High Performance Physiology

Following on from the previous episode about muscle strain injuries, Chris and Rob talk about the physiology of tendon damage and how it likely leads to both tendinopathy and tendon ruptures. Afterwards, they describe how isometric training is probably the best training method for reducing the risk of such problems and Rob goes into detail about how he currently programs isometrics.

Chris and Rob talk about how muscle strain injuries happen, and what we can do in strength training programs to help reduce the risk of them happening.

Chris and Rob talk through what the literature says about the relationship between track sprinting performance and the muscle volumes of the hip extensors, hip flexors, knee extensors, knee flexors, and ankle plantar-flexors.

Chris and Rob continue describing how their proposed workout plan template (speed, maximum strength, stretch-shortening cycle, and eccentric strength) can work even when speed exercises are varied greatly over the week.

Chris and Rob talk about the popular strength and conditioning idea that there multiple strength qualities across the force-velocity spectrum, from maximum strength to strength-speed to power to speed-strength to maximum speed. They also introduce the High Performance Physiology method for building strength training workouts for athletes.

Endurance running performance is determined by three components: [1] maximal aerobic capacity, [2] lactate threshold, and [3] running economy. In this episode, Chris and Rob talk about how strength training can contribute to improvements in running economy.

Chris and Rob chat through what strength ratios between exercises can tell us (and what they cannot tell us) about writing athletic training programs.

Continuing from the previous two episodes about powerlifting, Chris and Rob tackle the problem of "work capacity" in this context. What does work capacity mean? What are the underlying physiological adaptations that contribute to changes in work capacity? How should we train to improve work capacity?

In this episode, Chris and Rob continue the powerlifting theme from the previous week. While the previous episode covered the main lifts, this episode is dedicated to accessory lifts to support gains in squat, bench press, and deadlift performance.

In this introductory episode, Chris and Rob explain the underlying adaptations that contribute to powerlifting performance in general terms, and then discuss basic concepts like sets and reps, progression models, potentiation prior to the lifts, and the basic purpose of the training programs from a physiological point of view. 

How do strength training programs transfer to sporting movements? What is the role of different exercises? Chris and Rob unpack the physiology and then go on to provide both positive and negative examples from existing training programs.

Chris and Rob explain the definitions of rate of force development and explosiveness in sporting contexts before going on to talk about how to develop these qualities in strength training programs.

In this long-awaited episode, Chris and Rob talk about periodization. While periodization itself is somewhat overrated, there are some benefits associated with aspects of it that can be replicated in other ways.

After a short break for the holidays, Chris and Rob are back for their first episode of 2026 talking about deloads. There are two scenarios in which deloads are taken: planned and unplanned. Planned deloads are written into a training program when fatigue is expected to accumulate. Unplanned deloads are taken when fatigue accidentally accumulates.

Chris and Rob change the format for this episode. Rather than covering physiology and biomechanics and then talking about how that information guides strength training programs for athletic performance, they talk about their own experiences in training for a one arm chin up.

Continuing on from the previous episodes discussing vertical jumping and throwing, Chris and Rob break down the way in which we can support the sprinting movement through targeted strength training.

Building once again on previous episodes in which they talked about strength, speed, and power, the proximal to distal sequence, and vertical jumping, Chris and Rob now tackle how throwing and punching work, and discuss how to train to improve performance in those activities.

In this episode, Chris and Rob build on previous podcast discussions about strength, speed, and power as well as on the proximal to distal sequence to explain [1] how vertical jumping works, and [2] how we can structure training programs to improve vertical jump height.

In this episode, Chris and Rob introduce eccentric training, starting with the underlying physiological adaptations and then going on to provide some commentary on practical programming. Contrary to what you will likely hear elsewhere, the important (transferable) adaptations caused by eccentric training are peripheral and not neural.

In this episode, Chris and Rob introduce the stretch-shortening cycle and its underlying mechanisms, focusing on how it works in fast movements. This builds on previous episodes in which they talked about speed, power, strength, and the proximal to distal sequence. Learn more about how tendons work to store and release elastic energy in fast movements.

After covering the basics of strength, speed, and power, Chris and Rob now address how the proximal to distal sequence works. This is a key feature of human movement and has been observed in running, jumping, and throwing, as well as more complex activities. Understanding how it works is essential for interpreting the transfer of training to sporting performance.

Building on the previous episodes, Chris and Rob tackle the adaptations that contribute to increasing maximum speed in the context of athletic training. As always, Chris explains the physiology and Rob provides examples of how to implement that knowledge from the training programs that he is currently writing for his clients.

Chris and Rob walk through the major physiological adaptations that contribute to increases in maximum strength and give examples of how these adaptations can be stimulated by specific elements within a strength training program. Since maximum strength is an externally-measured outcome, it cannot be stimulated to increase directly. We must instead create a range of specific underlying adaptations, each of which have their own unique stimuli.

What are strength, speed, and power? We call them athletic qualities but how are they actually improved? In this episode, Chris and Rob explain how strength and speed are each outcomes underpinned by specific, unique adaptations, while power is a second order outcome underpinned by strength and speed.