Upper Left Performance
By Jack Anderson
Upper Left PerformanceAug 24, 2021
Upper Left Performance #47 Pratik Patel - Pros and Cons of the NFL's CBA and Training Camp Structure, Looking After Each Athlete's Well-Being
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Welcome back to a third season of the Upper Left Performance Podcast. We are kicking things off with a recent chat I had with Pratik Patel. Pratik is currently a PhD student and consultant for athletes ranging from high school to the professional level. He previously worked for the New York Giants, University of Oregon, Michigan State and Kansas State primarily as a dietician, but also as a strength coach with the Giants.
Pratik and I discussed the potential pitfalls facing professional sports in relation to physical preparation. We touched on the NFL's CBA and how it actually can work against an athlete's ability to stay physically ready for the rigors of an NFL season. Kicking the can a bit further, Pratik also detailed how the sudden onset of training camp can be catastrophic for some players. He mentions sleep, nutrition, and loading and just how we can do better as performance specialists to get those things right for the athlete.
I really appreciated Pratik's candor in focusing on the issues facing elite sport and how performance staffs can go about improving their systems to ensure as little as possible slips through the cracks. We all know communication between all members of a team is important, but it was great to hear him expound upon that with his real world experience.
Though Pratik has worked primarily with nutrition, he possesses a deep knowledge of all the working parts that go into athlete success and it's quite obvious that his understanding of the interconnectedness in sport is something more of us need to embrace. Follow Pratik on social media @pratikxpatel on both twitter and IG.
Upper Left Performance #46 John Garrish - Building a High School Development Program for Everyone
John Garrish is the head Strength and Conditioning Coach and head track and field coach for North Broward Prep in South Florida and he hopped on the pod today to talk about high school strength and conditioning and how far it has come since he joined its ranks 7 years ago.
What blew me away was John’s dedication to his athletes and desire to provide an environment that fosters excellence in his kids regardless of athletic talent. We talked at length about his approach towards working with a wide range of kids and assembling a solid coaching staff that is equally committed to development of the whole person.
John also breaks down what has changed for him since Covid-19 in terms of scheduling and providing a safe experience for his athletes. He breaks down how his schedule works and how he took over the track team several years ago and then we discuss his most recent initiative: free Saturday speed sessions for anyone in the North Florida community.
John’s passion for helping people was really special to hear about. He is truly a selfless person and it certainly left me thinking of ways I can better serve those around me. Thanks to him for hopping on and hope you enjoy our conversation
John also writes for Teambuildr and can be found on Instagram @coach_garrish and on twitter @John_Garrish
Upper Left Performance #45 Daniel Back - Filling in Athletic Gaps for Youth Athletes, Overshoot vs. Super-Compensation, Sprinting
Daniel Back is a performance coach in Austin Texas and the founder of Jump Science (website: jump.science). You can find him on IG @jump.science
He has been working in the industry since 2012, but has long been a student of athletic performance particularly plyometrics and speed. Some of his YouTube videos on sprint mechanics and physics shattered my entire world when I first saw them and I’ve long been a fan of his approach and his counter-cultural thoughts on training
In the episode today we discuss why strength training exclusively can limit adaptation in youth athletes and how filling in other athletic gaps first can be a better place to start.
Then we dive into the overshoot phenomenon vs super compensation and how to be practical in programming for athletes given what we know about those factors. This leads to a discussion about negative adaptations and fiber types and how we need to consider these when writing training programs.
Then we shift to speed and discuss max velocity for basketball players, what metrics and outputs Daniel tracks in his sprinters and how he thinks sprinting should be at the heart of training for most athletes.
All of that and we didn’t even discuss jump training, which is Daniel’s bread and butter. Since we missed out on that make sure you check out his website jump.science and his IG of the same name and he’ll get your vert right.
Thanks again to Daniel for hopping on for what was a terrific deep dive on some very thought provoking concepts.
Upper Left Performance #44 Anthony Donskov - Establishing a Cohesive Offseason Training Structure, Conditioning for Hockey Players, the Writing Process
Anthony Donskov is a strength and conditioning coach for elite and youth hockey players and owns Donskov Strength and Conditioning in Columbus Ohio. He has also written two books: Physical Preparation for Ice Hockey: Biological Principles and Practical Solutions (2016) and The Gain, Go, Grow Manual: Programming for High Performance Hockey Players (2020).
Needless to say after 16 years coaching some of the best in the world, Anthony is one of the leaders in hockey S&C. His ability to draw information from a variety of sources is second to none and it shows in his approach. Luckily he broke down a lot of his principles in full here in thoughtful and precise manner.
We talked about his process of writing and how was able to complete two books. We also discussed training players in the offseason, balancing stressors between sport and training, ramping up on-ice work in the offseason, the differences between youth and pro athletes, skating vs sprinting, and conditioning considerations for hockey players.
The conditioning discussion was particularly fruitful as we discussed how much off-ice conditioning is needed, how effective it is and how to incorporate as much on ice work as possible especially for pros.
Here is the study referenced: Adaptations of skeletal muscle to endurance exercise and their metabolic consequences
And finally here is Anthony's social media platforms: Twitter: @anthonydonskov IG: @anthonydonskov
Upper Left Performance #43 Eric Schmitt - Energy Systems Deep Dive
Eric Schmitt is the Head Strength and Conditioning Coach for the Memphis Grizzlies. He has been putting out some tremendous content on IG (@coacheschmitt) in regard to conditioning tests, analysis of said tests and practical application for athletes given their conditioning profiles. We talk about this, his current energy systems framework when viewing oxygen as the currency driving all three systems, the power/duration relationship, breathwork for low-intensity exercise and how to keep your eye on the demands of the sport itself rather than pursuing fitness via other means.
Eric's ability to hone in on what matters is second to none and vital for the rest of us to develop. There are so many systems in play that can affect conditioning and there is much research dedicated to it. It's difficult to make sense of it all. Eric does that here and I can't wait to look at this through his lens.
Subscribe to the pod, leave a review and if you are so inclined, share it with a friend! Thank you for your continued listenership and let's keep moving the needle.
Upper Left Performance #42 Jake Rauch - Force-Velocity Profiling, Countermovement Jump Clusters, Using Data to Inform Training Decisions
Jake Rauch is a Performance Scientist at Peak Performance Project (P3) in Santa Barbara, CA. He works primarily as a biomechanist at P3 where he is involved in the research and assessment of elite athletes. Jake has several terrific papers on force-velocity profiling and clustering athletes based on their countermovement jump kinetics/kinematics and we talk about them in depth here.
Jake is also currently working on some research that will try and establish more of a relationship between training interventions in the gym and on-court performance for basketball players. He details some of the obstacles to such research and some of his theories about how to make the process more feasible.
Jake and I have been co-workers for the past eight months. He has taught me a tremendous amount about the research process and what matters in data collection and analysis. So I also ask him to share his recommendations for those looking to establish their own reliable testing process and database of athletes. Then we talk about how we can marry our data observations to the subjective art of coaching and "miss" less often on creating adaptations in each athlete.
While I have spent a lot of time interviewing coaches based on unstudied models and concepts, this was a route I would like to travel down more often. Research has become more refined and is a valuable tool for measuring what we as S&C practitioners do. Jake does a great job kicking off this little foray and I look forward to more of these.
You can find Jake on Twitter @JTRAUCH and check out all of Jake's papers here https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Jacob_Rauch
Upper Left Performance #41 Mike Kozak - Teaching Transverse Arch, Shin Drop, and Ipsilateral Arm Swing in a Group Setting, Keeping Coaching Fresh
Mike Kozak is the owner and head coach for Soar Fitness out of Columbus, Ohio. He is one of the coaches doing an outstanding job implementing Adarian Barr's concepts in a group setting and on the pod he goes into detail about how he structures his workouts utilizing such principles. Mike has tried almost everything under the sun in his 20 years of coaching and it's awesome to hear how he has sifted through what works and what doesn't. Furthermore, I love how he is able to bring a session to life, which you can tell from this interview and on his IG (@soarfitness).
Make sure to also follow Mike on Twitter (@soarfitness) and thanks to him for coming on and shedding more light on some practical applications for speed and plyometrics with a lever-based thought process.
Upper Left Performance #40 Jason Feairheller and Ryan Heickert - Establishing a COD/Agility Framework in an S&C Program
Jason Feairheller and Ryan Heickert are co-owners of Strength and Function, a gym in Pennsylvania working primarily with hockey players of all ages. They are also the hosts of the Speed and Power Podcast, which has put out some outstanding episodes. Jason and Ryan have put together a top-notch program with a particular eye on on COD and agility.
In this episode we discuss different coaching strategies for COD/agility, considerations to be made for off ice training for hockey players and the finer points of curved running.
Make sure to check out the Speed and Power Podcast, Jason's IG (@jasonfeairheller) and Ryan's IG (@ryan_heickert_)
Upper Left Performance #39 Alex Pacitti - Implications of Pelvic/Thoracic Outlets on Performance, Forward Thinking Training Interventions for Different Shapes
Season 2 of ULP is here with a great episode from my buddy and Northeastern Assistant Strength Coach, Alex Pacitti. Alex has mentored under Dan Sanzo at Northeastern and this has impacted his training for various athletes. Much like Erik Huddleston, Alex is looking at the shape of an athlete (particularly at the pelvic and thoracic outlets) to determine areas of high and low pressure, which will influence the movement of fluid and guts within the body.
Understanding these concepts can explain why some people don't have the same explosiveness or propulsive abilities of others. While shapes/structure help predetermine someone's abilities, Alex is training some of his athletes to overcome potential power deficiencies by limiting the amount of traditional weightlifting being done in favor of other interventions. We also talk about how certain shapes or abilities can help the athlete select their respective sport or positions. This predisposition to certain qualities is often overlooked by cookie-cutter strength programs so looking through this lens is in the very least a great way to re-think individualized programming for athletes.
Alex can be found on IG @coach_pacitti and his page is a great resource for visualizing a lot of the concepts we talk about on the episode.
Upper Left Performance #38 Nicole Surdyka - Reverse Engineering Soccer, Athlete Personality Profiling
Nicole Surdyka is a former Division I soccer player, doctor of physical therapy and a strength coach specializing in soccer performance training and rehab. She currently owns Surdyka Physical Therapy and Performance and has extensive experience working with athletes of all ages.
Nicole has also worked as a soccer coach and possesses a wealth of understanding about the game and has tremendous passion for growing it in the US. While I am not well versed in soccer, I really admire Nicole’s ability to break down various strategies and tactics and how they might affect a player’s physical training load.
This was the crux of our discussion as we get into the finer points of how reverse engineering a sport can work. Nicole breaks down some basic soccer formations and how each can impact the workloads of different positions and then we deep dive on how we might alter training based on particular strategies.
We also talk about taking care of the whole athlete, the current landscape of soccer in the US and various training topics especially pertaining to psychological/mental stress and how we can find out what interventions will best resonate with each athlete based on their personality and playing style.
Nicole can be found on:
IG: https://www.instagram.com/dr.nicolept/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/NSurdykaPhysio
Website: https://www.nicolesurdykaphysio.com/
Upper Left Performance #37 Andrew Stallings - Starting a Business, Creating a Brand for Athletes, The Stranger Experiment
Andrew Stallings is the Founder of Athelo Group an athlete representation service that focuses on marketing and building a brand for athletes.
Having spent the past 10 years in the sports industry working for the likes of Octagon and Sirius XM, Andrew has accumulated a ton of valuable experience. Even better is that he has taken his skillset to new heights by leaving some comfortable jobs to start his own business in Athelo.
I’ve known Andrew since our time together at Sirius XM and his hustle was always evident. There are few people as talented and energetic as Andrew. On the pod he discusses how that wasn’t enough and what helped him get over the top both personally and professionally.
Andrew details his business, the risks that he took to start it and how his mindset has completely shifted over the past 10 years. He also goes in depth on what his business can provide and how valuable branding is in today’s world.
We also touch on Andrew’s Stranger Experiment that has brought so many professionals together from varying backgrounds in the sports industry. Having participated this past month, I can tell you it’s an amazing way to connect with people and learn about avenues you don’t even know exist.
Follow Andrew on Twitter to learn more about the #strangerexperiment and to connect with him: https://twitter.com/AStallings88
Also check out his website for Athelo Group: https://www.athelogroup.com/
Upper Left Performance #36 Chuck McGee - Pillars of the Wim Hof Breathing Method, Why Improving CO2 Tolerance Matters, Breathing for Performance
Chuck McGee is one of the first American Wim Hof Instructors and an expert on all things breathwork.
Chuck was a bartender in the Bay Area who had a random patron at his establishment convinced him to try the Wim Hof breathing method. After trying it, Chuck was hooked and has now gone all over the world learning and teaching the power of breath.
I stumbled across Chuck from James Nestor’s excellent book, Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art, and from there attended his free weekly Monday night breathwork class at 9pm PT. zoom.us/j/750599401
Chuck’s firm grasp of breathing and his joyful personality fit the mold of my recent podcast themes and he was good enough to come on and talk about the pillars of Wim Hof, his experiences traveling with Wim, the differences between nasal and mouth breathing, the basic structure of a breathing session, establishing consistent breathing practices for real change and the benefits for sick people, healthy people and athletes.
Chuck’s ability to break down some of the physiology of what happens in breath is must listen material for anyone working to develop health or performance in others. He is someone I could talked to for several hours and I am definitely going to take a trip up to SF to connect further with him.
You can find Chuck on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/icedvikingbreathworks/ and at his website: https://www.icedvikingbreathworks.com/about/
Upper Left Performance #35 Conor Harris - Q&A
Conor is back on the pod as we chop it up live in California.
We answer your questions on speed, agility, COD, assessments, asymmetries and more!
Follow Conor on IG https://www.instagram.com/conor_harris_/
Follow Conor on Twitter https://twitter.com/Conor_Harris_
Upper Left Performance #34 Brenan Ghassemieh - Living Well and Being Present
Brenan Ghassemieh is a great friend and a damn good trainer. He played football at Idaho State University, has prepared countless athletes for the NFL Combine and is currently working at Equinox as a trainer and Tier X Manager. He has worked with kids, athletes and senior citizens, connecting with all on an extraordinary level, which is why I wanted to bring him on.
Brenan is a firm believer in living well, practicing mindfulness and the art of being present. There are few I see who walk the walk when it comes to these subjects so I wanted to hear about his daily habits and rituals that center him and this conversation didn't disappoint. We went deep down this rabbit hole of what makes people so afraid to face their inner monologue, how to memorialize our thoughts and the importance of acknowledging the realities of our lives.
Brenan can be found on IG https://www.instagram.com/brenan_ghassemieh/
Upper Left Performance #33 Rich Clarke - Considerations for COD/Agility in Different Sports, Perception/Action Coupling in General Training, Speed Control
Rich Clarke is a Strength and Conditioning coach and an academic who specializes change of direction and agility. He is also a Director of the United Kingdom Strength and Conditioning Association and is completing a PhD investigating speed control and deceleration during change of direction movements.
Quite honestly, I have been underwhelmed by much of what I know and see about COD/Agility and think Rich has done a beautiful job rethinking the landscape in this realm. Among the notable things we discuss are the different COD/Agility demands from sport to sport, perception action coupling and how much we can/should train it in a general setting, the importance of speed control when learning skills and much more.
Rich has simplified the language and litany of exercises we see in COD/Agility by boiling everything down to entry/exit speed and angle change and how those factors will impact deceleration demands. In short, I think he's really on to something and this chat opened up my eyes to a lot of things. The structure that might be necessary for the weightroom does not necessarily apply to COD/agility and once we have established a base (which many athletes already have from their sport) we can mix and match using the above mentioned variables.
Rich can be found on Twitter https://twitter.com/RICH_AgilityLab and his website is http://www.athleteagilitylab.com/
Upper Left Performance #32 Ryan Banta - All Things Sprinting, Learning to Spread the Wealth on a Track Team, Critical Mass and Human Development
Ryan Banta is the Head Track and Field Coach for Parkway Central High School in Missouri. He has coached for over 20 years, brought home numerous state titles and records and has established an incredible culture that has succeeded in developing outstanding human beings and athletes.
Ryan is also the author of The Sprinter’s Compendium and established the Critical Mass system, which we discuss on the podcast. For someone that has thought about sprint training strictly in a "Feed the Cats" style, this was very enlightening. More on this in this video here from Ryan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_V84iC_iL4
He also gives his thoughts on all things sprinting, his realization that he wants excellence in all events not just sprints, wickets, warmups and his thoughts on kids in today’s world and how to best reach them. I was thrilled to talk to Ryan about all this as he has so much experience working with kids and honing his craft. Not many coaches are as complete as Ryan is and it was very cool to hear him address such a wide range of topics.
Ryan writes for Simplifaster, Elite Track, and several other mediums. You can buy his book here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07613VRVF/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1
IG: https://www.instagram.com/ryan.banta/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SprintersCompen
Upper Left Performance #31 Jack Anderson - Interviewed by Justin Carey
Justin Carey is one of my former athletes who is now an assistant soccer coach at Stetson University. Justin's leadership, ability and desire to improve in all aspects of his life is what makes him special and I am thrilled to bring him on the podcast to interview me.
While I typically interview others on the podcast, I wanted to share some thoughts of my own, but have always preferred doing so in the context of a conversation rather than just me going in on a topic solo. Considering I have been doing a lot of self-reflection of late, I thought it would be good to bring on an athlete I coached to help get a feel for how others perceive me and to practice explaining myself to those who possess an athlete's mindset.
What resulted was a terrific conversation. Justin asked some great questions pertaining to my environmental considerations for training, building culture, individualizing connections with athletes and how I have evolved in my thought process as a coach the past few years. We also talked about setting goals, unearthing passions and choosing to pursue excellence. Such a fun convo and props to Justin who may be coming for my hosting gig at some point with the job he did here.
You can find Justin on IG: https://www.instagram.com/justin_carey15/
Upper Left Performance #30 Devan McConnell & Stephen Volek - Constructing High Performance Throughout an NHL Organization
Both guys bring a wealth of hockey experience to the table here and it was particularly insightful hearing how much they utilize every member of the organization to influence performance. Together, these guys outline the importance of the analytics staff, coaches, players and trainers in relation to developing tangible metrics to assess performance and necessary interventions. They also shine a light on the technology being used including force plates, GPS data and HR monitoring.
In a time where traditional strength coaching is no longer the sole role of a coach, it was refreshing to hear about all the ways we can influence performance and involve ourselves in establishing a culture of winning. Thanks to these two for discussing their process in moving the industry forward!
You can find Devan's book here: www.amazon.com/Intent-Practical-Approach-Athletic-Development/dp/1946702099
Devan's IG: www.instagram.com/dmcconnell29/
Devan's Twitter: twitter.com/DMcConnell29
Stephen's Twitter: twitter.com/SVolek0927
Upper Left Performance #29 Speed Roundtable with Adarian Barr, Mike Kozak and Jermaine Dixon
We go off the rails a little bit in this week's episode as Adarian comes back on with Mike and Jermaine to talk all things speed. Mike is the owner and head coach at Soar Fitness in Ohio and Jermaine is a coach out of Florida, working with a variety of youth athletes.
Some of the topics addressed:
-Injuries in sport and the RTP process
-Top speed ground contacts
-Deceleration training in isolation
-Practical applications that have been working for Mike and Jermaine
-How multidirectional speed is linear speed
-There's a timezone change in the Florida panhandle??
This was so fun and organic. Hope you enjoy this change of pace!
Mike's IG is @soarfitness. Jermaine's is @dixonsports and Adarian's is @barrunning. The Youtube version (with some video from Adarian) is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRxqsZGzuW4&t=1s
Upper Left Performance #28 Navin Hettiarachchi - NBA Bubble Life, Gratitude, Joy and Longevity for Elite Athletes
Navin Hettiarachchi is the Director of Health, Wellness and Performance for the Washington Wizards. He has been in the NBA since 2003 following a brief stint in the NFL and is one of the most decorated coaches I have had the privilege to chat with.
Navin is certified in various massage techniques, athletic training, strength coach and PRI. He has traveled all over the world to learn and share information with other. He is also a self-proclaimed learning junkie and is constantly experimenting with technology and hacks for sleep, nutrition, mindfulness and correct movement.
I couldn’t be more thrilled to have this chat with Navin who radiates positive energy, authenticity and pure joy in everything he does. So many of us are not grateful enough for our experiences and Navin is a shining example of how to maximize our ability to help others and be happy.
We discuss mindset and how to impact others to kick off the pod before diving into some performance topics such as individualizing sleep based on data and conversations, PRI and breathing as tools in the NBA. We also discuss the performance vs health model and what works the best with elite athletes, NBA Bubble life and hypnosis.
Check out Navin’s website www.navinhealth.com. He also is hosting a great Podcast titled 9’ to Thrive with Navin (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/9-to-thrive-with-navin/id1522580218) and can be found on IG @navin.het and Twitter @navin_H.
Upper Left Performance #27 Mike Tucker - Exploring the Hi/Lo Model in College Football, Speed & Agility Considerations
Mike Tucker is the Head Athletic Performance Coach for Villanova Football. He is entering his third year at the program and has done an incredible job implementing the High/Low model into the football setting in order to best develop high outputs and robust aerobic bases. In this episode we talk about scheduling the right stressors at the right time, modifying lifts in-season to accommodate football stressors and progressions for COD/Agility drills.
This was an awesome deep dive into planning out a year of football training while avoiding common pitfalls such rigid warmups, an overabundance of medium intensity stressors and a lack of attention to sprinting. Mike is doing big things and I appreciate him sharing this information as he has done throughout quarantine on a weekly basis on his outstanding zoom chats.
Mike can be found on IG @tuckermike43 and on Twitter @novafb_strength
Upper Left Performance #26 Brijesh Patel - Quadrant Training, RPR and Eliminating Reductionism
Here is the Youtube link for this pod, which contains some visuals that Brijesh shows me throughout our conversation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KF_vS53ps7Q
Brijesh Patel is the longtime Head Strength and Conditioning Coach for Quinnipiac University where he works directly with the men's and women's basketball and hockey programs while overseeing the development of all 21 of the university's athletic programs.
He is also utilizing the quadrant system that I have used in writing my ebook so I knew I had to get him on to see the pros and cons of implementing this system. What transpired was an awesome conversation about using a common language between performance coaches, athletes and sport coaches. Brijesh also discusses some of the training he used in-season and how it compares to his brutal, legendary offseason workouts.
We also delve into RPR. Do we see diminishing returns with it or does the patterns it engrains begin to stick? Though nutrition isn't my strong suit, Brijesh also talks about a cool product called UCAN before giving some amazing advice on staying humble, maintaining growth and taking on a truly holistic mindset.
Make sure you check out Brijesh's website where he is offering mentorship opportunities and follow him on IG @bpatel515. I loved this conversation and can't wait to start utilizing Brijesh's services myself to better hone my craft. He truly gets it and possesses a powerful perspective that must be shared!
Upper Left Performance #25 Joel Smith - Coaching with Curiosity
If you are into S&C podcasts, then you know Joel Smith as the host of the Just Fly Performance Podcast. I thought it would be fun to flip the script and bring him on as a guest to share some of his most recent learning experiences both through hosting his podcast and coaching athletes. And of course, Joel didn't disappoint as we discussed some his various training methodologies for his athletes at Cal; how coaches can embrace a more random, game-like approach to the weight room; preventing excessive high intensity training that can blunt the development process; and sprinting and jumping (you didn't think I'd pass up a chance to talk about that). I really enjoyed listening to Joel speak with such depth on a variety of topics. His curious approach and willingness to try anything has led to some really incredible revelations that allow him to have more tools in his toolbox than almost anyone I've spoken to. I truly believe all of his ideas carry some serious weight and should be considered by the profession as a way to air out some of the staleness that pervades our industry. Be sure to support Joel's podcast and website and also look into purchasing one of his books (Speed Strength is a must read for S&C coaches). His latest book, Best Foot Forward comes out soon as well!
Upper Left Performance #24 Leaving the Strength and Conditioning Silo - Tactical and Technical Development in Sport
Strength coaches often complain that sport coaches do not understand physical development and proper general training. However, we forget that tactical and technical elements are king in the game of performance. So why not leave our silo and go learn from sport coaches? This is the first of many discussions I hope to have with sport coaches to better understand the structure of sport and how to reverse engineer my process from the field to the weight room instead of the opposite approach we so commonly utilize.
Special thanks to these panelists who got the ball rolling! Matt Troy is the head volleyball coach at Johns Hopkins and is fresh off an undefeated season in which his ladies won the DIII National Championship, Max Watson is the head men's soccer coach at VMI and Kyle Bakas is the head men's soccer coach at Coe College.
I ask you to let me know if you have any good guest recommendations for similar topics. Streamlining the development and performance process is critical to winning and it's time to leave our silos and share information across fields.
Upper Left Performance #23 Dr. Michelle Boland - What We Say Matters: Building Positive Relationships with People, Organizing Knowledge and the Many Facets of Hard Work
Dr. Michelle Boland is the owner of Michelle Boland Training and has previous experience as a strength and conditioning coach for Northeastern University. Michelle also has her MS in S&C and her PhD in Exercise Physiology from Springfield College where she was mentored by Pat Davidson. Needless to say, with all this experience Michelle is one of the more insightful minds in the business and she dropped some serious knowledge on this episode.
In the show, Michelle talks about the importance of consolidating and organizing information to better access and apply it. We also discuss the importance of language in relationships, the state of a college S&C education, how sport coaches and S&C coaches can bridge gaps and the multi-faceted concept of hard work, which Michelle wrote about in a blog post found at https://www.michelleboland-training.com/blog/hard-work
Michelle’s perspective is second to none and I was beyond pumped about what a tremendous conversation this was. I highly recommend you check out her website where she is offering training and mentorship. You can also follow here on IG @dr.michelleboland
Upper Left Performance #22 Black Lives Matter Zoom Call w/ Jamal Hill Richardson-Albini & Brenan Ghassemieh
I run a weekly Zoom Call for coaches, which is open to all (sign up via the link in my bio on IG). This past week was a massively important call discussing the Black Lives Matter movement and I felt it necessary to post the audio on the podcast.
It's not often you have your perception completely altered in a weekend, but when Jamal and Brenan share stuff like this...just wow.
We have so much work to do to right a lot of wrongs. "What can I do?" is something I'll be trying to answer over the next several weeks and then take action on for the rest of my life. I hope many of you feel compelled to do the same after listening.
Upper Left Performance #21 Dan Brandi - Rethinking the Energy System Model with Moxy, Concurrent vs. Block Periodization
Dan Brandi is the owner of Build, a gym in Connecticut where he trains athletes and general population utilizing a concurrent model of training and a handful of cool pieces of technology. One of these is the Moxy Monitor which can help determine O2 delivery and utilization at the muscular level. In today’s episode, Dan and I discuss how the Moxy is helping to reframe the energy system model with O2 being the centerpiece. We also talk about O2’s connection to PCr, why we need to understand individual differences to prevent training for the wrong adaptations and concurrent training vs. periodization.
Dan can be found on IG @buildct where he posts some outstanding training content detailing much of what we talked about on the pod. You can also check out his website Build Perform for more info on his services.
Upper Left Performance #20 Logan Paulsen - Load Management in the NFL, Coach/Athlete Relationships, Restructuring Offseason Training to Reduce Injury Risk
Upper Left Performance #19 Adarian Barr - Speed Concepts: Effort not Force, Playing not Training, Impulse and Timing
Adarian Barr is a human movement coach located in Northern California. His sprint concepts are gaining notoriety in the S&C world and they are a breath of fresh air in a realm where things have been getting quite stale. I have been fortunate enough to get to know Adarian the past six months and talking with him about movement has been instrumental in my development as a speed coach.
In the episode we discuss force and effort and how we can use our bodies to apply force in more effortless ways to go faster. We also touch on his foundational concepts for young athletes and why play and self-discovery are so important. Finally we dive into impulse and ground contacts times and why stiffness or pretension might not be ideal to promote timing and smooth gait.
This will hopefully be the first of many chats I have with Adarian. His passion and ability to piece together thoughtful analysis and information is unparalleled. To learn more about his concepts check out barrunning.com for learning modules, products and seminars. He is also on IG @barrunning.
Upper Left Performance #18 Dan Liburd - Training for Life and Ironmans, Sampling Athletic Pursuits
I brought Dan on to discuss his training and balancing all those endeavors, but beyond that he shared some incredible stories about leading a blind runner in a marathon, his first triathlon experience and how his training has helped him as a coach. Furthermore, it was fascinating to hear him discuss some of the physical changes he's undergone and how he has structured his training to compete in many disciplines at once. For Dan, his training is the ultimate learning experience and all coaches should try and adopt this mentality.
Upper Left Performance #17 Erik Huddleston - The Impact of Shapes, Pressure, Fluid and Guts on Force Production and Absorption, Oscillatory Isometrics and the Consolidation of Stressors
Erik Huddleston is the Director of Performance at Indianapolis Fitness and Sports Training and this was without question one of the most informative chats I've had to date on ULP. He works closely with Bill Hartman at IFAST and as such has been well schooled in some very revolutionary concepts involving the the human body. In particular, Bill has done some tremendous work analyzing the various shapes of the body and how they influence internal fluids and pressures that in turn affect the position of the guts in movement.
In this episode, Erik lays out some of the basic groundwork of this model and why it matters in S&C. Force production and absorption is heavily affected by peoples' shapes as are the different stages of propulsion in the gait cycle. Erik lays out the tendencies and compensations for different shapes and how to tweak your training/exercise selection for such considerations. He also hones in on the purpose of Oscillatory Isometric training and where it can fit into a program. Finally we discuss consolidating training and sport workloads to allow baseball pitchers to peak for each start. For anyone interested in more on the topic of stress, check out my ebook Quadrant Training.
Erik can be found on IG @eph.24. Many of the topics we discussed can be found on his feed. You can check out IFAST here or drop Erik a line at erikhudd@gmail.com.
Upper Left Performance #16 Jamal Hill Richardson-Albini - Finding Flow State in the Fight Game, Balancing Stressors as a MMA Fighter
Jamal Hill Richardson-Albini is a world champion Karate and Kickboxing martial artist. He is also a strength coach, former division one basketball player and business owner. So he has a lot of stories and we had a lot of time to sit back and kick it at his gym, Prevail Fitness in Laguna Beach this past month.
Jamal gave me the run down on his athletic career and motivations, learning to find his ideal flow state before fights (it took him some tinkering with his walk-in music to get the right vibe), and what the flow state means to each individual. We also dove down the rabbit hole in regard to the training schedules of MMA fighters and just how insane they are, which led into some really interesting places.
Jamal has been a good friend for a few years now and I love talking training with him. He is very meticulous in his approach yet knows when to turn his brain off and compete, a rare find in our world.
Jamal can be found on IG @jamal_pinokio
You can check out his gym Prevail Strength on IG @prevailstrength
Upper Left Performance #15 Lorenzo Alexander - Using Relationships, Self-Discovery and S&C to Extend an NFL Career, What Athletes Look for in a Coach
On the pod, we discussed Lorenzo's ability to adapt in a league that has changed significantly since he entered it. His approach to training, his willingness to open himself up to support, and how his mindset changed through his career are really what sets him apart. We talked about the importance of building trust between coaches and players, how players respond to different coaching strategies and individualizing an approach to the needs of the athlete in front of us. Lorenzo is also embarking on his own coaching journey as he is working on his EXOS Performance Specialist certification and I can't wait to see the impact he will continue to make on athletes everywhere.
Lorenzo can be found on the following social media platforms:
IG: @lorenzo_john
Twitter: @onemangang97
Lorenzo is also starting a podcast, The Lo-Down so be on the lookout for that. In addition, you can support his ACES Foundation where he works with high school athletes to better prepare them for the next level.
Upper Left Performance #14 Zac Cupples - Assessing Inhalation and Exhalation Strategies, Practically Applying PRI-Related Concepts in Group Settings
I have interacted with Zac numerous times over the past 3-4 years and his willingness to help me in my career and education have always been appreciated. His Human Matrix seminar is one of the industry’s hot tickets as he spends weekends all over the country simplifying movement for practitioners. He also works remotely with clients including myself providing solutions to achieve better performance and health for athletes and gen pop.
Zac can be found on the follow platforms:
IG: @zaccupples
Twitter: @ZCupples
Here are some links to his various offerings:
Website
Human Matrix Foundations
Movement Consultation
Online Mentoring
Online Training
And finally, a few notes from the show:
Drunken Turtle
90-90 Hip Lift
All Fours Breathing
Loserthink Book
Powerlifting Article
Upper Left Performance #13 Rob Campbell - Using Force Plates to Guide Programming and Exercise Selection
Rob Campbell is this week’s guest and is here to talk all about force plate technology. Rob is the Head Strength and Conditioning Coach for the Detroit Red Wings with prior experience at the New York Mets and St. Louis Blues and gives some terrific analysis on how to meld technology with the art of coaching to get the best results for his athletes.
We discussed the high-performance model being implemented by the Red Wings and the different variables you can obtain from force plate testing. Rob details what these variables mean and what implications they could have upon exercise selection and training. Rob also talks about the various qualities different groups of players tend to have and how to best potentiate the right qualities. He had some great insight on gameday lifting and also shared advice on how young coaches can advance their career.
Rob can be found on the following platforms:
For more on the concepts we discussed here, check out this presentation from Eric Renaghan of the St Louis Blues on force plate application.
Upper Left Performance #12 Sam Portland - Knowing Your Role and Making the Most of It, Training Considerations for Speed, Providing a Good RTP Environment
Sam Portland is a Strength and Conditioning Coach with experience at several professional Rugby teams in the UK. He is currently operating his own company Sportland where he trains athletes ranging from the NFL to the Olympics.
I brought Sam on to discuss speed, RTP protocols and having a business during this pandemic. While we hit those things, we also took a deep dive on the state of S&C in our current world and had a ton of fun doing it. Sam is passionate, genuine and was extremely gracious to come on after I botched our recording time due to being bad at figuring out time differences.
I really enjoyed talking to Sam about aligning efforts between professions in rehab and building certainty for athletes by using KPIs. Our discussion on speed with team sport athletes was really interesting and he went in depth on training one of his NFL athletes and the changes he made with him.
Sam can be found on the following platforms
IG: @coach_sportland
Sam is also offering some outstanding training programs listed below that can be utilized during this pandemic. He was cool enough to give UPL listeners a discount on his programs. Use the code: POD
Upper Left Performance #11 Josh Washington - Finding S&C as a Second Career, Owning Every Moment
Josh Washington is a S&C Coach with the University of Auburn men's basketball team where he helped the program make the Final Four in 2019. He has previous experience with the Sacramento Kings, University of Stanford and Marquette.
Like Josh, I started my post-college career working in a field that had nothing to do with exercise science. We both made our way to this field through self-discovery and a love of training and even both had our cars totaled/stolen while in grad school. I loved hearing Josh detail his journey and be challenged by the likes of Dr. Ramsey Nijem and Cory Schlesinger. His insights on asking questions and challenging the status quo were particularly poignant for me as I think that is the mindset we all need to have to evolve the profession.
Having met Josh last year the Bay Area Sports Symposium, I saw Josh's passion during the roundtable that featured the entire Sacramento King's staff and knew I had to get him on the show. Josh has had some big moments in his career already and has met all of them with that same passion. His authenticity and care for the craft has set in motion what is sure to be a memorable career in S&C.
You can find Josh on Instagram: @strengthcoachjw
Upper Left Performance #10 Kristina Ushakova - Identifying and Making the Most of Opportunity, the Status of Females in S&C
Kristina Ushakova is a strength coach in Vermont with experience as a GA and weightlifter at East Tennessee State University. She has coaching experience at ETSU and the University of Vermont and was accepted as part of the high performance team at US Ski and Snowboard this summer.
I love to talking to coaches who also participated in college sports especially when they really understand the nuances of coaching and Kristina certainly fits that mold. By identifying good mentors and sacrificing countless hours to extra work in the research department at ETSU, she has created some outstanding opportunities for herself. Many young coaches don't understand what it truly takes to be successful in this industry, but Kristina gets it so this is a powerful listen.
We also discuss her perception of female coaches in S&C. I loved hearing her opinion on what needs to change and what is currently working. Kristina has done some research on females in S&C and some of the conclusions she reached in that research left plenty of food for thought about what we can all do better to be inclusive.
Kristina's Website: Pushakova Performance
Instagram: @_kushakova
Upper Left Performance #9 Adam Virgile - Data Driven Performance Analysis in the NHL, Evolving the Athlete Questionnaire
Adam Virgile is the Sports Science Coordinator for the University of Vermont. Formerly a Performance Analyst and Strength Coach for the New York Rangers, Adam helped evolve the Sports Science model in the NHL, creating a unique database to track training loads and open up more lines of communication between coaches and players on best practices for optimal performance.
Now at UVM, Adam is responsible for developing data driven insights to all sports with a special emphasis on men's ice hockey. He is also an Adjunct Professor at UVM, teaching the next generation of strength coaches how to incorporate technology into their skillset. Finally Adam is a PhD candidate doing some extensive research into improving wellness questionnaires so that they can better impact decision-making on training loads.
What Adam has done over the last several years is really unique and we went in depth on what he helped build with the Rangers and how it impacted the franchise. We also chatted at length about his PhD project, which ought to further the model of athlete questionnaires and align coach/athlete perceptions of stressors.
Adam's Website
Instagram: @adam.virgile
Twitter: @adamvirgile
Upper Left Performance #8 Kosta Telegadas - The Power of a Network and Prioritizing Culture in Harsh Environments
Today we talk networking and the power of conversing with other coaches to both learn and advance a career. Kosta Telegadas joins the show to talk about how he did just that while working as a GA at the University of Miami and how it translated to a job at EXOS in Detroit as a Performance Specialist. Kosta gives some great tips on how to network humbly and effectively while also learning from other coaches in the process. He also goes in depth on some of things he has done in job interviews to give him an extra edge.
We also discuss simplicity in training for most athletes and how he worked on changing the culture in the weight room at Henrico High School in VA. While our priorities as S&C coaches might be more focused on athletic performance, there are many cases where that often isn't all that important and Kosta learned that firsthand at Henrico.
Kosta can be found on the following social media platforms:
Instagram: @coach_telegadas
Twitter: @KTelegadas
Upper Left Performance #7 Sean Light - Rethinking the S&C Model and What Makes Elite Athletes Great
Sean Light is the Founder and CEO of the 4A Health Club and is revolutionizing S&C with his GenMax model. He also happens to be a good friend and mentor. Sean is a coach, entrepreneur, teacher and lifelong learner who has spent time in the MLB with the Arizona Diamondbacks and NBA with the Los Angeles Lakers. In short, he has a ton of experience and has profoundly impacted myself and countless other coaches with his ideas and model.
On the show, Sean discusses what makes elite athletes so special and how many of us do not understand the level of preparation and work that goes into making them great. He also talks about how the common perception of hard work is not the key to their success. Many in the world and in S&C misunderstand what type of work must be done to ensure elite athleticism and Sean goes in depth on some outside the box concepts such as the neurological emergency brake, gait, and fluid athleticism in an extension based, sympathetic world.
Sean's perspective of elite athletes is spot on in my opinion and illustrates the need for a change in the mindset of coaches to accommodate the gifts athletes possess. He also discusses how S&C can alter commonly held dogma to fit this world of elite athleticism.
Sean's time in the minor league yielded some terrific stories which he also shares before outlining his latest entrepreneurial exploits with the 4A Health Club. This venture focuses on education and networking for coaches across the country and has been of vital importance to my recent development.
Sean's Website: 4A Health Club
Twitter: @slight20
Instagram: @slight20
Upper Left Performance #6 Kevin Ives - Getting into Grad School, Life After Being an Elite Athlete
Kevin Ives is a former bobsled athlete for Team USA and a two-sport division I athlete (football and soccer). He is also a great teacher, coach and friend. Kevin has spent time as an S&C coach at the University of Mary Washington and Wounded Warrior Project and is now the Health and Wellness Supervisor for Mountain Fitness in Gypsum, CO. He also owns Nomadic Fitness where he offers his services as a trainer and certified yoga instructor.
Most importantly Kevin has spent the past two years preparing to enter into grad school to continue coaching and also plunge into research. Kevin's wide array of experiences and desire to continue performing at a high level as an athlete is a potent combination especially when combined with his passion for helping others. Kevin was born to be a coach and teacher and I am so thrilled to have been a part of helping him further his education.
In today's episode, we discuss his journey and process of selecting Old Dominion University for grad school. We also talk about how valuable to it is to have a former athlete who is so attuned to coaching and then Kevin shares some of his stories about being on the US bobsled team.
You can find Kevin on Instagram @Kivess6
Upper Left Performance #5 - George Greene - Implementing a High Performance Model in the NCAA
George Greene is the Associate Athletic Director of High Performance and Competitive Success at Stony Brook University. With the high performance model becoming more commonplace in US sports, George is on the forefront of bringing it the college sector. He is the first S&C coach in the country to manage competitive success and has been instrumental in enhancing the student athlete experience at Stony Brook.
George and I discuss the many facets of his role in providing a holistic mindset for his athletes. George details the level of collaboration between himself and the various sectors of the athletic department, his oversight of the nutrition program and his continued efforts to educate his athletes with data driven insights into their performance and recovery.
George also outlines his work in the gym with the men's basketball program and how "feel" is important in making programming decisions. His insight on building relationships was especially impactful as nothing is more an important to a streamlined approach in a high performance setting with all the moving parts involved. I really enjoyed this conversation and urge other collegiate S&C coaches to think about George's message, which left me thinking about how much more I could provide for my athletes by communicating and sharing information with others.
George can be found on the following platforms:
IG: @Greenestrength
Twitter: @Greenestrength
Upper Left Performance #4 Collin Kohlasch - Kicking Off the Coaching Journey: How Young Coaches Can Get a Full-Time Job In Collegiate S&C
I feel that many S&C podcasts ask experienced coaches to give advice to young coaches. While this is very valuable, I have decided to go right to the source and interview several young strength coaches on how they landed jobs, networked, picked their places of education, etc. I know I made my fair share of mistakes in identifying mentors and choosing academic institutions. Only recently have I gotten more comfortable networking and reaching out to other coaches as well. I only wish I had done these things at a higher level earlier in my career so I am dedicating several shorter podcasts to career development for young coaches from the mouths of other young strength coaches who I feel are succeeding.
First off is Collin Kohlasch who just finished his first year at Lindenwood University in St. Louis. Collin works with Women's hockey and lacrosse as well as men's lacrosse. He spent two years as a GA at George Washington University and also interned at George Mason with a brief stint for the Washington Capitals as well.
Collin did an incredible job staying patient and locating an ideal situation out of grad school. Lindenwood is an outstanding university and Collin utilized his network to acquire a great position right off the jump. In addition we talk about load monitoring and bridging the gap between athletes and coaches. Hope you enjoy!
You can follow Collin:
On Twitter @ckohlasch
On IG @c_kohlasch
Upper Left Performance #3 Zack Nielsen - The New Age of Strength and Conditioning: Tactical
Zack Nielsen joins the show to talk about the shift from collegiate to tactical S&C. Zack is part of the Army's Holistic Health & Fitness (H2F) program and he discusses the primary differences between working with athletes and soldiers; the cultural mindset of the military and how S&C can play an integral role in its evolution; and the importance of teaching coping skills to anyone a coach works with. We also chat about the growing number of opportunities within tactical S&C and how the lifestyle could be a welcome alternative to coaching in sports.
This was a terrific episode as Zack is a good friend who grew up as an Army brat, was a highly competitive NCAA athlete, coached in the NCAA at several schools and now works with soldiers. His perspective is perfect for these topics and our shared love of punk rock was a nice little cherry on top.
Upper Left Performance #2 Ryan Connor - Viewing Speed Through the Lens of Timing and Unilateral Training for Youth Athletes
Ryan Connor is today's guest and he talks about the importance of having timing be the central focus of quality speed training for youth athletes. Ryan explains his system for teaching speed and then how he incorporates weight training and some PRI-related concepts to restore sagittal plane competency for his kids. He also talks about how he tries to consolidate stressors given the other demands imposed upon youth athletes. Finally, he gives a few tips for young coaches attempting to start their own business.
Ryan has seven year coaching experience and has spent the past year growing his business, Takeover Sports and Performance https://www.facebook.com/takeoversports/. He resides in the Philadelphia area and is one of the best I've talked to when it comes to practical application for youth athlete development. Follow him on IG @coachrconnor.
Upper Left Performance #1 Conor Harris - Gait Training, the Power of the Nervous System and Speed
Conor Harris joins the show to talk about the PRI principles of gait, the nervous system's power over the whole body, shoewear, vision training, and Adarian Barr's speed concepts. Conor can be found on IG and Twitter @conor_harris_ while his website with options to join his coaches club or to sign up for remote personal training is https://www.thepinnacleperformance.com/. Check him out and thanks for listening!