Katie St. Clair, a seasoned strength coach and founder of Empowered Performance, dives into the intricate connections between feet and hips in movement. She discusses the role of connective tissue in optimizing performance and highlights the importance of integrating dynamic training and playful exploration. With insights on athletic movements like pickleball, Katie emphasizes creative, individualized approaches to fitness. Additionally, she explores foot mechanics and their influence on glute activation, advocating for a balance between muscle training and movement efficiency.

Today’s podcast features Eric Guthrie, Director of Strength and Conditioning at George Washington University. Eric has over a decade of experience in sports performance, working with a wide range of sports. He currently works directly with lacrosse and gymnastics. A graduate of the University of Iowa with a degree in Health & Human Physiology, Eric was a standout punter for the Hawkeyes, where he served as a permanent team captain and even earned an opportunity with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Play-based training is on the rise in athletic development, and for good reason. It is a primal and effective way to deliver, not only a high level of stimulation and salience (attention) to the session but also to create memorable and joyful experiences for the individual. The key with any tool is to understand how to use it in context, achieving a balanced and effective use. On today’s episode, Eric digs into his keys in building movement challenges for athletes, using play for conditioning and movement qualities, and facilitating a program that continually scales into an athlete’s growing needs. He goes in-depth on how he chooses the degree of play and variability in a program, and how to build training with all parties in mind, sport coach, strength coach, and athlete. We also dig into some awesome mind, body, and environmental factors in training, conditioning, and performance. This was a practical and insightful podcast on one of the most powerful existing tools in athletic performance, the power of play. Today’s episode is brought to you by TeamBuildr’s Gym Studio and Athletic Development Games. Use the code “justfly25” for 25% off any Lila Exogen wearable resistance training, including the popular Exogen Calf Sleeves. For this offer, head to: Lilateam.com TeamBuildr is an online software for coaches and trainers. Use the code “JUSTFLY” for a free 30-day trial of the TeamBuildr software. For a Gym Studio 14-day free trial, head to gymstudio.com   View more podcast episodes at the podcast homepage. Main Points 5:26- Athlete-led Movement Challenges for Engaging Training 13:16- Enhancing Athlete Engagement Through Play-Based Training 17:39- Novelty-Driven Movement Engagement for Athletes 23:07- Enhancing Athletes' Performance Through Movement Competency 30:33- Athlete-Led Movement Challenges Enhance Training Experience 34:24- Enhancing Athlete Development Through Playful Training 37:39- Enhancing Team Cohesion with Contact Integration 40:55- Agile Conditioning through Game-Based Fitness 49:13- Fun Fitness Games Enhancing Athletic Performance 1:04:13- Motivation Through Competitive Status Systems in Training 1:09:29- Confidence Building through Weight Room Progression Quotes (14:40) “That's the sneaky part of it. How can you fit that in without them really realizing it? They're probably expecting a certain thing when they come in. We're gonna lift weights, we're gonna run. Toes on the line, this certain level of discipline. Quote, unquote discipline, which I think is sometimes overdone, but sometimes you need to have that starting out. And then can you build towards the more open and free” (17:32) "If you love it, then you'll want to come. You'll become obsessed with it and you'll come back and you'll give great effort and then the results will follow." (36:33) "We've had those discussions as a staff too. It's like what? What is our role? Is it this one to five years of performance drive that as high as you can or is it like lifelong lessons or skills." (39:20) “Wheelbarrow walk. You're getting way better than just holding a plank for two minutes. Getting the engagement and dynamic, you know, repetition without repetition” (44:00) “(For a more play-based conditioning approach) We had a more veteran team so I think they had a bigger base of play, sport practice, and sport play under them. So a younger team might need more of that base building for lack of a better term...

Today’s podcast features Derek Hansen. Derek is a renowned International Sport Performance Consultant with over 35 years of experience working with athletes across all levels and disciplines in speed, strength, and power sports. Derek started in Track and Field and continued in sports performance to work with numerous athletes in the NFL, NBA, MLS, and NHL, along with Olympic medalists. As the former Head Strength and Conditioning Coach for Simon Fraser University—NCAA's first non-U.S. member—Derek now specializes in speed development, performance planning, and return-to-competition protocols. If we zoom out and scan decades of fitness and human performance, we see methods go in, and out of style. In our current realm of athletics, we have put speed and power outputs heavily under the microscope, while energy system development and aerobic training have been played down (along with general physical education and physical competencies in young athletes). In looking at injury rates and longevity of athletes, it’s important to take a look at where we may be pushing too far, and where gaps need to be filled. On today’s episode, Derek covers the pendulum swing, and the importance of aerobic development, even in speed and power-seeking athletes. He also gets into the modern direction of acceleration training, as team sport training has moved into heavier resisted training protocols, relative to the past. Derek also touches on the artful side of training and coaching, mindfulness, overspeed sprint training, simplicity of programming application, and much more. Today’s episode is brought to you by TeamBuildr’s Gym Studio and Athletic Development Games. Use the code “justfly25” for 25% off any Lila Exogen wearable resistance training, including the popular Exogen Calf Sleeves. For this offer, head to: Lilateam.com TeamBuildr is an online software for coaches and trainers. Use the code “JUSTFLY” for a free 30-day trial of the TeamBuildr software. For a Gym Studio 14-day free trial, head to gymstudio.com View more podcast episodes at the podcast homepage. Main Points 7:56- Value of Basic Circulatory Warm-up Routines 10:24- Benefits of Incorporating Aerobic Running in Training 22:24- Jerry Rice's Holistic Endurance Training Approach 26:42- Enhancing Performance Through Mindful Nature Training 34:38- Traditional vs Digital Learning: Note-taking Strategies 44:06- Optimizing Acceleration Training with Sled Work 50:30- Sprint Mechanics for Injury Prevention and Performance 55:00- Optimizing Training Loads for Enhanced Performance 58:38- Enhancing Acceleration: Sleds and Hill Sprints 1:01:37- Optimal Hill Gradient for Athletic Conditioning 1:09:46- Optimal Resistance Levels in Sprint Training 1:15:06- Optimizing Running Speed with Relaxation Techniques 1:23:36- Achilles Injury Rates and Considerations in Modern Sport 1:28:20- Muscle Oxygenation Training for Enhanced Recovery Quotes (4:40) “I always try to simplify things. So one of the simplest things when I was working with Charlie Francis was he would have very complicated, complex explanations for things, but sometimes he would say, like, you know, oh, what's this person's problem? Well, they're just tight. You just need to loosen them up. That would be the end of the conversation” (9:51) "It's kind of like the bro science has kind of taken over basic physiology and I think it's, it's kind of hurt us." (16:00) “We're pushing speed and specificity but, but at the same time, you know, having a well-rounded, balanced program is really important, particularly for the injury prevention side” (21:00) “I think of people like Jerry Rice and, you know, was he the fastest guy? No, but he did do a lot of longer runs and runs in the hills and stuff like that” (32:00) “I have vinyl records because listening to a vinyl record takes more time and patience. To put the needle on the groove and all that.

Vern Gambetta, a renowned sports performance coach with over 50 years in the field, shares his insights on innovative training methods. He dives into spectrum training and the often-overlooked benefits of isometrics and PNF techniques. Vern discusses the evolution of athletic coaching strategies, emphasizing tailored approaches for young athletes. He also highlights the significance of rhythm in training and the balance between structured methods and intuitive practices. With a wealth of experience, his thoughts promise to reshape how coaches and athletes approach performance.

Today’s podcast features speed coach, Cody Bidlow. Cody is a track sprints coach, athlete, and founder of Athlete X and SprintingWorkouts.com. He has been a head track & field coach at Arcadia High School in Phoenix, AZ, and a coach at EliteU working with NFL combine prep athletes. An all-conference sprinter for Grand Canyon University, Cody has been a personal coach for professional MLB athletes, track athletes, and consults for coaches around the world. To sprint fast takes an immense amount of effort and focus. To sprint one’s fastest in their early 30s takes a deep understanding of the training process and individual factors that account for top performance. On today’s episode, Cody speaks on speed training in regards to his current sprinting personal bests at age 32, and how he has dialed his training in this recent year. We speak on many aspects of training on the level of intensity, essentialism, workout regulation, resisted sprinting, complex training, and much more. Today’s episode is brought to you by TeamBuildr’s Gym Studio and Athletic Development Games. Use the code “justfly25” for 25% off any Lila Exogen wearable resistance training, including the popular Exogen Calf Sleeves. For this offer, head to: Lilateam.com TeamBuildr is an online software for coaches and trainers. Use the code “JUSTFLY” for a free 30-day trial of the TeamBuildr software. For a Gym Studio 14-day free trial, head to gymstudio.com View more podcast episodes at the podcast homepage. Main Points 2:37- Cody’s Recent Training Gains, Along with His New Role as a Father 10:00- Using Strategic Breaks for Enhanced Performance 12:33- High-Intensity Athlete Training for Performance Improvement 19:05- Natural Approach to Sprinting Techniques 23:13- Optimizing Training Intensity on a Busy Schedule 29:53- Maximizing Intensity for Effective Workouts 32:41- Performance Optimization through Autoregulation in Training 41:18- Enhancing Performance Through Auto-Regulation Communication 55:11- Enhancing Sprint Performance Through Resisted Load Variation 1:00:29- Concurrent and Complex Training Paradigms for Sprinting Success 1:05:14- Optimal Training Methods for Narrow vs. Wide ISA Types Quotes (26:34) I'd rather walk away from the session knowing that I ended on my best note. I can, you know, ride the dopamine high of seeing that, you know, nice time and having a fun time out at the track and let that be the stimulus for the day rather than, oh, well, the book over here says that I need to do, you know, 350 meters and I only did 240. - Cody Bidlow (34:10) I would say that my training is very autoregulated, but it's not to the point where I'm looking at, oh, velocity dropped by 2.5%, so that's why I'm going to shut it down, It's more, I can tell within myself that I'm getting to a point where I'm starting to get fatigued from this workout – Cody Bidlow (38:24) Are you really going to run faster on this next one? Yes. Okay, do it. Are you going to be safe? Are you or are you going to get hurt? No, I'm not going to get hurt. Okay. Yeah, do it. - Cody Bidlow (44:43) If you just simply ask them, like, how do you feel? They're gonna say good. Bad. You know, they're just gonna say some kind of basic thing because they may not really grasp what I mean by that question. - Cody Bidlow (45:03) So I would try to ask questions in a way where we're getting a little bit deeper. Like, I'd maybe be specific about how do your hamstrings feel? Do you feel like you're going to be able to run as well on the next one? Or what did you feel on that rep? - Cody Bidlow (46:32) The athletes who really want to be good, they're always going to say, yes, I'll always take another rep. The athletes who are lazier, they don't care as much, or, you know, whatever their mental mechanism is, they always. It's almost like, yeah, I'm good. Yeah, I'm done. It's not even necessarily that I want to get better.

Julien Pineau, a movement-focused strength coach and founder of StrongFit, shares his unique insights on training using sandbags and the art of instinctive movement. He emphasizes the importance of sensory engagement in exercises and how loading bones can enhance performance. The conversation delves into managing anxiety in CrossFit, exploring isometric holds for mental toughness, and the intricate mind-body connection. Julien critiques traditional training methods, advocating for a holistic approach that embraces discomfort to foster resilience and growth.

Jamie Smith, owner of Melbourne Strength Culture, brings over a decade of experience in high-performance training. He dives into the importance of athletes' subjective experiences and movement exploration, advocating for a more personalized approach to strength training. Jamie critiques rigid training structures, emphasizing autonomy and enjoyment in athletic pursuits. He also highlights the value of isometric exercises for improving body awareness and challenges traditional methods of coaching, pushing for a holistic view of strength that considers the interconnectedness of movement.

Today’s podcast features Chris Kelly, the owner of Fitness Rehab and The Musical Athlete. He has extensive education in biomechanics and human performance systems. Chris balances health and performance while teaching clients to understand their bodies and manage movement efficiently. As a teacher, he has trained hundreds of professionals in topics like breathing mechanics, movement assessment, and exercise application. Many training conversations relate to what happens from the ground upwards, but not often do we discuss what occurs from the head, downwards in athletic movement. What happens at the level of the head, is also a mirror for what is happening in the chest, and hips, so knowing this area helps paint a greater picture of the total athlete. On today’s podcast, Chris covers aspects of airway, head, and neck as they pertain to sprinting and human movement, along with compensatory strategies that can power movement under conditions of fatigue. He also talks about the nature of reciprocal movement in force absorption, oscillatory training principles, and air-pressure-based principles of movement and performance. This show offers a unique and helpful lens by which to greater understand the big picture of athleticism and training methodology. Today’s episode is brought to you by TeamBuildr’s Gym Studio and Athletic Development Games. Use the code “justfly25” for 25% off any Lila Exogen wearable resistance training, including the popular Exogen Calf Sleeves. For this offer, head to: Lilateam.com TeamBuildr is an online software for coaches and trainers. Use the code “JUSTFLY” for a free 30-day trial of the TeamBuildr software. For a Gym Studio 14-day free trial, head to gymstudio.com View more podcast episodes at the podcast homepage. Main Points 2:40- Quincy Hall Movement Profile En Route to 400m Gold 17:37- Facial Tension's Influence on Movement Optimization 19:35- The Nature of Reciprocal Motions and “Delay Strategies” in Athletic Movement 31:24- Enhancing Athlete Performance through Motor Control Training 44:24- Interconnectedness of Fatigue and Top-Down Effects on Performance Outcomes 46:42- Facial Tension's Influence on Athletic Performance 51:16- Enhancing Performance Through Airway Control and Vocal Techniques 1:17:43- Rhythmic Training Techniques 1:22:44- Exploration of Air Pressure and Tonality for Athletic Movements Quotes (11:18) “So pelvis is going to start to face the ground. Thorax is going to start to face the ground. And in the case of a narrow, like a Quincy Hall or something like that, you also see maybe a suboccipital strategy where the head goes forward and you start to get a cranium that actually starts to face the ground as well” (19:25) “When we have a calcaneus that hits the ground and begins to evert before the whole foot dumps in, that creates a slight delay that allows for the propagation of energy through a distribution of energy through more, you know, through more joint systems” (21:03) "When I talk about delay strategies, I want to see that I can delay the absorption of energy. So, number one, I can do it at all and I can control what's happening to me. And number two, I can then utilize that energy in a way that is going to be purposeful and a skilled task as opposed to just having to refrigerator turn my whole body." - Chris Kelly (22:00) “(Messi) has very good control and It's very easy for him to, you know, to move in that way and maintain relative motions, whereas, like, you know, somebody that's a force producer like me or, you know, heavy weightlifter or something… I'm a fullback. Like, I'm going to knock you over. I'm going to outrun you” (37:00) “We were talking about things that were more expansive in nature, like finding a heel or reaching, this is training more yielding properties of the connective tissue versus your Weck deadlift or your, you know, your activities where maybe your heel is off the ground or something.

Today’s podcast features Seth Lintz. Seth (“Pitching Doctor”) is a pitching and athletic performance coach.  He was a second-round pick in the 2008 MLB draft, carrying a maximal fastball speed of 104mph.  Seth has trained over a dozen individuals to break the 100mph barrier, using a progressive training system that prioritizes neuro-muscular efficiency, human psychology/brain-science, and intuitive motor learning concepts. To understand the fullness of our potential in any athletic discipline, we need to know not only our primary skill but also similar movements that can teach us more about that skill (outward) and the inner layers of our body and mind that dictate our movement quality and potential (inward). Seth fuses both of these in his approach. On today’s podcast, Seth covers his recent work with sprinting, locomotion, and postural balance, and how it fits in with training pitching velocity. We also get into a variety of special strength-oriented movements for sprinting and related throwing aspects, and cover layers of both environmental and internal factors that drive athletic movement to its highest potential. Today’s episode is brought to you by TeamBuildr’s Gym Studio and Athletic Development Games. Use the code “justfly25” for 25% off any Lila Exogen wearable resistance training, including the popular Exogen Calf Sleeves. For this offer, head to: Lilateam.com TeamBuildr is an online software for coaches and trainers. Use the code “JUSTFLY” for a free 30-day trial of the TeamBuildr software. For a Gym Studio 14-day free trial, head to gymstudio.com View more podcast episodes at the podcast homepage. Main Points 5:37- Links Between Sprint Speed and Throwing Velocity 8:34- Efficient Movement Patterns in Athletic Development 14:07- The Role of Intramuscular Coordination in Movement 21:27- Explosive Sprint Training with Squat March Lunge 31:23- Optimizing Sprint Mechanics Through a 45-Degree Start 41:50- Emotional and Physical Integration for Optimal Performance 44:35- Brain Coherence Through Meditative Breathing Technique 54:03- Work Capacity Development for Enhanced Performance Quotes (6:26) “I noticed that as individuals, gait improved, and really, first through myself, as gait improved, and I learned how with a sedentary posture, really, and one where individuals lack the ability to integrate their non dominant side fully, those postural tendencies that result are the same things that I started to see individuals really struggling with when it came to correcting things mechanically within the throw” (8:45) “It's really the intramuscular coordination aspect of it all, that the right parts of the body are working and communicating with other parts of the body in an efficient manner, and that you're not getting a bunch of interference whenever you're trying to throw the ball or walk or sprint or whatever” (14:50) “We can reconstruct that just simply by giving the athletes taking something away and then adding it back in and allowing them to feel the sensation of more power. Because when we experience less resistance and we experience less friction or interference or inefficiency within a movement, we immediately are going to gravitate toward it, because it does feel better for things to be more powerful and for us to put more intent into that movement” (19:20) "If you're doing altitude, drops, and lunge from any kind of height, the amount of force that you're absorbing upon landing far exceeds the amount of force that you're absorbing whenever you're taking a stride”- Seth Lintz (34:17) "It's all rhythms. It's just increasingly complex rhythms, the same way you would experience in music or anything else and dance." - Joel Smith (37:25) “And a five minute isometric lunge. Yeah. You got all your motor units turned on, trust me” (41:55) “Ordinarily the stimulus should create an emotion that recruits an adrenal response and the neurotransmitters necessary wit...

Today’s podcast features Brady Volmering. Brady is the owner of DAC Performance and Health. He is continually evolving and refining core concepts of athletic development and walks the talk in his personal body transformation and practice. Brady leverages bio-psycho-social principles and intentions in his process of helping athletes become the best they can be. He has been a multi-time guest on this podcast. Exercise and physical training are usually discussed from the perspective of physiological changes. Rarely are the mental/emotional and learning aspects brought into the equation. On today’s podcast, Brady discusses a variety of speed and strength training means, and how he looks to program them, not only on a level of physiological adaptation but on a level of intention and total stimulation to the athlete. Today’s episode is brought to you by TeamBuildr’s Gym Studio and Athletic Development Games. Use the code “justfly25” for 25% off any Lila Exogen wearable resistance training, including the popular Exogen Calf Sleeves. For this offer, head to: Lilateam.com TeamBuildr is an online software for coaches and trainers. Use the code “JUSTFLY” for a free 30-day trial of the TeamBuildr software. For a Gym Studio 14-day free trial, head to gymstudio.com To learn more about the Sprint Acceleration Essentials or Elastic Essentials courses, head to justflysports.thinkific.com View more podcast episodes at the podcast homepage. Main Points 2:43- Origins and Benefits of Brady’s Impulse Training Methods 7:52- Creativity and Intensity Through Minimal Equipment Utilization 12:39- Shortened Time Windows and Training Intention 15:00- Descriptions and Intentions for Programming Athletic Movements and Exercises 26:18- Holistic Training Approach for Optimal Athletic Growth 32:54- Training Approach for Athletes Based on Superpowers 38:44- Jumping Games vs. Conventional Plyometrics 48:06- Simplifying Training to Limit Decision-Making and Focus Adaptation 52:55- Adductor Holds for a Comprehensive Isometric Training Approach 1:00:34- Moving Beyond “Canned” Arm Care Prescriptions 1:05:15- Advice Brady Would Give to His Younger Self Quotes 17:00 “If you have something, set something up that you can tackle it, right? You tackle it. You immediately get up into like a ten to 20 yard sprint. If you don't have something that you can tackle, like dive on the ground aggressively, just kind of work with what you have within your environment. But the overall goal is that we want you to feel, feel like you can aggressively tackle, hit something, get up and take that into the sprint, right? And so I'll use those words to describe this is what we're trying to get out of it. Like, you want to feel aggressive hitting something and then getting up and taking off into a sprint” - Brady Volmering 21:40 “I want to be able to stimulate someone maximally, like, for them to be able to take and direct every single ounce of their being into something without worrying about anything other than doing that. And with the weight, sometimes you have to worry about failing an impulse. You don't” - Brady Volmering 22:20 “What do you want your body to feel like? What do you want to get out of this? And so it helps them to. It helps them to start to fully invest, because when I talk about full investment, it's like, there it is” - Brady Volmering 26:08 “And full disclosure, like, I enjoy three sets of ten sometimes” - Brady Volmering 27:10 "Every new thing now that I come across, I'm just looking at, as, like, I myself need to take this thing to its absolute and extreme level, right, whatever that means, so that I know the impact and the benefit that I can get from it." - Brady Volmering 27:50 “Three by ten tool that I can use with other people. Setting up 20 minutes for someone to go explore. It's a tool that I can use. Impulses still fail tool that I can use. Impulses for three sets of 100. Tool that I can.