I’m occasionally asked, of all the podcasts that I’ve recorded, what my favorite ones where, and what I’m implementing from all the shows I do. With 2019 coming to an end, I wanted to highlight 10 podcasts that particularly stood out to me, each of which had a meaningful impact on me as a coach, and caused me to think more deeply on aspects of my own coaching and programming.
Even if a podcast from the past year wasn’t on this list, it doesn’t mean that it didn’t affect me as a coach, as I take something (or many things) from every single guest I have on the show. I have been immensely grateful for everyone who has given their time and energy to lend their expertise on this channel and it was actually pretty painful to try and file everything down into a top 10 list.
This being said, I wanted to highlight the shows that had the biggest impact on me personally in my own coaching and training… the shows that have shown up in the programs I write and the methods by which I instruct athletes. In no particular order, here are my top 10 most impactful podcasts of 2019, well, really 14 because I just couldn’t make up my mind entirely and had to have a few honorable mentions, as well as the “sleeper” episode of 2019, so let’s start with the shows that were just outside of the top 10.
Sleeper Episode of 2019
The “Sleeper” award goes to a great show that flew under the radar a bit in terms of views, shares and downloads.
Ross Jeffs on CNS Dynamics and Training Individualization
This first of last years’ podcasts that really bears mentioning was Ross Jeffs. Although it didn’t get as many views as I would have thought given the quality of information, Ross’s methods on speed training for athletes of different neural wirings is an absolute “must know” in the world of training. If you didn’t get a chance to check this show out the first time around, I’d absolutely recommend getting back to it.
Honorable Mentions of 2019
These three shows just barely missed the top 10… but in another universe, they could have all easily made it in. Regardless, they all had a big impact on my training and coaching this past year.
Tyler Yearby and Michael Zweifel on Creating Robust Athletes in the Weight Room Through Variability and Creative Movement
I’ve always been a big fan of variability in training, and this show put together a lot of elements in the weight room in a way that makes great sense for those working to build robust athletes on the field, as well as create a consistent message across the program in regards to problem solving movement.
Tim Anderson on Reflexive Strength, Crawling and Innate Human Performance
I’ve loved crawls as a mode of training for a very long time, but this show made me appreciate this mode of training in a whole new way, as well as helping me understand the learning process and “hands-off” nature of working with this movement element.
Erik Korem and Keir Wenham Flatt on Game Speed, Mental Toughness and Governing Dynamics of Sports Performance
Erik Korem and Keir Wenham Flatt are absolute maestro’s of running a high performance strength and conditioning model that prioritizes not only doing things well in the weight room, but also on taking a wide-sweeping view on all variables that lead to success. From game-speed insights, to the specificity of mental toughness, to maximal efficiency in the gym that gives athletes more room to work with in their latter years, this show was massively informative, not to mention fun to record.
My Top 10 Podcasts of 2019
So we’ve finally reached the top 10, I’m excited to share with you what I’ve learned from this corner of my podcast experiences.
Rafe Kelley on Returning to the Core of Human Movement
This was one of the greatest conversations I’ve had since I’ve started the show, and it touched on a number of important topics. The primary lesson that I’ve kept with me in every training session since is the emotional ebb and flow of the workout, and how initial play and fun sets athletes up for more success when you get to the harder elements of the workout.
Cal Dietz, Chad Dennis and Cameron Josse on Unilateral and Bilateral Training Periodization and Neurology
Single leg training versus double leg training… which is better? We love to polarize this element of working with athletes, but in reality, there are advantages and disadvantages of each method. This excellent show highlighted each of these pros and cons, how to minimize negatives from bilateral training, and how to set up a periodization program that gives the best of both worlds.
Jeremy Frisch with Guest Host Dr. Tommy John on High Performance Movement Training and Sport Skill Integration
“Warmups are for champions”. Whether it is in a formal strength session, or in a team sport training environment, Jeremy Frisch knows how to program a variety of essential movements that create a well-rounded athlete with maximal long-term development potential. Add into the show the humor and insight of Dr. Tommy John, and the fact that Tommy and I nearly had to share a headset while trying to figure out how to patch Jeremy into our rigged up mixer board in Tommy’s San Diego training studio, and this was a classic show that will always reside in my memory banks.
David Grey on the Power of Pronation in Athletic Performance
David Grey has had a massive impact on how I approach training pronation and the feet. On this show, he talked about the hugely important ideal of delayed knee extension and how it fits with pronation. We live in a world that values triple extension so badly, it has lost sight of how the human body works in the gait cycle, and this show was the ultimate remedy for that. If you want to understand more about how to get the most out of the glutes in running and acceleration, as well as learn a ton about the feet, this is a massively important show.
Dr. Ebonie Rio (144) and Dr. Keith Baar (156) and on Tendon Health and Performance
It was hard enough to create a top-10 list with all of the amazing shows that I had an opportunity to record over the last year. This being said, I “crunched” this top show into two podcasts that both revolved around building stronger and more injury resilient tendons. My episode with Dr. Rio was one of the most viewed pages on Just Fly Sports this past year, and my show with Dr. Baar is the number one downloaded episode of all time. The moral of the story, listen to these shows, do your isometrics, and check in with your tendons 24 hours after each training session. Tendons love load, and operate on a different paradigm than muscle, so these episodes are truly mandatory!
Ben Patrick on Building Bulletproof Knees and Iron Feet
If there is an absolute game changer of a training nugget I got this past year, it was when Ben Patrick mentioned that he trains in the “reverse” order of the typical hip-dominant training program. Rather than working the hips, knees and then feet in order of importance, he essentially reverses this in his own methods. Instantly, I considered what type of athlete I had become in my many years in the iron game, which was a much more hip and back dominant version of my former athletic self, and one who was more prone to knee and Achilles issues. It also caused me to take a more critical look in how athletes were developing along these lines. This idea, along with the “knees over toes” philosophy is a robust and industry-changing metric and was a fantastic show.
Sam Portland on the Power of Speed Gate Golf
This episode with Sam Portland could have just as well made the “sleeper award” if it wasn’t in my top 10 on the year. “Speed Gate Golf” might just be the most game-changing concept in speed training that you’ve never heard of, and it’s absolutely worth a listen (or two). In a training world that really lives by pure “max force” and “max intent” (which certainly are important entities) we tend to miss the finer points in between, such as skill building and athlete psychology, and these are huge drivers in adaptation. The “speed gate golf” doctrine is one that, after hearing the results, you’ll be mad that you spent so long without this information.
Cory Schlesinger on Athlete-Driven Strength and Conditioning
This show with Cory Schlesinger marked my first ever “in person” recording of a podcast episode, and it was just about the most fun I’ve ever had as a coach and podcaster as Cory and I got some serious kettlebell juggling in prior to the actual show recording. For the episode, Cory went in depth on how he not only builds his programming based on the needs of athletic movement, but also based on a menu-system that lets an athlete help choose the training means that fit them best. Cory is the epitome of a coach that puts himself in the shoes of his athletes, and creates the best possible program to serve their needs.
Adarian Barr on Ground Impulse as a Biomechanical Lynchpin
I’ve experienced a myriad of “mind blown” moments in my training and coaching history with Adarian Barr. This episode on the timing of foot properties to biomechanical sport execution was something that has caused me to look at athletic movement in an entirely new light. The stiffness and energy return of the foot in the loading and unloading phase of movement will determine the optimal ground contact time, and this contact time is going to help determine things such as knee lift height in sprinting, or timing of the limbs in jumping. Mind blown!
If you want a more in-depth appreciation for human movement (and yet another reason why not to tell athletes to sprint with their knees up) then this episode should be on your short-list of “to listens”.
Sheldon Dunlap on Oscillaory Isometric Integration into Triphasic Training
I don’t believe in chance, and there was definitely a reason I found myself sitting next to Sheldon Dunlap at a sports performance clinic in Sacramento in 2018. Sheldon is one of the brightest and most innovative young strength coaches in the nation. In this episode, he went in depth on a modification to Cal Dietz’s triphasic training system that was getting his track and field athletes serious improvements in their sprinting and jumping ability. This modification has been on my own training inventory since the show, and I can attest to it’s effectiveness. This show was an awesome start to the year of 2019.
So there you have it, my top list of episodes in 2019. I’m excited to see what 2020 brings, and based on what I have recorded so far, we’re off to a great start. If you see anything you agree, or disagree with (or have a show you think should have made the list) let me know in the comment box.
About Joel Smith
Joel Smith is an NCAA Division I Strength Coach working in the PAC12 conference. A track coach of 11 years, Joel is also a coach for the Diablo Valley Track and Field Club, and also has 6 years of experience coaching sprints, jumps, hurdles, pole vault and multi-events on the collegiate level.
Joel has coached 2 national champions, multiple All-Americans and school record holders in his time as a track coach. In the realm of strength and conditioning, his programs have assisted 5 athletes to Olympic berths that produced 9 medals and a world record performance in Rio in 2016.
In 2011, Joel began Just Fly Sports as a central platform to promote information for athletes and coaches to reach their highest potential. The first episode of the “Just Fly Performance Podcast” was released in 2016, now a leading source of education in the sports performance field.
Before working in the PAC12 conference, Joel spent 6 years in the realms of coaching, college lecturing, personal training, and thesis research. Joel’s certifications include Neurological and Physical Typing from BATI, CSCS, MAT Jumpstart, and NKT level 1, as well as USA Track and Field credentials. Joel is also well-versed in the Be-Activated protocols as taught by Douglas Heel, and has been extensively mentored by sprint and sport movement coach Adarian Barr.
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