Inform Performance

Episode 93: Dr Andy McDonald chats to Prav Mathema the National Medical Manager for the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) and an honorary lecturer on the Cardiff Metropolitan University MSc Sports & Exercise Medicine Programme. Prav has collectively spent over a decade as the Head of Medical Services at Queens Park Rangers Football Club, and London Wasps. In addition to his duties as the National Medical Manager, he is also a Senior Physiotherapist for the WRU National Men's Squad. Impressively Prav has also been selected as a Physiotherapist to the British and Irish Lions Rugby team, touring with them in 2009 to South Africa and again in 2013 on the tour of Australia. He is also a member of World Rugby's Sevens World Series Injury Prevention Working Group and acts as the Chair to the WRU's Medical Advisory Committee and leads several steering groups within the WRU.     Topics Discussed:    Professional Skill set changes between Club, country and the Lions The role of medical governance in rugby Player Welfare Creating Independent athletes Influencing performance during competition events     Sponsor Inform Performance is sponsored by VALD Performance, makers of the Nordbord, Forceframe, ForeDecks and HumanTrak. VALD Performance systems are built with the high-performance practitioner in mind, translating traditionally lab-based technologies into engaging, quick, easy-to-use tools for daily testing, monitoring and training       Keep up to date with everything that is going on with the podcast by following Inform Performance on:     Instagram Twitter Our Website     Our Team   Andy McDonald Ben Ashworth Alistair McKenzie

Episode 92: Ben Ashworth chats to Dr Ryan L. Crotin, an Organisational Strategist, Baseball Scientist, Coach, Research Author and Educator. Ryan has enjoyed a wealth of experienced both academically and professionally. He has notably worked as an Research Associate Louisiana Tech University & Auckland University of Technology as well as being a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Penn Throwing Clinic within the Department of Orthopedics at the  University of Pennsylvania. In professional sport he has enjoyed roles in Professional Baseball at the Los Angles Angels, Baltimore Orioles and The St. Louis Cardinals. In this episode Ben and Ryan talk all things shoulders, pitching and baseball as it relates to high performance.       Topics Discussed:      Background Ryans’s academic work on pitching Training the pitchers shoulder Testing positions for shoulder profiling  Direction specific force development Session cost for high velocity throwing Bodyweight targets for upper body force production      Where you can find Ryan:   LinkedIn       Sponsor Inform Performance is sponsored by VALD Performance, makers of the Nordbord, Forceframe, ForeDecks and HumanTrak. VALD Performance systems are built with the high-performance practitioner in mind, translating traditionally lab-based technologies into engaging, quick, easy-to-use tools for daily testing, monitoring and training       Keep up to date with everything that is going on with the podcast by following Inform Performance on:     Instagram Twitter Our Website     Our Team   Andy McDonald Ben Ashworth Alistair McKenzie

Episode 91: For this second Research Unpacked style episode Alistair McKenzie chats to Dr Andras Hegyi a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Nantes, France. For part two Alistair and Andras continue discussing his hamstring muscle research.        Part two topics discussed:      Regional differences in a various of hamstring exercises typically used in rehab and strength and conditioning Overall muscle activity vs between muscle activation vs within-muscle differences  Perspectives on hamstring training for sprint performance and injury rehab - what are we trying to achieve? The affect if velocity on muscle activity  Clinical implications and from both studies and how they may influence decision making when prescribing exercises Future research      Hegyi, A., Csala, D., Péter, A., Finni, T., & Cronin, N. J. (2019). High-density electromyography activity in various hamstring exercises. Scandinavian journal of medicine & science in sports, 29(1), 34–43. https://doi.org/10.1111/sms.13303         Link: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30230042/         Where you can find Andras:   Twitter  LinkedIn Research Gate     Sponsor Inform Performance is sponsored by VALD Performance, makers of the Nordbord, Forceframe, ForeDecks and HumanTrak. VALD Performance systems are built with the high-performance practitioner in mind, translating traditionally lab-based technologies into engaging, quick, easy-to-use tools for daily testing, monitoring and training     Keep up to date with everything that is going on with the podcast by following Inform Performance on:   Instagram Twitter Our Website   Our Team   Andy McDonald Ben Ashworth Alistair McKenzie

Episode 90: Andy McDonald chats to Jesse K. Wright, founder of the Balance The Bar initiative, is a  high performance consultant, Amazon best-selling author, coach, and public speaker. His career has spanned over two decades in the team sport culture, including working with organizations in the NBA, NFL, NCAA, and in private sports training. Jesse has recently published a book The Intent Is To Grow - A fictional tale about a young coach embarking on a strength and conditioning career. This book forms the line of questions and conversation for this episode focussed on soft skill development.      Topics Discussed:      The intent is to grow book Soft skill requirements in elite sport  Multi-planar communication model Identifying personal soft skill needs  Intercultural sensitivity     Where you can find Jesse:   Book - The Intent is to grow LinkedIn Instagram Website        Sponsor Inform Performance is sponsored by VALD Performance, makers of the Nordbord, Forceframe, ForeDecks and HumanTrak. VALD Performance systems are built with the high-performance practitioner in mind, translating traditionally lab-based technologies into engaging, quick, easy-to-use tools for daily testing, monitoring and training       Keep up to date with everything that is going on with the podcast by following Inform Performance on:     Instagram Twitter Our Website     Our Team   Andy McDonald Ben Ashworth Alistair McKenzie

Episode 89: For this first Research Unpacked style episode Alistair McKenzie chats to Dr Andras Hegyi a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Nantes, France. For part one Alistair and Andras discussed his work on region-dependent hamstrings activity in Nordic hamstring exercise and stiff-leg deadlift     Part one topics discussed:    Regional distribution of muscle activity of the hamstrings in the Nordic Hamstring Exercise and Stiff-leg deadlift Methods of assessing muscle activity during different exercises  Normalsation techniques in EMG studies and how to interpret methods Limitations and future research   Hegyi, A., Péter, A., Finni, T., & Cronin, N. J. (2018). Region-dependent hamstrings activity in Nordic hamstring exercise and stiff-leg deadlift defined with high-density electromyography. Scandinavian journal of medicine & science in sports, 28(3), 992–1000.     Link: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29143379/       Where you can find Andras:   Twitter  LinkedIn Research Gate     Sponsor Inform Performance is sponsored by VALD Performance, makers of the Nordbord, Forceframe, ForeDecks and HumanTrak. VALD Performance systems are built with the high-performance practitioner in mind, translating traditionally lab-based technologies into engaging, quick, easy-to-use tools for daily testing, monitoring and training     Keep up to date with everything that is going on with the podcast by following Inform Performance on:   Instagram Twitter Our Website   Our Team   Andy McDonald Ben Ashworth Alistair McKenzie

Episode 88: Andy McDonald chats to Ian Gatt the GB Boxing Head of Performance Services / Lead Physio. Ian is also the Physio and Cutman for boxer Anthony Joshua and an experienced sports Physio with a background working for the EIS prior to boxing as well as lecturing at Sheffield Hallam University and UCL. In this episode Ian provides us with tips and insights on managing hand and wrist injuries in sport ahead of the Sporting Hand & Wrist Webinar Series he will be presenting on the 26th of October.      Topics Discussed:    Becoming an expert on the hand & wrist  Sporting Hand & Wrist Webinar Series  Tips for treating the hand & wrist  Assessing athletic function of the hand & wrist    Sporting Hand & Wrist Webinar Series    Where you can find Ian:   Twitter  LinkedIn Instagram   Sponsor Inform Performance is sponsored by VALD Performance, makers of the Nordbord, Forceframe, ForeDecks and HumanTrak. VALD Performance systems are built with the high-performance practitioner in mind, translating traditionally lab-based technologies into engaging, quick, easy-to-use tools for daily testing, monitoring and training     Keep up to date with everything that is going on with the podcast by following Inform Performance on:   Instagram Twitter Our Website   Our Team   Andy McDonald Ben Ashworth

Episode 87: Andy McDonald chats to Matt Jordan the Director of Sports Science at the Canadian Sports Institute Calgary, an S&C Coach, Consultant and Educator. Over his career, Matt was the personal strength coach to 30 World and Olympic medalists, and has worked with elite athletes in many sports including speed skating, cross country skiing, alpine skiing, snowboarding, biathlon, hockey, football, volleyball and mixed martial arts. In this episode Andy & Matt discuss force velocity profiling, program design and considerations for changing injured athletes movement patterns.      Topics Discussed:    Force Velocity - The ideal slope / curve for an athlete Cross-comparing kinematics / technique against kinetics and output Identifying human factors during testing Identifying & influencing internal constraints in post-injury movement patterns.   Where you can find Matt:   Website Facebook Twitter     25% JordanStrength.com course code discount for Inform Performance Listeners: INFORMPOD2021     Sponsor Inform Performance is sponsored by VALD Performance, makers of the Nordbord, Forceframe, ForeDecks and HumanTrak. VALD Performance systems are built with the high-performance practitioner in mind, translating traditionally lab-based technologies into engaging, quick, easy-to-use tools for daily testing, monitoring and training     Keep up to date with everything that is going on with the podcast by following Inform Performance on:   Instagram Twitter Our Website   Our Team   Dr Andy McDonald Ben Ashworth Alistair McKenzie

Episode 86: Ben Ashworth chats to Dr. Kelly Starrett - A Coach, Physical Therapist, Author, and Speaker. Along with his wife Juliet, Kelly is co-founder of The Ready State. The Ready State began as Mobility|WOD in 2008 and has gone on to revolutionize the field of performance therapy and self-care. Kelly received his Doctor of Physical Therapy degree in 2007 from Samuel Merritt College in Oakland, California. Kelly’s clients include professional athletes in the NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB. He also works with Olympic gold-medalists, Tour de France cyclists, world-and national-record-holding Olympic lifting and power athletes, CrossFit Games medalists, ballet dancers, military personnel, and competitive age-division athletes. Kelly is the author of the New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestsellers Becoming A Supple Leopard and Ready to Run. Kelly and his work have been featured on 60 Minutes, The View, The Joe Rogan Experience, CBS Sports, Outside Magazine, Men's Health, Men's Journal and dozens of other podcasts, magazines, and books — including Tim Ferriss' The 4-Hour Body and Tools of Titans.       Topics Discussed:    Getting athletes ready to perform Scaling Individualisation Diagnosing readiness  Scaling 1-2-1 services on remote tools Built to move book         Where you can find Dr. Kelly Starrett:     Instagram Facebook Twitter Youtube Website       Sponsor Inform Performance is sponsored by VALD Performance, makers of the Nordbord, Forceframe, ForeDecks and HumanTrak. VALD Performance systems are built with the high-performance practitioner in mind, translating traditionally lab-based technologies into engaging, quick, easy-to-use tools for daily testing, monitoring and training       Keep up to date with everything that is going on with the podcast by following Inform Performance on:     Instagram Twitter Our Website     Our Team     Dr Andy McDonald Ben Ashworth Alistair McKenzie

Episode 85: Andy McDonald chats to Cory Schlesinger the Director of Performance / Head of Strength Strength & Conditioning at NBA team the Phoenix Suns. Cory has over 20 years of experience in basketball beginning as an athlete, collegiate level S&C coach and now NBA level coach. In this episode Andy and Cory use Cory's coaching career as the timeline and narrative to discuss what ideas, methods and beliefs have changed or stood the test of time in his coaching practise.      Topics Discussed:    Being a college athlete & coach simultaneously What is ‘holistic’ coaching? Olympic lifting Changing methods & perspectives through experience Sport Specificity  Resistance Machines Monitoring Workload Timing Micro Dosing      Where you can find Cory:   Instagram LinkedIn     Sponsor Inform Performance is sponsored by VALD Performance, makers of the Nordbord, Forceframe, ForeDecks and HumanTrak. VALD Performance systems are built with the high-performance practitioner in mind, translating traditionally lab-based technologies into engaging, quick, easy-to-use tools for daily testing, monitoring and training     Keep up to date with everything that is going on with the podcast by following Inform Performance on:   Instagram Twitter Our Website   Our Team   Dr Andy McDonald Ben Ashworth Alistair McKenzie

Daniel Bove, Director of Performance and Sports Science for the New Orleans Pelicans, discusses his book "The Quadrant System" and its application in NBA performance science. Topics include navigating stress in team sports, consolidation versus non-consolidation models, monitoring player workloads, and seeking inspiration from outside sources. Find Daniel on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and get his book.