control yourself with dr andreo spina

In this white board session, Dr. Spina sits down to discuss the evolutionary origins of human movement and how an understanding of those origins leads to better exercise selection and programming. Also covered is the concept of movement and exercise prerequisites – Play Basketball? Love yoga? Want to smash your WODS? You love to run? Just remember, all movements have prerequisites and managing them will lead to performance enhancement and ongoing joint health. Ignoring this reality often has devastating, long-term consequences. Although it’s a deep dive, the concepts covered in the podcast are presented in a very digestible manner making it a useful listen for everyone from therapists, to trainers, to athletes or anyone interested in human optimization. 

For over 20 years, Don has coached actors, athletes, musicians, and business executives pushing them to function at their fullest potential. In 2005, he opened his NYC Gym, Drive 495. He has developed a reputation for training some of the biggest names in Hollywood for the big screen. Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Jake Gyllenhaal, John Krasinski, Emily Blunt, Liev Schreiber, Sebastian Stan, Anne Hathaway, Zachary Levi, Drew Powell, Hugh Jackman, & David Harbour are among his roster of clients who have trained with him at Drive 495. Derek is an International Sport Performance Consultant that has been working with athletes all ages and abilities in speed, strength and power sports since 1988. His coaching career started in Track and Field, providing instruction to sprinters of all ages eventually working with collegiate sprinters, hurdlers and jumpers. His career evolved rapidly working closely with some of the top performers in the world as a coach and a consultant – including Olympic medalists, world record holders, Canadian National team athletes, and professional athletes from numerous sports. He also serves as a performance consultant to numerous professional teams in the NFL, NBA, MLS and NHL, as well as major NCAA Division 1 programs throughout North America, specializing in speed development, strategic performance planning, return-to-competition protocols and neuromuscular electrical stimulation programming. In this episode, I have the pleasure of speaking with Don and Derek across a variety of topics including: ‘Mobility’ vs internal training and how we define it within Functional Range Systems.   The approach to my own personal health and fitness. Spine and joint health, as it relates to mobility, stability, & articular health.  Movement and movement screening to maximize health and minimize the potential for injury The importance of addressing and managing pain on both a physical and psychological level. iTunes – https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/d-d-fitness-radio-podcast/id1331724217 iHeart Radio – https://www.iheart.com/podcast/dd-fitness-radio-28797988/ Spreaker.com – https://www.spreaker.com/show/d-and-d-fitness-radios-show Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/show/5Py2SSPA4mntNwYRm0Opri You can reach both Don and Derek at the following locations: Don Saladino: http://www.DonSaladino.com Twitter and Instagram - @DonSaladino YouTube - http://www.youtube.com/donsaladino

In this white board session, Dr. Spina sits down to answer some questions specific to the Functional Range Systems, as well as questions relating to manual therapy as a whole. Topics discussed include – a detailed description of the purpose/utilization of Controlled Articular Rotations (CARs) for articular assessment, training, and therapy; the differentiation between capsular workspace (CW), articular workspace (AW), and global workspace (GW) and how an understanding of these principles can focus/guide force based inputs (therapeutic and/or training); Chronic pain research and management; the neurophysiology of ‘muscle tightness’;  the difference between Neurological Tightness vs. Mechanical Tension and how the ability to distinguish the two can rapidly improve clinical outcomes; the histological goal of specific soft tissue treatment; and many more. This episode is a deep dive into the specifics of clinical practice full of big take always, and numerous ‘a-ha’ moments that will interest manual therapists, medical practitioners, and strength and conditioning specialists alike. As this episode is part of our Whiteboard Series, if you’d like to reference Dr. Spina’s notes/illustrations during the podcast, please hop over to our YouTube channel at  https://youtu.be/upLI2OzqODU

In this episode of the podcast Dr. Spina sits down with former research biochemist and 2X New York Times best selling author of ‘The Paleo Solution’ and ‘Wired to Eat,’ Mr. Robb Wolf.  Robb has been a long-time authority on nutrition and has served as a review editor for the Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism, and as a consultant for the Naval Special Warefare Resiliency program. The conversation broadly focuses on the evolutionary perspective of human nutrition.  Some of the topics covered include: contrasting physical vs. chemical (nutritional) evolution in homo sapiens, How the ‘caveman’ principle applies to understanding human dietary needs, the natural selective pressures that forged the human genome, consciousness and the challenges it presents to maintaining healthy eating habits, the Hedonic Treadmill, why we are wired to move less and eat more, intermittent fasting, the importance of personalized nutritional programming, the research landscape concerning human nutrition, the problems surrounding the concept of the ‘biohacking’, the reserve-capacity hypothesis, and many more.  Also discussed are the many myths surrounding Paleolithic eating, plant AND meat based diets, telomeres and human longevity, and caloric restriction.

In this episode of the podcast, Dr. Spina sits down to speak with the Dr. Duncan French, Vice President of Performance at the UFC Performance Institute (UFCPI) in Las Vegas.  Dr. French is globally recognized as a leading expert in high-performance sport and is responsible for directing sport-specific technical interfaces that maximize the impact of performance services for UFC rostered athletes.  Prior to this role, he led Strength & Conditioning at the English Institute of Sport and was also the head S&C at Newcastle United Football Club in the Barclays English Premier League.  He has also co-authored over 60 peer-reviewed scientific manuscripts and seven book chapters. Duncan holds a PhD from the University of Connecticut in Exercise Physiology with a focus on Neuroendocrinology.  As such, the discussion focuses largely on the endocrine (hormonal) responses to resistance training and conditioning.  Topics include the selection of appropriate training intensities, creating an anabolic environment in the athlete, the role of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA Axis), stress and its effect on hormonal output/metabolism, exercise selection, sport specificity, psychological factors that enhance or depress neuroendocrine output, progressive overload, training accommodation, the role of genetics in high level athletics vs. training effect, and more. Dr. Spina and Dr. French also discuss the inner workings of the UFC Performance Institute which has become the world leader in Mixed Martial Arts research, training, and athlete care.

In this episode of the podcast, Dr. Spina sits down with Dr. Corey Peacock.  Dr. Peacock holds a Ph.D. in Exercise Physiology from Kent State University and serves as an associate professor in the Department of Health and Human Performance at Nova Southeastern University.  As a researcher , he has contributed to multiple peer-reviewed publications integrating the fields of exercise physiology, athletic performance, and supplementation.  He is also head of strength and conditioning for Sanford MMA – a premier professional MMA team comprised of some of the top-ranked fighters in the business including multiple current and former World Champions.   The discussion covers a lot of ground on a variety of topics including: ‘The Dark Triad’ psychological profile and its relation to combat sport athletes The effects of genetic ability vs coaching • Dopamine metabolism and its effects on brain function CTE and brain injuries in combat sports The specifics of S&C programming for high level athletes Creating system adaptability in the athletic body Contrast training The mental and physical effects of over training And many, many more MMA enthusiasts, combat athletes, sports performance coaches, trainers, and anyone interested in optimizing human health and performance… This one is for you!

Join Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Matt Pasquale and FRS expert Mark Brunswick as they dive into the intricacies of body control in combat sports. They discuss the balance between flexibility and strength, debunk myths about injuries, and explore how personalized training can enhance performance. Hear about the importance of mastering fundamental techniques over mere belt progression, and the unique dynamics of jiu-jitsu that cater to individual learning experiences. A must-listen for anyone interested in optimizing physical training!

In this episode of the podcast, Dr. Spina sits down for a roundtable discussion with FRS instructors Dr. Mitch Broser, John Quint, and Josh Halbert after teaching the first day of a Functional Range Conditioning certification in Chicago, Illinois. The conversation covers a lot of ground with topics including the common misconceptions regarding strength and strength development, the differences between weight lifting and strength training, programming for strength vs hypertrophy, the adaptation limitations of the human system, long term vs short term programming goals, and many more.   Of note, there is also an extensive discussion specifically on the management, rehabilitation, and conditioning of the spine. Here they discuss misinterpretations/limitations of ‘neutral spine’ concept, and those of the current research landscape pertaining to the topic. Full of clinical pearls, training tips, and ‘ah-ha’ moments, this episode is packed with useful information for anyone interested in achieving human optimization.

In this episode of the podcast, Dr. Spina sits down for a conversation with elite performance coach Dewey Nielsen.  Dewey has lectured world-wide on the topics of human movement optimization, mobility development, endurance training, and more.  He has also worked with and consulted for a number of professional sports organizations in the MLB, NBA, NFL, UFC, etc., and is highly sought out by professional athletes.  In addition, Dewey is a long time Brazillian Jiu Jitsu Black Belt instructor, and experienced rock/mountain climber and Alpinist, endurance gravel cyclist…former touring musician…and one hell of a knowledgeable coffee enthusiast. The number of topics covered on this podcast are too many mention but include – programming for elite endurance athletes, the physiology of endurance conditioning, the evolution of sapiens as an endurance dependent species, creating a suitable aerobic base, training recovery strategies, teaching philosophies and training principles in BJJ, verbal and tactile cueing for enhancing motor learning, the pitfalls of human consciousness, and many, many more.

In this white-board session, Dr. Spina sits down to discuss a question that is vital to the understanding of any process but especially as it pertains to human optimization - What are your training goals?  Do you want to build tissue/muscle? Increase power? Develop greater strength? Are you rehabbing an injury? Do you want to get better at a particular task? Regardless of the answer, we then have to ask - Where should I begin? Listen as Dre explains why the specificity of your answer will directly influence your ability to create lasting biological and neurological change in the bodies of clients, patients, or yourselves. Topics covered in this episode include; understanding Max effort vs Dynamic effort inputs, the pitfalls of pattern training, the anatomy and physiology of muscular contraction, the all-or-none principal of contraction, programming desires vs time constraints, programming for combat sport athletes, and many more. If you enjoy the podcast, please subscribe so you don't miss an episode. If you have the time, please leave us a review.