Why are some athletes faster than others? And how do we make athletes faster? In their new book Dan Cleather and Jon Goodwin argue that the answer begins and ends with a consideration of force production. Both of them join this week’s podcast to discuss key drivers in sprint performance, what factors are modifiable, and how we often get distracted from what really matters.
Read more
Another baseball season is underway and, once again, the injuries are piling up. On this week’s GAINcast we speculate about what might be causing the injuries, how training is related to injuries, and where using heavy and light implements can go right or wrong.
Read more
The 1980s were a time of global awakening in track and field. As coaches experimented with new training methods, ideas started spreading all over the blog. Coach Bogdan Poprawski was at the center of that process, moving as a young coach from Poland to Canada and helping Gerard Mach set up a new system. On this week’s GAINcast he joins us to share some stories about becoming a coach in a different era and culture, the transition to Canada, and much more.
Read more
We often talk about training methods and success stories on this podcast. But coaching has its struggles too. On this week’s podcast we talk about some of the struggles coaches face but often don’t talk about: athlete commitment, motivation, the role of parenting in athlete success, and how talent can make a coach look good.
Read more
The training camp is an integral part of the training process in many sports. But how can you get the most out of it? On this week’s GAINcast we share ideas around planning training camps to get the most out of them with swim coach Chris Webb. In addition, we look at optimal planning of multiple short training sessions, strategies to increase training quality, how much warmup is needed, and more.
Read more
Designing the perfect training space is as much about the thought you put into it as the equipment you purchase. It’s more about finding the space you need rather than building the space you want. On this week’s podcast Patryk Bielawski of innovative equipment manufacturer Bridge Built joins us to look at factors to consider when putting together your own space so that you can get the most out of it.
Read more
Being a better mover solves a lot of problems: it makes it easier to pick up skills and adapt to new situations, which also helps reduce the risk of injury and increase the level of performance. Rather than focusing on your next injury prevention exercise, most athletes would be better off just becoming better overall movers. Dutch national football team coach René Wormhoudt joins this week’s GAINcast to discuss his training approach which builds upon this philosophy for both youth athletes and the world’s top athletes.
Read more
Perhaps the two most important words in programming are: it depends. We often focus on the exercise or structure, forgetting about the context. How do you train before a competition? It depends. Are speed ladders good or bad? It depends. Are kettlebells or dumbbells better? It depends. On this week’s episode we talk about variety of training topics and try to answer the question of what it depends on.
Read more
Long-term athlete development models are often packaged with convincing narratives and buzzwords. But they’re also full of a few myths as well. Dr. Joe Eisenmann’s career has combined his academic interests in pediatric physiology with his practical experiences in youth coaching. Combined he’s helped bring some common sense to the topic of LTAD. On this week’s podcast he talks about some of the history and misconceptions of LTAD, as well as his own approach to the area.
Read more
With some athletes, the key to coaching is about getting them to put their foot on the gas. However, with elite athletes it can often the opposite. On this week’s podcast Scott Russell joins us to share some experiences from his career as a javelin thrower, PE teacher, and coach about when to step on the gas, when to take the foot away, and much more.
Read more
