployments include as a Rifle Company Commander to Kirkuk, Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, and as a Future Plans Officer with the 1st CAV DIV to Bagram, Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. His list of awards is long, but highlights include the Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart Medal, Ranger Tab, Airborne, Air Assault, Pathfinder, and both the Combat and Expert Infantryman's Badges. He was the Army’s Athlete of the Year in 2014. He is married to COL Kate Conkey, an Academy Professor in the Department of Behavioral Sciences and Leadership and they have three kids together. If you want to read the article on navigating a career as a dual military couple by Nate and Kate Conkey, you can find it here.

You probably know him as "Sergeant Major of the Army Grinston" or simply "SMA," but these days he prefers Tony. After a tenure as the Army's senior Noncommissioned Officer marked by numerous big changes to how the Army approaches health and fitness, Tony is now setting off on a new career as the Director of Army Emergency Relief (AER), which provides grants, interest-free loans, and scholarships to help relieve financial distress for soldiers and their families. Our conversation focused on a few of the hottest topics that he got involved in: the Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT), Holistic Health and Fitness (H2F), and the state of Dining Facilities (DFACs - or "Warrior Restaurants" if you prefer) across the Army. He was remarkably candid in this conversation, even revealing some of his biggest regrets from his time as SMA. Perhaps most importantly, he "officially" declared his stance on the leg tuck. Tune in for an awesome conversation about what it takes to make change in an organization as large and diverse in the United States Army! Want to train with us? One week free trial of our Long & Strong program is available now!

Mindfulness is a hot topic, but how many people even know what the term really means? To dive into it we have one of the world's foremost researchers on this topic. Ellen Langer has been researching mind-body unity for nearly half a century, and her work has influenced everything from behavioral economics to healthcare to positive psychology. We've cited her work on numerous occasions before, most notably the chambermaid study, as well as several studies led by students from her lab. This work generally centers on how our beliefs influence how our bodies respond to things we might normally assume are strictly biologically mediated. You'll hear quickly in this episode that we did not come to this conversation immediately agreeing on the applicability of mindfulness in all situations, but Dr. Langer presents compelling arguments for its advantages. Ellen Langer was the first woman to be tenured in psychology at Harvard, where she is still professor of psychology. The recipient of three Distinguished Scientists awards, the Arthur W. Staats Award for Unifying Psychology, a Guggenheim Fellowship, and the Liberty Science Genius Award, Dr. Langer is the author of twelve books, including international bestseller Mindfulness, as well as The Power of Mindful Learning, Counterclockwise, and On Becoming an Artist. Her trailblazing experiments in social psychology have earned inclusion in The New York Times Magazine's "Year in Ideas" issue. She is known worldwide as the "mother of mindfulness." We discussed a large number of research studies in this episode, here are just a few of the most foundational and most frequently cited: Mind-set matters: exercise and the placebo effect, better known as "The Chambermaid Study," is a classic that demonstrates how our mindset towards physical activity directly influences its health benefits. Blood sugar level follows perceived time rather than actual time in people with type 2 diabetes is one of several Langer studies relying on rigged clocks to show how perceived time can be more influential than actual time, even on something as seemingly biological as blood sugar. Mind over milkshakes: mindsets, not just nutrients, determine ghrelin response shows that how we think about our food directly influences how it is digested and the nutritional value it provides.

On this episode we dive into an awesome study that was published recently. It digs into something we often talk about here: the huge gap between sports science research and the actual reality of coaching in the human performance space. Right after it came out we saw people from across the human performance space talking about it, so we knew it would make for a great discussion. The author of the piece is Kechi Anyadike-Danes and our discussion was definitely enhanced because, in addition to his research work, Kechi is also passionate about training and coaching (especially weightlifting). This background puts him in an excellent position to address the ways human performance research (plus accreditation systems, education, etc.) is failing to address the realities of actual human performance coaching. Kechi is a doctoral student at the German Sport University Cologne where I he has been looking at various aspects of athlete preparation and how coaches perceive various theories, concepts and strongly held beliefs that exist in the training literature. He has a particular interest in the reasons for divisions that seem to routinely exist between sports scientists and coaches regarding certain topics. His doctoral research is being supervised and helped by friend of the pod John Kiely from the University of Limerick and Lars Donath from the German Sport University Cologne. Read Kechi's study: Coaches’ Perceptions of Factors Driving Training Adaptation: An International Survey We mentioned the TED Talk "Are athletes really getting faster, better, stronger?" Listen to our previous episode with Kechi's research mentor John Kiely

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)