Link:
​https://www.buzzsprout.com/238054/2177213-episode-48-building-speed-with-new-york-yankees-base-running-coordinator-matt-talarico

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In this episode Gerry welcomes on New York Yankee’s Base-running Coordinator Matt Talarico!
To start, Matt and Gerry talk about Matt’s playing career and background and how that sparked his interest in speed, base running and more. A lot has changed in the course of 10-15 years regarding speed and strength training, and Matt takes us through what he did personally to get faster and how his wheels began to turn in terms of moving away from the older school (conditioning, longer sprints etc.) and into the newer school of thought (strength, power, shorter sprints etc.).
From there the two discuss the prominence of acceleration in baseball and how your first ten to fifteen yards in your sprint can make or break you. From stride length, stride angle, body positioning and all things mechanical, Matt and Gerry break down what goes in to true “baseball speed.”
To finish, the discussion turns to the drop step and WHY it is the most effective way to sprint in baseball and how it’s ok to know what the great athletes felt, but also important to know what they actually did. Matt then takes time to explain the premise behind his coaching business “steal bases,” the philosophies and what goes in to making yourself a good base runner regardless of your level of speed.

All that and more on this episode of Muscles and Management!

Timestamps:

6:13- Matt’s Playing Background
9:18- Training Athletes Who Don’t Have Exceptional “Natural Talent”
13:55- Matt’s Lifting Program/Experience as a Player
16:45- Correlation of Strength and Speed
20:30- Mindset During Sprints (Getting 100% From Sprints)
27:40- Acceleration in Baseball and Styles of Sprints During Programing
33:30- Importance of Differentiating Between Acceleration vs. Top End Speed
39:36- Is The 60 Outdated?
51:20- Stride Length is Key
57:45- Using Sleds For Sprints
1:02:30- Drop Step
1:14:35- StealBases.com
1:22:25- Benefits of Having Base Stealers on Your Team
1:25:20- Do You Steal off The Pitcher or Catcher?
1:29:30- Matt’s Ending Thoughts

Link:
https://www.buzzsprout.com/238054/2110206-episode-47-mlb-head-strength-coach-jim-malone-of-the-pittsburgh-pirates

*SHOW TIMESTAMPS FEATURED AT THE END*

In this episode Gerry welcomes on veteran MLB Strength Coach Jim Malone (currently head strength coach for the Pittsburgh Pirates). Jim has a wealth of experience in strength and conditioning having spent over 25 years as a coach at the collegiate, minor league and professional level. 

The conversation starts with Jim discussing some of his earliest influences in strength and conditioning and what shaped his philosophies (also talks about those philosophies and the simplicity of sprinting to get fast, lifting heavy to get strong and promoting proper movement). The two talk about Jim's power lifting background and what training for powerlifting at a young age taught him and what he learned from the older lifters around him.

The discussion then turns to Jim's climb through the ranks as a strength coach. From starting at Division III University of Rochester as a hybrid defensive line and strength coach to working all the way to the MLB (and everything in between including other colleges and minor league baseball), the two take an introspective look at the changing of the times with training and what Jim experienced as a strength coach in the new frontier of strength training for the world of baseball.

To finish, Jim gives his opinion on the marriage of experience and new technology/methods (the more things change the more they stay the same), and gives his advice for any aspiring or young coaches in the industry.

All this and more on this episode of Muscles and Management!

Timestamps

9:00- How Jim Malone Started His Career in Strength and Conditioning
13:10- Jim’s Earliest Training Mindset
18:10- Overtraining
21:21- Training Now vs. 20 Years Ago
24:10- Jim’s Decision to Coach
29:35- Jim’s First Programming Style for His Athletes
34:30- How to Deal with Bigger Groups as the Lone Coach
37:09- Holding Athletes Accountable
39:28- Jim’s Move to Columbia University
41:10- Jim’s Start In Baseball
49:55- Working with a Sport You Aren’t as Familiar with
54:00- Adapting to Different Situations
57:36- Strategies for When Your Athletes Leave for the Offseason
1:01:05- New Age of Relationships With Young Athletes
1:05:00- Dealing with the Moving Parts of an Athlete's Life
1:06:48- The Strength Coaching Industry is a Saturated Field
1:15:33- Helping Athletes Deal with Bad Days
1:18:24- How Tech Has Changed Strength Training
1:21:12- Data Is Powerful, but Has to be Used Correctly
1:29:04- Jim’s Tips to Get Your Foot in the Door as a Young Coach

Link:
https://www.buzzsprout.com/238054/2034705-episode-46-the-power-of-the-mind-in-building-the-body-managing-training-volume-and-recruiting-motor-units-to-make-explosive-athletes-with-conor-harris

*SHOW TIMESTAMPS FEATURED AT THE END*

​In this episode Gerry welcomes on strength coach Conor Harris. Conor has a background with both elite athletes (has trained draft picks in all three major sports) and has worked extensively with general population clientele as well. Gerry and Conor go through some of Conor's most recent tweets covering a myriad of important topics deep within the framework of strength training and general physical development.

To begin the conversation, the two discuss the importance of the mind and how powerful it can be in connection with the body. Conor goes over some strategies he uses to get athletes and clients alike to make full use of a positive mental state, and how doing so can help yield benefits in training.

From there, Gerry poses two of Conor's tweets to him (progressing volume properly when it comes to training and the pitfalls of "overloading," with a program and the importance of heavy lifting and recruiting muscle fibers for sprinting. The two discuss recruiting motor units for athletes and some of the most effective ways to do so, all while processing them accordingly so they can handle training.

To finish, the discussion turns to understanding worth as a trainer and the importance of clients understanding that good, quality training comes with an appropriate price tag. Finally, Conor goes over his thoughts on breathing and the two cover all areas that can be affected by the efficiency or inefficiency of your breathing pattern.

All that and more on this episode!

Timestamps:

9:23 - Power of the Mind in Relation to the Body
11:05 - Positive Mindset and Effectiveness of Meditation 
13:15 - Getting Athletes to Believe in What They Are Doing
16:05 - Explaining Training Principles To Clients In Simple Terms
19:10 - Avoiding Training Overloading with Athletes. How to Progress (Stress Bucket)
22:00 - Sensory Changes and Other Alternative Variability Changes 
29:05 - Linear Progress - Keep it Simple. Stick With What Works
31:04 - Different Programs/Exercises Can Result in the Same Adaptation (Grey Area)
33:53 - Don’t Change Programming “Just Because.”
37:08 - Strength in Training vs. Strength in Sport. Eric Bledsoe Couldn't Do 5 Pull-ups
41:15 - Sport Performance Doesn’t Always Correlate to Weight Room Abilities
46:50 - Revisiting Overload and Stress Bucket Issue
51:08 - Raw Force Production and Recruiting Motor Units and the Importance for Building Speed
1:00:38 - Trainers: Know Your Worth and Clients: Understand You Get What You Pay For
1:08:12 - Taking on Too Many Clients and Spreading Yourself Too Thin
1:12:10 - Breathing and PRI (Postural Restoration)
1:16:48 - Chest Breathing and The Issues That Follow
1:20:04 - Lifting Belts and a Quick Breathing Walkthrough
1:26:21 - Breathing Correct Is Almost Addictive
1:27:30 - Conor Harris Ending Thoughts

Link:
https://www.buzzsprout.com/238054/2005084-episode-45-q-a-twitter-grab-bag-proprioception-how-to-program-sprints-proper-jump-training-building-strength-agility-training-and-more

​*SHOW TIMESTAMPS FEATURED AT THE END*
In this episode Gerry welcomes back the Q&A format to answer some of the questions you have sent his way over the past several weeks. Additionally, he looks through his Twitter for some of his most recent, thought provoking tweets to expand on them and turn them into learning points on various topics across training.

This Q&A covers everything from the dealing with the yips in sports, timing of sprints in your training program, where to start when building a program for young, untrained athletes, building proprioception and motor control with movements and much, much more.

From there, Gerry looks through some of his most recent tweets and discusses important things like agility training and what you should look for and consider when it comes to building agility for your sport. To finish up the Twitter "grab bag," covers use of eccentrics and isometrics, the importance of breathing mechanics and a wide variety of subjects important to strength and conditioning.

All that and more on this episode!

​Timestamps:

Q&A Section

7:56 - Strength, Speed, and Baseball Specific Skills for Athletes with Low Training Age
10:24 - Making the Most of Low Volume Training Programs
13:50 - Timing Speed Work in Programs
18:31 - Dealing with the Yips
22:38 - Are Yips Mental or Physical?
27:47 - Revisiting Sprints: A Higher Volume Program
31:06 - Hip/Shoulder Separation and Proprioception
35:00 - Getting Athletes to Unconscious Competence
38:41 - Challenge of Getting Athletes to Buy in & Changing Someone’s Mindset
45:02 - Recommended Coaching Materials/Books You Should Read

Reviewing Tweets

49:30 - Heavy Implications of Shallow Breathing
53:16 - Box Jumps - Stop Caring About Height
56:16 - Getting Caught Up in All or Nothings - Adaptation Should Drive You
59:28- Agility Training: What it is, What You Need to Know, and What to Consider When Training for it
1:05:30- Sport Specific Training: You Get Better at Your Sport While Actually Playing Your Sport 
1:09:08- Using Eccentrics and Isometrics to Progress a New Movement and Build Motor Control