Just Fly Performance Podcast

Dr. Keith Baar discusses the importance of isometrics in tendon training for enhanced performance and health. He explores the impact of low-speed and high-speed loading movements, highlighting the benefits of combining them. The episode covers collagen supplementation, adaptability in tendon training, effects of different surfaces and speeds, natural supplements for energy, and understanding impact force in sports. It also delves into genetic factors in training recovery and the role of natural mechanisms.

Vern Gambetta, a seasoned coach with over 50 years of experience, explores the importance of creativity, adaptability, and flow in athletic development. He discusses the influence of training literature, the evolution of training methods, and the role of Olympic lifting. He emphasizes the significance of movement quality, coordination, and long-term athlete longevity. Vern also expresses gratitude and reflects on the inspiration to start a project on classic books.

Today’s podcast is with Logan Christopher, strongman, author, owner of Legendary Strength, and CEO of Lost Empire Herbs. He has been a prior podcast guest speaking on mental training and giving an expansive view of the components of strength in the human being. Logan has written several books, including “Mental Muscle” and “Powered by Nature,” which I have found to be impactful, alongside numerous other manuals on human movement, performance, and mental abilities. Logan is an expert in using the natural machinery of the body in connection with our environment to help us reach our highest potential as humans. Logan’s work has had a substantial impact on my own training experience, especially on the mental and herbalism ends of the equation, areas that I wouldn’t have spent much time engaging with otherwise.  One of the low-hanging fruits in both athletic performance and general well-being in daily life is an awareness and understanding of one’s breathing patterns. As Logan has said in previous podcasts, “You are always mental training” whether you are aware of it or not, you are also training your breath, whether you are aware of it or not.  The question then becomes, how aware of the breathing patterns that you carry are you or your athletes? In today’s episode, Logan discusses his approach to breath training for human performance and vitality. He also talks about the inspiration he has drawn from Joseph Greenstein, also known as the Mighty Atom, on the level of breath training, and the Atom’s mastery of the mental, inner game in his strongman pursuits. Within this, we discuss the regulation aspects of the body, as it pertains to feats of strength, and the process of working with those regulators in exhibiting feats of strength. We finish the show discussing integrating one’s mental and emotional states into physical training means, such as sprinting.  Today’s episode is brought to you by Lost Empire Herbs, TeamBuildr and the Plyomat. For 15% off your Lost Empire Herbs order, head to lostempireherbs.com/justfly. To try Pine Pollen for free (just pay for shipping), head to: justflypinepollen.com. The Plyomat is a functional, intuitive, and affordable contact mat for jump and plyometric training and testing.  Check out the Plyomat at www.plyomat.net TeamBuildr is an online software for coaches and trainers.  I’ve continued to hear great things about the Teambuildr platform, and whether you are looking for an in-house training portal or an online training hub, be sure to check out Teambuildr training software. View more podcast episodes at the podcast homepage. Timestamps and Main Points 1:18- Introduction to Logan Christopher and his training challenges 4:53- The Inspirational Journey of The Mighty Atom 7:16- The Transformative Power of Breath Work 14:26- Transformative Breathwork with Visualization 20:02- The Power of Breath in Exercise 24:11- Diaphragm-activated vacuum massage for organ health 28:33- Breath Control Demonstrations of Lung Expansion 35:29- Pressurized Exhale for Enhanced Strength Performance 40:18- Harnessing the Power of the Mind for Peak Performance 55:20- Balancing Easy and Challenging Training Methods 1:02:03- Harnessing Anger for Positive Transformation Logan Christopher Quotes “The breath is the link between the conscious and unconscious” “A good place to start is lung capacity, how long can you hold your breath?” “Breathing through the nose will support nitric oxide, which is important for endurance, while mouth breathing will not do that” “One of the exercises that I really love is box breathing. This is to do an inhale, hold, exhale, hold of the same length of time. Typically you start with a four count. So inhaling to a four count, holding for a four count, exhaling for a four count, then exhale, holding for a four count. Then from this, this is a starting point. Most people just take that and they end there. And this can be really good for relaxing anytime you need to do this.” “If you look at what people naturally do when they are exerting themselves, where strength is, the issue is it's very common to hold the breath. So why would people do this? It's because by holding the breath, you are creating stability. You are creating a container, not having the flow of air come out or in. So this helps with pressure, especially across like the abdominals, where the lungs are involved in, and then that can radiate out to however you're exerting that strength, whether it's the hands, legs, whatever” “So everything I was just saying comes from personal experience that I, like so many men in our culture, was not taught emotional intelligence." "But at the time, I started doing angry hill sprints, so what I would do is just visualizing, using breath, the different tools we've talked about, get myself in an angry state and use that as fuel to drive every step faster and repeat this a couple of different times." "Anger is the thing that drives us towards change or enforces a boundary that has been crossed. So it's a very powerful emotion. It's a very powerful motivating force, and you want to have a healthy relationship to it." Transcript  About Logan Christopher Logan Christopher is a renowned strong man, mental training expert, and author with a wealth of experience in enhancing sports performance through breathing, mental training, and motivation. As the CEO of Lost Empire Herbs and the owner of Legendary Strength, Logan has dedicated his career to helping athletes reach their full potential. With a deep understanding of breath work and its impact on human performance, Logan has become a trusted authority in the field. His expertise also extends to integrating mental and emotional states in physical training, making him a valuable resource for athletes looking to optimize their performance. Through his articles and conversations on mental training and the pyramid of strength, Logan continues to inspire and empower athletes to achieve greatness.

Today’s podcast is with David Kerin. Dave is the USATF chair of men’s development, and also chair for men’s and women’s high jump.  Dave’s coaching career began with 14 years at the HS level followed by 14 years of collegiate coaching where an athlete set a still-standing NCAA DIII championship record in women’s high jump.  A requested speaker and published author, he is perhaps best known for his work: “What is the most direct means to achieve strength gains specific to the demands of jumping events”, as well as the popular article: “Fixing the Right Problem”.  David appeared originally back on episode #58 of the podcast in its “classic” days. Curvilinear sprinting is a critical aspect of sport movement, and is also becoming more popular in training, and for good reason.  Lateral and rotational aspects of movement are not only critical for sport, but also engage a greater fullness of the body in a training environment. On today’s podcast, David goes into the defining elements of curvilinear sprinting, and what this means, not only for track and field high jump, but athletic movements in general.  He also gets into the importance of observing and coaching athletic movement from a 3D perspective, and gives ideas on how to do so, as well as the evolution that technology is making in that direction.  Today’s podcast gives us a wonderful perspective on a more complete picture of athletic movement and performance. Today’s episode is brought to you by Lost Empire Herbs, TeamBuildr and the Plyomat. For 15% off your Lost Empire Herbs order, head to lostempireherbs.com/justfly. To try Pine Pollen for free (just pay for shipping), head to: justflypinepollen.com. The Plyomat is a functional, intuitive, and affordable contact mat for jump and plyometric training and testing.  Check out the Plyomat at www.plyomat.net TeamBuildr is an online software for coaches and trainers.  I’ve continued to hear great things about the Teambuildr platform, and whether you are looking for an in-house training portal or an online training hub, be sure to check out Teambuildr training software. View more podcast episodes at the podcast homepage. Timestamps and Main Points 2:51- High jump as a transition point for analyzing curvilinear running 8:03- Transitioning from linear to curvilinear running mechanics 10:35- The challenges of turning in sports 13:06- Unique demands of running a high jump curve 18:13- The importance of running the curve correctly 22:53- Benefits of three-dimensional movement in sports 26:29- The role of coaches in developing athletes' skills 29:09- Changing perspective for better coaching results 34:10- Overreacting to foot alignment and rotation 36:52- Mechanical gestures in high jumping vs other sports 42:24- Different ways to train 3D 47:50- Common mistakes in initiating a curve 54:45- Biomechanics lab and motion analysis Dave Kerin Quotes (00:00:15) "I describe the pelvis as a bowl of Jello. And you know how Jello tends to jiggle, how calmly non vibrational, how steady state can I bring that bowl of Jello to the moment?" - Dave Kerin (00:07:44) "The analogy would be the figure skater at the big finish when they start spinning and they've extend their arms and as they draw into the center line or the long axis of the body, they accelerate. So it's not linear acceleration in the traditional sense, yet you are increasing velocity of the plant by leaning on angular momentum." - Dave Kerin (00:18:15) "If you tell the average kid or the average coach, they say you got to speed up in the curve. Well, the kid stands upright and goes to linear sprint mechanics to accelerate. But then they've lost lean, they've lost centripetal, they've lost the benefits of running the curve. So if you run the curve correctly, that's where you get that last 10% while bringing the requisite rotations from backward lean to forward lean, lateral lean to vertical, you create bar rotation and rotation back to the bar, and it gives you more efficient bar." - Dave Kerin (00:37:06) "The efficiency is the key. And why did high jump become inefficient? Well, I think there's a lot of cases we're talking about free play and kids not learning change of direction without coach driven instruction." - Dave Kerin (00:45:10) "More isn't better. Better is better." - Dave Kerin (00:47:31) "The effective methodology to initiate a curve is outside leg separation from the center of mass, lateral pressure in the form of friction force, and then the reaction is the center of mass is redirected. You don't lean to create lean. You don't turn to redirect the center of mass." - Dave Kerin Transcript About Dave Kerin Dave Kerin is the USATF chair of men’s development, and also chair for men’s and women’s high jump.  His time has coincided with a resurgence in the event.  Dave’s coaching career began with 14 years at the HS level followed by 14 years of collegiate coaching where an athlete set a still-standing NCAA DIII championship record in women’s high jump.   A requested speaker and published author, he is perhaps best known for his work: “What is the most direct means to achieve strength gains specific to the demands of jumping events”.  He also presented that topic at the 2008 USATF SuperClinic

Today’s podcast is with Devin Hayes.  Devin is the Pitching Performance Coordinator with the Detroit Tigers.  He has worked in both baseball coach and physical preparation roles at Middlebury College, and has worked in the private sector, training athletes from high school to major league All-Star level.  Devin currently plays for the Irish National Baseball Team and has included javelin throwing in his athletic repertoire. When we learn skills in one area of human performance, we can become more understanding of them all.  A key area of development in human performance is found in the realm of overhand throwing.  By understanding the rotational and linear aspects of the throwing pattern, we can not only achieve better throwing results, but we also gain awareness of an important element of athletic function in general. On today’s episode, Devin shares his experiences transitioning from baseball pitching to javelin throwing.  He gives the lessons learned from various forms and constraints of overhead throwing, and digs into the elastic and rotational aspects of pitching.  A main point of discussion is that of letting athletes find their path versus when and how to intervene in coaching, and finally Devin chats about relaxation techniques, and shaking movements to enhance throwing performance. Today’s episode is brought to you by Lost Empire Herbs, TeamBuildr and the Plyomat. For 15% off your Lost Empire Herbs order, head to lostempireherbs.com/justfly. To try Pine Pollen for free (just pay for shipping), head to: justflypinepollen.com. The Plyomat is a functional, intuitive, and affordable contact mat for jump and plyometric training and testing.  Check out the Plyomat at www.plyomat.net TeamBuildr is an online software for coaches and trainers.  I’ve continued to hear great things about the Teambuildr platform, and whether you are looking for an in-house training portal or an online training hub, be sure to check out Teambuildr training software. View more podcast episodes at the podcast homepage. Timestamps and Main Points 3:20 Transition from Baseball Pitching to Javelin Throwing and the Initial Challenges Faced 8:38 Differences between the Motion and Arm Positioning in Baseball and Javelin Throwing, and the Influence of Natural Feel and Rotation 11:39 Exploring the Concepts of Movement Transferability from Pitching to Other Sports and the Role of Track and Field Training 17:01 Application of Motor Learning Principles in Pitching and the Impact of Sprinting on Musculature 20:06 Experimentation with Linear and Rotational Movements in Training and the Progression from Coil to Clear Drills in Pitching 22:05 Exploration of Movement Transferability from Other Track and Field Events to Pitching and the Complexity of Transition Skills 29:13 Self-organization and the Role of Spine in Throwing Motion, as well as the Influence of Side Bending in Throwing Athletes 33:37 Exploration of Arm Slots and Movement Solutions in Throwing, and the Value of Trying New Approaches in Baseball Throwing 41:38 The Impact of Lever Length on Throwing Velocity and the Importance of Coaching Stages and Approaches in Athletic Development 54:12 Importance of Building a Relationship and Adapting Coaching Style, Effective Communication in Coaching, and the Use of Entertainment in Learning 59:16 Creating Levels and Containers for Learning and Development and the Expectation of Instruction in Private Sector Settings 1:02:10 Discussion on Different Types of Athletes and the Importance of Reputation and Proof in Self-Organization 1:06:08 The Ability to Switch Between Competition Mode and Normal Mode, Withholding Energy, and the Importance of Staying Low in Athletic Movements 1:08:56 Exploration of Turn and Burn in Dunk Takeoffs, and the Role of Momentum and Side Bending in Athletic Motions 1:12:10 General Activities for Throwing Harder and the Benefits of Overload and Underload Training in Throwing 1:15:10 The Use of Shaking and Relaxation Techniques in Throwing Motions, and Manipulating the Brain's Feedback for Relaxation 1:22:07 Importance of Focus and Task Orientation in Training, and the Impact of Coaching and Athlete Relationship Devin Hayes Quotes 1. Devin Hayes- 54:12 "So I'm learning Spanish now and the teacher that I have uses emojis or my style of learning. So I'm way more into it than I would be if I was taking a Spanish class and just some writing and I'm trying to figure it out. So I think how a coach coaches, which kind of allowed me to be more of a broad, like build a relationship, not have a specific style of like, I need to tell you my way. It's more so, like, build a relationship and you're going to tell me how you want to learn over time and then we'll figure it out together." 2. Devin Hayes- 56:01 "Yeah, there's a podcast I listened to about people who 90% of people voted they want to be entertained when they learned. And so it's more so like, how can you entertain someone while they're learning? And so acronyms like Coiler, clear. Something super simple that a guy can just remember when they need to. Especially for pitchers, when guys are on the mound during a game yelling a cue on them, like internal twerk or something like that. Whereas they've had this repetitive either cue or some sort of thing they can go back to when things go wrong. And that's kind of again, what I've been big on with a lot of guys is just here's a couple of things that you can remember. So when things go wrong, you have this blueprint or map and they're usually simple like fire and ice, things like that, that you can go back to when you need to. So that when you're stuck or it's the middle of the season and shit hits the fan or things go wrong, just keep it simple, go back to it and you have your few things that you know you need." 3. Joel Smith- 57:27 "Yeah, the brain can only handle one, maybe two things at a time. And anything beyond that, it's like a logarithm. How ineffective everything instantly becomes. So it's almost if you can just have that one little even like a symbol, it's like a myth. Not like a myth, like a false reality, but like something that's just a lot of information condensed into one small story or one small thing. There's a lot of value with that." 4. Devin Hayes- 1:00:03 "Yeah, I think I have three comments on that. One would be two. I think people like the level one self organization. I think people kind of get to a point where they don't think that a guy can get to a high level just by self organizing, where I have seen that before. Like, you don't have to do any coaching. A guy can self organize. And you have a high school or college kid that has no coaching ever." 5. Devin Hayes- 1:03:10 "Yeah, we have the athletes type of athletes that I've coached in the past have been the more like cerebral I wouldn't say overthinkers, but like to think a lot and need a lot of explanation. Whereas some of the better athletes are literally just like and I think people have said this about some of the best big leaguers in baseball. They're just the like they don't think. They don't need to think. They kind of have figured it out, have had it." 6. Devin Hayes- 1:04:06 "Yeah, intellectual resistance gets in the way of what you're trying to do, the movement. So just, like, don't think. And then the best athletes are the ones that are able to turn it off when they need to. Like the think mode and just go. Which is cool to see when guys flip the switch, the differences they can make. Even in a trading setting where you can see some guys literally, it's as if they're pitching in the 9th inning of a World Series where they're not thinking about anything, and if anyone talks to them, to yell at them or freak out on them, it's like they are able to go there." 7. Devin Hayes- 1:11:34 "And so those dead arm, for me, a lot of times, it does like the dead arm kind of shimmies shakes and just a couple of those into, like, a throw to feel like the arm is actually a whip and you can crack the whip." 8. Devin Hayes-1:23:00 "In my professional opinion, mullets and mustaches equal plus one and a half to 2 miles an hour velocity. So if you're willing to put in the time to grow both of those things, you will throw harder. Yes." Show Notes Shakeout work https://www.instagram.com/p/CwxXnDbNKPd/ Transcripts

Today’s podcast is with Chris Bramah and JB Morin. Chris is a consultant Physiotherapist and Researcher at the Manchester Institute of Health & Performance, specializing in biomechanics for injury prevention, especially in running-related concerns like hamstring strains. With over a decade in elite sports and a Ph.D. in biomechanics, he collaborates with World and Olympic Medallists, providing consultancy services focused on sprint running mechanics and their connection to hamstring strain injuries for clients. JB Morin, a full professor and head of sports science at the University of Saint-Etienne, brings over 15 years of research experience. Having published 50 peer-reviewed journals since 2004, he is a world-leading researcher in sprint-related topics, collaborating with top sprinters like Christophe Lemaitre. As a two-time previous podcast guest, JB shares valuable insights applicable to team sports, including his expertise in force-velocity profiling and heavy sled training. Sprinting and sports injuries are complex. Hamstring injuries are common, yet there is not one “unicorn” of a risk factor that determines whether or not an athlete will sustain one. As the roadmap of injury risk is continually unfolding, understanding what is happening from the coaching practices and observations, sports science, and research lenses can all work together to improve our global understanding of building fast and robust athletes. On the episode today, Chris and JB go into various running factors that play into robust sport running performance. These range from force-velocity profiling elements to kinematics and sprint technique, and rotational-based factors. This was a podcast that really digs into the sprint injury equation on a detailed and informative level. Today’s episode is brought to you by Lost Empire Herbs, TeamBuildr and the Plyomat. For 15% off your Lost Empire Herbs order, head to lostempireherbs.com/justfly. To try Pine Pollen for free (just pay for shipping), head to: justflypinepollen.com. The Plyomat is a functional, intuitive, and affordable contact mat for jump and plyometric training and testing.  Check out the Plyomat at www.plyomat.net TeamBuildr is an online software for coaches and trainers.  I’ve continued to hear great things about the Teambuildr platform, and whether you are looking for an in-house training portal or an online training hub, be sure to check out Teambuildr training software. View more podcast episodes at the podcast homepage. Timestamps and Main Points 2:00 – Recent research updates from Chris and JB on mechanics and running 5:30 – Primary aspects of connecting running mechanics with on-field injury 29:55 – The importance of fatigue state in the role of injury mechanisms and running 43:45 – Nuances of force-velocity profiling and potential injury risks in athletes 52:19 – What JB and Chris are seeing and studying from a “3D” perspective in terms of running injury and performance 59:20 – Foot strength, and it’s importance in athletic performance and ability 1:04:40 – Trunk rotation as it pertains to sprinting and injury risk Chris Bramah and JB Morin Quotes “All things equal, if you have the same capacity to play your sport, and move with less mechanical strain, then maybe you are tilting the balance (in favor of reduced injury risk)” “We define that as macroscopic strain (GPS, playing hours, etc.).  I could have the same 200 meters, and have a different microscopic strain, because my body and my lever arms, put a different level of microscopic strain on my tissues, and especially my hamstrings” “Sometimes you get injuries where the macroscopic load is managed, and there is still an issue” “Because methods are more complex to assess, and to contextualize this as part of a whole system approach, people look at just big microscopic things, and I think sometimes we shy away from them” “When assess my hamstring strength, you have 2-3 ways to do it and 2-3 main variables.  When you ask me to run all out at my maximum speed and have a couple of cameras, you are quickly going to end up with 50 variables” “We’ve got evidence showing associations between anterior pelvic tilt in particular and hamstring tissue strains” “Just a 7 degree increase in anterior pelvic tilt increased passive tension in bicep femoris by around 35 percent” “When scanning force output in football/rugby, we see that players who had a drop in the maximal force output ability in linear sprinting, had a higher chance of getting a hamstring strain in the weeks or months after the test” “There is 5-6 big rocks (that have strong anatomical theory or roots in research that lead to hamstring injury), trunk lean is one, trunk rotation is one, and so on.  Movements that lead to higher strain in hamstrings” “You have some players with pretty low number of red flags on their kinematics, but a good number of red flags on their kinetics and their strength; in my experience at least, athletes who have a low number of red flags all along the spectrum, they are pretty safe” “If we just simply assess these singular things such as tissue capacity, fitness, etc. and fail to contextualize what they did from a mechanical perspective, we will often struggle to really understand why they get injured” “You almost know nothing until you have behavior under fatigue; if I am 1 or 5 (out of 5) in a fresh state, it doesn’t mean I am that in a fatigued state” “Among football players we tested (under fatigue), people who didn’t change, we had people who changed in a way that would supposedly induce higher strain, and people who changed in a way that would produce less strain” “Under fatigue, our body is adjusting, but we don’t adjust the same” “When you look at the maximal running velocity, it was very close between rehabbers, and those who haven’t been injured; statically the only variable that was differentiating the players with ongoing risk and those who were safe throughout the season was maximal force output” “Some players get hold and get less injuries, because their maximum running speed gets slower” “We have more players with ongoing risk when they are very fast, and very low on the maximal force side of things” “It’s very interesting to target the entire spectrum (of sprinting) from high speed low force, to low force, high speed; if you want to have a comprehensive rehab, you have to target the entire spectrum” “If you have excessive trunk rotation, you are going to wind up all these tissues that interconnect with each other” “If you look back at the modeling work from Elizabeth Tumenov, they found that the oblique musculature has a direct influence on reducing hamstring strain, so my interpretation of this is that the better functioning oblique musculature, the better controlled your trunk rotation, and the less tissue strain applied to your hamstring” “If you are looking from the side, and you can see the opposite armpit, they have poor rotational control” “You a lack of torsional control with athletes with high markers of lower limb strength” “You have athletes who have defined abdominal musculature, they can hold the longest planks, but they can’t dynamically control rotation at all” About Chris Bramah Dr. Chris Bramah is a consultant Physiotherapist, Lecturer and Researcher based at the Manchester Institute of Health & Performance and the University of Salford. His research and practice focuses on the clinical application of biomechanics to inform injury causation, prevention and rehabilitation strategies with a specific focus on running related injuries such as hamstring strain injuries. Clinically he has worked in elite sport for more than 10 years working in both Rugby League and Track and Field where he has worked with World & Olympic Medallists and supported athletes across multiple major championships. Chris has a PhD in biomechanics and currently works at the Manchester Institute of Health & Performance where he provides consultancy biomechanics services for clients including Olympic track athletes and Professional Football Clubs with the aim of informing rehabilitation and return to sport decision making following complex injuries. His current work is focused on the in-field assessment of sprint running mechanics and their association to hamstring strain injuries. About JB Morin Jean-Benoit (JB) Morin is currently full professor and head of sports science and the physical education department at the University of Saint-Etienne.  He was formerly full Professor at the Faculty of Sport Sciences of the University of Nice Sophia Antipolis (France), and has been involved in sport science research for over 15 years, and has published over 50 peer-reviewed journals since 2004.  He obtained a Track & Field Coach National Diploma in 1998 and graduated in Sport Science at the University of Besançon, France in 2000. He obtained his PhD in Human Locomotion and Performance in 2004 at the University of Saint-Etienne, France (Prof. Alain Belli), in collaboration with the University of Udine, Italy (Prof. Pietro diPrampero). JB’s field of research is mainly human locomotion and performance, with specific interest into running biomechanics and maximal power movements (sprint, jumps). He teaches locomotion and sports biomechanics, and strength training and assessment methods. JB’s has collaborated with French sprinter Christophe Lemaitre and his group/coach, and he is member of the French Soccer Federation research group, teaching professional coaches about sprint mechanics and training for acceleration. He also collaborates with New-Zealand professional and national rugby teams, and with professional soccer clubs in France and Spain. He practiced soccer in competition for 10 years, practiced and coached track and field (middle distance and 400m hurdles) for 8 years,

Today’s podcast is with Sam Wuest.  Sam is a licensed acupuncturist, jumps coach and teacher of internal martial arts residing in San Jose, Costa Rica.  Sam combines modern strength & conditioning with Traditional Chinese Medicine/movement arts in his movement practice, and is the creator of the “Meridians Move” system.  He is a former Division I athlete and coach of NCAA national champions and national medalists in track & field.  I first met Sam at a “Be Activated” seminar, and he has been a two time guest on the podcast in the time afterwards. In the world of movement and athletic performance, we spend a lot of time learning about muscle tension, force production and how to maximize outputs.  At the same time, we spend very little time learning about the opposite end of the spectrum, how to relax muscles, optimize resting tension, breathe and recover.  Even if we spend a smaller portion of our training time on the recovery aspect, it still is critical to understand the “soft side” of movement.  If we don’t spend time on it, we will move more poorly, take longer to recover, and impede our movement longevity. We occasionally see those athletes who are able to compete at a high level of movement skill, and even power output into their late 30’s and early 40’s, but we don’t spend much time considering the factors behind their performance.  On today’s podcast, Sam goes into the ideas of movement quality, elasticity, stress, breathing, therapy, and more that can help us achieve better movement capabilities, later into life.  This podcast is also a lens by which to observe the entire process of training, but seeing both ends of the tensioning and relaxation spectrum. Today’s episode is brought to you by Lost Empire Herbs, TeamBuildr and the Plyomat. For 15% off your Lost Empire Herbs order, head to lostempireherbs.com/justfly. To try Pine Pollen for free (just pay for shipping), head to: justflypinepollen.com. The Plyomat is a functional, intuitive, and affordable contact mat for jump and plyometric training and testing.  Check out the Plyomat at www.plyomat.net TeamBuildr is an online software for coaches and trainers.  I’ve continued to hear great things about the Teambuildr platform, and whether you are looking for an in-house training portal or an online training hub, be sure to check out Teambuildr training software. View more podcast episodes at the podcast homepage. Timestamps and Main Points 3:00 – Details of Sam’s move to Costa Rica 7:30 – Factors that contribute to athletic longevity 16:30 – Using an approach to training that offers more expansion, relative to heavy compression 22:00 – Balance and proprioception in the scope of both athletic ability, and longevity 28:45 – Teaching movement based on reflexes versus cognitive control 34:00 – Community and its role in longevity 38:00 – Movement practices to keep up good tissue quality over time 52:00 – QiGong practice that can easily be integrated into athlete populations for the sake of recovery 1:08:00 – Sam’s take on long isometric holds, and how to use them in the scope of the longevity process Sam Wuest Quotes “The things that you did to make you super athletic are not the same things that you need to keep doing (to maintain longevity across a sporting career)” “I don’t see the return of heavy Olympic lifts being the same for me, at a different stage of life” “The person who is perpetually injured, they have a different muscle tone, or certain adhesions in certain areas” “You find that people will restore qualities, when they can turn tissue off, instead of turning everything on all of the time, which is what our training leads us towards” “Fascial responds best to steady, slow, calm, gentle, and expanding movements” “I think sometimes in the West we focus on one thing and producing a lot of force in it, and we don’t realize that by finding a lot of things that are very similar to that one thing, or different ways to do that one thing, or ways to make that thing novel (are very helpful in improving athleticism and longevity)” “Conscious cognition is never going to be as fast as a reflex” “Countries where the main sport is soccer, the passing allows everyone to play longer (than sports that are more 1 vs 1 or intensive)” “By 2-3 years on average, the racquet sport athletes were outliving the endurance athletes” “It’s known that you lose some elasticity; and so there are certain herbs that can help promote circulation, and nourish the fluids in the sinews” “I like isometrics, holding tension in lengthened positions, because that influences the way that collagen is put down” “I like reflexive actions, I like small doses of higher dose plyometrics, and higher doses of lower intensity plyometrics; even going for a run feels like fascial remodeling… doing things at different levels of intensity is huge” “Stillness is a basic human need.  It is a basic animal need.  If we do not get that we cannot listen to our own bodies, because that is the best check engine light we have” “A lot of the mobility is an element swinging that decompresses” “We use the breath to control the mind, but we also control the mind as a tool to control the breath” “There is a reason that a lot of athletes who do their sport for a long-time mention stretching in the conversation” “Can we make (tension and relaxation) more differentiated, rather than being one muddled mess in between that makes us slow and injured” “One thing we don’t fully realize is how our internal organs effect our movement” About Sam Wuest Sam Wuest, L.Ac., M.Ed. is a licensed acupuncturist, jumps coach and teacher of internal martial arts in San José, Costa Rica. Sam creates integrative movement & therapy immersions in Costa Rica for athletes looking to take their performance to the next level or fight back from injury, in combining the best of modern strength & conditioning and Traditional Chinese Medicine & movement arts. Sam is the creator of Meridians Move, an online program created to teach Chinese Medicine in Motion to athletes and coaches, he strives to make this rich world of medicinal, movement and meditative arts accessible to modern athletes & coaches, both online and with retreats in the mountains and beaches of Costa Rica. A former Division I athlete and coach of NCAA national champions and national medalists in track & field, Sam will be launching an Eastern Movement/Medicine Specialist for trainers, physios and coaches later in 2024. You can keep up with these programs at wayofsam.com or on IG: @way_of_sam.

Alex Lee, owner of Circadian Chiropractic & Sport, discusses the importance of hangs, isometric holds, and neurological efficiency in human performance. Topics include the benefits of hanging, developing strength and play, nature-based supplements, neuromuscular power in track events, coordination in performance, the newbie machine for tracking muscle efficiency, and the relationship between resistance and performance ability.

Hunter Eisenhower, head of men’s basketball performance at Arizona State, and Mike Sullivan, a speed and performance coach at TCBoost, dive into the dynamic world of athletic force production. They discuss the crucial role of elasticity and reactivity in training, moving beyond traditional strength metrics. Topics include innovative landing techniques, the balance between data and intuition in performance, and the significance of play in enhancing athlete engagement. Their insights illuminate the evolving landscape of sports performance coaching.

Today’s podcast is with Mat Boulé and Jeff Moyer.  Mat Boulé is an osteopath and posturologist educated in functional neurology muscle activation techniques, and is the founder of the IP institute.  Mat combines innovative and well-known techniques such as Posturology and Functional Neurology elements to balance the body.  Jeff Moyer is the owner of DC sports training in Pittsburgh, PA.  Jeff has been a multi-time guest on the show, appearing as a solo guest in three shows and on three roundtables.  His expertise includes elements such as Soviet training systems, motor learning, skill acquisition, pain reduction and reconditioning, in addition to neurological concepts as they relate to athletic performance and human movement proficiency. Human beings are complex organisms.  Movement is a multi-faceted action, made up of muscular actions, fascial tensegrity, connective tissue transmission, pressure and fluid dynamics, and of course neuromuscular control that is also connected to one’s senses and the outside environment.  To have a complete understanding of athletic movement and performance, it is helpful to have a working knowledge of the neurological components of movement, including foot skin sensitivity, vestibular function, vision, and sided-ness to name a few. Today’s podcast digs into those neurological elements that can contribute to performance.  Mat and Jeff discuss how they assess and train clients and athletes with these principles, discussing the use of sensory tools, rolling and rocking variations, balance and foot training, as well as the role of a well-functioning neurological apparatus in skilled athletic movement. Today’s episode is brought to you by Lost Empire Herbs, TeamBuildr and the Plyomat. For 15% off your Lost Empire Herbs order, head to lostempireherbs.com/justfly. To try Pine Pollen for free (just pay for shipping), head to: justflypinepollen.com. The Plyomat is a functional, intuitive, and affordable contact mat for jump and plyometric training and testing.  Check out the Plyomat at www.plyomat.net TeamBuildr is an online software for coaches and trainers.  I’ve continued to hear great things about the Teambuildr platform, and whether you are looking for an in-house training portal or an online training hub, be sure to check out Teambuildr training software. View more podcast episodes at the podcast homepage. Timestamps and Main Points 2:30 – The Pyramid of Learning, and the main neurological pieces that help athletes and humans to move freely and without restriction in their environment 8:13 – How to determine that reflexes, vestibular, or basic neurological issues are keeping individuals for being good skillful movers 18:10 – Eye contact as it relates to psychology and neurological/visual elements 29:56 – Neurological competency generalities based on level of performance an athlete can reach 35:36 – What to look for in crawling and crawl-based work for athletes and human performance in general 44:34 – Athlete balance in light of not only foot sensation, but also one’s vestibular and overall balance abilities 55:37 – How Jeff triages his neurological training elements in a practical setting Mat Boulé and Jeff Moyer Quotes “You can see that in kids in how they crawl, how one leg works better than the other, since that is where tone is first developed” “For kids who have been labeled “motor morons” that can’t figure out where their butt and their elbow is, the Pyramid of learning has been a great guide (for helping them)” “People who struggle knowing their right from their left (is a neurological/visual red-flag); can they mirror me?” (Moyer) “Being able to take instruction… those athletes where it’s like a new session every day, but you’ve been doing the same things (may have a neurological issue)” “Can you show me that you can feel your foot? That goes for coordination, and athletes who have chronic injuries, who are rolling their ankle; I’ll touch their toes, and they have no idea what toes I touched” “One-sidedness (is also a red-flag)” “If the individual has a hard time perceiving their left or their right, they are going to have a hard time protecting themselves in the environment” “The athletes who are bench pressing and only look at one hand (may be one sided neurologically)” “In less industrialized countries, kids start crawling much earlier, and perform (rhythmic roll-based movements) earlier… and that even starts happening in utero” “In terms of choosing different exercises, we need to make sure the person feels both of their feet” “With athletes, we start with rocking movements, and rolling out the feet (with spiky balls)” “With kids that struggle with right from left, or kids who struggle with proprioception, and how to know where their body is in space, that’s where we start getting into the IP (neurological) stuff” Show Notes Spiked balls used to stimulate the nerves of the feet, hands and skin Ground Based Neurological Exercise Example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8Ir3h_MTNw   Romburg Proprioception Test https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VzQGIOtBLrs   Rhythmic movement training example (pre-crawling sensory work) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBadglR4Miw   The Pyramid of Learning About Mat Boulé Mathieu Boulé is an osteopath (COQM – 2009) and posturologist specialized in global postural reprogramming since 2002. He is, as well, a graduate of the University of Montreal in education (2001). He has cumulated over 170 hours of education in Functional Neurology from IAFNR. Mat is also certified in ART (Active Release Techniques - 2007) as well as in MAT (Muscle Activation Techniques – 2007). More recently, he is the founder of Institute IP, a learning playground where neurology meets movement and performance. Courses have been held in both Canada and France, at this point and soon in the USA. The human body fascinates Mat, and his purpose is to improve the operation of it and get results quickly!  To do this, he combines innovative and well-known techniques such as Posturology and Functional Neurology elements to balance the body. About Jeff Moyer Jeff Moyer is the owner of Dynamic Correspondence Sports Training, whose motto is, “We Build Better Athletes.” At DC Sports Training, athletes work on the physical, mental and visual aspects to the sports. Their goal is to deliver the athletes of the greater Pittsburgh area the highest, most efficient results year after year of training with us. We will exhaust our means in order for our athletes to achieve the highest results, and to create a system model that will develop our athletes both physically and intellectually. Education must be the road to which will help us set this standard. Our results will be the vehicle which to drive us. Jeff graduated in 2004 from Hartwick College where he was a two sport athlete (Football & Track & Field). Jeff has been a sport coach (Basketball & Football) at the youth, JV, Varsity and College level for football for over 10years. Jeff has been in the strength in conditioning industry for over a decade, having worked in the medical, private, team, high school and collegiate settings, training clients from youth development, to rehabilitation and sport performance. Jeff has a relentless passion for all things physical preparation. His pedagogy is heavily influenced by Eastern Bloc sport science, while apprenticing under Dr. Michael Yessis and Yosef Johnson of Ultimate Athlete Concepts. Jeff has also been fortunate enough to extensively study with and work with Dr. Natalia Verkhoshansky, Mike Woicik of the Dallas Cowboys, Louie Simmons of Wesitside Barbell and Fellowship under Dave Tate of EliteFTS.