Irving “Boo” Schexnayder is regarded internationally as one of the leading authorities in training design,  bringing 39 years of experience in coaching and consulting. He recently returned to the LSU Track and Field coaching staff for a second stint, adding to his previous 12 year term on the LSU Staff. Regarded as one of the world’s premier field event coaches, he was the mastermind behind 19 NCAA Champions during his collegiate coaching career. He was a part of 12 NCAA Championship teams and a pair of Juco National titles, as well as developing a host of conference champions and All-Americans. He returned to the LSU staff in 2017. Schexnayder has also been a prominent figure on the international scene, having coached triple jumper Walter Davis to multiple World Championships, and long jumper John Moffitt to a silver medal at the 2004 Olympics in Athens. He has coached 11 Olympians, and has served on coaching staffs for Team USA to the 2003 Pan Am Games in Santo Domingo, the 2006 World Junior Championships in Beijing, and was the Jumps Coach for Team USA at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. In this episode Boo discusses: His method of categorising plyometrics according to their purpose in the program. Why young athletes may be more prepared for speed development than we think. How he integrates plyometrics early in the rehab process. How he adjusts plyometrics for Track vs Team Sports and Heavier vs Lighter athletes. Key coaching points in horizontal and vertical plyometrics. His go to jump tests to evaluate plyometric ability. You can keep up to date with Boo via the Twitter account: @BooSchex and via his website www.sacspeed.com . To learn more about the LTAD Network check out www.ltadnetwork.com or follow on Instagram: @ltadnetwork or Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ltadnetwork . You can keep up to date with Athletic Evolution via our www.athleticevolution.co.uk , Instagram: @athleticevouk and Twitter: @athleticevouk .

Dan Baker has PhD in sports science from Edith Cowan University. He was the Brisbane Broncos NRL Strength and Conditioning for 19 years and has coached elite, international and national league athletes in rugby union (QLD Reds, Wallabies), diving (AIS/Olympic), netball (National League), soccer (National League), power lifting, MMA and athletics. Dan is an Accredited ASCA Level 3 S&C Coach and Accredited Master Coach , the highest level, within the ASCA Professional Coach Accreditation Scheme. His area of specialty is the periodisation of strength and power training methods, using velocity measures in resistance training, Maximal Aerobic Speed (MAS) training and Long-Term Athlete Development.  In this episode Dan discusses:  Programming strength training for different ages and stages from youth to Pro. Why it’s stupid to load an athlete who moves poorly. Why chasing loading early could be considered “lazy” coaching. How to determine if a young athlete is ready for barbell training. His research on Strength/Power as a differentiator in levels of performance.  Strategies for creating an effective training environment.  You can keep up to date with Dan via the Instagram account: @danbakerstrength_ and via his website www.danbakerstrength.com .  To learn more about the LTAD Network check out www.ltadnetwork.com or follow on Instagram: @ltadnetwork or Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ltadnetwork . You can keep up to date with Athletic Evolution via our www.athleticevolution.co.uk , Instagram: @athleticevouk and Twitter: @athleticevouk .

Coaching is Nick’s calling. Almost 35 years on from starting as a coach Nick is active and helping people achieve their goals and improve their lifestyle - whether for the outdoors, on the sports field or the Olympic podium. As the Altis Programs Director Nick builds education and training resources that share experiences and extend processes. Altis is an elite training environment for athletes, and a global leader in the provision of education for sport performance.  The complexity of managing both the Performance and health of athletes is at the heart of the Altis approach. In this episode Nick discusses: His extensive experience working across universities, clubs, organisations sports and countries. What category a new project/environment fits into. His tips for what to consider when starting in a new project/environment. What makes a great youth coach. His evolution of “behavioural milestones”. Why we need to educate athlete to train well, eat well and recover well. Creating alignment across departments within an organisation. You can keep up to date with Nick's via the Instagram account: @nickward_coach and via the Altis account: @altis .  To learn more about the LTAD Network check out www.ltadnetwork.com or follow on Instagram: @ltadnetwork or Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ltadnetwork . You can keep up to date with Athletic Evolution via our www.athleticevolution.co.uk , Instagram: @athleticevouk and Twitter: @athleticevouk .

Stu Martin is Head of Performance Strategy for British Weightlifting. He was the Team leader for one of England Weightlifting’s most successful commonwealth games of all time in Birmingham 2018 and is the Team leader for Tokyo 2021 through one of GB’s most successful Olympic cycles in weightlifting history. He is a Coach for a number of Britain’s leading weightlifters and is responsible for implementing British Weightlifting’s strategy to develop lifters & coaches and grow the number of talented athletes involved in weightlifting in the UK. In this episode Stu covers:  The profile of promising athletes within weightlifting. The expected journey from beginner to elite.  His 3 simple questions.  The fundamentals, good practice, specific and individual factors they consider.  The difference between the preparation and performance mindset.  The different types of pressure experience in competitive weightlifting.  Why and how they recreate pressure within training sessions. You can keep up to date with Stu via his Instagram account: @strengthcoachsm or via his LinkedIn profile.  To learn more about the LTAD Network check out www.ltadnetwork.com or follow on Instagram: @ltadnetwork or Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ltadnetwork . You can keep up to date with Athletic Evolution via our www.athleticevolution.co.uk , Instagram: @athleticevouk and Twitter: @athleticevouk .

Jon Goodwin is currently Academy Head of Sport Science at Fulham FC. He was previously S&C National Lead for the Saudi Arabian Olympic Committee. He led the creation of the BSc and Distance Learning MSc in S&C at St Mary’s University, Twickenham.  He has over 20 years of coaching, teaching and researching across athletics, weightlifting, S&C and biomechanics.  In this episode Jon discusses:  Changing the culture at Fulham to focus on personal bests and individual progress.  Updating their multi sport sampling model within the academy.  Developing game changing qualities in speed and change of direction.  What gets covered by the game and what needs specific attention to develop.  Why he changed their model of pre season training.  You can keep up to date with Jon via his twitter account: @jonnie_mechanic.  To learn more about the LTAD Network check out www.ltadnetwork.com or follow on Instagram: @ltadnetwork or Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ltadnetwork . You can keep up to date with Athletic Evolution via our www.athleticevolution.co.uk , Instagram: @athleticevouk and Twitter: @athleticevouk .

Sean is the lead S&C Coach at Eton College. He has been working in gyms since 1993, initially in the Health & Fitness sector, before discovering the joy of working with young people in schools. His number one aim is to help kids leave school with a better understanding of physical fitness and more importantly, the self-motivation to find ways to stay active long into their future. Whilst understanding the value of LTAD models, Sean’s only metric of interest is participation. And from experience he has found that once boys take an interest, that many good things will follow. Sean discusses: How his unique sporting background influenced his philosophy. The Importance of Longevity in engagement in physical activity. Do we have too much of a performance focus when we discuss LTAD? What his role at Eton looks like. How his personal philosophy impacts his role at Eton. How he creates sessions/programs to encourage greater voluntary participation. His advice for making the most of school based coaching opportunities. You can keep up to date with Sean via his LinkedIn profile. To learn more about the LTAD Network check out www.ltadnetwork.com or follow on Instagram: @ltadnetwork or Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ltadnetwork . You can keep up to date with Athletic Evolution via our www.athleticevolution.co.uk , Instagram: @athleticevouk and Twitter: @athleticevouk .

Jake Tuura is a former collegiate strength and conditioning coach, now running Jacked Athlete fulltime. He has a Masters in Exercise Science and is a Certified Strength and Conditioning coach with the NSCA, as well as holding qualifications from USA Weightlifting, Titleist Performance Institute, Be Activated and Reflexive Performance Reset.  In this episode Jake discusses:  How his desire to increase jump height, muscle mass and strength lead him into coaching.  Why critical thinking is an important skill for coaches.  Why training like a bodybuilder is a bad idea for athleticism.   Why he uses cluster training rather than traditional hypertrophy training.  How personal injury lead to his interest in patellar tendinopathy.  Why rest is a bad idea for tendons and how basic strength training exercises can help with patellar tendinopathy.  Why there is not set prescription of reintroducing jumping after patellar tendinopathy.  You can keep up to date with Jake via Instagram: @jaketuura and his website www.jackedathlete.com .  To learn more about the LTAD Network check out www.ltadnetwork.com or follow on Instagram: @ltadnetwork or Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ltadnetwork . You can keep up to date with Athletic Evolution via our www.athleticevolution.co.uk , Instagram: @athleticevouk and Twitter: @athleticevouk .

Erica Suter is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) and has a Masters in Exercise Science and Sport Performance Enhancement. As an athlete, she pcaptained the soccer team at Johns Hopkins University and was a 2x Academic All American, 2 x Scholar All American and National Player of the Year. She holds the record of being the 2nd highest goal scorer for John Hopkins University and was selected in the John Hopkins 25th Anniversary All star team.  In this episode, Erica discusses:  Why she is glad she didn't play/train seriously until age 13.  Her experience coaching and playing in Brazil.  The important influence a quiet and calm coach had on her as an athlete.  The importance of building healthy habits in young athletes.  Repetition without repetition.  Building resilience for life not just sport.   The changing perception of female athletes.  You can keep up to date with Erica via Instagram: @fitsoccerqueen and her website www.ericasuter.com .  To learn more about the LTAD Network check out www.ltadnetwork.com or follow on Instagram: @ltadnetwork or Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ltadnetwork . You can keep up to date with Athletic Evolution via our www.athleticevolution.co.uk , Instagram: @athleticevouk and Twitter: @athleticevouk .

In this episode I sit down the LTAD Network founders James Baker and Mike Young.  James and Mike discuss:  Their own athletic journeys as children/adolescents.  How their initial connection on Twitter flourished into a long term business partnership.  The evolution in awareness of youth strength & conditioning.  The reason behind the rebrand from Proformance to LTAD Network.  The aim of building a community of coaches to share ideas, practice and opportunities.  Redefining the LTAD space from youth specific to a cradle to grave focus.  What’s on offer at the LTAD Network. Membership structure/pricing.  What’s coming in the pipeline. How you can connect with the LTAD Network.  To learn more about the LTAD Network check out www.ltadnetwork.com or follow on Instagram: @ltadnetwork or Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ltadnetwork . You can keep up to date with Athletic Evolution via our www.athleticevolution.co.uk , Instagram: @athleticevouk and Twitter: @athleticevouk .

This episode is a slightly different to the usual. I wanted to update you, the listener on some exciting developments with the Athletic Evolution Podcast.  In this episode I cover:  The future direction that the podcast will be taking.  Being approached by James Baker about a collaborative opportunity.  Why I am excited about joining forces with the LTAD Network  What the LTAD Network is all about.  Why I think it solves the problem I get asked about most frequently.  Why joining the LTAD Network will help us reach even more coaches around the world.  How you can join us for peanuts!  To learn more about the LTAD Network check out www.ltadnetwork.com or follow them on Instagram: @ltadnetwork or Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ltadnetwork .  As always you can keep up to date with Athletic Evolution via our www.athleticevolution.co.uk , Instagram: @athleticevouk and Twitter: @athleticevouk .