Physical Preparation Podcast

When you’re just starting out as a trainer or coach, as the saying goes: You don’t know what you don’t know. And I think this is especially true with regards to writing programs. Whether it’s using antiquated ways to program intensity, making everyone conform to 4-week training cycles, or skipping key steps early-on in the training process, today I want to share with you 10...

We’rrrreeeee back! It’s the February edition of our Q&A podcast, and man do we have a bunch of topics to cover. Performance assessments. Isometric training and testing. Why everyone and their sister is squatting with a heel wedge. And why IFAST is evolving. So without any further ado, let’s jump right in!   Isometrics are one part of a program. A powerful tool? Yes. But...

One of my favorite aspects of this show is getting these little peeks behind the “high performance” curtain. Even if we don’t work in elite sport, or have the resources they have available to them, getting an understanding into the systems and thought processes they use to build the best athletes in the world can still be invaluable. Plus, if I get to talk to a former IFAST intern who is absolutel...

Let’s be real for a minute: Injuries suck. If you’ve been lifting yourself for any period of time, you know that if you push yourself long enough or hard enough, something is bound to crop up. But while injuries might be part of the game, they shouldn’t keep you out of the game. That’s why today I’ve brought Dan Pope on the podcast – to talk about how we can continue to train while injured, but ev...

Have you ever had a client or athlete who was dealing with Achilles pain? Maybe it was a gen pop client who was a little overweight. Maybe it was a weekend warrior whose heel was stiff after a game of basketball or pickleball. Or maybe it was a high performing athlete who was dealing with tendinopathy or rehabbing an Achilles tear. Regardless, Achilles issues are on the rise and as trainers and co...

The World Cup is the pinnacle of the soccer world. You have the best athletes in the world, representing their countries, and doing everything they can to perform at the highest levels in the biggest moments of sport. And while I love nothing more than watching these incredible athletes play, I also love talking to the coaches BEHIND those athletes – the people that help support these amazing athl...

We’re BACK with another Q&A podcast episode! I absolutely love doing these and it allows me to better connect with YOU, my listener. Plus, we get to dabble in a bunch of different topics – from coaching and cuing, to program design, to content creation. So without any further ado, let’s jump into this week’s episode!   If you’re not already a pretty good coac...

Steve Long has been in the fitness industry for almost 20 years now, and according to him, still feels like a dumbass on a weekly to daily basis when working with clients. This feeling drives him to continually learn more, to be able to help his clients, and share some of the best nuggets that he picks up along the way with other training professionals. Like anyone who’s been in the industry for a...

Dr. Comfort is a Professor of Strength and Conditioning and program leader for the Master of Science Strength and Conditioning program at the University of Salford. He is also an adjunct professor at Edith Cowan University in Western Australia. Paul has applied experience across a range of sports and consults with numerous professional and semi-professional sports teams, which he has undertaken th...

Are you a lifelong learner? Someone who is always looking to tweak and refine their craft? If so, this episode is for you! Whether it’s best practices for consuming new information, reflecting on past experiences, or using the mentorship process to deepen our understanding, a commitment to lifelong learning is something that every one of us can benefit from. And that’s why I asked former IFAST int...

Before we dive into this week’s podcast, I just want to start by saying THANK YOU! It’s been an amazing year both personally and professionally, and I couldn’t have had that success without your support. Along those same lines, I want to wish you a Happy Holiday season, and hopefully you get a little extra time with those you love and cherish most. Now let’s jump into our D...

The longer I do this, the more I realize that your journey is never over. You’re never a “finished” product. Take program design, for instance… Since I started in physical preparation, I’ve easily consumed thousands of pieces of content on this topic, including articles, webinars, podcasts, VHS recordings, DVD’s and seminars. And furthermore, I’ve probably...

As an author, speaker and nutrition consultant, Dr. Mike Roussell is known for transforming complex nutritional concepts into practical nutritional habits that his clients can use to ensure permanent weight loss and long lasting health. His clients have included NBA all-stars, Hollywood stars and Silicon Valley executives, all of whom seek him out for his unique ability and experience to translate...

Don’t worry, this podcast WILL NOT involve me peddling advice on stocks, bonds or mutual funds! Instead, we’re going to talk about personal and professional items I’ve invested in in 2022 that have made a profound impact on me either personally or professionally. When we’re young – or perhaps shortsighted – we only look at the “cost” of things. For i...

Tamás Kelemen is the head strength and conditioning coach for the Cirque du Soleil show “O.” Cirque is the largest contemporary circus producer in the world, with 17 active shows, 6 of which reside in Las Vegas. Tamas started off as an athlete, where he was an elite-level gymnast and diver. At the end of his career, he became an artist and diver in “O” for 6 years. When it was time to...

Bringing back a little old-school flavor this week my friend… You see, a few years back, someone asked me this very simple question: If you could give one piece of advice to a young coach or trainer, what would it be? And needless to say, that one little question turned into one really long, in-depth podcast! So with all the travel and things going on the past couple of weeks, I wanted to sh...

It’s estimated that somewhere between 100,000 and 200,000 people tear their ACL every year. And while Achilles tears aren’t anywhere near that level, it’s obvious that the numbers for this injury are on the rise as well. In a best case scenario, with an ACL or Achilles tear you’re looking at a grueling 9, 12 or even as long as 18 month rehab process. And in a worst case scenario? It could be caree...

Longevity, anti-aging and metabolic health are things that have fascinated me for years, so when my guy Joel Jamieson said he wanted to jump on a podcast and talk about this stuff, I was all ears. In this episode, we start by talking about metabolic optimization – including what most people think of when they hear the word “metabolism,” and why Joel has a more well-rounded and diverse definition....

We’re BAAAACCCCCKKKKK! Even though it’s only been a month, it’s actually been more like 6-7 weeks since our last Q&A podcast episode, so I’m excited to dive back in. This week we’re going to talk about program design for both gen pop clients and athletes, how to layer speed development in the R4 section of your workouts, and how to best prepare yourself as a young...

Whether you like it or not, I can say with a lot of confidence that technology in sport is here to stay. As tech becomes more and more prevalent – not to mention more cost effective to private facilities and end-users – I think we’re going to see an explosion in sports science and data-driven training in the years to come. And it’s for that exact reason that today’s guest is Drake Berberet of Hawk...

If you’re a trainer or coach, you have to write programs. And trust me – there are tons of great resources out there to help you. I’m preferential to my Complete Coach Certification or Complete Coach Seminar , but again, I’m biased… But here’s the thing – the X’s and O’s are all fine and dandy, but sometimes you want specifics . Or nitty-gritty details. And sometimes, you just want strategies to h...

Dr. Jennifer Reiner-Marcello has 20 years of experience in the sports performance industry ranging from the private setting, college, and professional teams. Over the last 7 years, she has focused her efforts in baseball including rehabilitation for the San Diego Padres and reconditioning for the Minnesota Twins. While at the Twins, she created and deployed the reconditioning program including est...

Alex Natera is the Manager of Sport Science at the New South Wales Institute of Sport and primary presenter of the Isometric Strength Training webinar series. Prior to his current position, Alex has traveled the globe to work in Rugby Union, the English Premiere League, and the esteemed Aspire Academy. In today’s episode, we’re going to take a deep dive into athletic development – spanning everyth...

We’re back with our monthly Q&A show friend! These have been so much fun to record, and offers a nice balance between me hosting the show, and me (hopefully) providing some of my own unique thoughts and insights into training. This week’s episode is going to cover a ton of questions around program design. We’re going to talk about off-season training layouts, and how to write...

Doug Kechijian is a physical therapist and CEO and co-founder of Resilient Performance Systems. Resilient seeks to systematically explore the continuum between acute rehabilitation and athletic performance. Resilient’s clientele includes athletes and operators from Major League Baseball (MLB), the NBA, professional MMA fighters, the X Games, Winter and Summer Olympics, collegiate athletes as well...