Episodes
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Today’s guest is Hunter Eisenhower, Associate Head Coach for Sports Performance at Arizona State Men’s Basketball. With experience in the NBA and NCAA, Hunter blends force production qualities, data analysis, and variability-driven human training methods to build explosive, adaptable athletes. He’s the creator of the “Force System” and a thought leader in modern athletic performance concepts.
Most athletic performance training is centered around outputs. Movement abilities and qualities are discussed, but there isn’t much quantification process that goes towards an athlete’s raw abilities, such as variable jump strategies alongside stiffness and compliance competencies.
On today’s episode, Hunter shares his approach to offseason prep using general physical means that build that “human strength”—developing capacity alongside movement variability. Hunter also breaks down how he quantifies an athlete’s movement capacities and library, their ability to, balance rigidity and compliance in line with force plate data. We wrap with ideas on foot training and using variable surfaces to meet the demands of dynamic sport. This is a great look at training beyond just big lifts—into the true movement needs of the game.
Today’s episode is brought to you by Hammer Strength and the Just Fly Sports Online Courses
Check out the newest mini-course, Sprint Drills Reloaded on how to maximize sprint drills, their specific strength development, building of major sprint actions, along with better integration of sprint drills into sprinting technique. The special intro sale ends July 1st. (https://justflysports.thinkific.com/courses/sprint-drills-reloaded)
Use the code "justfly25" for 25% off any Lila Exogen wearable resistance training, including the popular Exogen Calf Sleeves. For this offer, head to Lilateam.com
View more podcast episodes at the podcast homepage. (https://www.just-fly-sports.com/podcast-home/)
Main Points and Key Takeaways
2:00- Sandbags, Suffering, and the Mental Edge
6:00- Let Hard and Fun Coexist in Your Program
10:19- The Importance of Variability in Program Design
12:53- Early Off-Season Program Design
19:27- Rewild Your Program: Crawl, Climb, Wrestle, Hang
23:28- Rethink GPP: Don’t Just Prep to Lift—Prep to Move
30:20- Break Barbell Monotony with Sandbags
34:49- Sleds Are a Movement Tool—Not Just a Finisher
41:03- Measure Movement Options—Not Just Output
48:39- Don’t Confuse Explosive with Efficient
54:31- Train Variability by Changing the Rules
58:05- Cue for Change: Let the Jump Reveal the Strategy
59:50- Start with the Foot—It Tells the Whole Story
1:05:07- Polish Boxes, Stall Bars, and DIY Creativity
Sandbags, Suffering, and the Mental Edge (2:00)
Simple tasks like sandbag holds or dead hangs can reveal a lot about an athlete’s mental state and fatigue tolerance. Sometimes mental state—not just strength—dictates how long you’ll last under tension.
What to try:
Program weekly “grit sets”: sandbag holds, wall sits, or dead hangs.
Try them first thing in the session—before the brain can talk itself out of effort.
Pair them with journaling or a quick “mind state” score: how’d it feel today?
Let Hard and Fun Coexist in Your Program (6:00)
Every session can’t be a competition. But not everyone should be brutal either. Hunter encourages toggling between “suck” and “play.” One makes you tougher, the other keeps you coming back.
What to try:
Alternate between gamified partner drills and long isometric work during your week.
Use athlete feedback: which days feel “engaging”? Which feel like “grinding”? Both matter.
Build polarity into the week—not just into the periodization model.
The Importance of Variability in Program Design (10:19)
Sticking to one type of stimulus flattens the athlete’s capacity. Instead, training should live across a spectrum—fun to miserable, slow to fast, light to heavy. -
Today’s guest is running and movement coach, Lawrence Van Lingen, a world-renowned movement coach known for helping athletes move better by blending scientific principles, psychology, biomechanics, and intuitive coaching methods. He’s worked with a range of athletes, from Olympians and elite runners, to everyday movers to unlock efficiency, fluidity, and performance.
Running and what we would refer to as “functional strength” are closely related. Strength-based movements that train the gait cycle are amongst the most natural and effective versions available. In working the keys that make for better propulsion and effectiveness in locomotion, we can get insight into better strength practices in general.
In this episode, Lawrence van Lingen shares how crawling, backward movement, foot training, and resisted walking can strengthen critical elements of the gait cycle. He explores the connection between natural rhythmic movement and running performance, the ways fear can disrupt quality motion, and how play and curiosity drive better movement learning. From syncing strides to music to mobilizing the feet, Lawrence offers a range of practical, creative methods to enhance coordination and speed.
Today’s episode is brought to you by Hammer Strength.
Check out the newest mini-course, Sprint Drills Reloaded on how to maximize sprint drills, their specific strength development, building of major sprint actions, along with better integration of sprint drills into sprinting technique. The special intro sale ends July 1st. (https://justflysports.thinkific.com/courses/sprint-drills-reloaded)
Use the code "justfly25" for 25% off any Lila Exogen wearable resistance training, including the popular Exogen Calf Sleeves. For this offer, head to Lilateam.com
View more podcast episodes at the podcast homepage. (https://www.just-fly-sports.com/podcast-home/)
Timestamps
3:30- Barefoot Origins: Impact on Human Movement
9:40- The Impact of Fear on Athletic Performance
20:55- Enhancing Running Performance Through Rhythmic Variation
29:00- Syncing Music Tempo with Physical Movements
37:38- Optimizing Athletic Abilities through Strong Hips
40:08- Enhancing Running Mechanics Through Resisted Walking Exercises
42:19- Enhancing Movement Quality through Central Patterns
45:51- Enhancing Ankle Mechanics Through Foot Mobility
52:35- Enhancing Mobility Through Unique Movement Practices
59:06- Enhancing Muscle Activation and Injury Prevention
1:12:02- Enhancing Running Mechanics Through Foot Mobilization
Key Takeaways
[3:30] – Barefoot Origins: Impact on Human Movement
Lawrence digs into why humans move so differently compared to animals. His take? Our lifestyle has pulled us far from our natural roots. Kids growing up barefoot, outdoors, and constantly playing tend to move better—more fluid, intuitive, and efficient. But if you’ve spent your life in shoes, cars, and classrooms, you’ve likely lost some of that.
Takeaway:Reclaiming efficient movement may mean “unlearning” modern habits and returning to play, curiosity, and organic exploration—just like barefoot kids who never saw a car before age ten. Drills can help, but you won’t drill your way back to instinctual movement if your foundation is disconnected.
[9:40] – The Impact of Fear on Athletic Performance
Fear, even subtle, can hijack movement. Lawrence emphasizes that emotional blocks—doubt, hesitation, trying too hard—are often the root of poor performance. Confidence doesn’t just show up on the scoreboard, it’s embedded in your nervous system and your patterns.
Takeaway:Fear shows up in the body before it shows up in results. Addressing performance isn't just about skill—it’s about safety and trust in your movement. Don’t just train mechanics—train confidence in your central patterns. You can’t out-coach fear with drills alone.
[20:55] – Enhancing Running Performance Through Rhythmic Variation -
Episodes manquant?
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Today’s guest is Rett Larson, strength coach for the German Women’s Volleyball Team and creator of the "No Zombies" training philosophy. Rett coached Olympic medalists with China and the Netherlands, blending energy, rhythm, and purposeful movement into world-class performance.
As sport expands into an increasingly more high-pressure, early specialization event that can easily suck fun and joy away, there grows a need for a "counter-culture" within athletic performance. Not only does a "physical preparation" process for athletes that is joyful and gamified lead to more fun within a training session, but it also develops important athletic qualities, within that umbrella of "fun" that may not be possible in more "traditional" sessions.
Rett Larson is spearheading an active, engaging approach to the physical preparation process for athletes with warmups designed for joy, engagement, and a comprehensive stimulation of athletic qualities along the way. On today’s episode, Rett speaks on a variety of engaging tools and gamifications in the warmup process for both thermogenic and neurological preparation. He goes into his take on partner exercises and isometrics, and the process of using a physical challenge to "sneak" strength and skill elements in the program.
Today’s episode is brought to you by Hammer Strength and LILA Wearable Resistance Gear.
Use the code "justfly25" for 25% off any Lila Exogen wearable resistance training, including the popular Exogen Calf Sleeves. For this offer, head to Lilateam.com
View more podcast episodes at the podcast homepage. (https://www.just-fly-sports.com/podcast-home/)
Timestamps
6:12- Enhancing Athlete Performance through Innovative Training
20:06- Rope Flow in the Warmup Process
25:19- Team Bonding through Partner Exercises and Gamification
29:39- Athletic Development through Diverse Warm-Ups
31:24- Engaging Training Games for Athletic Development
38:00- Enhancing Motor Learning Through Novel Activities
48:14- Isometric and "Sneaky Strength" Exercises
54:50- Tennis Balls as a Powerful Warmup Tool
1:05:36- Animal-Inspired Safari Warmup Routine
1:14:35- Dynamic Movement Enhancement with Wearable Resistance Gear
Key Takeaways
1️⃣ Rethinking Training Norms: Breaking the Script
Let’s be honest—starting the season with FMS testing or default punishments like push-ups feels like a missed opportunity. Rett challenges that default. Why not flip the script? Start with something that actually taps into the nervous excitement athletes bring into day one. Instead of draining that spark, use it to build buy-in.
What to try:
• Kick things off with a creative team challenge instead of movement screens.
• Replace punishments with something silly but memorable (e.g., team serenade or worm dance).
• Avoid singling people out—no solo singing for introverts. The goal is laughter, not dread.
2️⃣ Rope Flow: Movement Puzzles that Stick
If you’ve ever tried rope flow, you know it’s strangely addicting. Rett uses it as a warm-up tool that hits thermogenic, rotational, and coordination qualities all in one. It’s essentially a moving puzzle—and that makes it ideal for getting athletes out of zombie mode.
What to try:
• Add rope flow sequences early in warm-ups to raise body temp and spark engagement.
• Mix in new patterns over time so it stays fresh.
• Think of it as "motor learning meets party trick"—athletes love that feeling of leveling up.
3️⃣ Partner Work and Social Pressure: The Good Kind
Warm-ups don’t have to be solo grinds. In fact, the social element is part of the magic. Whether it’s balloon volleys in a split squat or partner wall sits, Rett uses simple tools to inject teamwork, laughter, and just the right amount of peer pressure.
What to try:
• Design partner or trio-based warm-up drills to naturally boost effort and engagement.
• Add tasks or games that distract from the burn (like volleying a balloon while holding a lunge). -
Today’s podcast guest is Stefan Holm—Olympic gold medalist and one of the most elite high jumpers in history. Standing just 5’11”, he cleared over 140 bars at 2.30m or higher, won the 2004 Athens Olympics, and holds an indoor best of 2.40m (co-owning the “height jumped over head world record). Now a coach for Sweden’s national team, Holm brings deep insight into jumping training and performance at the highest level.
On today’s episode, I ask Stefan about his early life as an athlete, and formative sporting experiences, along with the tree of coaching that led to his own training methods. Stefan covers his history with high jump variations, plyometrics, strength training, technique development, and much more on today’s show. As Stefan is now a coach, he also discusses his philosophy based on his time as a world-class competitor. This is not only a great show on training ideas, but also a great opportunity to study one of the best of all time in their given sport discipline.
Today’s episode is brought to you by Hammer Strength and LILA Wearable Resistance Gear.
Use the code “justfly25” for 25% off any Lila Exogen wearable resistance training, including the popular Exogen Calf Sleeves. For this offer, head to Lilateam.com
View more podcast episodes at the podcast homepage. (https://www.just-fly-sports.com/podcast-home/)
Timestamps
4:29- Stefan’s Early Training: Genetics, Childhood Sports, and High Jumping
15:21- Rituals in High Jump Training and Athletic Mastery
26:06- Strength Training and High Jump Performance
40:12- High Jump Training Methods, "Holm Hurdles," and Plyometrics
41:04- Emphasizing the Feeling of Flying in High Jump
52:36- Approach Dynamics in High Jump
1:01:17- Strength Training and Range of Motion Concepts
1:03:32- Gradual Plyometric Progression for High Jumpers
Stefan Holm Quotes
(2:50) "My dream was to be a professional soccer player." - Stefan Holm
(3:00) "We played tennis, we played ice hockey, we tried track and field, we played football. Of course, we just played outside, trying to do everything." - Stefan Holm
(6:50) "I think you can handle a lot, all of you, but I think you have to build it up year by year. I mean, doing these sort of plyometrics that I did at the age of 28, 30, I didn't start there." - Stefan Holm
(9:23) "I started jumping for fun together with my best friend in his backyard when we were like six or seven years old. And we had to do the scissor kick because we had didn't have a mat to land on. We had to land on our feet." - Stefan Holm
(24:45) "But then I starting lifting in the fall of 1995 when I was 19, one and a half years later, I jumped 230 for the first time. So I think that I, when I get used to it, the first six, seven months, that was rough because I, I got muscles that I couldn't control. I got so much stronger and slower and just felt heavy and everything. But after, I mean, six, seven, eight months, but I could get control of everything then. I really think that it, it helped me to jump higher and also to get stable on higher heights. I could do them more often." - Stefan Holm
(27:01) "If I really, really, really wanted to jump a certain height, I jumped until I cleared it. For good and for bad." - Stefan Holm
(37:20) "Whatever everybody sees is these viral clips, me jumping over like 170 hurdles or 150 hurdles or whatever there are. But I mean I. I started off on the usual lower hurdles. That's 107 their tops. And I was doing plenty of jumps as a kid and as a youth jumper as a junior. I didn't buy these high hurdles until I was 24." - Stefan Holm
(41:10) "I had a session when I was jumping over hurdles, different kind of exercises, around 200 jumps in a session. I also did some, some bounding 60 meters. 24 times 16, 24 12. Left, right, left, right, left, right. And yeah, and then six times on your left leg, six times on your right leg. That was a very, very fun morning actually." - Stefan Holm -
Today's podcast features Ty Terrell, Director of Strength and Conditioning for Oklahoma Men’s Basketball. Ty brings deep experience from the NBA, having led performance programs for the Washington Wizards and Atlanta Hawks. He specializes in athlete development, performance testing, and biomechanics-driven return-to-play protocols. Ty has been mentored by Lee Taft and Bill Hartman, and has a unique fusion of abilities and methods in human performance.
Typically, the goal of athletic performance training is based on increasing outputs, muscle size, and aerobic capacities. Less emphasis is given to athletic movement qualities, how the body creates space for motion, and the process of loading and releasing energy. In understanding both outputs and movement dynamics, a more comprehensive training experience can be provided.
On today’s podcast, Ty speaks on optimizing the phases of athletic movement, particularly the “unloading” and reversal phases of squat and jump patterns that are often missed in training. He discusses the balance and interplay of movement-oriented training with strength and output capabilities. From a practical perspective, Ty gets into the nuts and bolts of unweighting methods, opening space in squat and hinge patterns, working absorption and propulsion with cables, step-up dynamics, and much more.
Today’s episode is brought to you by Hammer Strength.
Use the code “justfly25” for 25% off any Lila Exogen wearable resistance training, including the popular Exogen Calf Sleeves. For this offer, head to Lilateam.com
View more podcast episodes at the podcast homepage. (https://www.just-fly-sports.com/podcast-home/)
Timestamps
2:45- Holistic Athlete Development in College Sports
11:06- Organic Skill Development Through Free Play
19:04- Optimizing Movement Patterns for Athletic Success
20:06- Biomechanical Efficiency in Training Practices
29:52- Optimal Force Production for Athletic Enhancement
38:04- Optimizing The Phases of Athletic Movement for Vertical Jump Outcomes
47:44- Band-Assisted Unweighting for Muscle Recovery
53:54- Optimizing Movement Quality with Training Modifications
55:27- Optimizing Movement Quality Through Unweighting Methods
1:01:43- Efficient Transition Phases in Vertical Jumping
1:09:30- Cable Unweighting for Enhanced Movement Patterns
1:13:31- Cable Lifts and Step-Up Techniques
Quotes
(18:21) "I keep things very simple. I don't get far away from like, just the traditional movements. You have to be able to squat well enough." - Ty Terrell
(22:40) "The unweighting phase creates the potential for the braking phase. The braking phase slingshots us into the propulsive or concentric phase." - Ty Terrell
(23:15) "You need output, you need to be able to produce that quickly. But there are aspects of movement quality that will negatively impact your propulsive output. So you have to have both. And I think the biggest thing is to find is to define what is good enough in your situation." - Ty Terrell
(40:12) "I think you're trying to get the most with the least. And the priority is to make them feel like they can go out and play. So it's more restorative." - Ty Terrell
(44:48) "I kind of want that inflammatory process to occur in the off-season. So, you know, the adaptations and responses that come with that as opposed to the season, it's like we're trying to dampen those inflammatory responses so we can do something the next day." - Ty Terrell
(49:00) "A big thing we do either at the beginning of the workout to learn movement or to learn how to move in a Low threshold way we do a kind of sandwich. Maybe we had a sprint day, maybe at an encore workout, then we're going to sandwich the day with, hey, like another like 10 minutes of low threshold work and unweighting, you know, so like front foot elevated split squats." - Ty Terrell
(50:31) "You have to find a way to come back into that space a little bit or else you won't be able to acces... -
Today's podcast features Tony Holler. Tony Holler is a veteran high school track and field coach, renowned for his "Feed the Cats" sprint training philosophy. With over 40 years of coaching experience in both track and football, Holler has become a leading voice in athlete-centered speed development. He is the head track coach at Plainfield North High School in Illinois, where his teams have consistently produced elite sprinters and state champions. He is also the co-founder of the Track Football Consortium, a popular coaching event that bridges the gap between sprint and team sport development.
In a day where the methods are many, Tony Holler has created a training system where he keeps the simple things simple, but off-sets that simplicity with a variety filled “X-Factor” training day that runs like a power-oriented basketball practice in many ways.
On today’s podcast, Tony speaks on his formative experiences as an athlete, young coach, and teacher that have led him to his current positions in coaching. Tony speaks extensively on his X-Factor workouts, inspiration from his dad’s basketball practices, and the keys to the variability in both plyometrics and wicket variations that define the training day. He also speaks on X-Factor paving the way for a simpler, competitive speed workout on the following day. Tony also touches on how the “feed the cats” methods have influenced the successful distance program at Plainfield North, along with many other nuggets of wisdom.
Today’s episode is brought to you by Hammer Strength.
Use the code “justfly25” for 25% off any Lila Exogen wearable resistance training, including the popular Exogen Calf Sleeves. For this offer, head to Lilateam.com
View more podcast episodes at the podcast homepage. (https://www.just-fly-sports.com/podcast-home/)
Timestamps
8:37- Competitive Coaching Styles in Track and Field
16:59- Fostering Passionate Learning Environments for Success
22:06- Sports Engagement and Flow for Long-term Passion
32:04- Color-Coded X Factor Athletic Training Program
43:54- X Factor Workouts for Recovery and Performance
50:29- Transitioning from Survival to Performance Mindset
59:49- Optimizing Sprint Performance Through Varied Techniques
1:02:08-Enhancing Speed with Varied Wickets in Training
1:08:16- Focused Timed Sprints for Effective Performance
1:12:30- Optimizing Coaching Practices for Large Groups
1:15:01- Intentional Training for Optimal Athletic Performance
1:22:07- Optimizing Cross Country Runs for Peak Performance
Quotes:
(4:45) “Baseball is not a hard sport, but they made baseball hard for us” - Tony Holler
(5:50) “I grew up with this weird mix of Neil Young and General Patton” - Tony Holler
(13:00) “There is no defense in track… it’s not a zero-sum game, which I love” - Tony Holler
(20:30) “I think like and love come before excellence” - Tony Holler
(32:10) “In basketball, my father would start practice with stations, and stations were things like we jump back and forth over a balance beam, and then we go forward, back and forth. And then the next station was jump rope, and the next station was lateral slides back and forth, touching the lane lines. And we do that kind of thing in X Factor because what I have found is that basketball players seem to be the healthiest, most durable track athletes.” - Tony Holler
(35:30) “Our favorites are the extreme ISO lunge that we do not do for five minutes. We do it for more like a minute. You know, maybe we're not cooking the steak long enough. But this is very important. Always err on the side of less.” - Tony Holler
(00:44:15) “I color code our speed workouts and our X factor workouts as yellow, which to me means caution. And that caution is don't let today ruin tomorrow. Almost always the day after an X factor workout is a sprint workout for us” - Tony Holler
(47:40) “Speed is repetitive. X factor is very much flex” - Tony Holler -
Today's podcast features Mike Robertson. Mike Robertson is the co-owner of IFAST in Indianapolis and host of the Physical Preparation Podcast. With over 20 years of experience training athletes from the NBA to everyday clients, Mike is known for blending biomechanics, strength, and smart programming to get real-world results. He’s a respected educator and a leader in the performance training space.
The more advanced we get in the world of functional training, human movement, and biomechanics, the more difficult it can be to manage our programming. Having a set of basic principles and foundations for movement coaching helps us to serve a wide variety of athletes throughout their seasons and careers.
On today’s episode, Mike speaks on the nature of his programming, and how he treats the primary squat, deadlift, bench, and split squat movement patterns with the needs of an athlete in mind (with particular emphasis on off-season pro athletes). Mike goes into concepts on braking and propulsion and how to use the weightroom to impact this balance of forces, hinge mechanics, lessons from coaching youth sports, and much more.
Today’s episode is brought to you by TeamBuildr’s Gym Studio.
Use the code “justfly25” for 25% off any Lila Exogen wearable resistance training, including the popular Exogen Calf Sleeves. For this offer, head to Lilateam.com
View more podcast episodes at the podcast homepage. (https://www.just-fly-sports.com/podcast-home/)
Timestamps
4:32- "Evolution from Powerlifting to Athletic Movement Training"
17:32- Foot Support and Motion Control in Strength Training
23:37- Flywheel Training Advancements in Professional Basketball Conditioning
33:23- Center of Mass Restoration for Explosive Athletes
33:51- Optimizing Performance Through Propulsion and Braking
42:14- Enhancing Athletic Performance Through Hinge Variations
50:00- Bilateral Offset Stance Benefits in Exercises
52:46- Internal Rotation Stance for Hip Mobility
1:00:41- Maximizing Athletic Potential through Tailored Training
1:10:05- Enhancing Coaching Skills Through Immersive Soccer Experience
1:17:49- Evolving Coaching Techniques in Basketball Training
1:19:44- Innovative Techniques for Creative Thought Management
Quotes
(14:18) "I've gone away from like really like chasing outputs or trying to push outputs up to, hey, Man, I just want to restore outputs, right? Like, can we just get you back somewhere near your top end in the off-season? So we know you still got it, but we're just touching it, right? So I talk about touching intensity." - Mike Robertson
(14:34) "Some of my biggest go-to's, I still love anterior loaded squat variations. for benching variations. Very little barbell stuff. I'm talking more on like, the aging athlete side. I really love alternating work. I love floor-pressing variations. Anything where we're one is up, one is down, so we can maintain some motion through their thorax. And then as far as deadlifts go, if I'm going to deadlift somebody, I still really like Like a high-handle trap bar deadlift." - Mike Robertson
(20:21) "Depending on your situation, your environment, context, like you can make an argument for just about anything." - Mike Robertson
(22:25) "Especially as we age, I just think of three buckets. There's the mobility and movement quality bucket. There's the neurological outputs bucket so you can speed, power, strength, and then there's like the, the metabolic capacity buckets." - Mike Robertson
(26:49) "In, this is the thing that I always come back to. Right. Like, Bill and I have had this discussion so many times, like, in passing in the gym. It's like, oh, my gosh, like, just how easy was it to train in your 20s?" - Mike Robertson
(38:37) "I used to always joke around with athletes and I was kind of right. But I used to always say like weightlifting and like strength training is the only sport where it benefits being on your heels. Right. -
Today's podcast features Matt Aldred. Matt is the head strength and conditioning coach for basketball at the University of Michigan. He has international expertise and a diverse background in sports he has worked with through his previous stops in NCAA strength and conditioning. In addition to his strength and conditioning experience, he is certified in fascial abrasion technique and Frederick stretch therapy, in addition to a sports massage background. Matt has also co-authored the Fascial Mechanics for Sport course alongside Danny Foley.
In building a performance program, it must ultimately be centered around the needs of the athlete. Athletes need to be as ready as possible on game day. Some athletes need more mass and physical strength. Others need more conditioning and body composition management. Others need more fluid and adaptive movement capabilities. Many athletes enjoy and benefit from providing their input into the program. These facets of performance make athletic development more dynamic than just “get them strong and I did my job”.
On today’s podcast, Matt talks about many aspects of building an athlete-centered program, highlighting training the spectrum of muscular strength and tissue quality, over to dynamic, high-velocity training with a priority on athletic qualities. He also speaks on training variability (such as “every rep different”), multi-planar training, basketball game demands, athlete autonomy, wearable resistance training, and much more. This show puts many pieces into place of a comprehensive approach to athletic development, encompassing so many facets of improvement in the field.
Today’s episode is brought to you by TeamBuildr’s GymStudio.
For a Gym Studio 14-day free trial, head to gymstudio.com
Use the code “justfly25” for 25% off any Lila Exogen wearable resistance training, including the popular Exogen Calf Sleeves. For this offer, head to: Lilateam.com
View more podcast episodes at the podcast homepage. (https://www.just-fly-sports.com/podcast-home/)
Main Points
3:41- Functional Training for Athletic Performance Enhancement
7:34- Peak Performance Training for Athletes
12:49- Position-Based Athletic Programming for Optimal Performance
18:14- Enhancing Athletic Performance Through Varied Training
22:39- Position-Specific Basketball Training Programs
25:04- Game-Specific Training for Peak Performance
27:25- Dynamic Training Approaches for Athletic Performance
37:11- Strategic Micro-Dosing for Athlete Performance Optimization
46:00- Sticking to Basic Exercises for Effective Training
47:46- Enhancing Athletes' Adaptability Through Varied Workouts
49:33- Tailored Training Zones for Athletes in Weight Room
51:13- Optimizing Player Performance Through Varied Training
55:28- Amorpho Gear Enhancing Basketball Performance Sessions
1:08:25- Functional Movement Training with Light Weights
1:14:54- Functional Movement Training for Athletic Performance
Quotes
(00:07:34) "The game is so intense and it's so movement-based. We have to replicate that in the weight room. We can't just be weight and warriors because we've all had that athlete that's super strong and looks amazing. And I'm looking at the opposition team in a warm up going, who is that!? And then they don't play." - Matt Aldred
(00:13:50) "The longer I've done this, the more I really lean into an athlete's intuition." - Matt Aldred
(00:20:40) "There are certain exercises like a chin-up we're probably going to want to go full range of motion. I want you to hold at the top with Tempo down. But if we're doing a horizontal row, man, I can be elbow wide. I can be really quick reps. I can hold at the top. I can do a split stance with an anchor on a Kaiser pull-down. We can make that horizontal roll whatever we want to do." - Matt Aldred
(00:24:29) "I don't think that we put the athlete in the box like no man, like whatever you are, I'll program towards that." - Matt Aldred -
Today's podcast features Bob Thurnhoffer, Assistant Track & Field Coach at the University of Louisville. Bob brings nearly two decades of NCAA Division I coaching experience, with past stops at New Mexico, Loyola Chicago, and UIC. His athletes have earned multiple All-American honors, NCAA qualifications, and school records. Bob is also known for his deep knowledge in training for jumps and is a respected voice in the track and field coaching community.On today’s episode, Bob speaks on the formative experience of his past work training speed and power at an NCAA DI school in the confines of a hallway. He also goes into plyometric training concepts, and acceleration development, as well as some of his key complex training methods in the weightroom. Bob also digs into the importance of general strength in his program, along with the nuts and bolts of his weekly training setups for sprint and jump athletes in this fantastic resource on speed and power development.Today’s episode is brought to you by TeamBuildr’s Gym Studio and the Just Fly Sports Online Courses.To learn more about the Sprint Acceleration Essentials, Elastic Essentials, or Speed ID courses, go to justflysports.thinkific.comUse the code “justfly25” for 25% off any Lila Exogen wearable resistance training, including the popular Exogen Calf Sleeves. For this offer, head to Lilateam.comView more podcast episodes at the podcast homepage. (https://www.just-fly-sports.com/podcast-home/)Timestamps6:02- Bob’s Early Experiences as an Athlete and His Early Mentors18:55- Innovative Training Solutions for Limited Spaces29:38- Enhancing Athletic Performance Through General Strength Training34:55- Individualized Workouts for Optimal Athletic Development39:14- Foundational Elements in Athletic Performance Training41:41- Peak Velocity Training for Jumpers56:44- Intensive Cycle Variation for Optimal Performance58:51- Force Plate Metrics for Athlete Performance Tracking1:05:43- Mentorship Impact on Athlete Training MindsetQuotes(17:21) "I do think it's like limitations breed creativity more than freedom of possibilities. Unlimited situations don't create creativity as much as limitations do." - Bob Thurnhoffer(18:05) “(Training in a Hallway) I can do acceleration, I could do plyometrics. I can get very strong in the weight room. And try to learn how to be truly great at these things that I can do. Because I knew that the things I could do I had to be better than everyone else at” - Bob Thurnhoffer(29:38) “I still work general training a very, very large degree. Probably more than most coaches even. Yeah, I remember Brooke, the pole vault coach at Louisville. She said to me at the start of the year how she really liked how much general strength I do. She's like, yeah, I don't know. Coaches never do that anymore” - Bob Thurnhoffer(41:00) “Interestingly enough, I actually, at New Mexico I almost entirely went to Monday, Tuesday neural, Wednesday, Thursday general, Friday neural. The whole two years I was there for everyone. And it worked great” - Bob Thurnhoffer(47:30) “I almost always finish a neural lift with med ball throws; to restore proprioception after heavy lifting” - Bob Thurnhoffer(49:13) "I think like long jump you gotta, it's all about displacement, smoothness, being a passenger, letting the natural inherent reactivity that you've developed in training and it's inherent in the human body do the jumping for you." - Bob Thurnhoffer(1:02:01) "It's the quick ground contact time with the vertical displacement. That's what I'm looking for." - Bob ThurnhofferAbout Bob ThurnhofferBob Thurnhoffer is an accomplished track and field coach specializing in jumps, currently serving as the Assistant Coach for Jumps at the University of Louisville. He joined the Cardinals' coaching staff on July 31, 2023, bringing with him over 18 years of Division I coaching experience across multiple institu...
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Today's podcast features Austin Einhorn. Austin is a movement specialist recognized for his pioneering work in athlete development and injury prevention. As the founder of APIros Performance, Austin's coaching philosophy emphasizes biomechanics, human function + evolution, and adaptability to build resilient athletes who can withstand the demands of high performance. He has worked with athletes across major sports leagues, including the NFL, MLB, NBA, and Olympic programs, and is continually pushing the boundaries of athletic performance and injury prevention systems for athletes.
There are a wide variety of systems and available philosophies on athletic performance and injury prevention. With so much information available, assembling a human-centered viewpoint of how we innately move and adapt is a critical step in forming a better lens of coaching and training.
On today’s episode, Austin discusses his first principles when it comes to athlete assessment and training intervention. He digs into aspects of athletic hip extension, pushup and overhead patterning, and foot motions, along with the variability concepts in training and performance. This was a thought-provoking podcast with one of the brightest minds in the industry and is a must-listen for anyone looking to build more robust, adaptive athletes for any discipline.
Today’s episode is brought to you by TeamBuildr’s GymStudio.
For a Gym Studio 14-day free trial, head to gymstudio.com
Use the code “justfly25” for 25% off any Lila Exogen wearable resistance training, including the popular Exogen Calf Sleeves. For this offer, head to: Lilateam.com
View more podcast episodes at the podcast homepage. (https://www.just-fly-sports.com/podcast-home/)
Timestamps
2:15- Influential Mentors in Problem-Solving Training
6:53- Optimizing Hip Extension for Athlete Performance
8:28- Optimizing Athletic Performance Through Anatomy Assessment
30:30- Muscle-Centric Approach to Musculoskeletal Health
35:10- Performance Optimization through Diverse Movement Strategies
45:56- Enhancing Tendon Resilience with Varied Loading
48:57- Enhancing Performance Through Varied Training Approaches
53:10- Enhancing Athletic Performance with Innovative Tools
57:25- Optimal Shoulder Blade Tilt for Push-Ups
1:01:15- Optimal Shoulder Blade Movement in Bench Press
1:03:25- Optimal Shoulder Blade Positioning in Movements
1:08:31- Enhancing Shoulder Strength for Overhead Athletes
1:10:00- Enhancing Shoulder Strength for Overhead Athletes
Quotes
(4:53) "A lot of the students that I teach, where they start with just imitating and imitation is such a great way to learn." - Austin Einhorn
(11:19) "It's amazing what your brain can do to accomplish a task, but it'll use structurally different elements to do so." - Austin Einhorn
(17:00) "One area that is neglected is the transverse interior arch, basically the arch that's underneath your knuckles and it's responsible for 40% of your foot stiffness. But what's more important there is where that stiffness gets created. And it's in that ground contact phase in dorsiflexion" - Austin Einhorn
(19:17) "All non-contact injuries are preventable and solvable. And that just requires a little bit more critical thinking." - Austin Einhorn
(48:57) "My maybe favorite way to get that long time under tension is put on a rucksack and go hike for three hours. Yeah, like the variable terrain is going to do a little bit more for the peroneals, the posterior tib, the in the toe flexors on the inside of the ankle than just a calf raise" - Austin Einhorn
(51:32) "When you have a big, thick, cushy shoe, it's you think of as an exoskeleton. You can export the work to the foam. And so your leg doesn't need to bend as much. It's stiffer." - Austin Einhorn
(57:25) "So push-up is a quadrupedal movement. We're gonna have to look at how quadrupedals do that. The other thing that I like to look at is break dancers. -
Today's podcast features Laurent Meuwley. Laurent is the Head Coach for sprints, hurdles, and relays for the Netherlands. A former Swiss national coach and European Athletics Coach of the Year, he’s known for guiding world-class athletes like Femke Bol and Dutch relay teams, pioneering the “Flyers vs. Diesels” sprint-type analogy and his comprehensive approach to training.
Often in sprinting and speed training education, we get a small piece of the equation based on our social media algorithms or our immediate training culture. To fully understand speed training, we must look at both speed and environmental coaching concepts that span cultures.
On today’s podcast, Laurent discusses speed building on the level of the weight room, overspeed, speed endurance, and individual training factors. Laurent also talks about building a relay-based culture and a powerful training environment, along with many more nuances of building elite sprinters.
Today’s episode is brought to you by TeamBuildr’s GymStudio.
For a Gym Studio 14-day free trial, head to gymstudio.com
Use the code “justfly25” for 25% off any Lila Exogen wearable resistance training, including the popular Exogen Calf Sleeves. For this offer, head to: Lilateam.com
View more podcast episodes at the podcast homepage. (https://www.just-fly-sports.com/podcast-home/)
Timestamps
2:31- Team Dynamics and Specialties in Athletics
21:15- Enhancing Speed with Rear Leg Propulsion
24:43- Efficient Cluster Training for Hypertrophy Goals
29:54- Explosive Training with Kaiser Machines and Variations
31:59- Individualized Sprint Training for Speed Development
35:12- Speed Reserve Optimization in Sprint Training
41:44- Individualized Training Approaches for Sprinters' Profiles
52:37- Aerobic System Impact on 400m Running
54:38- Optimizing Nervous System through Training Schedule
Quotes
(4:50) "In the second phase of the preparation, athletes are working more on individual exercises. And those are based on a test they do called the tensomeography test, where we check all the muscles individually and see how fast or slow they are, how strong or weak they are, how quickly they react, they can be activated or not." - Laurent Meuwly
(13:14) "Because a lot of strength program are thought in terms of which muscles are specifically used for the movement. But we also have to think in which kind of muscle contraction, what kind of Muscle contraction is then used and for different muscle groups it's a different contraction. It might be concentric for some, eccentric for others, isometric for some muscles. So in the specific work this needs to be taken into account." - Laurent Meuwly
(16:37) "If I take a hamstring exercise, when someone has struggled to activate the hamstrings quick enough, they might have an exercise where they are standing, laying on their shoulders up, one leg on the skateboard, the other leg in the air and they have to bring the skateboard back and forth under their butt as fast as possible." - Laurent Meuwly
(22:07) "The propulsion phase is really important in running and especially in sprinting." - Laurent Meuwly
(23:43) "The individualization in the gym is more to the way athletes are reacting in terms of hypertrophy. Some athletes would go a bit quicker away from max strength exercises, hypertrophy to be more in a velocity-based training, more in power than in strength development." - Laurent Meuwly
(33:00) "I think in Europe we are using overspeed quite more than in the US at least in track and field, I would say every 10 to 14 days." - Laurent Meuwly
(42:20) "A “flyer”, an athlete who is more speed based needs to be fast. And because speed is his or her strength, they also are going to recover from speed or even strength or whatever stimulates highly the nervous system quicker than athletes who are more endurance based and who are less talented for speed." - Laurent Meuwly -
Today's podcast features Anthony Cockrill. Anthony is the Director of Volleyball Sports Performance and Assistant Director of Olympic Sports Performance at SMU. Previously at the University of Houston, he’s coached athletes across multiple sports and has a strong focus on explosive strength development, getting notable vertical jump training results with volleyball athletes.
There are different layers to the strength equation, and not all types of lifting will offer equal adaptation for athletes. In understanding key differences between full and partial ranges, as well as a focus on the concentric, isometric, and eccentric adaptations to the lift, we can better design a program that allows athletes a maximal bandwidth to adapt to the demands (and chaos) of their sport.
On today’s podcast, Anthony discusses the nuts and bolts of his training program, with a specific focus on squatting methods, range of motion concepts, and building strength, particularly through the eccentric phases of a lift. He also covers yearly planning, plyometrics, gymnastics, in-season training, and the physiology concepts behind his methods. This was an informative, and incredibly practical podcast on all things vertical jump and explosive strength development for athletes.
Today’s episode is brought to you by TeamBuildr’s GymStudio.
For a Gym Studio 14-day free trial, head to gymstudio.com
Use the code “justfly25” for 25% off any Lila Exogen wearable resistance training, including the popular Exogen Calf Sleeves. For this offer, head to: Lilateam.com
View more podcast episodes at the podcast homepage. (https://www.just-fly-sports.com/podcast-home/)
Timestamps
11:30- Enhancing Squat Mechanics with Zercher Squats
17:07- Heel Elevation for Enhanced Squat Performance
19:32- Enhancing Back Squat Performance Through Torso Training
29:00- Eccentric Overload Back Squat Training for Volleyball
31:23- Deep End Range Exercises for Volleyball Performance
38:05- Optimizing Strength Through Deep Range Training
40:58- Enhancing Strength Through Deep Range Isometrics
44:33- Deep Squat Training for Enhanced Strength
46:26- Enhancing Strength Through Deep Squat Positions
55:29- Enhancing Athlete Performance Through Gymnastic Movements
1:06:05- Utilizing Muscle Spindles and Titan for Power
1:06:05- Eccentric Emphasis for Enhanced Athletic Performance
1:09:21- Enhancing Performance Through Deep Range Plyometrics
1:21:56- Optimizing Performance: Athletic Training Strategies
Quotes
(13:00) "The torso is always the limiting factor when trying to load the legs." - Anthony Cockrill
(14:30) "I've moved away from a ton of front squatting. I do do it, but only maybe for a three-week period. I used to do it like exclusively instead of Zerchers, but It's a little more technical than a Zercher as far as like getting kids into that front rack position." - Anthony Cockrill
(15:58) (For Zercher Squats) "The fat bar is obviously like the more surface area, the more you're touching it kind of dissipates that pain in the elbow from the thin bar. But if you don't have fat thick bars. Yeah, we'll just use fat grips." - Anthony Cockrill
(21:00) "Within the Zercher and you're like protracting those shoulder blades out and the amount of like stress you get within the upper back and in the rhomboids, that's probably the area most kids like feel it the most within those first three weeks. Because again most people are really underdeveloped between the shoulder blades." - Anthony Cockrill
(31:30) "We do a ton of single leg as we get in season." - Anthony Cockrill
(35:50) "The biggest range of motion movements that are probably gonna, from A structural standpoint involve the most amount of contractile tissue." - Anthony Cockrill
(40:40) "The idea is to have a massive bandwidth to handle chaos. So I think if you can get into those deep end ranges and not just produce force, but various forces, whether it's leveraging, -
Today's podcast features Bren Veziroglu. Bren is a movement educator, blending scientific principles with personal exploration in his teaching. He has studied globally with top instructors across disciplines, emphasizing scalability, engagement, and physicality in his approach. Bren is an outspoken proponent of the constraint-led approach to sport, particularly in the martial arts.
In many sports and strength training programs, skill development is often reduced to rigid drills and dry repetition. While foundational qualities like strength and endurance can be trained straightforwardly, complex skills require a richer, more dynamic approach—one that embraces the full range of movement our bodies are capable of. Research consistently supports a learner-centered, constraint-led method as being more effective for long-term learning and performance.
In this episode, Bren dives into the integration of traditional strength and mobility work with dynamic movement and motor learning concepts. He shares practical insights on skill acquisition, mobility, jump training, and the role of partner-based work in foundational strength exercises—offering a fresh perspective on how we can build more effective and engaging training environments.
Today’s episode is brought to you by TeamBuildr’s GymStudio.
For a Gym Studio 14-day free trial, head to gymstudio.com
Use the code “justfly25” for 25% off any Lila Exogen wearable resistance training, including the popular Exogen Calf Sleeves. For this offer, head to: Lilateam.com
View more podcast episodes at the podcast homepage. (https://www.just-fly-sports.com/podcast-home/)
Timestamps
2:00- Bren’s Background in Athletics, Strength Training, and Movement
15:50- What “Movement” Concepts Can Offer a Traditional Sport or Sports Performance Practice
22:18- Levels of Richness and Time-Efficiency in Standard Training Exercises and the Impact of Movement Games
30:57- Dynamic Target-Reaching Exercises for Enhanced Mobility
34:37- Dynamic Partner-Assisted Exercises for Injury Prevention
45:16- Dynamic Jumping Training for Enhanced Athletic Performance
45:16- Dynamic Warm-Up Challenges for Better Athlete Engagement
46:00- Movement Variability, Differential Learning and Improved Athletic Outcomes
1:00:14- Partner Training Strength and Performance Concepts
Quotes
(7:00) "The whole paradigm of you just build your physical attributes, and you can use them on the field in sport, was so clearly not what I was experiencing." - Bren Veziroglu
(20:00) "On one end of the polarization, you have FRC, you are going to lock everything down… it’s great, but it takes an enormous amount of time, versus mobility games are the total opposite of that." - Bren Veziroglu
(46:06) "What are compensations if not the skill of self-organization?" - Bren Veziroglu
(50:19) "There's one speed skating study he did and one of the variations is literally listed is like, do a pirouette before the start. Like they're doing a sprint. Do a pirouette. And so that's how wide these variations can be." - Bren Veziroglu
(1:00:30) "Those (partner guided) mobility tasks. I think those are enormous when we're getting more out of it. Should be easier to recover from. Should be lower injury risk, should be more fun. I mean, big wins." - Bren Veziroglu
(1:02:46) "If you're just developing the strength and you're never applying it to like, how do I lift another person? Not so useful maybe." - Bren Veziroglu
About Bren Veziroglu
Bren Veziroglu is a movement educator with over 11 years of experience teaching in both private and group settings. He utilizes a unique interdisciplinary approach that blends modern scientific understanding with personal exploration and constant refinement and testing.
He has traveled the world to study intensively with many of the world’s greatest teachers in a wide variety of disciplines. His academic and physical practices inform his teaching style, -
Today's podcast features Mike Bruno. Mike is the Assistant Director of Olympic Sports Performance at Clemson University. Mike has both a sports performance and massage therapy background, with an approach influenced heavily by Bill Hartman’s biomechanical model. He has worked with a wide variety of sports, including track and field, and currently oversees golf and tennis at Clemson.
Human movement is composed of more than just muscle and neural signals. It is also heavily influenced by athletes’ strategies to move pressure through their unique skeletal structures. By understanding the role of structure on speed and movement abilities, we can also better understand ideal training modalities and progressions for each athlete.
On today’s episode, Mike speaks on speed and power training through the lens of pressure management and skeletal structure. He talks about different structural archetypes and their needs in the weightroom, as well as how these archetypes lend to various performance outputs on the field of play (focusing on track speed and performance). With many anecdotes from the world of track and field, this episode draws numerous links between strength, speed and individual training factors.
Today’s episode is brought to you by TeamBuildr’s Gym Studio and Lila Exogen Wearable Resistance Gear.
For a Gym Studio 14-day free trial, head to gymstudio.com
Use the code “justfly25” for 25% off any Lila Exogen wearable resistance training, including the popular Exogen Calf Sleeves. For this offer, head to: Lilateam.com
View more podcast episodes at the podcast homepage. (https://www.just-fly-sports.com/podcast-home/)
Timestamps
2:01- Optimizing Athletic Performance through Biomechanics
8:19- Optimizing Speed Through Internal Body Dynamics
11:33- Dynamic Insights from Athlete Force Plate Analysis
16:48- Optimizing Jumping Performance with Pressure Techniques
25:34- Optimizing Athletic Performance Through Heavy Bilateral Squatting
27:47- Structural Analysis for Tailored Athletic Training Programs
30:09- Track and Field Performance Based on Pelvic Adaptations
39:21- Infrastructural Angles Influence Athletic Training Specialization
40:53- Structural Archetypes: Tailoring Training for Performance
48:18- Individual Structure Influence on Training Optimization
1:01:33- Enhanced Athletic Performance through Triphasic Training
1:09:03- Long-Term Physical Qualities Enhancement in Athletes
1:21:26- Managing Pressures and Gravity in Track Training
Quotes
(12:19) "(In a vertical jump) The faster they drop, the quicker it would pop up." - Mike Bruno"
(14:04) "If you take it like five singles, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop is going to be different on the pelvic floor and give you a different output than a banded oscillatory squat." - Mike Bruno"
(19:20) “The higher your VO2 max, the thinner your diaphragm, which I thought was a very interesting thing, but it lends on the like. Wrestlers are the highest. All they're doing is pressurizing and they're playing like hand fighting. That's all they're doing is being. Judo was the second one. Sprinters were the third one” - Mike Bruno
(31:34) "Your structure dictates quite literally everything." - Mike Bruno
(37:06) "The fluid hit the top and it suspended them. So if you ever watch someone jump and they jump unbelievable, it looks like they just kind of get suspended up there. It's like, oh, that's the fluid hitting the top." - Mike Bruno (00:37:19)"
(46:33) "One of the best things, you know, is if you don't do complexes, especially with an indicator or something where you're seeing the result, you miss the opportunity to get a lot of connections." - Joel Smith
(1:00:40) “A lot of times in my setting, I have athletes that come in, they have their, their connective tissues too stiff and it doesn't store at all. And so you're like, you're really powerful, but we can't get into good positions on the track or we can't... -
In today’s solo episode, I break down 10 essential keys to building a well-rounded athletic performance program. These programming elements are often overlooked or omitted in favor of a more "machine-based" training approach. I’ll cover both the specifics of sets, reps, and training structures, as well as key principles that enhance stimulation, learning, engagement, and focus—crucial components for an athlete's overall experience. By refining both stimulation and the athlete’s attentional "spotlight," we can create training that feels more dynamic, engaging, and effective. The keys to a more complete program, are as follows:
Embrace Constraints and Limitations
Study Physical Education (Instead of only “Sport Science”)
Integrate Rhythm and Music
Work Polarities and Waves
Use Complexes
Embrace Uncertainty
Understand the Performer Environment Relationship
Test and Use Leaderboards
Use Risk
Train Yourself
Today’s episode is brought to you by TeamBuildr’s Gym Studio and the LILA Exogen Wearable Resistance Training Sleeves.
Use the code “justfly25” for 25% off any Lila Exogen wearable resistance training, including the popular Exogen Calf Sleeves. For this offer, head to: Lilateam.com
For a Gym Studio 14-day free trial, head to gymstudio.com
View more podcast episodes at the podcast homepage at https://www.just-fly-sports.com/podcast-home/
Timestamps
2:00- Embrace Constraints and Limitations
7:45- Study PE (Movement and learning-driven vs. output and data-driven)
13:30- Incorporate Rhythm and Music into Training
18:00- Work Polarities/Waves (Jay S)
28:00- Use Complexes
39:30- Embrace Uncertainty
44:30- Performer environment relationship
50:00- Test and Use Leaderboards
56:30- Use Risk
1:02:30- Train Yourself
About Joel Smith
Joel Smith is the founder of Just Fly Sports and is a sports performance and track coach in Cincinnati, Ohio. Joel hosts the Just Fly Performance Podcast and has authored several books and coaches in both the high school and private sectors.
Joel was a strength coach for 8 years at UC Berkeley, working with the Swim teams and post-graduate professional swimmers, as well as tennis, water polo, and track and field. A track coach of 17 years, Joel coached for the Diablo Valley Track and Field Club for 7 years and also has 6 years of experience coaching on the collegiate level, working at Wilmington College, and the University of Wisconsin, LaCrosse. He is currently coaching high jump at Milford High School.
Joel has coached 4 national champions, multiple All-Americans, and NCAA record holders in track and field. In the realm of strength and conditioning, his programs have assisted 5 athletes to Olympic berths that produced 9 medals and a world record performance at Rio in 2016. -
Today's podcast features Steffan Jones. Steffan is a trailblazing fast-bowling coach and ex-pro cricketer, known for his integrative, creative, data-backed training methods. A former Somerset and Kent bowler with over 200 wickets, he’s the last dual-sport pro from English cricket and rugby. With degrees in Sports Science and coaching certifications, Jones founded Pacelab, blending biomechanics and constraint-led training. He’s coached for Rajasthan Royals in the IPL and joined Ludimos in 2024 as Strategic Advisor, pushing fast bowling into the future.
Among the various training sub-modalities, isometric work stands out as a low-risk, high-reward method that minimally interferes with an athlete’s high-speed capabilities on the field.
In today’s episode, Steffan explores a range of topics related to isometric training and athletic performance, with a special focus on fast-bowling velocity. He discusses both long-duration and overcoming isometrics, offering insights on how to incorporate these techniques into sport-specific training programs. Additionally, Steffan delves into complex training methods, pre-fatigue strategies for elastic output, and collision-based training concepts.
This episode emphasizes key principles for blending general strength with elite sport performance.
Today’s episode is brought to you by TeamBuildr’s Gym Studio and the LILA Exogen Wearable Resistance Training Sleeves.
Use the code “justfly25” for 25% off any Lila Exogen wearable resistance training, including the popular Exogen Calf Sleeves. For this offer, head to: Lilateam.com
For a Gym Studio 14-day free trial, head to gymstudio.com
View more podcast episodes at the podcast homepage at https://www.just-fly-sports.com/podcast-home/
Timestamps
5:46- Enhancing Fast Bowling with Isometric Exercises
7:21- Enhancing Performance Through Isometric Exercises
14:09- Balancing Specificity and General Strength Training for Athletes
18:39- Optimizing Recovery with Long Isometric Holds
28:12- Optimizing Performance Through Isometric Training Fundamentals
34:17- Optimizing Performance Through Tailored Bowling Training
40:32- Isometric Training for Enhanced Joint Stiffness
54:30- Integration of Strength and Conditioning in Coaching
Quotes
(15:36) "The only true specific thing you can do is your skill itself."
(18:41) "A lot of people don't understand that the long isos, when you get fit enough, strong enough, resilient enough, they're actually recovery."
(23:11) "Anything below 80% intensity, the brain sees as a different skill."
(37:34) "But my back foot contact, because that's a long ground contact time, my back foot contact around the ankle is short duration."
(39:02) "That's the problem with isometrics. Unless you've got a sort of a dynamometer or a force deck, You have no knowledge of results. So it's pretty boring and the brain switches off as such. But yeah, obviously I use different stuff. I use G Strength and Remaker and all those (to measure force)”
(47:30) "And collisions are not going to be improved by doing concentric work. Collisions are going to be improved by doing eccentric and isometric work."
(52:35 "If I have a knee-dominant bowler who's who takes a long time to get warm, who's who's fast twitch or their intermediate fibers do most of the work. They never get to their fast twitch fibers. So then a pre fatigue complex would be great for them. And they go really do a, do a set of 10 squats and then expect them to bowl. Yeah, it works. Do us do a 200 meter run and then expect them to do an explosive bowl. But have you tried that? That is such a great feeling."
About Steffan Jones
Steffan Jones is a globally renowned fast-bowling coach, celebrated for his innovative, science-driven approach to cricket performance. A former professional cricketer, Jones played as a fast-medium bowler for Somerset, Northamptonshire, Derbyshire, and Kent, -
Today's podcast features Jeremy Frisch. Jeremy is the Director of Athletic Performance at Teamworks Sports Center in Acton, Massachusetts, specializing in youth athletic development. The former owner of Achieve Performance Training, Jeremy is a field leader in youth movement, physical literacy, and long-term athletic development. Jeremy has been a frequent podcast guest and is a source of constant inspiration for training not only younger athletes but those of all ages.
We live within a broken modern sports system (in most countries). Much of sports performance, and athletic development follows suit. Formalized speed training designed for older athletes tends to get pushed down on children far too early. Athletes are continually denied the chance to be athletes, to be autonomous movers, decision makers, and experience the full joy of sport. Not only this, but in that deprivation, we cut ourselves off from the fullness of what we could consider speed training, for any athlete.
On today’s episode, Jeremy speaks on key principles to driving intent and multi-lateral ability in speed training for young athletes, and as they progress through their careers along with the pitfalls of early intensification and “speed training” kids like adults. He also covers many elements of athletic development, such as rhythm, crawling, rolling, strength training, and the development of aerial ability. All this, along with a discussion on the motivation factors of 80’s training movies, was an enjoyable conversation with Jeremy Frisch that is fundamental to the long-term development of athletes.
Today’s episode is brought to you by TeamBuildr’s Gym Studio.
For a Gym Studio 14-day free trial, head to gymstudio.com
Use the code “justfly25” for 25% off any Lila Exogen wearable resistance training, including the popular Exogen Calf Sleeves. For this offer, head to: Lilateam.com
View more podcast episodes at the podcast homepage. (https://www.just-fly-sports.com/podcast-home/)
Timestamps
1:59- Enhancing Athletic Performance with Powerball Game
7:01- Engaging Youth in Interactive Speed Training Exercises
9:33- Developmental Progression Through Play and Training
14:53- Innovative Solutions Through 80s Constraints
17:00- Fundamental Elements for Speed in Children
28:46- Fundamental Movement Activities for Youth Athletes
39:29- Joyful Motivation: Igniting Passion in Youth Sports
46:59- Engaging Athletic Training with Interactive Games
49:32- Engaging Activities Enhance Training Intent
54:04- Adapting Techniques in Enhanced Relay Races
56:58- Foundation Building Through Early Clean Technique Practice
1:05:24- Foundational Movements for Effective Athlete Development
1:10:20- Enhancing Athletic Skills Through Varied Drills
1:21:12- Intrinsic Satisfaction in Physical Training Journeys
1:25:10- Enhancing Athletic Performance Through Rhythmic Coordination
1:31:27- Interactive Body-Scanning Dance Game for Xbox
Quotes
(12:37) "Expand their movement bandwidth. And the only way you can expand their movement bandwidth is by immersing them in as much movements as possible in as many ways as possible."
(29:00) "If you look in like the Russia, like everyone thinks like the Russians had this like big secret, but if you look at like, you know those eastern block training, you see all the videos of black and white, like those guys are doing gymnastics and wrestling and climbing on things and doing pull ups and like just all like out in the, out in the mountains running over like jumping over rocks and stuff. It's like that's just GPP."
(29:55) "If you really want to develop an athlete, it's gotta be age-appropriate and you gotta get them excited for what they're doing."
(49:50) "Like everyone's, everyone's involved (in speed development) Everyone. It's just not one kid alone running on a treadmill, right? Everyone's activated, everyone's excited, everyone's laughing, -
Today's podcast features Jon Stea. Jon is a strength and performance coach based in Vancouver with over a decade of experience developing athletes from youth to the professional level. Jon combines coaching practices with an overarching philosophy of sport and movement concepts.
As modern society advances, youth sports and adult movement practices are becoming increasingly rigid and specialized. Many athletes struggle to progress in their sport and lose interest once their competitive careers end. Adults engage in community-based fitness but often miss the opportunity to explore their full movement potential and the deeper fulfillment it brings. Understanding why we train and how to empower athletes in their unique process is more crucial than ever.
On today’s episode, Jon speaks on building a creative, authentic coaching process that gives athletes room to fail, learn, and grow, expanding their abilities over time. He discusses the importance of connection and environment in sports training, games, and movement challenges, gets into motor learning concepts, and speaks on the overall art of coaching athletes for their long-term success. This is a conversation that our current sports, and sports performance world, demands that we have, to offer athletes room to not only be better in their sport but move and play as their authentic selves, in their chosen practice.
Today’s episode is brought to you by TeamBuildr’s Gym Studio and the Just Fly Sports Online Courses.
To learn more about the Sprint Acceleration Essentials, Elastic Essentials, or Speed ID courses, go to justflysports.thinkific.com
Use the code “justfly25” for 25% off any Lila Exogen wearable resistance training, including the popular Exogen Calf Sleeves. For this offer, head to Lilateam.com
View more podcast episodes at https://www.just-fly-sports.com/podcast-home/
Timestamps
2:00- How having a personal substantial work capacity has shaped Jon’s viewpoints on training
7:00- Capacity and aerobic elements in a total athletic performance program, as well as programs with a focus on explosiveness
10:30- Jon’s beginnings in athletic performance
15:00- The nature of coaching education and sports performance career paths in the modern and technological age
21:30- How Jon’s training process has evolved, based on athlete perception, gameplay, and the total developmental process
38:30- Insights to the creative process of game development
49:00- The use of games for more advanced athletes, to help “re-expand” movement options and facilitate a joyful training environment
55:30- How Jon’s journey shifted over time, to a more games and motor learning-based approach to training
1:00:00- How and why motor learning is at the core of athletic development in a variety of training sectors
Quotes
8:00 “When you work your superpower, it sets you up for easy wins” Jon Stea
21:10: “After a while, it’s just about the connection you make with people. Coaching or training, whether it be through sports, strength and conditioning, or working at a gym, is just a vehicle for human connection”
24:10 “You have a lot of contact time with people in a low-stakes environment (personal training, strength and conditioning), where someone is allowed to screw up, and that’s almost the point of a session, I want to see you fail, so I know where we can improve”
24:45 “We want to do a lot of things in here that you fail at, so we can do more of those things”
25:10 “You want to be your authentic self as much as possible so that athletes feel they can be that too”
30:15: “What you do doesn’t matter as much as who you are (to the athletes)”
38:45 “Go over to the wall, pick up 2 pieces of equipment, and we are going to make up a game”
39:45 “I find youth athletes, that’s something I’ve found drilled into them so much, “how do we score points, how do we win”. Rather, how do we create the most beautiful game possible? -
Today's podcast features Christian Thibaudeau. Christian is a renowned strength coach with over 25 years of experience. He has worked with athletes from 28 sports, including pros and Olympians, and was Head Strength Coach at the Central Institute for Human Performance. A former national-level weightlifter and bodybuilder, he has authored multiple books and has been a prolific writer for T-Nation. He has developed the Neurotyping and Omni-Rep systems, amongst many other contributions to human performance and athletic development.
The majority of training programs, particularly for athletic performance are mostly gas, and very little brakes. They work mostly propulsion while minimizing early stance and reciprocal motion capabilities. They tend to hover on external outputs and bar velocities but do little to cultivate internal awareness of one’s own body.
This podcast is all about the value and history of training at both isometric, lower training velocities, along with combined methods (reps + isometrics) for the sake of skilled movement performance and longevity. Christian digs into the history of the martial arts and bodyweight training methods, and goes into a variety of training techniques to round out one’s weak points, maximize body awareness and build more robust athletes.
Today’s episode is brought to you by TeamBuildr’s Gym Studio and the Lila Exogen Wearable Resistance Training Sleeves.
Use the code “justfly25” for 25% off any Lila Exogen wearable resistance training, including the popular Exogen Calf Sleeves. For this offer, head to: Lilateam.com
For a Gym Studio 14-day free trial, head to gymstudio.com
View more podcast episodes at the podcast homepage.
Main Points
5:29 - Antagonist Muscle Engagement in ISO Holds
8:51 - Optimal Movement Performance through Muscle Control
14:49 - Tendon Strengthening for Older Athletes
16:38 - Age-Related Muscle and Tendon Conditioning Exercises
20:27 - Explosiveness Maintenance Through Isometric Training
26:19 - Optimizing Performance with Plyometrics and Strength Integration
27:33 - Optimal Balance: Combining Natural Movements with Isometric Training
41:54 - Enhancing Strength Through Muscle Activation Techniques
Quotes
(00:23) "When you are truly skilled at an exercise, at a movement, you should be able to do it at any velocity."
(09:10) "Maxick. Yes. So that also fits the bill because you are actually, you're trying to contract your muscle by using your own body as resistance. So it's a form of isometric training. And I believe that it is very valuable, especially in the earlier stage of training because I strongly believe that especially when it comes to motor learning and maybe hypertrophy, the better you are at creating tension in the proper muscle, the better results you'll get."
(18:35) "I think that again, long-duration isometrics is something that's going to be very, very positive to prevent the decrease in tendon performance with older athletes."
(26:40) "I work with one of the top karate athletes in the world. Like super explosive, lightning fast. And we don't lift weights. Let me correct myself. The only exercise where we lift weight is a power clean from the hang. Every form of strength work is done with a flywheel and the rest is plyometric and absorption drills."
(38:00) "Don't forget that martial arts, well, especially those of the, the karate, kung fu, and family, judo, it has evolved over two to three thousands of years. And it was not just a system of combat, it was a system of getting into combat shape"
(41:20) "Skill is first shown in slow movement."
(43:39) "The capacity to contract and. Or relax a muscle while contracting surrounding muscles."
(48:52) "I don't honestly see a method that would be more effective for rapid muscle growth than doing let's say a set of say 6 to 10 reps to failure depending on your own personal preferences and then holding for one minute loaded stretch... -
Today's podcast features James Wild, a Research & Development and Speed Consultant with Harlequins Rugby Club and a Lecturer in Sport & Exercise Science at the University of Surrey. With expertise in biomechanics, skill acquisition, and motor learning, James has worked with athletes of all levels, including medal-winning teams at major competitions. He is also an author and holds a PhD in biomechanics and motor control of sprint acceleration.
While many approaches exist for speed training, less attention is given to individual movement strategies. Athletes accelerate differently based on sport, movement background, and physical attributes.
James discusses his quadrant system, which categorizes acceleration strategies based on flight/ground time and stride frequency vs. step length. He also covers injury trends, plyometrics, sprint technique, resisted sprints, motor learning, and more. It was great having James back—this episode is essential for anyone interested in speed training and individualized performance.
Today’s episode is brought to you by TeamBuildr’s Gym Studio and the Lila Exogen Wearable Resistance Training Sleeves.
Use the code “justfly25” for 25% off any Lila Exogen wearable resistance training, including the popular Exogen Calf Sleeves. For this offer, head to: Lilateam.com
For a Gym Studio 14-day free trial, head to gymstudio.com
View more podcast episodes at the podcast homepage.
Main Points
3:00- Personalized Approach to Enhancing Speed Through Strength
7:25- Distinct Athletic Techniques Across Animal-Inspired Strategies
19:17- Ankle-Dominant Movement and Injury Risk Factors
26:03- Enhancing Performance Through Diverse Sports Integration
36:31- Reactive Strength Optimization for Acceleration Performance
40:24- Technique-Focused Interventions for Acceleration Enhancement
45:03- Enhancing Performance Through Technical Acceleration Cues
51:54- Enhancing Hip Muscle Strength Through Leg Swings
56:29- Tailored Loaded Resistance for Sprint Optimization
1:03:32- Personalized Training Approaches Enhancing Athlete Performance
Quotes
(23:29) "The importance of adaptability: In particular for team sports in what you're doing, that your footwork patterns and the conditions under which you accelerate are going to change, you know, every single time you do it."
(25:00) “The field hockey players tend to adopt a bit more of a spinner type strategy where the step rate's higher, flight times lower and then with the lacrosse players it's a bit more of a, towards more of a bounder type strategy in, in comparison.”
(29:15) "I think it's always useful to know their acceleration strategy. But, but that information alone doesn't mean that you intervene automatically in a specific way."
(32:24) “If it was a bounder picking up repeated calf injuries during those, excuse me, during those warm up sprint efforts that they get week after week or even in the speed sessions, then we might try and get them to focus on a slightly higher step rate.”
(38:30) “What I have fairly consistently found though is that when meaningful changes to those reactive strength stiffness like qualities have been made, typically through a combination of pliers and isometric work, although more along the lines of plyos, contact times typically become a bit shorter. And as a result, what you see therefore is that those player acceleration strategies often move slightly more towards bouncer or bounder strategies where contact times are short relative to their flight times.”
(41:11) "Sometimes it is about trying to identify what might be relatively simple deficits from a strength perspective in an individual and going after those to change their technique as opposed to directly cuing them to do something."
(57:00): “If I was gonna use sleds as a means to try and increase step rate frequency, I might generally load up heavier and there and have them sprint in a way where they're havi... - Montre plus
