ASCA Podcast #106 - Dr. Lachlan James

Dr Lachlan James is a Senior Lecturer, Sport Scientist, Course Coordinator of the Master of Strength and Conditioning degree at La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia, and an ASCA Professional L2 coach. He has published over 40 peer reviewed articles including 25 as first or senior author. Lachlan currently supervises 7 PhD students with research projects in the AFL, Super Rugby, Queensland Academy of Sport, the A-League and with VALD Performance. Prior to entering academia, he spent 10 years in professional practice as a strength and conditioning coach and applied sport scientist. QUOTES “The problem we are trying to solve is reducing the vast array of metrics we have available to us from technology down to just a few key ones” “Choose the metric in any cluster that is more reliable and is most interpretable by the end user” “Whatever variable we can get reliable at 100ms in the IMTP, which is typically force at 100ms, is the one I will take” “The reality is force at a certain timepoint, RFD and impulse all contain the same information but the reliability differs markedly” “If isometric strength doesn’t track heavy dynamic strength changes, and you are trying to use it to inform more heavy dynamic strength interventions from something like the DSI, then it might not respond in the way you think” “You have to give feedback on contact time after each rep if assessing reactive strength with a drop jump or 10-5” SHOWNOTES 1) Lachlan’s pathway to becoming a world leading strength researcher at LaTrobe University 2) Strength and power assessments and the vast array of metrics available for practitioners 3) Dimension reduction and making sense of the various clusters of metrics available 4) Picking between the Iso Squat and IMTP as the test of choice for lower body maximal isometric strength and the advantages of looking at net force 5) The importance of set up in the maximal isometric strength tests 6) Choosing between net force at 100ms, RFD or impulse? 7) Key metrics in the countermovement jump, unilateral variations and eccentric measures 8) What strength domains or qualities actually exist? The 5 strength qualities and their relationship to one another 9) Issues with the Dynamic Strength Index 10) Feasibility of assessing the different strength qualities and solutions with large squads of athletes 11) The effect of initial strength on strength training adaptations and the merging of strength qualities in weaker athletes PEOPLE MENTIONED Vince Kelly Warren Young Greg Haff Chris Bishop