Speed is one of the 5 major capacities of human performance, or athleticism. Along with strength, power, agility, and endurance…speed is a defining characteristic of winners. Every athlete, and in fact every human organism, needs speed to live and perform to the highest potential. Developing, maintaining, and improving speed in older athletes, however, is often a challenging proposition. The first…
I thought the title sounded interesting. Honestly, I’m not sure there is anything I’ve got to say about training that is actually revolutionary…but maybe. Today’s commentary is going to focus on the word evolution as it pertains to training. Evolution in the field of biomechanics. Evolution in my own thinking and programming. Evolution in all of our athletic bodies. Possibly…
I’m always thinking about how to select the best exercises for a given situation. I’m referring to what you do in your workout program. This runs the gamut from choosing movements that can help to correct deficiencies, to exercises that can embellish your natural gifts, or to motions that are “sports-specific.” Your conditioning program includes the assortment of exercises that…
Your mileage may vary. So will mine. That’s an interesting statement with which we are all familiar. Those automobile ads making such proclamations are so common, but it’s also helpful to think about the mileage we get out of our bodies. I’m going to talk about mileage and the human body in two specific ways today. In a very general…
Lately I’ve been in a rabbit hole studying longevity versus quality of life, and comparing performance to basic functional abilities. I’ve been examining the available literature on these topics as well as trying to be an observant human in the midst of every person in my circle existing as a case study. The research is quite interesting to say the…
I frequently find myself talking about running shoes. Each spring or summer I do a review, guide, or update on the topic. If you’d like to look at some of the prior resources, which include several articles, videos, and podcast episodes…just type “running shoes” into the search bar on the website. For this year, I had some inspirations and observations…
I was recently doing a bit of traveling. As is often the case, I found myself pondering and reflecting on the human experience, at least my version of it. I don’t travel as much as I used to. I know that’s true for many of us, and for a variety of reasons. A number of friends, colleagues, and family members…
Functional exercise, or functional fitness, is a very interesting term. It’s used frequently to describe movement and training patterns. It’s also a phrase that’s both adored and despised. Let’s give functional exercise some attention today. I guess I’m not gonna redefine functional fitness. I’m just going to revisit the concept. By definition, the adjective “functional” suggests that something is designed…
Getting on the same page. Speaking the same language. This is good when we want to avoid confusion and increase effectiveness. When talking about footwork, specifically in reference to some common athletic movements, standardized nomenclature is essential. What I find, and I’m sure you have also, is that there is a bit of a disconnect when it comes to footwork.…
It seems like I’m always in some kind of biomechanics rabbit hole. It’s been that way forever. One of my favorite areas of study in human performance is gait mechanics. Today’s discussion focuses on a particular aspect of running gait, and it applies to locomotion in jogging, running, and sprinting. I’ve spent nearly 40 years reading research articles, and being…
