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After time in the NCAA, Westside Barbell, and contracting for the Department of Defense, I sit down with Dustin Chadwick and Joe Cooperman to dive into the world of strength and conditioning. Along the way, guests from all aspects of our profession generously give their time to educate not only on their unique philosophies and gifts, but share learned experience as well of the road less traveled. While these guests are profoundly different, they prove two things in life are certain, gravity = 9.81m/s2, and there exist many Realms of Strength.
Episodes
Monday Sep 19, 2022
Monday Sep 19, 2022
Phil Daru talks MMA and Tactical strength and conditioning! A large proponent of the Westside Barbell Conjugate System, Phil habitually uses not only these methodologies, but also many other new findings to propel fighting athletes ever forward. From his training philosophy, correcting anterior chain dominance, optimizing movement patterns, utilizing the placebo effect, creating buy-in, his favorite KPI lifts, and single leg work, much is discussed through the lens of a man who has walked the walk.
Saturday Aug 20, 2022
Saturday Aug 20, 2022
After catching up on current events, we tackle one big question which only seems to get asked of us more and more often:
What are the differences, do's, and don'ts of tactical strength and conditioning coach?
With combined base experiences of JBLM, Fort Knox, and Fort Bliss, we lay out what we've seen work (and not). From big military to SOF, 0600 PT to open gym, civilian v military culture, to being lethal down range v Friday night lights, all the top topics are covered.
Sunday Jul 24, 2022
Sunday Jul 24, 2022
Sam Briggs, 2013 CrossFit Games champion, 9x Individual competitor, firefighter, and the GOAT of UK's CrossFit community talks shop! Her background of soccer and cross country (amongst destroying her brothers and their cronies on the cul-de-sac) led her to a career in firefighting which was then soon parlayed into the emerging sport of CrossFit in the late 2000's. She soon found herself standing alone at the top of the podium in 2013 as the World's Fittest Woman. This didn't come free, as years of intense training led to a multitude of injuries (most notably her shoulder, elbow, and knee). However, what most call travesties Sam calls road bumps as she went on to compete as an individual in 9 CrossFit Games. Today she lives in Cincinnati, and serves as Emma McQuaid's training partner and 'keeper' during top level competitions such as Wodapalooza and the Games.
Monday Jul 11, 2022
Monday Jul 11, 2022
Ian 'The Rhino' Daniel, who received his nickname from the GOAT in Rich Froning, describes his transition from CrossFit to powerlifting. No stranger to adversity, Ian spent over a year in a far right radical camp for 'troubled' teens before getting out. Soon after he discovered CrossFit, which allowed and endorsed those within the sport to be functionally strong and capable...an ideal form for a young man coming from such an upbringing. With his strength literally being his strength, he took to CrossFit and even got the opportunity to train with the GOAT, Rich Froning in Cookeville Tennessee. After 2 team outings at the Games, Ian steered into what his body naturally gravity towards, being strong. Despite a snowboarding accident leaving his lower back in limbo, he was able to find for arounds for continually getting stronger while nursing his injury on the road to totaling 2001lbs.
Tuesday Jul 05, 2022
Tuesday Jul 05, 2022
James Jowsey, or "Jowse' as he's known by his friends and athletes, has worked with some the top CrossFit individuals and professional footballers of the UK and Ireland. A strong athlete himself, Jowse in his late teens made it all the way to being on Manchester United's reserves (much akin to being a practice squad player for an NFL team...just one play away) as a goal keeper. From nutrition, recovery, and the weight room, he fell in love with the in's and out's of being a professional athlete. Despite staunch adherence to these principles, a torn quad and chronic nerve pain down the back kept him from realizing his dream. With a passion to continually learn, he set out to discover the most valid laws of motion and movement correction to appropriately fire the muscle(s) of athletic propulsion. Over years of honing these principles, they came quite advantageous to the world of competitive CrossFit. Meeting Sam Briggs in 2011 sparked a coach/athlete partnership which has lasted to this day. This relationship led him in 2018 to begin working with the top CrossFit export of the Emerald Isle, in Emma McQuaid, who a the time of recording is 33 days out from the 2022 CrossFit Games in Madison Wisconsin.https://www.instagram.com/specialstrengths/
Sunday Jun 26, 2022
Sunday Jun 26, 2022
Super Bowl Champion LA Ram strength coach Zach Witherspoon sits down to talk shop! From future NFL Hall or Famers Aaron Donald, Matthew Stafford, Odell Beckham Jr., and Jalen Ramsey, Coach Witherspoon has indeed worked with the best in the business. After his short stint at EXOS Performance, he became a staffed S&C coach at New Mexico State University. Shortly thereafter, a promotion came which placed him as the Director of Exercise Prescription/Director of Olympic Sports, which he retained for over 6 years until getting a call from the young staff of the LA Rams. Coach breaks down how load and velocity aid in the prevention of CNS burnout and how to balance these variables through single leg variations not only for strength, but athleticism. While technology has its place, Zach is passionate about relying on one KPI (key performance indicator) at a time and the coaching eye versus the technology overload many encounter today. From in-season to off-season training, managing egos, creating buy-in, and even being Sean McVay's doppelgänger, this sit down covers it all.
Sunday May 15, 2022
Sunday May 15, 2022
Sean Hayes, WWE's head strength and conditioning coach and NXT director of performance shares what it takes to become a Superstar in World Wrestling Entertainment. Getting his first major coaching role at Penn State (under Craig Fitzgerald, who currently is the head S&C coach for the New York Football Giants), he learned he had a passion for coaching the basics with blue collar for ethic. After 2 successful seasons at Penn, he followed Coach Fitzgerald to the Houston Texans, an NFL franchise which upon their entrance was re-energized both on and off the grid iron. This is where, as they say, it gets interesting... During his time in Houston, he made the acquaintance of one Brian Cushing, a premier linebacker in the NFL. Cushing was trained pre-combine and off-season by Joe DeFrance, who, had trained (still trains) Paul Levesque...better known by his stage name, Triple H. This connection launched him on the trajectory to what quite honestly is a/THE unicorn job in the industry, the head strength coach for the WWE. Constantly evolving, despite his linebacker mentality, Coach Hayes is a proponent of anything which gives positive feedback to the athletes in his charge. This includes, but is not limited to using both the coaching eye as well as technology advancements for not only target speeds, but recovery monitoring. At the end of the day, these men and women are paid professionals leading to a long used saying in the NFL...
...the best ability is availability.
Sunday May 08, 2022
Sunday May 08, 2022
Paul Worrilow, the toast of Delaware defensive football, went undrafted to the Atlanta Falcons and played 8 years in the league. Today he sits down to break down what it takes to go from a relative unknown to an NFL team captain, a Super Bowl, and near decade at the top of his craft. A man who has seen just about everything the football world and National Football League has to offer, he describes the professional intensity of entering the league and how to counter such stressors. In the infamous Super Bowl LI, he gives his opinion of how the Patriots (most notably Tom Brady) had them on their heels late in the the 3rd quarter. A major believer in the philosophy of then head coach of the Atlanta Falcons Dan Quinn (currently the defensive coordinator of the Dallas Cowboys), he shares stories of how Coach Quinn was/is one of the most influential people in his life. Additionally, while in Atlanta, he made the acquaintance of the then strength coach Jesse Ackerman who introduced him to the most notable Westside Barbell method of sled pulling. Now in the world of position coaching at his alma mater, the University of Delaware, he goes deep into his passion for helping those young men reach their potential both on the field and weight room (and a few anecdotes from his time in this regard).
Sunday May 01, 2022
Sunday May 01, 2022
An NFL legacy, the 6'7", 310lb Jon Heck decided to follow his passion in the weight room. With his father having played 12 years in the NFL and currently the offensive line coach for the Super Bowl winning Kanasas City Chiefs, he and all the reason and ability to play at the next level. However, his passion took control and in doing so he knowing passed on his pro day at University of North Carolina (his 4 year alma mater) and the NFL Combine. This decision took him first to the private sector, working at a local D1 training facility which quickly parlayed into an opportunity to intern with Joe Kenn, who held the title of head strength and conditioning coach for the Carolina Panthers. After interning and learning the tier system with Coach Kenn, he took this knowledge back to his home gridiron of the UNC Tarheels. With his competitive lifestyle not extinguished, Jon found strongman, and with his superhuman frame took to it like a fish to water. He is currently on the comeback from a major compressed lower back disc, and what he's learned along the way has set the groundwork for not only a wider training base, but a more mature understanding of how an athlete functions, and the importance of selective hypertrophy.
Sunday Apr 24, 2022
Sunday Apr 24, 2022
Talking shop and answering the top 6 questions we've received from coaches and athletes alike. Leading the way are questions regarding the Westside Barbell method of Circa Max. Engineered by Louie Simmons, Circa Max is a form of supercompensation, with the aim of tapering into a meet. While there are nuances, I share who Louie told me should not be (or needs) doing such (as well as the isolation lift used by Louie to bolster his bench PR before a meet) a drastic taper. Also, we dive into the importance of single leg variations for performance, hypertrophy, and correcting bi-lateral deficits.