Move the Needle: The Human Performance Podcast

Mike Sullivan and Hunter Eisenhower
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Oct 29, 2025 • 57min

Tyler Owens: Developing Washington Football

Tyler Owens - Director of Football Strength and Conditioning at the University of Washington - joins us for the 122nd episode of MTN. On the pod today, we dive quite a bit of training talk. We discuss thresholds of 'strong enough' within the sport of football, the development of deceleration and COD qualities in the weight room and understanding outputs on the field, and Tyler reflects back on his nearly decade long experience as a player and coach at Alabama, and gives us some of his biggest takeawaysFollow Tyler on social media @towens034Find and follow us on social media @mtn_perform and check back each Wednesday for a new episodeBig Thanks to our sponsor Lumin Sports:Lumin continues to change the game within the AMS realm and recently launched their new strength builder platform. Head on over to luminsports.com - and mention Move the Needle at Check out to receive 20% off your first full year.& a huge Thank You to our sponsor, Hawkin Dynamics: Hawkin is the world leader in force measuring, and continues to put forth the tools for high-performance practitioners to be exactly that, high performers. If you haven't yet checked out Hawkins - head over to their website at: https://www.hawkindynamics.com/ and check out everything they have to offerMake sure to check out our sponsor, Samson Equipment: Samson is a leader in manufacturing elite weight room equipment (and have been for nearly 50 years). Founded by Dave and Linda Schroeder, Samson is weight room equipment made by coaches for coaches. Check them out at samsonequipment.com for more informationShoutout to our sponsor, 1080 Motion. The 1080 Sprint is the single best piece of training equipment in the world & has continually changed the game for training speed, strength, and power. Go to 1080motion.com to learn more.
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9 snips
Oct 22, 2025 • 1h 3min

Chris Chase: Elite Level Problem Solving

In this discussion, Chris Chase, the Director of Performance for the Memphis Grizzlies, shares his insights on elite-level problem solving in sports. With nearly a decade in his role, he dives into how performance evaluations have evolved, particularly in assessing multi-directional speed. Chris emphasizes the importance of kinetic and spatio-temporal metrics over traditional time-based tests and discusses the limitations of dumbbells in professional training. He also highlights how technology enhances strength training and the balance between specific movements and general fitness.
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22 snips
Oct 15, 2025 • 55min

Andrew Behnam: Virginia Baseball Performance

Andrew Behnam, Director of Baseball Performance at the University of Virginia, shares insights from his extensive coaching background. He discusses innovative fall programming for athletes and emphasizes the importance of pelvic control in rotational performance. Andrew dives into the significance of deceleration training and how individual testing can enhance on-field outcomes. He also touches on the latest developments in creating a state-of-the-art training lab, while advocating for a balanced work-life approach in coaching.
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Oct 9, 2025 • 1h 1min

Rodrigo Alvira: Arquetipos, Plataformas De Fuerza y VBT

Rodrigo Alvira — Preparador Físico de los Detroit Pistons y Fundador de Spaniard Performance — se une a nosotros en el episodio número 119 de Move the Needle.En este episodio del pódcast conversamos sobre el arquetipado en el deporte, qué es lo que realmente importa al analizar los saltos en las plataformas de fuerza, y profundizamos en una conversación muy interesante sobre el entrenamiento basado en la velocidad (VBT) — un tema del que hasta ahora habíamos hablado muy poco en el programa.Este episodio es especial: nuestra primera publicación completamente en español. ¡Esperamos que la disfruten!Sigue a Rodrigo en Instagram: @spaniardperformanceEncuéntranos y síguenos en redes sociales: @mtn_performY recuerda: ¡cada miércoles hay un nuevo episodio!Agradecimientos a nuestros patrocinadoresLumin SportsLumin continúa revolucionando el mundo del Athlete Management System (AMS) y recientemente lanzó su nueva plataforma de desarrollo de fuerza.Visita luminsports.com y menciona Move the Needle al finalizar tu compra para recibir un 20% de descuento en tu primer año completo.Hawkin DynamicsHawkin es el líder mundial en medición de fuerza y continúa ofreciendo herramientas que permiten a los profesionales del alto rendimiento ser exactamente eso: profesionales de alto rendimiento.Visita hawkindynamics.com para conocer todo lo que tienen para ofrecer.Samson EquipmentSamson es un referente en la fabricación de equipos de entrenamiento de élite, con casi 50 años de experiencia. Fundada por Dave y Linda Schroeder, Samson crea equipamiento de pesas hecho por entrenadores, para entrenadores.Conócelos en samsonequipment.com.1080 MotionEl 1080 Sprint es, sin duda, la mejor herramienta de entrenamiento del mundo y ha transformado por completo la forma de entrenar la velocidad, la fuerza y la potencia.Visita 1080motion.com para obtener más información.
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43 snips
Oct 8, 2025 • 1h 3min

Rodrigo Alvira: Archetypes, Force Plates, VBT

Rodrigo Alvira, performance coach for the Detroit Pistons and founder of Spaniard Performance, dives deep into the world of sports science. He discusses the intriguing concept of archetyping in athletes, revealing how force-plate data can redefine those archetypes. With a focus on velocity-based training, he shares insights on using velocity targets for optimal training loads and the importance of progress tracking. Rodrigo also highlights how understanding jump dynamics can tailor training for individual athletes, making this conversation a must-listen for sports enthusiasts!
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Oct 1, 2025 • 1h 15min

Jared Wilson: Taking Full Control

Jared Wilson - Owner/Founder of JW Performance - joins us for the 118th episode of MTN. On this episode of the podcast, we talk through some of the underappreciated parts of the private performance world, we dive into the foundational training process, and Jared fully pulls back the curtain on his time with John Wall. This was a transparent and powerful episode and we were thankful for Jared for being willing to truly dive in.Follow Jared on IG @jw.performanceFind and follow us on social media @mtn_perform and check back each Wednesday for a new episodeBig Thanks to our sponsor Lumin Sports:Lumin continues to change the game within the AMS realm and recently launched their new strength builder platform. Head on over to luminsports.com - and mention Move the Needle at Check out to receive 20% off your first full year.& a huge Thank You to our sponsor, Hawkin Dynamics: Hawkin is the world leader in force measuring, and continues to put forth the tools for high-performance practitioners to be exactly that, high performers. If you haven't yet checked out Hawkins - head over to their website at: https://www.hawkindynamics.com/ and check out everything they have to offerMake sure to check out our sponsor, Samson Equipment: Samson is a leader in manufacturing elite weight room equipment (and have been for nearly 50 years). Founded by Dave and Linda Schroeder, Samson is weight room equipment made by coaches for coaches. Check them out at samsonequipment.com for more informationShoutout to our sponsor, 1080 Motion. The 1080 Sprint is the single best piece of training equipment in the world & has continually changed the game for training speed, strength, and power. Go to 1080motion.com to learn more.
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70 snips
Sep 24, 2025 • 1h 34min

Les Spellman: Unlocking Speed & Performance

Les Spellman, founder of Spellman Performance, is a leading speed-development coach known for working with NFL athletes and elite soccer players. In this episode, he shares his unexpected journey into coaching and discusses his innovative approach to speed training, including the Universal Speed Rating and the unique training strategies used for athletes like Kat Macario. Spellman also delves into the significance of deceleration training and the evolution of speed science, emphasizing the balance between strength and speed training for optimal performance.
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25 snips
Sep 17, 2025 • 1h 8min

Daniel Shapiro: A Lifetime of Elite Basketball

Daniel Shapiro, Associate Director and Head Performance Coach for the LA Clippers, brings over two decades of experience in elite basketball performance. He shares his fascinating journey from an intern with the Seattle Sonics to coaching at the highest level. Shapiro discusses the evolution of training methods, the impact of load management, and the importance of individual programming for athletes. He highlights the role of team culture and accountability in creating a thriving training environment. Tune in for insights that could change the way you think about sports performance!
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Sep 10, 2025 • 1h 12min

Erik Meira - Training, Testing, & Tendons

Erik Meira - The Science PT - joins us for the 115th episode of MTN. On this episode of the pod, we dive into tendon health, the difference between sport specific programming and load-profile specific programming, moment arms, and much much more. Erik is one of the most sought after practitioners in the rehab space and has literally made a career from his ability to turn high level topics into actionable information for practitioners across many disciplines.Find Erik on IG @erikmeirapt and check out his website: https://thesciencept.com/Follow us on social media @mtn_perform and check back each Wednesday for a new episodeBig Thanks to our sponsor Lumin Sports:Lumin continues to change the game within the AMS realm and recently launched their new strength builder platform. Head on over to luminsports.com - and mention Move the Needle at Check out to receive 20% off your first full year.& a huge Thank You to our sponsor, Hawkin Dynamics: Hawkin is the world leader in force measuring, and continues to put forth the tools for high-performance practitioners to be exactly that, high performers. If you haven't yet checked out Hawkins - head over to their website at: https://www.hawkindynamics.com/ and check out everything they have to offerMake sure to check out our sponsor, Samson Equipment: Samson is a leader in manufacturing elite weight room equipment (and have been for nearly 50 years). Founded by Dave and Linda Schroeder, Samson is weight room equipment made by coaches for coaches. Check them out at samsonequipment.com for more informationShoutout to our sponsor, 1080 Motion. The 1080 Sprint is the single best piece of training equipment in the world & has continually changed the game for training speed, strength, and power. Go to 1080motion.com to learn more.
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Sep 3, 2025 • 1h 16min

Hunter and Mike: Research to Application & Structuring Learning

On this episode of the podcast, the 114th, we sit down without a guest. Taking advantage of being in-person in the same city, we wanted to carve some time out to talk about a few topics that have been front of mind. We started with a conversation around some of the research that has been coming out within our field and the application to training, some of the shortcomings of what we see in the field and how to help, and we pose the question "Is High-Performance TRULY possible within team sport?"Individually, find us on social media @coachmikesully and @huntereis_spFollow us on social media @mtn_perform and check back each Wednesday for a new episodeBig Thanks to our sponsor Lumin Sports:Lumin continues to change the game within the AMS realm and recently launched their new strength builder platform. Head on over to luminsports.com - and mention Move the Needle at Check out to receive 20% off your first full year.& a huge Thank You to our sponsor, Hawkin Dynamics: Hawkin is the world leader in force measuring, and continues to put forth the tools for high-performance practitioners to be exactly that, high performers. If you haven't yet checked out Hawkins - head over to their website at: https://www.hawkindynamics.com/ and check out everything they have to offerMake sure to check out our sponsor, Samson Equipment: Samson is a leader in manufacturing elite weight room equipment (and have been for nearly 50 years). Founded by Dave and Linda Schroeder, Samson is weight room equipment made by coaches for coaches. Check them out at samsonequipment.com for more informationShoutout to our sponsor, 1080 Motion. The 1080 Sprint is the single best piece of training equipment in the world & has continually changed the game for training speed, strength, and power. Go to 1080motion.com to learn more.

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