#180 | The Art of Avoiding Injury | Jeremy Bettle, PhD

Professional Supplements for Wise Athletes (click to see the huge "always on" discount) Affordable (best pricing by far) Blood Testing at GoodLabs (use code WISE for 20% discount) Jeremy Bettle, PhD Award-winning coach and VITALITY expert UCSB – Director of Sports Performance Brooklyn Nets Basketball – Head of Strength & Conditioning, Director of Nutrition Toronto Maple Leafs Hockey – Director of Sports Science & Performance Anaheim Ducks Hockey – Director of High Performance New York City Football Club – Director of High Performance Vitality Collective – Co-Founder Bettle earned a Ph.D in human performance and a master’s degree in exercise science from Middle Tennessee State University. He also holds earned his bachelor’s degree in sport and exercise science from Leeds Metropolitan University (England). Vitality-Collective.com Discussion Points The Core Injury Framework Injuries happen when the demands of an activity exceed the capacity of the tissue being asked to perform. Demands come in three forms: force (how hard the impact), velocity (how fast the contraction must happen), and direction (planes of movement the tissue hasn't been trained for). Training is the process of systematically raising capacity to match and just slightly exceed demands — not avoiding demands. "The Sport Is Not Enough" Principle Playing your sport builds sport-specific fitness but does not prepare the tissues for the worst-case demands of that sport. The athlete who only cycles or only lifts has gaps in planes of movement that become injury sites the moment life — or a new activity like pickleball — demands something different. Training must prepare the body for more than the sport itself. The Range of Training That Matters Four modalities, all necessary: Strength training — high effort to near-failure, 8–12 reps; equivalent stimulus to heavy singles but dramatically lower injury risk Cardiovascular training — continuous aerobic work High-intensity intervals — critical for performance and longevity Power training / plyometrics — massively underrated, but inherently risky; must be earned through the progression below The Progression — Sequence Matters This cannot be rushed or reordered: Phase 1 — Foundation (weeks 1–8+): Core and hip training first. The core transfers force between upper and lower body — without it, every compound movement is a liability. Start with wall sits, hip work, fundamental movement patterns at 12–15 reps. Phase 2 — Strength: Progress to squat (goblet squat) and hinge patterns. Move from 12–15 reps down to 6–12 reps with heavier absolute load. This is where strength, muscle mass, body composition, and bone density gains accumulate. Phase 3 — Power (only after Phase 2 is established): Power = strength × speed. Sequence within this phase: Slow eccentric loading first (3–4 second descent on squats, pause, fast up) Fall-prevention drills: tip-toe fall-forward-and-catch, snap-downs Vertical jumps in place (no box required for masters athletes) Jump for distance, skater jumps side to side, single-leg jumps Box jump...