NFJ Podcast

A discussion on nutrition and body composition with a couple new expert members.  If simply having more muscle doesn't dramatically increase one's metabolism, what part of gaining muscle makes it worth-while in improving body composition? How does one gain muscle without resistance training? What is the greatest falsehood in conventional nutrition and body composition science? Meeting Date: 5/26/17 - Attending Members: Jon Greenwich - The Miller Method (Dr. Todd Miller & Stephanie Mull ) - Patrick Rahm - Johannah Zabal

"The motto of the NFJ.  A discussion around questions that a few members have been considering recently. How do high doses of sugar make children hyper?  Why or when should we label ANY resistance training exercise prescription as “endurance”?  Do all of us high intensity and high volume exercisers have a kind of intrinsic opioid addiction?...and several others." Meeting Date: 4/19/17 - Attending Members: Jordan Carter - Jon Greenwich - Patrick Rahm - Johannah Zabal

"If forced to choose, would you focus on improving one's strength or movement? How quickly and easily should we expect “good movement” to be restored once limitations are removed? How do we learn to move if we're never taught specifically how? How do we safely progress one's fitness when their movement CANNOT be improved?" Meeting Date: 2/15/17 - Attending Members: Jordan Carter - Tyler Koch - Patrick Rahm - Johannah Zabal

"The stigmas, side effects, and potential upsides of steroid use are discussed. For the military, would the potential upsides out-weigh the potential down-sides? If allowed within certain realms of society, could they be contained? What would be the consequences? Is gene editing the next and potentially safer avenue to continue pushing human limits?" Meeting Date: 1/18/17 - Attending Members: Tyler Koch - Patrick Rahm - Johannah Zabal

"The works of Vladimir Zatsiorsky & Brad Schoenfeld fuel much of the discussion. What THREE occurrences at the muscle make any training method used to elicit hypertrophy effective? Drop sets, supersets, forced reps, clusters, and heavy negatives seem to be all be touched by at least one of these three. The future with occlusion training and myostatin end the discussion." Meeting Date: 12/21/16 - Attending Members: Paul Berry - Patrick Rahm - Johannah Zabal

"Members struggle distinguishing between intrinsic and extrinsic motivators. The Self-Efficacy Model, modeling, and "being heard" seem relevant and may influence motivation within a training environment. A member presents his incentive model for the coming football strength and conditioning season for critique by the group." Meeting Date: 11/16/16 - Attending Members: Jordan Carter - Tyler Koch - Jon Greenwich - Patrick Rahm - Johannah Zabal

"Clarification on the definition of effect size and how it may relate to our practice. How does it differ from statistical significance? For exercise selection, where in the order does it fall when determining and ultimately prescribing all the specifics of an exercise prototcol? The discussion shifts, in a good way, to the topic of intensity and over training." Meeting Date: 10/19/16 - Attending Members: Tyler Koch - Jon Greenwich - Patrick Rahm - Johannah Zabal

"Refining a patient, client or athlete's awareness to their own level of readiness seems to be the primary goal of many NFJ members. However, is everyone mature enough to handle the awareness of their own readiness? Note: When suffering from influenza, Michael Jordan dropped 38 points (not 60) on the Utah Jazz." Meeting Date: 9/21/16 - Attending Members: Alison Blake - Jordan Carter - Jon Greenwich - Tyler Koch - Patrick Rahm - Johannah Zabal

"Which is a more robust driver of fitness - intensity or volume? How do you pronounce “voluminous”? How do we perceive and prescribe intensity when considering the response from all the bodily systems, including the lymphatic system? Discussion wraps up with talk on Crossfit creating beasts and overtraining syndrome." Meeting Date: 5/18/16 - Attending Members: Jon Greenwich - Patrick Rahm

"What's the difference between motivation and inspiration? How does enlightenment fit in?… if at all. Eliciting awe, humility, gratitude, and rage are some of the many tools utilized to inspire. Sources of inspiration seem to come from anywhere and, as usual, everyone is inspired differently." Meeting Date: 4/20/16 - Attending Members: Patrick Rahm - Tim Ridley

"A majority of us want to preserve our health. But there's more to the “self” then just our health. Can our identity interfere with our ability to improve and change? Our vague, often inaccurate perceptions of pain, risk and time muddy the waters. How do we coach people through these perceptions? Can people change how they perceive themselves?" Meeting Date: 2/17 /16 - Attending Members: Alison Blake - Craig Jones - Patrick Rahm - Natasha Tully

"Power, strength, and size are often used interchangeably. How does power differ? Are the intentions behind training strength and power the same? Which exercises and intensities are utilized? Can we teach suddenness? Velocity based training, Brian Mann, and Cal Dietz are staples in the discussion. Lastly, shouldn't power be prioritized in those aged 70 + years?" Meeting Date: 1/20/16 - Attending Members: Jon Greenwich - Patrick Rahm - Grady Renfrow - Tim Ridley - Johannah Zabal

"Achieving the "correct" depth in the back squat exercise continues to be debated; more of that here. Babies, basketball players, power-lifters, and Crossfit all seem to complicate the issue. Are the GOAL and TIME what ultimately determine the role and "look" of the back squat within any training program?" Meeting Date: 12/16/15 - Attending Members: Harrison Bernstein - Alison Blake - Jon Greenwich - Patrick Rahm - Grady Renfrow - Johannah Zabal

"Early considerations on monitoring technology in health & performance. What do we monitor now and what will we be monitoring in the future? The discussion reverts to familiar, low-tech monitoring methods. Going forward, what potential uses and challenges will there be? What about obtaining consent to collect and store data?" Meeting Date: 11/18/15 - Attending Members:  Alison Blake - Jon Greenwich - Patrick Rahm - Tim Ridley

"A “back to basics” discussion on programming. A review of the principles underlining any training program with a focus on the interaction between variation and progressive overload. Inevitably, the art of coaching any program makes its way into the discussion. Programming for fat loss finishes things off." Meeting Date: 10/21/15 - Attending Members: Alison Blake - Jon Greenwich - Patrick Rahm - Tim Ridley

"What are some instances where body fat should be maintained or gained? Considering body composition's effect on health, how much of the problem is caused by deficiencies in vitamins and minerals? How does fitness and physical activity rank in importance against body composition and other metrics of health?" Meeting Date: 9/16/15 - Attending Members: Alison Blake - Beth Donnelly - Jon Greenwich - Patrick Rahm - Tim Ridley

"Which kind of drills or exercises may make an athlete more reactive? Isn't all training essentially reactive? What role does “decision-making-speed” play? Can one be primed to be more reactive and / or decide quicker? How can performance and sport coaches be collaborating more effectively in this respect?" Meeting Date: 7/15/15 - Attending Members: Harrison Bernstein - Beth Donnelly - Jon Greenwich - Patrick Rahm - Grady Renfrow - Tim Ridley

The line between speed training and conditioning is often blurred. What four variables determine whether one is training for speed or conditioning? Is there a misalignment in perceptions of fatigue between sport and performance coaches? Lastly, a coaching technique involving dog whistles...and maybe a gong." Meeting Date: 6/3/15 - Attending Members: Harrison Bernstein - Jon Greenwich - Patrick Rahm - Grady Renfrow - Johannah Zabal

"An open discussion between three previous athletes and current fitness professionals. A professor of exercise physiology jumps in late with a valuable contribution. Included are thoughts on the world of exercise competitions, self periodization, ambition, inspiration, toughness, adversity, failure, and the importance of support and the built environment." Meeting Date : 4/29/15 - Attending Members : Harrison Bernstein - Patrick Rahm - Grady Renfrow

"There are many obvious and some not-so-obvious differences to acknowledge when coaching females and males. Do preferences for coaching styles differ between genders? If so, are the differences rooted in physiology or culture, or both? Can other personality traits overpower the influence of gender?" Meeting Date: 4/15/15 - Attending Members: Harrison Bernstein - Alison Blake - Jon Greenwich - Patrick Rahm - Johannah Zabal

"Best guesses on the future of the industry. What's the current environment and how will it change? Which populations are currently served well. Which ones will need better attention? In what settings or formats will this occur? Also, a brief interlude on scope of practice of fitness professionals." Meeting Date: 4/1/15 - Attending Members: Jon Greenwich - Steven Pazan - Patrick Rahm - Johannah Zabal

"Members discuss this challenge of determining “how much” in exercise prescription. Are there lessons to learn from pharmacology? How can exercise professionals first determine and then safely stay within the “therapeutic window” when dosing exercise." Meeting Date: 3/18/15 - Attending Members: Harrison Bernstein - Alison Blake - Jon Greenwich - Steve Pazan - Patrick Rahm - Johannah Zabal

"What is “good” or “bad” for you? These are old questions that aren't easy to answer. Regardless, there have been and continue to be many proposed answers. Members discuss and critique several of them and offer pieces of their own." Meeting Date: 3/5/15 - Attending Members: Harrison Bernstein - Amanda Buckley - Patrick Rahm - Kelley Vargo - Johannah Zabal

"A Montessori education emphasizes independence and a limited freedom to choose. Coaching this self-guided approach may also apply well in fitness. As professionals, is it our duty to coach people towards self-reliance and ultimately exercise independence?" Meeting Date: 2/18/15 - Attending Members: Harrison Bernstein - Amanda Buckley - Patrick Rahm - Johannah Zabal

"Setting expectations, and managing them with care, is essential to sustaining our personal and professional relationships. Members share their perspectives on how to do this successfully. Considering the complexity of humans and unpredictability of life, this is no easy task." Meeting Date: 2/4/15 - Attending Members: Harrison Bernstein - Patrick Rahm - Kelley Vargo - Johannah Zabal

"A brief review on complex training. What variables can and should be manipulated when programming complex training to maximize effectiveness? Is the true value of complex training in it's reflection / representation of the dynamic nature of sport itself?" Meeting Date: 1/21/15 - Attending Members: Jon Greenwich - Patrick Rahm - Grady Renfrow

"NFJ members try to distinguish the difference between coaching methods and coaching styles. The all-important “defining of terms” begins the discussion. What follows is a thorough analysis of the importance, personal prioritization and interaction of each. Can one teach other coaches to adopt a style of coaching?"  Meeting Date: 1/7/15 - Attending Members: Harrison Bernstein - Jon Greenwich - Patrick Rahm - Grady Renfrow - Johannah Zabal

"There are data suggesting that many ACSM certified exercise professionals lack knowledge on the ACSM guidelines. How important is it to have and know guidelines? What other sources should professionals consult to ensure best practice?" Meeting Date: 12/18/14 - Attending Members: Harrison Bernstein - Matt Falkenham - Patrick Rahm - Grady Renfrow - Johannah Zabal

"The first meeting of The National Fitness Junto (NFJ) begins with an introduction and description of the NFJ followed by a discussion on nutrition." Meeting Date: 12/3/14 - Attending Members: Harrison Bernstein - Jon Greenwich - Patrick Rahm - Grady Renfrow - Kelley Vargo - Johannah Zabal