Just Fly Performance Podcast

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.

Today’s podcast features Flynn Disney. Flynn is a parkour athlete and human performance coach known for integrating mind, body, and environment in movement training. Flynn combines his history as an athlete with an intensive study of human psychology and experience training animals to provide a unique and insightful perspective on training. All too often, training is thought of on the level of machine-like qualities. Sets, reps, drills, and coaching cues. Rarely do we consider those processes by which children and animals learn, or how the consideration of the total human can change the process by which we coach. Much of this also involves looking at what makes animals and humans both similar and unique, in their movement strength, and abilities. On today’s show, Flynn digs into the key differences between animals and humans from a perspective of reflexes and internal wiring, the role of reflexes in training, and examples in plyometric, running, and dynamic “spinal-engine” activities (and the value of “the worm” breakdance move, from an athletic perspective). He talks about the role of attentional networks, and training implications, the impact of risk on our reflex loops in training, and 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 9:00- Key differences between human and animal movement, particularly on the level of reflexes 18:00- Attentional aspects of the brain and training implications 24:00- The power of subconscious processes and the relaxation/reflex action in humans 30:00- Playing with varying frequencies in running and sprinting situations 35:00- “The Hero’s Journey” of Coaching 50:00- The role and interplace of “Fixed” versus “Exploratory” aspects of training 59:00- Visual tracking and athletic human movements 1:10:00- Risk and reflex arcs in training Quotes “Animal movement is much more constrained by reflexes than human movement; if you take a rabbit and extend their back legs, their front leg will reflexively flex” “We (humans) have many more movement options (than animals)” “Taking small moments of rest (between main sets) is so profound that is so easy to implement; it seems to integrate learning at a deeper level, this cooling down process allowing new neural connections to form” “If you run with a more frequent step, instead of bounds or strides, it’s such a different quality” “We’re generally less happy when we are in (Default Mode Network) that state, we are more happy when we are task oriented, or sensory oriented” “When a reflex is terminated, it’s very satisfying; when you move away from it, it feels dis-satisfying” “If I experience something that is possible, but not completely unimaginable, I will get a surge of energy” About Flynn Disney Flynn Disney is a professional parkour athlete and coach, known for his innovative approach to movement and skill development. Based in London, his mastery of parkour fundamentals, coupled with a deep understanding of biomechanics, has made him a sought-after coach in the movement training community. As a coach, Flynn emphasizes an approach the integrates mind and body, helping athletes of all levels break through physical and psychological barriers. Flynn also contributes to the sport through workshops and content that promote parkour as a tool for developing adaptable and well-rounded athletes.

Bill Hartman, a modern physical therapist, and Chris Wicus, a seasoned health professional and former ultimate frisbee player, delve into innovative training strategies suited for various body types. They discuss the nuances of deadlifting techniques and how biomechanics dictate performance. The duo emphasizes the importance of personalizing training regimens, considering individual anatomy over generic methods. They advocate for a thoughtful approach to strength exercises like squats and deadlifts, aiming to optimize performance while ensuring athlete well-being.

Today’s podcast highlights coach, author, and educator Dan John. A best-selling author in strength training and fitness, including works such as “Never Let Go”, “Mass Made Simple”, and “Easy Strength Omni-Book.” Dan excels at transforming complex concepts into practical insights and has been a frequent guest on the show. He is one of my most significant influences in how I approach coaching and training. As I move forward in my coaching and training journey, I increasingly appreciate Dan’s methods and wisdom in deeper and more impactful ways. If you want to excel at athletics, then you can never, ever, get too far from the actual day-to-day and week-to-week process of training that unfolds over time. On today’s episode, Dan talks about navigating the peaks and valleys of performance along with managing daily training and competitive expectations. He also touched on the importance of athlete autonomy, and “figuring it out”, and trends in sports training. Ultimately, Dan speaks to the heart of that consistent, long-haul process by which champions are made, which is the core message of today’s episode. Dan is a legend, and it’s always fantastic to have him on the show. 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 4:09- Exploring Diverse Fitness Trends 11:42- Efficient Power Curl: Simple Strength Training Boost 18:50- Enhancing Grip Strength with Sandbag Cleans 23:41- Navigating Progress Peaks in Strength Training 25:45- Unexpected Strength Breakthroughs in Weightlifting Journey 30:21- Five Sets of Five 33:47- Navigating Peaks and Valleys in Training 40:28- Navigating Ups and Downs in Training Journeys 43:24- Transition from Functional Movements to Bodybuilding 47:54- Foundational Principles for Enhanced Athletic Performance 51:03- Evolution of Training Methods in Athlete Development Quotes (00:16:47) "I think the overhead squat and the power curl are probably two of the best discus throwing exercises there are. Power curl, I can teach you in seconds." - Dan John (00:20:34) "One of the problems, at least in my world, is that we often think that, you know, if a leads to b and b leads to c, then, well, let's drop b and just go a to c. And it doesn't always happen. Sometimes when you're trying to accomplish something, you still have to stick with all the steps in the system." - Dan John (00:27:46) "George Sheehan in his run, in one of his books, Doctor Sheehan on Running, I think it is. You know, he talks about how athletes live in the pure present. We have no past, we have no future. They're like. And he equates poets, artists, children and the elderly. They all live in the pure present. There is no, there's no yesterday, there's no tomorrow." - Dan John (00:32:57) "Those workouts that are the, you just get in, you do your sets and reps, you walk out the door, you salute yourself for that effort. I actually think those are the ones that make champions." - Dan John 01:00:45 “One of the things a lot of athletes start to do is they turn off. Because if I give you everything, then I'm your wizard, I'm your Gandalf, your Merlin, I'm your Moses, I'm your prophet, I'm the answer to all your questions. But what makes an athlete great is when they go, what made Dick Fosberry great in the high jump? What made him great? Well, he thought for himself to the point that his coach at Oregon State, Frank Morris, did everything he could to stop Fosbury from drinking, from jumping that way. And then later, of course,

Lee Taft, a leading expert in sport speed development and a consultant in physical education, shares his insights on enhancing athletic performance through speed and movement. He discusses the critical relationship between speed and decision-making in team sports, particularly in basketball. Lee advocates for partner drills and multiplane movement exercises to improve coordination. He also emphasizes cultivating aggressive play environments, alongside practical tools like sprint workouts and resistance bands, to empower athletes and boost their confidence.

In this engaging conversation, Pat Davidson, an independent trainer and educator from NYC, dives into the complexities of training and human performance. He discusses the hero’s journey in coaching, emphasizing the delicate balance between storytelling and analytical thinking. The talk shifts to the nuances of human movement and how individual biomechanics shape athletic performance. Pat also shares insights on mastering deadlift techniques, the interplay of inflammation and training, and valuable lessons in mental toughness from martial arts.