Operation Exercise

In Episode 22, I sit down with Providence Tucker, an Ex- Collegiate Football/ Soccer player, a current fitness manager and an athletic performance coach. We talk about the game of football (soccer) how it has evolved in recent years with the physical demands placed on players. How these demands lead to certain injuries and how we, as strength coaches can help players be less at risk of an injury and even improve sporting performance.

Rugby has a rich culture when it comes to personality and playing style. With the sport being so physically demanding, sometimes coaches can make or break themselves by trying to change it or just go with it. Lindenwood Rugby prides it self for having one of the best rugby teams for both 15s and 7s. This week I am joined by Matt Mata'u, their strength and conditioning coach, to talk about, exactly what its like to get the best out of those guys or girls, without trying to fight wars against them.

On Episode 20, I sit down with Dr. Grogan, a chiropractor and owner of Back Pain Centre and Trainology Fitness Systems. We dive into what the Joint by Joint approach is, where each area of the body qualifies as a stable joint or as a mobile joint. Whenever these joints get injured or we just do not move properly, a stable joint becomes mobile and a mobile joint becomes stable. As these joints are not suited for these functions, more often than not, these compensations lead to injuries. Chiropractors see this very often from an athletic population and general population too, for different reasons. On this episode we break down the reasons for these compensations, injuries and also ways in which to help solve them.

On this weeks show I sit down with JD Mehlhorn, The Head of Olympic Sports @Georgia State. We discuss the common misconceptions players and coaches have about how pre season should be run. Many of us as athletes dread pre season because we come into it and on the first day were tired and our hamstrings are tight. It shouldnt really be like this surely? No. Coach JD takes us through how a good pre season should be planned with ascending volumes in order to prepare the body, not hurt it. Tune in to learn about the truths of pre season and listen about different ways this can be applied to multiple sports.

In Episode 18 I sit down with one of my old coaches Trenton Crain, who is currently the Olympic Lifting coach at Lindenwood University. On the show we talk about what the lifting is as a sport, how this helps in certain explosive sports and also what can be its drawbacks in terms of coaching it and exploiting its benefits. We then talk about how best to get the same results without using olympic lifts in a strength program.

On episode 17, I break down why it is so important for a player to be coachable. Too many athletes think they know everything and do not listen to their coaches or team mates. This is a huge stumbling for many athletes trying to jump from average to good and from good to pro. You should always be looking to improve and that comes from listening to good coaches. If a coach cannot explain his 'Why' that could be a good reason to seek help else where, but until you see that red flag, come into every session wanting to get better. In this podcast I dive deeper into how mentality can influence how far we go in our chosen sport.

This week I am joined by Jeff Davidson, a strength coach from Elon University. We go through his journey in getting to Elon and his development into an American football strength coach. Jeff talks about how good communication has helped him adapt to all the different teams he has worked with. Good communication has allowed him to get good buy in from all athletes and teams he has worked with, he talks about how establishing motive and respect from the start always helps with this. We go on to his journey through the football world and how at first it was all he wanted to work with but now has been opened up to whole new world of all the other teams. Jeff talks about how the football is set up at Elon, with 3 different groups involving, Foundation, Foundation + and Advanced. All these have different goals and athletes, Jeff talks through these goals, especially the Foundation + with whom he works. Lastly, Jeff talks about imposter syndrome. A common thing that strength coaches and athletes can suffer when coming into a huge set up like Elon. We cover how anyone can suffer from this and certain ways in which everyone can help those suffering.

In this episode I catch up with an old roommate and team mate, Sam who graduated from Mckendree in December talks about getting a job as an S&C Coach for Cricket during Covid. He also talks about the challenges that it comes with, as well as adapting to a sport never played or worked with before.

This week Mark Jamison joins me as we uncover what speed truly is. A concept misidentified by many. We go into depth on how training acceleration and speed may differ between different sports. Why biomechanics and body alignment is key for achieving max velocity and finally the philosophies used in both the weightroom and on the field.

As many sports have already finished or are in their final stages, in this episode I focus on how to treat off- season. Many people feel like their body is so broken after season and they have worked so hard that they need to take a lot of time off before coming back in for pre- season. This is where many athletes get it wrong, the body recovers after 1 week and then, the approach to the next season should start. Being prepared early, allows for most success on and off the field. Listen in on how to establish your self in such a mental state, that you are always ready to perform.

In this episode, I am joined by Zach Rockford, the Director of Athletic Performance at Southern Illinois University- Edwardsville. We go through his short and fast journey out of a Bachelors Degree to becoming the director of athletic performance at a D1 university. We then cover the importance of having experience in coaching every sport and knowing what every sport needs, rather than specialising in one. Followed by how technology has evolved recently and the good and the bad, when it comes to using it in training. We finish up by talking about one of Coach Rockfords specialties and that's Women's Volleyball. We go through the needs analysis for it and also how to tackle that analysis once it is made.

In this episode, I sit down with Jessie Chandler, the Associate Director of Athletics at the University of Missouri- St. Louis. As part of her role, Jessie handles any mental health issues that occur with the student- athletes at the university. In the episode we cover the importance of speaking out if something is going wrong, the strategies that universities use in order to help students deal with everyday pressures and how social media can be great for getting help but also very traumatizing and almost the first level of abuse and therefor impacting mental health.

Listen in as I talk with Spenser Scopel, the S&C coach for Womens Basketball at University of North Alabama. We cover his route from undergrad in Exercise Science to having his own team at a D1 College in a space of 3 years. Diving into sport specific injury prevention, periodization and weight room mentality when it comes to basketball. Most importantly, covering how to create positive relationships with your athletes from day one and making sure their transition from high school to college is as smooth as possible.

Talking with an old team mate about the different ways in which strength and conditioning can help in sports. Breaking down the 'Why' behind physical and mental impact of S&C. Ending with how important it is to stay mentally strong during injuries and how to come out stronger post rehab.

Josh McMillian, the Head of Sports Performance at UMSL joins me on this weeks podcast. He covers his journey to this role, why S&C coaches are important, factors behind his programs and the challenges that come with the role, as well as COVID. Great listen for anyone trying to get into the field or for any athletes that want to know what happens on the other side of the weight room.

Episode uncovering some of the myths about the core, actually defining what core stability is and analysing how it can be used to rehab back pelvic injuries and improve sporting performance.

A talk with George about his time being a scholar and a pro with QPR FC. The commitments made and also how to deal with the responsibilities of being a student athlete.

Going into depth on how to prepare and go into elite sports.

Talking about the common muscular imbalances occurring in our body. Focusing on left side vs right. Hips vs Abs. Quads vs Posterior Chain. Pectorals vs Trapezius

On this episode I break down the difference between fast food and cooked food. Digging deeper into why fast food may have a different impact on your body compared to cooked food.

A debate and fact checks on why weightless circuit training may be more beneficial for you than weight training in the gym