Athletic Performance Training

Deceleration & Eccentric Landing Control Progression 🏋️♂️✨ Deceleration is a foundational skill in sports, essential for performance and injury prevention. Yet, it’s often overlooked in favor of acceleration during training. The reality? In football, athletes perform nearly 3x more high-intensity decelerations than accelerations (de Hoyo, 2016), and deceleration places 38% greater load on the body compared to acceleration (Dalen, 2016). Why it matters: Deceleration isn’t just about slowing down—it’s about controlling forces, optimizing biomechanics, and maintaining stability under intense conditions. These skills build movement robustness and resilience, key qualities that distinguish elite athletes from the rest. 💪 Key insight: Deceleration mechanics improve significantly with external focus cues. Unlike internal cues (e.g., "bend your knees"), external cues (e.g., "touch the cones") promote automatic control processes, enhancing movement efficiency and coordination (Lohse, 2012; Marchant, 2009).   Deceleration Progression: Steps to Build Robust Athletes: 1️⃣ Touch the cones upon landing • External cues like "touch the cones" encourage active hip and knee flexion upon landing (Gokeler, 2019), which reduces impact forces and ACL loading (Sell, 2007; Yu, 2007). • Explosive hip flexion shifts the center of gravity forward, minimizing posterior ground reaction forces and anterior shear forces at the knee (Yu, 2006). • Hamstring activation becomes most effective at knee flexion angles of 30° or more, counteracting quadriceps-generated shear forces and reducing ligament stress (Lin, 2012). 2️⃣ Elastic band below the knee • The band introduces an anterior shear force on the tibia, simulating deceleration forces and requiring hamstring activation to reduce ACL loading. • Encourages anticipatory muscle control, promoting better knee flexion mechanics and improved force absorption during landing. 3️⃣ Band around the torso • The torso band introduces rotational and adduction forces, engaging the posterior oblique chain (hamstrings, glutes, and core) to maintain stability. • Enhances co-contraction of the hip and pelvis, building dynamic joint stability. • Stimulates preparatory muscle activation, enabling muscles to absorb more force and reducing stress on joints and ligaments (Sinsurin, 2016; Palmieri-Smith, 2008). 4️⃣ Combine knee & torso bands • Combining the bands amplifies benefits: the knee band enhances force absorption and hamstring activation, while the torso band improves dynamic stability through cross-body engagement. Together, they develop an efficient and protective deceleration pattern.   Deceleration isn’t just slowing down—it’s mastering control under high-intensity forces. This skill creates robust, resilient athletes. #DecelerationTraining #SportsPerformance #InjuryPrevention #AthleticTraining #Biomechanics #MovementEfficiency #EliteAthletes

"𝐖𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐈𝐧 𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐅𝐚𝐜𝐞" Paul O'Connell discusses Joe Schmidt's instructions to players, which is great advice that transcends sport - block out thoughts of the mistake and focus on what you need to do. The first part involves blocking out thoughts of the score or previous mistakes: "𝐹𝑜𝑟𝑔𝑒𝑡 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑐𝑜𝑟𝑒, 𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑔𝑒𝑡 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑐𝑘-𝑜𝑛 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑗𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑚𝑎𝑑𝑒, 𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑔𝑒𝑡 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑝𝑒𝑛𝑎𝑙𝑡𝑦 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑔𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑎𝑤𝑎𝑦. 𝐽𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑤𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑚𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑖𝑛 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑛𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑓𝑎𝑐𝑒" When people are anxious about a mistake they have made or the score in a match, they can become distracted, which impacts their future performance. One mistake can cause another mistake from a lack of concentration due to worries about a previous mistake. This is why blocking out negative thoughts is important. 🧠 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗛𝘆𝗽𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗶𝘀 Nideffer (1992) suggested that as anxiety increases in high-pressurised situations, athletes’ attention shifts from task-relevant (e.g. thoughts about how to execute specific tactics) to task-irrelevant thoughts (e.g. worries about team selection in future matches). Therefore, anxiety acts as a distraction to the athlete, which reduces working memory and task-focused attention. In support of this, Bijleveld and Veling (2014) found that tennis players with a superior working memory were less likely to choke than tennis players with an inferior working memory. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗖𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴? I really like O'Connell's instruction to think about the next task, which is a form of approach coping. This involves the athlete confronting the situation and then trying to eliminate it by taking direct action (e.g., focusing on the next action, developing a plan, exerting more effort, etc; Roth & Cohen, 1986). O'Connell said: "𝑊𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑚𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑖𝑛 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑛𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑓𝑎𝑐𝑒. 𝑊ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑖𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑏𝑒𝑠𝑡 𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝐼 𝑐𝑎𝑛 𝑑𝑜 𝑟𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑛𝑜𝑤? 𝐼𝑓 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑐𝑎𝑛 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑛 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑓 𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑘 𝑙𝑖𝑘𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝑦𝑜𝑢'𝑟𝑒 𝑎𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑡𝑜𝑝 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑡𝑟𝑒𝑒 𝑜𝑟 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑙𝑑 𝑖𝑠 𝑓𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑑𝑜𝑤𝑛 𝑎𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑 𝑦𝑜𝑢, 𝐼 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑘 𝑖𝑡'𝑠 𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑏𝑒𝑠𝑡 𝑡𝑜𝑜𝑙𝑠 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑒𝑟𝑠ℎ𝑖𝑝 𝑎��𝑑 𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑏𝑒𝑠𝑡 𝑡𝑜𝑜𝑙𝑠 𝑓𝑜𝑟 ℎ𝑖𝑔ℎ 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒." As alluded to by O'Connell, changing your mindset and how you cope takes time and is something you need to practice, but with time, people can be taught to use more effective coping strategies (see Nicholls, 2007; Reeves et al., 2011).

I’ve recently been working with a footballer...we’ve created a philosophy: “Train carefully, play carefree” I’ve recently been working with a golfer...we’ve created a maxim: “Practice like this means everything, compete like this means nothing” Because so many sports competitors are way too tough on their performance and way too tolerant on their training, when they should be far tougher on their training and far more tolerant on their performance. Training (or practice if you prefer) is an opportunity for players to engage in meta-cognitive strategies. By this I mean to ‘think about their thinking’ - to reflect on what they’re doing, how they’re doing it, and whether the ‘what’ and the ‘how’ are optimal. It’s also an opportunity for players to break down their skills around the technical, tactical, mental, and physical components of the game, pick one or two specific areas to improve, and engage with those areas as they train...deliberately and intentionally. Both meta-cognitive practice and deliberate practice can feel uncomfortable. And, because they both demand that players constantly self-monitor, they both can atrophy performance. They both can feel hard and unpleasant to experience (although they both may be associated with a flow state). There’s no question that training should provide players with a range of inner experiences, but if we want our players to push through glass ceilings, if we want them to continue to learn and grow their game, then we need to help them visit that ‘zone of ugly’ - not always, but often. Conversely, players can tend to put far too much pressure on themselves come game day. Having been involved in high performance sport for 25 years, I honestly believe players and coaches are socialised into extreme language around performance. “I must perform” and “We have-to win” are positions adopted by coaches and players, often to the detriment of their game rather than to their advantage. In my consultancy work, and from talking with other sport psychologists who work with elite level sports competitors, I’ve found a robust approach to competition many players would do well to take is one of indifference to outcome and performance. Most competitors would do well to trust their ability, trust their training, and focus on executing a well-defined process to give themselves their best chance to have their best possible performance. Somewhat paradoxically, competitors may be better served accepting that the more they try to force performance the worse they may make it. The more they stress about their performance the worse they may make it. “All I can do is strive to execute my process to the very best of my ability. This will help me have my best possible performance. I trust my ability, I trust my training, and I trust my process. My best possible performance is all I can ask from myself” In summary... Tough on training, tolerant on performance. This approach may be the most adaptive one you can take

I have always been interested in sport and while I believe there is something to learn from all experiences, I feel there is a lot that sports teaches that is applicable to management. I always look at CVs to see whether there is any sports in the candidate’s history. Plato figured this out long ago when he said, “ You can learn more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation.” Sport has a way of distilling truths that no management course can teach. It compresses ambition, teamwork, ego, pressure and resilience into the duration of play. It reveals character in real time, showing how people respond when they win, when they lose and when they have to keep going despite both. Over the years, I’ve come to believe that sport is leadership in motion and that its lessons for management are significant. In individual sports — tennis, golf, running — there’s nowhere to hide. You are simultaneously the strategist, executor and critic. Every decision has an immediate consequence. The scoreboard doesn’t care about intent; it measures only outcome. For leaders, that mirrors the journey of self-management. You learn accountability. You learn that excuses don’t help and that success comes from consistent preparation, not occasional brilliance or intent. You discover the art of emotional regulation: how to stay calm after an error, how to start again after losing. It’s a life skill. Team sports, in contrast, are a masterclass in interdependence. You realize quickly that talent without chemistry is noise. The best teams aren’t the ones with the brightest stars, but the ones where everyone knows their role and trusts each other and the system. In management, this translates into two ideas: clarity and culture. Clarity, because people perform best when they understand what’s expected of them. Culture, because shared purpose is what turns cooperation into cohesion. Whether individual or team-based, every athlete understands the value of practice. The repetitions nobody sees. The corrections nobody applauds. It’s a powerful metaphor for organizational excellence. The best managers— like the best athletes — separate themselves in the invisible hours. They iterate, reflect and improve, often when the world isn’t watching. Sport also normalizes failure. You win some, you lose some but you always review to learn. In management, that habit of learning from losses without personalizing them is pure gold. At its best, sport is not just about performance but about flow. The moment when effort becomes effortless and the team moves as one. That’s what great organizations strive for too — a state where purpose, people and performance align. In the end, sport reminds us that leadership isn’t a title — it’s a practice. You train for it every day. You fail, recover and play again. And, just like in sport, the real victory is not in winning every game, but in building a team, and a self, that keeps getting better.

Your Peloton is great for your heart. It's doing nothing for your bones. Professional cyclists lose bone density during training. A systematic review on cycling and swimming confirmed it: zero positive effect on bone mineral density. Zero. You could be the fittest person in the room and have the weakest skeleton. Bone only responds to mechanical load. On a bike or in a pool, there's almost none going through your frame. Your heart gets stronger. Your bones get nothing. I spent years in consulting sitting twelve hours a day. Back-to-back meetings in windowless rooms. I trained on top of that and thought I was covered. I wasn't. Nobody told me that sitting all day signals to your bones they don't need to stay strong. Day after day, year after year, they adapt. Just not in the direction you want. What the research says works: Heavy compound lifts, twice a week, 30 minutes. • Squats • Deadlifts • Overhead press Five sets of five at 85%+ of your max. The LIFTMOR trial put postmenopausal women with low bone mass on this exact protocol. They gained roughly 4% in lumbar spine density. Adherence above 90%. No fractures. If it was safe for that population, your excuses are thin. Add 10 jumps, three times a week. Two minutes total. Do them between calls. Nobody needs to know. 60 minutes a week. Less time than a strategy meeting that could've been an email. After 30, you lose 0.5-1% of bone mass per year. By 50, you could be down 10-20% and feel completely fine. The official screening recommendation for men? Wait until 70. Or until something breaks. When was the last time a doctor mentioned your bone density? I wrote about all of this in Sunday's Upward ARC newsletter. 20 peer-reviewed sources. The full protocol, the screening blind spots, and what changes after 30. Subscribe here www.andreheeg.com Stay healthy, Andre Heeg, MD, PhD

Menopause is an important moment in a woman’s bone health journey. As hormones change and oestrogen levels decline - bone mineral density (BMD) decreases. With this loss of bone density comes reduced bone strength and a greater risk of fractures. Risk is greater, the earlier menopause happens in life. There are various interventions which are recommended for prevention or treatment of osteopenia or osteoporosis - lifestyle, non-hormonal therapies/medications and of course hormone replacement therapy (HRT). The best approach depends on woman’s age, age at menopause, medical/family history, lifestyle, medications use and balance of benefits versus risks. With so much noise and aggressive push for HRT in the media - the important role of diet and exercise in bone health can be undermined. Weight bearing and resistance exercises are known to improve bone density - but do they work? And what type are best? Let’s look at some of the relevant scientific papers. To estimate the effects of different types of exercise on BMD at different regions of interest (ROI), Kemmler et al. conducted an analysis based on a comprehensive meta-analysis on exercise effects on BMD in postmenopausal women. All types of exercise significantly affected BMD at LS, FN and TH. The results provide evidence for the favorable effect of exercise on BMD largely independent of the type of exercise. https://lnkd.in/eRDTNjdt What does the Cochrane review suggest? It looked at 43 randomised trials with 4320 participants. The results suggest a relatively small statistically significant, but possibly important, effect of exercise on bone density compared with control groups without exercise. https://lnkd.in/eRwHCmBb O’Bryan et al. in their analysis found that resistance training programs concomitantly increase lower-limb muscle strength and femur/hip BMD in older adults, with greater certainty for strength improvement. https://lnkd.in/eR8seaTX So, exercise is good for bones but what type is preferred? Weight-bearing exercise is crucial for building and maintaining bone strength and involves activities where body's weight is supported by feet and legs for example walking, jogging, dancing, and even jumping, with the intensity adjusted based on individual needs and abilities.  Progressive muscle resistance training is the best type of muscle-strengthening exercise for bones. It involves using weights or resistance bands to build up the work for muscles over time - gradually increasing the weight lifted in a slow and controlled way. It’s important to build up gradually based on fitness level and muscle strength and having a trainer/qualified supervisor/coach is ideal. Here is an information leaflet which provides a brief overview of many lifestyle interventions that can help during menopause transition - https://lnkd.in/enCTQFUA

You lose 1% of your bone mineral density every year after 35. Strength training is your lifeline. Most high performers don't think about this until the 50s. By then, almost two decades of loss have already happened. The executive lifestyle compounds the issue: → Long stretches of sitting → Inadequate protein and skipping meals → Chronic stress, raising cortisol, directly suppressing bone formation → Hormonal decline compounds it further But give the skeleton what it needs, and your trajectory changes. 1) Strength train progressively. Squats, hinges, pressing and pulls provide the primary mechanical signal that tells bone to maintain density. If you aren't lifting with progressive overload, you aren't protecting the structure. 2) Stack daily mechanical loading on top. Walking, jogging, stairs, and hill walks all reinforce the signal. Total weekly load matters more than any single training session. 3) Eat enough protein. Bone is roughly 30% protein by composition. Chronic under-eating, especially during demanding periods, accelerates structural decline. Target 1.4–1.8g per kilogram of bodyweight daily, spread across three to four meals. 4) Monitor hormone health. Testosterone in men and estrogen in women are primary drivers of bone preservation. If your levels are low, your bone density is declining faster than it should. For some, hormone replacement therapy is part of the answer. Discuss it with a clinician who specialises in it. 5) Get your vitamin D tested. Target blood levels of 50–80 ng/mL. Supplementing without testing is the most common mistake. You can't know your dose without your baseline. 6) Check your homocysteine. Most executives have never heard of it. Elevated homocysteine weakens bone structure at the cellular level. Aim for levels below 9 µmol/L. B vitamins support clearance. 7) Fix your gut health. Adequate stomach acid is required for calcium, B12, and iron absorption, all of which bone depends on. Chronic stress can disrupt gut health and nutrient absorption. Consider a DEXA scan to assess your baseline. It gives you your bone mineral density score and tells you exactly where you stand. Bone density is one of the most trainable longevity markers you have, and most people never touch it. Join the 'Built to Last' Newsletter to rebuild your health, energy and capacity: https://lnkd.in/dFDMgpXh Follow Tom Waite for posts that help you live and lead longer.

Pain is the fuel....running is a privilege I got a bad throat infection, a few days before the Ladakh Marathon. I consumed a tonne of antibiotics and cough syrups. But nothing could stop my coughing. It was a frustrating experience. In these difficult times, I started meditating to get my mind relaxed. I went over the learning from Anapanasati Sutra. It helped me manage pain and complete the run without being fatigued. Anapanasati Sutra provided me insights and techniques for managing and transforming the pain into a positive force. The Sutra emphasises mindfulness and awareness of feelings, whether they are pleasant, unpleasant, or neutral. When I experienced pain during the marathon, I practiced observing the pain without immediately labelling it as negative or wanting to escape it. I paid attention to the sensations, their intensity, and how they changed over time. I focused on my breath. This helped in maintaining awareness and keeping my mind anchored in the present moment. I helped me remain calm and centred despite the discomfort. Just as meditation involves facing and understanding discomfort, running through pain can lead to improved endurance and mental toughness. The pain is a marker of our progress and a sign that we are pushing our limits. Each painful moment is an opportunity to develop resilience and improve our performance. Pain is a temporary feeling. By focusing on the breath and maintaining mindfulness, we can remind ourselves that the discomfort will pass, and we will continue moving forward. If we are in the middle of an marathon and experiencing significant pain, remind ourselves that each step brings us closer to the finish line. I used affirmations like “This pain is temporary; my strength is enduring.” During moments of intense discomfort, I maintained a focus on the present moment rather than worrying about the distance left to cover or the possibility of worsening pain. Lessons applied from the sutra: - Mindfulness: Observing and accepting pain without judgment, focusing on breath. - Growth: Viewing pain as a challenge that contributes to our development. - Insight: Understanding the impermanence of pain and using positive affirmations. - Resilience: Staying present and mindful to manage pain effectively and maintain a positive outlook. Subodh

The key to getting stronger as you age? Lifting heavier. Not lighter. That might sound counterintuitive - especially for the frail “oldest old.” But new evidence flips the script on traditional strength guidelines. Most suggest using 60–70% of the 1-repetition maximum (1-RM) load with slow-to-moderate lifting speeds. But what if we took things up a notch? We’re talking Maximal Strength Training (MST) involving: - Just 3–5 reps per set - Very heavy loads (90% 1-RM) - Max effort in the lifting phase - And only a few sets per session Turns out, not only can this be safe for older adults (including those with chronic conditions). It can reverse decades of decline in strength, rate of force development, and power. This new review outlines how to do it safely AND effectively. Heavy strength training isn’t just for athletes. It might just be what our ageing population needs. ------------------------ 📰 Check out this new open access review: Tøien T, Berg OK, Modena R, Brobakken MF, Wang E. Heavy Strength Training in Older Adults: Implications for Health, Disease and Physical Performance. J Cachexia Sarcopenia Muscle. 2025 Apr;16(2):e13804.