As coaches we like to think of the training process as predictable and controllable, but the reality isn’t that straightfoward. As guest Dan Cleather explains on this week’s GAINcast, we don’t dictate training outcomes, we simply guide a conversation with the body. In the interview he looks at how to best guide that process, the role of overload, and rethinking recent trends in athlete profiling.
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Vern is a prodigious reader. On this week’s GAINcast he discusses what makes his top 10 books of 2025 stand out, as well as some additional reading recommendations.
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Every quarter we take a deep dive into the latest research in sports science. In this edition we look at the latest research on setting goals, post-exercise recovery, team decision making processes, and much more.
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If you don’t try learn from your mistakes, you’ll never improve as acoach. Nick and I often reflect on our coaching to see what went well, what didn’t, and what we want to try going forward. No time is better to do this than the start of the year. On this week’s episode we look back on 2025 and also look forward to what we’ll be trying differently in 2026.
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In 2025 I read a total of 117 books. I never set out to read a certain number, I am just never without a book in my hand. I love reading. My reading is very eclectic, certainly not confined to sport and sport science.
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2025 was an interesting year for me from a reading perspective – I shifted to consuming more fiction books than ever before (more on this later). Overall, I started 34 books in 2025; this is less than my target of 52, but I think it reflects the stage of life I am at – with two young kids, it’s becoming increasingly common for me to fall asleep having read just a few pages. I’ve also got much better at stopping books that I’m not enjoying or don’t find relevant; when this happens, I can ask ChatGPT for a summary of the main topics, and get some podcasts from the author to understand the key arguments, so I don’t feel like I’m missing out. Below are my best reads from 2025 – hopefully you find some inspiration from them!
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Our friend Wil Fleming released a new book in November: Strong Mind: A Weightlifter’s Guide to Focus, Confidence, and Resilience Under the Bar. As a former elite hammer thrower and weightlifter, a shockingly bad performance at the Olympic Trials changed Fleming’s outlook on the mental side of training. This has helped him significantly as a coach, and now he is sharing his learnings with others as well. He then joined us on last week’s podcast to dive into the topic as well.
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When it comes to strength, Wil Fleming is one of the top coaches in the world with his athletes having set American records and won world medals in weightlifting. But the key to strength isn’t just in the muscles, it is also in the mind. On this week episode Fleming joins us to discuss the mental side of training and lessons he has learned on developing a strong mind.
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Southern California is known for its earthquakes, but it was also the epicenter of track and field during the golden age of the sport. On this week’s episode, longtime coach and author Larry Knuth looks back at the coaching scene in that era, reflecting on his own path to coaching, as well as the big names he worked with along the way. This episode isn’t just a walk down memory lane, but a look inside how some of the century’s top coaches got their start and developed their broad skillsets.
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Every quarter we take a deep dive into the latest research in sports science. In this edition we look at the latest research on putting together effective multidisiplinary support teams, REDs in sport, the limitations of sports science, and transfering theory into practice.
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