Just Fly Performance Podcast

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. Like, everything is now just something that I can use to put into an athlete or to put them in an environment for them to learn something or for them to develop or for them to grow” - Brady Volmering 59:00 "If you're gonna do an adductor move letter like a groin, adductor, is what I call, I'll write out in the script the description, do this better than you ever have before. Open up range that you've never had before. It's not just like, do four sets of six." - Brady Volmering" - Brady Volmering 1:07:02 "The progress was so slow because every mistake that I made, I was so stubborn that I felt like I have, this is the way that I'm going to do it." - Brady Volmering About Brady Volmering Brady Volmering is the owner of DAC Performance and Health. After starting in baseball skill training, he’s since moved into the human performance arena, focusing on increasing the capacity of the human being.  Brady looks at what “training the human being” actually means and how that relates to an increase in specific sports performance.

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, sold VHS on how he coached him up, which I still think is hilarious. LJ Sylvester lost to his brother at a track meet and it pissed him off. So on the weekend, he went out and figured out a wide leg technique and added 20ft to his throw” (01:01:41) "What makes athletes great is when they fold their arms in frustration and say, I've got to figure out a way to win." - Dan John Show Notes Dan training with Jon Call (Jujimufu) Dan John University About Dan John Dan John is a renowned strength coach, author, and speaker with over four decades of experience in the fitness industry. He has established himself as a leading authority on strength training, athletic performance, and personal development. Known for his straightforward and practical approach, Dan has trained a diverse clientele, including high school athletes, Olympic athletes, and everyday fitness enthusiasts. His work emphasizes the importance of foundational strength and functional movement, making him a sought-after coach for those looking to improve their physical capabilities. In addition to his coaching, Dan John is an accomplished author, writing books such as “Never Let Go”, “Mass Made Simple”, “Easy Strength”, and more. His insights combine science with real-world application, making complex concepts accessible to all. Dan is also a popular speaker at fitness conferences worldwide, where he shares his philosophy on strength training and personal growth. Through his writings and teachings, he continues to inspire countless individuals to pursue their fitness goals and lead healthier lives.

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.

This week’s podcast is with Ken Clark and Cory Walts. Dr. Ken Clark is an Associate Professor of Kinesiology at West Chester University, specializing in the mechanical factors of athletic performance and injury prevention. With over a decade of hands-on coaching experience across various levels, Ken also teaches Biomechanics, Kinetic Anatomy, and Motor Learning. Cory Walts is the Director of Strength & Conditioning at the University of Pennsylvania, where he has led successful sports performance programs since 2019. A finalist for the NSCA College Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year Award, he is highly certified and experienced in the field. Speed training, for team sports in particular, is an evolving method, specifically in how athletes are profiled and bucketed into training needs. There are more and less complex ways to do this. With the increased emergence and leaning into technology-assisted models, starting with a basic understanding of speed development principles across groups is essential. On today’s podcast, Cory and Ken discuss speed training for team sports in light of "low-tech" solutions and simple bucketing systems. We discuss critical differences between team sports and track and field athletes and the appropriate expectations for technical models. Ken and Cory discuss various speed training methods, including mini-hurdles, resisted sprint variations, stride frequency variations, environmental training considerations, and more. This was a great, practical show on developing methods in sprint development. 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 11:32- Optimizing Speed Training for Team Sport Athletes 17:40- Gamified Speed Training for Athletic Motivation 22:05- Tailored Training through Sprint Profiling Analysis 24:02- Optimizing Performance through Lumbo Pelvic Control 35:37- Dynamic Resistance Training with Bullet Belts 53:37- Enhancing Athletic Performance with Wearable Resistance 54:37- Angular Velocity Enhancement Through Flex Leg Training 56:41- Movement Variation for Optimal Running Mechanics 1:01:00- Balancing Intervention for Effective Coaching Results Quotes (12:00) “So the slow track and field athletes were still kind of like, you know, pretty front side, pretty short contact times and contact lengths, etcetera. But the team sport guys were not. They had longer contact times, longer contact lengths, like less, you know, more backside thigh, less frontside thigh mechanics. And so kind of the really cool thing that emerged from this data set was like, hey, our fast team sport guys can hit really fast top speeds as fast as some of the slower track guys, but with a different strategy. And frankly, a strategy that makes sense from a team sport standpoint” Ken Clark 22:25: “We just looked at relative to the others, the first zero to ten versus the 30 to 40, and then we bucketed them, and we had an acceleration group that needed to work on acceleration. We had a top speed that needed to work on that, and we had a balanced. So if you just think of a bell curve, majority of the team was in this balanced, and then the certain amount was in the other two” Cory Walts 40:00: “We're not going to be able to set up like individualized sled loads, which I think is great, but, you know, just was not, and I've done it with other teams, Corey and I both have, but it was not realistic for this setting. So in this setting, like, hey, we got these bullet belts, we can get them on in 30 seconds, get in some good quality reps. It's engagement for each guy. That's where these, like, really fit the bill for this particular application” Ken Clark 47:00: “One of the interesting things we found was that actually when we had guys in, like, their assigned lanes, and then towards the end of the fall semester and then also in the spring, we'd kind of bump them down a lane and then just kind of emphasize higher frequency turnover, that sort of thing” Ken Clark 56:41 “So one of the things that we like to do in our warm up phase is contrast the lever arm length. So we would do a straight leg variation. Sometimes we would put the arms over head to emphasize posture. Sometimes we would use the arms naturally, but we would alternate. We do the straight leg variation, and then we do like a, you know, just a high knee build up run just to change a lever arm” Cory Walts About Ken Clark Dr. Ken Clark is an Associate Professor in the Department of Kinesiology at West Chester University in Pennsylvania. Ken's research focuses on the underlying mechanical factors in athletic performance and injuries. Ken teaches Biomechanics and Kinetic Anatomy at the undergraduate level and teaches Motor Learning at both the undergraduate and graduate level. ​ Ken played collegiate football and has more than a decade of hands-on coaching experience including working with teams and athletes at the high school, collegiate, and amateur/professional levels. About Cory Walts Cory Walts is the Director of Strength & Conditioning at the University of Pennsylvania, a position he has held since 2019. Before Penn, he spent 12 years at Haverford College, where he led the strength and conditioning programs for multiple varsity sports, helping teams achieve significant success, including conference titles and NCAA tournament runs. Walts is highly respected in the field, having been a finalist for the NSCA College Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year Award in 2013. He holds degrees in clinical exercise science and kinesiology and is certified by several leading industry organizations, including the NSCA and USA Weightlifting.

This week’s podcast is with David Durand. David is a coach and author of "B.E.T. On It: A Psychological Approach to Coaching Gen Z and Beyond." He combines his expertise in coaching, strength and conditioning, and psychology to help athletes achieve their full potential. Through his company, Real Development LLC, he provides insights that address athletes' physical, mental, and personal growth, mainly focusing on the challenges faced by Gen Z. David advocates for a holistic approach that emphasizes the nervous system's role in enhancing performance and mental well-being. As technology and social media have facilitated a drastic change in the world, along with the prevalence of mental health issues, coaching athletes in Generation Z (currently ages 11-26, or under age 27 for current coaches in most situations) demands that we understand how stress impacts the training process. On today’s podcast, David speaks on aspects of the nervous system in light of modern life and technology and how we can use ideas based on Polyvagal Theory to help athletes have a training experience that gives them maximal benefit in their athletic journey. David’s concepts are a must-understand for those who work with young athletes, but the same concepts resonate with humans of all ages. In this show, David specifically covers how breathing, vision, and touch can drive beneficial responses from the body to the brain, providing mental and emotional benefits 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 View more podcast episodes at the podcast homepage. Main Points 1:47- Holistic Approach to Athletic Performance Enhancement 5:58- The Impact of Social Media on Generation Z's Mental Health 10:02- Optimal Performance through Autonomic Nervous System Balancing 14:41- Behavioral Indicators of Athlete's Action Mode 17:07- Athlete Well-Being: Social Media Stress Impact 21:45- Nurturing Growth Mindsets Through Positive Training 25:57- Nurturing Intrinsic Motivation in Sports Coaching 32:58- Impact of Everyday Gamification on Generations 36:47- Balancing Data Insights with Present-Moment Engagement 46:02- Enhancing Performance Through the Bet Method 1:01:43- Enhancing Sports Performance Through Vision Engagement 1:13:38- Enhancing Team Performance Through Physical Interactions 1:16:14- Team Bonding Through Physical Gestures in Sports Quotes (15:17) "In action mode, I typically look for an athlete. You know, if it's before a competition, it's pretty easy to see it sometimes. Maybe their eyes are kind of darting around all over. Maybe they're looking into the stands a lot. They're kind of feeling a little tense or jittery" (25:57) "Sometimes, however, when that becomes like your tactic day in and day out where you're trying to motivate by yelling or fear-based tactics, It's like putting gasoline on a fire. You may get a big blow up, which is probably why coaches do, but again and again because they feel like it gets a rise out of players and helps. But at the end of the day, it's not sustainable and that fire is going to burn out." (33:35) “When I talk about gamification, I'm not talking about games like basketball and football and not talking about competitions and track and field more. So just like how our modern culture with social media and just media in general has really latched on to gamification because, you know, humans are the product.” (47:15) "If you extend your exhale longer than your inhale, you're engaging the brake, you're accessing the parasympathetic, and then that's calming down your brain and your body." (59:23) " Being able to play a game freely and with security rather than being in that survival, action shutdown mode and getting stuck, because I think when we, you know, when we play defensive, when we play scared to make mistakes, all these things, we're not playing to our potential because we're trying to survive rather than curiously and creatively trying to see how good we can be." (1:02:05) "So much of games and competition, it's the hindrance, the back brain, and not the forebrain. Like, yes, you need your forebrain sometimes. You need to be able to think through and make decisions, but the best athletes and most adaptable ones are the ones that, you know, don't have to consciously think through every motion or every decision or every move." (1:09:48) "Being able to use your eyes to stay connected to that present moment and stay connected to that task so that even when you're not feeling great, it helps kind of move you back into that connection." (1:17:45) "That power of people believing in you and showing that through (touch), I think communicates more deeply than we're consciously aware of a lot of times." About David Durand David Durand is a visionary coach and author behind "B.E.T. On It: A Psychological Approach to Coaching Gen Z and Beyond." David brings a unique blend of experience, insight, and skills to work with athletes, coaches, and teams through his business, Real Development LLC. With a background in coaching, strength and conditioning, and psychology, he is dedicated to helping athletes reach their full potential physically, mentally, and personally. Drawing on his own experiences as a member of Gen Z and working with countless youth and adolescents, David offers a fresh perspective on the modern challenges facing today's athletes. He believes that a holistic approach that considers the nervous systems of athletes can improve their performance and, more importantly, their mental health and well-being.

Rick Franzblau, Assistant AD for Olympic Sports Performance at Clemson University, shares his wealth of knowledge on athletic movement and biomechanics. He dives into the balance between strength training and sport-specific performance, discussing concepts like skeletal compression and energy transfer. Franzblau emphasizes the importance of tailored training methods, including Olympic lifting and box squatting, to match an athlete’s structure. He also explores the role of connective tissue and the interplay of acceleration and deceleration in optimizing athletic performance.

Adarian Barr, a former college track coach and expert in human movement, dives deep into the mechanics behind athletic performance. He discusses the nuances of joint interactions and how these can optimize movement efficiency. Key topics include strategic foot placement in sprints, the importance of arms and legs working in harmony, and the role of isometrics in training. Adarian also reflects on recent Olympic races, emphasizing the critical mechanics of sprinting that can make or break performance.