Mat Clark: 'Track Strength' | The Purpose and Application of Strength and Conditioning

Very few coaches can say they've had five athletes run 1.44 or faster in the 800m. Joseph Deng and Peter Bol (among several others) have risen to the top of the event -- thanks to the guidance of Justin Rinaldi.

His group named 'Fast8TrackClub' not only highlights their aim, but it matches how they get there -- they run fast, all year round, but the devil is in the details, so in this episode, Justin unpacked his coaching philosophy which was born out of his own experience as an athlete, and the mistakes he made along the way.

Follow Justin and the Fast8TrackClub
-https://www.instagram.com/fast8trackclub/
-https://www.instagram.com/jrinaldi800
-https://twitter.com/jrinaldi800

Sports and Exercise physiotherapist, to many of Australia's top track and field athletes, Sam Leslie, discusses his multi-layered approach to rehabilitating and reducing injuries as well as improving event specific performance.

Sam, who works out of MyPhysio Evolution, in Melbourne Australia, takes an evidence based approach to help establish timelines for the returning to full health and selecting methods that match the athletes characteristics and the current stage of the injury among other variables. He explains the contents and application of direction-based programming which is a focal point of his practice throughout this episode.

Lifestyle and stress management was also a feature of the discussion, Sam is currently developing an educational resource and application called 'Peak' to empower athletes in managing their health and performance.

High Performance athletes Sam works with: Kathryn Mitchell (Javelin), Chris Mitrevski (LJ), Jake Penny (100m and relay), Jacob Despard (10mm and relay), Tess Kirsopp Cole (800m), Tori West (Heptathlon), Tayleb Willis (110mH), Mackenzie Mielczarek (Javelin)

You can find more about Sam and his work through his Instagram (below) and his articles on Simpli Faster:
-@samleslie_sportsphysio
-https://simplifaster.com/articles/author/samleslie/

Daniel Davey is the Founder of DaveyNutrition and has over 15 years experience as a Performance Nutritionist, 9 of which were spent in elite sport environments with Dublin GAA and Leinster Rugby. 

We sat down to discuss topics like fueling and recovery based on individual demands like event groups in Athletics as well as creating processes to make nutrition feel like a fun and sustainable experience. 

Daniel has been around several players who have been in the conversation of 'best in the world' at what they do. In this episode, we spent a lot of time talking about the behaviors and routines of elite athletes.

Find more Daniels content and services via: https://www.daveynutrition.com/ and his Instagram: @daveynutrition

Coach to Olympic, Paralympic, World, European and Commonwealth Medalists, Steve Fudge has not just harnessed the talent of elite level prospects, but over the years he has developed a system that is building  world class sprinters from a very earl stage in their career.

In this episode, Steve spoke about how the initial movements at the start can impact the acceleration, the transition and max velocity 'phases'. When executed well there is fluid continuity from one step to another instead of erratic or disjointed movement.

Steve carefully explains his methods for developing the technical and physical qualities for the short sprint events alongside managing the factors that come with individual athletes that govern their application. 

Thank you Steve for sharing such valuable information to all the listeners!

Streaming on all major podcasting platforms. 

John is a well-known coach, content creator, and writer on all things athletics, but perhaps most pertinently, he has a massive aptitude for horizontal jumps training.

In his first few years of coaching he guided two men under the age 20 jump over 7.70m in the long jump -- one became European Junior Champion. Since that time, he has guided several more athletes to jump 7.70+, 6.30+ (for women) and16.20m in the mens triple jump.

John believes that specificity can be achieved early in the winter and over training is often a major hinderance to long term development. Designing winter training that is both progressive and specific is what our conversation revolved around.

Topics:
-Specific fitness in the winter training plan
-Using undulating periodization
-Speed development
-Over reaching and peaking
-Developing the long jump takeoff (physiologically and technically)

Follow John on Social Media:
-Instagram: instagram.com/johnshepherdwritertrackcoach
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Johnshepherdtrackcoach

Boo is one of the worlds leading track and field coaches, educators, and rehab consultants. He's coached world champions, he's delivered coaching education  workshops around the world, and now he primarily helps world class athletes return to their best.

Boo coached 17 NCAA champions in his initial 11 year stint at Louisiana State University. During that time he led Walter Davis to becoming a world indoor and outdoor champion in the triple jump. In 2018, he returned to assist the program as a Strength and Conditioning coach; shortly after both Rayvon Grey and Juvaughn Harrison won individual NCAA titles in the long jump followed by an NCAA team title in 2021.

Topics of discussion:

-Improving pelvic oscillation and undulation in sprinting and the vertical component of each stride in the approach

-Accessing and coordinating necessary rotation at the long jump

-Key Performance Inhibitors: 'driving' knee during the long jump takeoff, high heel recovery in the hop phase, improper yielding mechanics

-Rotation of the shin during the triple jump takeoff

-Heuristics for phase distribution in the triple jump
-Task complexity and its impact on intensity: selection of technical work, weightroom exercises, plyometrics

-Athlete readiness: Methods monitoring recovery/readiness (particularly with developed athletes) e.g. standing triple jump

-Common traits among successful coaches and educators

Texas Techs Jumps and Multi's Coach, Keith Herston, is quickly becoming one of the worlds top jumps coaches having had success with various national and international athletes across different event disciplines. 

Keith has coached , 3 Olympians, 4 World Championship Finalists, 1 NCAA Champion, 63 NCAA All Americans , and 6 Top-10 NCAA All-Time Performers (WTJ, WLJ, MLJ).

Affiliated w/Output Sport - get 10% off by using the promocode, 'COLMBOURKE10'

Head Coach, History Teacher, and Author of the Sprinters Compendium (among many other things), Coach Ryan Banta has been at Parkway High School for 20 years. During that time, he has successfully coached everything from cross country to the short sprints. In 2022, Coach Banta was named the Missouri TFCCCA girls coach of the year. 

In this episode, we talked about how he uses his background in Positive Psychology with his athletes, the Critical Mass Training Philosophy, the Development of his coaching and the Sprinters Compendium. This one is loaded. 

Thank you to Coach Banta for sharing so much wisdom for the audience to enjoy.

Affiliated w/Output Sports - Promocode: COLMBOURKE10

Coach Carrie Lane works with Under Armours Elite group of distance runners based in Baltimore Maryland. Prior to that, she spent several years as the Throws coach at the University of Wyoming and regularly lectures at the USTFCCCA coaches convention and other seminars on this particular topic. 

This episode provides insights into her current role as well as some of the key principles she uses to guide her training philosophy. 

Affiliated with Output Sports - Promo code: COLMBOURKE10

From former collegiate triple jumper at Cornell University turned Olympic-level coach; Aaron Gadson shows his passion and knowledge for the event across a multitude of subjects. His breakdowns of training and coaching are detailed and thoughtful making for a rich episode that both athletes and coaches can enjoy. 

Be sure to follow Aarons's Instagram page for much more content: @youngjumps

Affiliated with Output Sports - use Promo code: COLMBOURKE10 for 10% off.