The SHIFT Show Podcast by SHIFT Movement Science

, ,

A Hard Conversation about Ethics and Morals in Gymnastics with Thomas Elder

Today on the podcast I’m very excited to bring you a thought-provoking and important conversation about cultural change, morals, and ethics of coaching with Tom Elder.  Former assistant coach for the University of Pennsylvania and the…
, ,

How To Build Explosive Power in Gymnasts with Diwesh Poudyal

Today on the podcast a second quick appearance, due to popular demand, my friend and co-worker from Champion Physical Therapy and Performance Diwesh Poudyal. Head of Strength and Conditioning and Director of Fitness working with athletes…
, ,

Training Hours in Young Gymnasts, Coach/Parent Boundaries, and Training High Level Gymnasts Safely with Lindsey Stancil

Today on the podcast, I'm very excited to be joined by Lindsey Stancil, a high-level coach in the Pennsylvania area.  Owner of X-Cel Gymnastics and the Head Coach of the Xquisite competitive team. She's been professional and grateful…
, ,

John Orozco Discusses His Elite Gymnastics Career and Offers Advice on Overcoming Injuries

Today on the podcast I am super grateful to be joined by accomplished and noted USA Elite MAG Gymnast John Orozco. He trained in Colorado Springs for most of his career, winning 3 medals at various world championships and representing the…
, ,

Mike Reiman on Hip Dysplasia/Microinstability Injuries and Finding Success as a Clinician

Today on the podcast I geek out with Duke faculty member and researcher, educator, and mentor in the physical therapy world, Mike Reiman.  Co-writer of the only textbook on functional testing, Functional Testing in Human Performance. He…
, ,

Why The Human Matters More Than The Gymnast

Why The Human Matters More Than The Gymnast Today on the podcast, I had a great chat with a former gymnast, and coach Rebecca Smith who asked me to come on an Instagram Live and talk about, creating cultures where people can feel progression…
, ,

Sarah Korngold Discusses Developing Elite Level Gymnastics, Putting The Athlete First, and Building Cultures

Sarah Korngold Discusses Developing Elite Level Gymnastics, Putting The Athlete First, and Building Cultures  In this week's podcast, I was excited to chat with another member of the phenomenal Ascend Gymnastics Coaching Team, who works…
, ,

Exactly How To Build a Gymnastics Strength Program in 2021 with Nick Ruddock and Dan Lonsdale

How do you build a strength and conditioning program for gymnasts from scratch? Where do you start? What exercises? How many times per week? What about when your group is a bunch of mixed levels and abilities? What if you don't have all the…
, , ,

Jordan Syatt Discusses Myths of Adult Fitness, Nutrition, and Supplements

Jordan Syatt is one of the most influential strengths and nutrition coaches working in the field today. He owns a massively successful online business Syatt Fitness, was famously known for being Gary Vaynerchuk's personal trainer/strength/nutrition…
, ,

Must Change Culture Issues in Gymnastics with Jennifer Pinches, Dave Durante, and Chad Vaughn

Gymnastics culture is going through a massive amount of change. The last 2-3 years have seen the most change in our sport following abuse scandals, the Athlete A film, the #GymnastAlliance movement, and notable people in the gymnastics community…
, , ,

Gymnastics Canada Hosts Culture and Coaching Development Webinar with Gretchen Kerr and Dave Tilley

Safe Sport is becoming a much more well-known and talked about organization within gymnastics. Gymnastics Canada recently asked me to be a part of a webinar panel for their entire coaching population to discuss some important issues related…
, , , ,

Skill Progressions, Mental Blocks, and Building Healthy and High Performing Gymnasts with Cale Robinson

Gymnastics requires a crazy amount of repetition, time, effort, and work to safely reach high levels of gymnastics. But often times, there is a tug of war between wanting to stay up to pace with an athlete's talent/dedication through training…
, ,

The 3 Steps for Building Explosive Speed and Power in Gymnastics

Explosive speed and power are what many gymnastics coaches are looking to achieve when they train in the gym. Whether it's through improving technique by working drills, improving strength by doing physical preparation, or improving speed…
, ,

The Gymnastics Parents Episode – Handling Conflicts, Realistic Expectations, and Setting Boundaries

Gymnastics parents and gymnastics coaches are one of the most essential relationships that occur in our sport. Without great relationships, regular communication, and the ability to troubleshoot problems together, things can go sideways quick. That…
, , ,

The Food and Body Image Talk Gymnasts and Coaches Must Hear with Christina Anderson, RDN

In gymnastics, misguided nutrition advice, body image insecurities, underfueling, and negative mental health are still massive problems that gymnasts face. It doesn't matter the level, discipline, or age of athletes when it comes to this…
, ,

Building Gymnastics Skill Basics & Drills, Motivating Athletes, and High Performing Cultures with Brett Wargo

Brett Wargo is a well known, high-level gymnastics coach who has not only been a positive voice in the gymnastics community. In his current role at Ascend Gymnastics, they are a great positive example for the world of gymnastics. Although…
, , ,

Changing “Unspoken Rules” in Gymnastics Culture with Natalie Barker-Rutchi

Gymnastics culture has "unspoken rules" and norms that have developed slowly in the last 30 years. There are some that are very beneficial. Like always help new coaches learn or using drills for skills due to danger. Unfortunately, there…
, ,

Aaron Horschig of Squat University on Boosting Sports Performance and The Future of Sports Rehabilitation

Aaron Horschig of Squat University is one of the most widely known Sports Physical Therapist and Strength and Conditioning coach combination. Aaron's unique background in weight lifting combined with his very progressive and science-based…
, ,

How Coaching Styles Impact Athlete Performance and Health

Different coaching styles have a direct result on the physical and mental health of athletes they coach. This has always been known in the sports community, but there have been some interesting papers (such as this one BJSM 2017) that try…
, ,

Jennifer Sey of the Athlete A Film Discusses What Needs To Change in Gymnastics

The Athlete A documentary, produced by Jennifer Sey and others, was a ground breaking film for not only gymnastics but the entire world of youth sports. The film highlights the massive atrocities that lead to hundreds of young gymnasts being…
, ,

How To Train Harder and Smarter Using Workloads with Tim Gabbett and Scott Willgress

Many people in gymnastics (and all sports) are asking the same question - how do we train harder and boost performance without risking injury? It's a really good question. But, a really complicated one. There has been a massive surge in…
,

Gymnast Alliance and A Call For Change with Jennifer Pinches and Claire Heafford

The Gymnastics Alliance movement has taken the world by storm following the release of Athlete A on Netflix. Started by Olympian Jennifer Pinches, it has caused a massive ripple effect in the last 6 months. The film produced by Jennifer Sey…
, ,

The Future of Gymnastics Strength Training and Overcoming Cultural Barriers with Ann Marie Alf

Gymnastics strength and conditioning is changing faster than ever before, which is amazing to see. Cultural barriers around gymnasts lifting weights, using mixed models of gymnastics specific and general strength work, and more science based…
, ,

How Gymnastics Can Build a New Path Forward for Culture and Training

With gymnastics changing so fast, we are seeing massive new discussions on training techniques, cultural practices, the ongoing scandals, and how to have some hard conversations. In the last 6 months, I have been getting asked by a lot of…
,

Advice Every Gymnastics Coach Needs to Hear on Flexibility, Gymnasts Retiring, and Managing Goals

Gymnastics coaches frequently contact me with questions on a range of topics related to flexibility, strength, culture development, injuries, and much more. Recently, as part of a give away for launching our brand new Hero Lab and SHIFT HQ…
,

An Honest Talk About Depression, Anxiety, Stress, and Mental Health in Gymnastics With Luke Carson

Mental health issues in gymnastics like depression, anxiety, chronic stress, and others are some of the most important, yet least discussed, topics in our sport. Between the perfectionism, unhealthy comparisons, constant critiquing that occurs…
, ,

Aimee Boorman on Coaching Simone Biles and Offers Must Hear Advice for Gymnastics Culture Change

This is the 100th episode of The SHIFT Show and the podcast! And yes I have a HUGE surprise, Aimee Boorman is today's guest 🙂 First, a huge thank you to everyone who has been listening and helped the podcast grow over the last two years. It…
, ,

“That’s The Way We’ve Always Done It” – 7 Dangerous Words in Gymnastics

With so much happening in our sport, many people have been asking "why has it taken so long to change?" It's a good question. While there are thousands of great gymnastics professionals who are constantly learning, keeping a growth mindset,…
, ,

Building Gymnastics Power and Speed with Ellie Black’s Strength Coach, Scott Willgress

It's no secret that I'm a massive fan of Ellie Black, particularly her approach to strength and conditioning programs. She regularly uses external loading, weights, and "non gymnastics' type strength programming to compliment what she does…
, ,

A Guide To Navigating Puberty In Gymnastics With Dr. Ellen Casey and Nick Ruddock

For gymnasts, growth and puberty phases ( ages 8-14 of puberty in particular) are some of the most challenging to navigate. For gymnasts, parents, coaches, and medical staff, there are many problems that come up. These can range from frustration…
, ,

Advice Men’s Gymnastics Needs To Hear With Paul Sargysan

I'm so excited to share this episode with Paul Sargysan today, who is one of the most successful up and coming men's coaches in the United States. I met Paul in 2018 when doing some work with the Junior National Team, and after just a few short…
, ,

Discussing A New Model of Gymnastics Part 4 – Planning The Competitive Year

This lecture series has produced an enormous amount of conversation and positive feedback! I'm grateful that people value my opinions, and it has been awesome to hear everyone's constructive criticism. If you haven't been following along, …
, ,

Discussing A New Model of Gymnastics Part 3 – Micro Principles

This lecture series has been getting some serious downloads and sparking discussions, which is great to see! Like I said in Part 1, I definitely do not have the golden answers. But I do think some of these principles are really important for…
, ,

Saving Men’s NCAA Gymnastics Roundtable Discussion

It's heartbreaking to see the sport of men's gymnastics continue to take a hit as we roll through the Pandemic. Over the last 10 years men's collegiate programs have sadly been dropping off, but in the last few months Minnesota, Iowa, and William…
, , ,

My Mental Health Journey and Advice All New Grads Need To Hear

Anyone who has followed me and SHIFT knows that I've had quite the roller coaster with my career, work-life, and personal life. Everyone goes through these crazy hurdles life throws at us. I think it's important that people share their stories,…
, ,

Inside Michigan Women’s Gymnastics Strength Program with Lew Porchiazzo

This is going to be a massively valuable podcast for anyone in gymnastics. Specifically, those looking to get gymnasts stronger, more powerful, and more resilient against injury. Lew Porchiazzo is the Head Strength and Conditioning Coach…
, ,

Chellsie Memmel Discusses Her Elite Comeback, Lessons Learned, and Positive Coaching Techniques

I'm SO excited to finally be able to share this with everyone! The news of Chellsie Memmel's come back has been one of the most exciting things for anyone in gymnastics to watch. She has been documenting her journey on her YouTube channel,…
, ,

Coaching For High Level Gymnastics Without Sacrificing Health

I will state right from the beginning, that this podcast was recorded well before Athlete A and the Gymnastics Alliance movement started. But, it could not have come out at a better time. Everyone in gymnastics is grappling with the same question "How…
, , ,

Courtney McGregor Discusses Gymnastics Culture Change, Elite/NCAA Career, and Achilles Injuries

I'm was super grateful to be able to sit down and chat with elite, NCAA, and Olympic gymnast Courtney McGregor. Courtney has had an insane career of accomplishments and has spent the last 10 years training and competing at the highest level…
, ,

Free Download of My Exact 3 Month Gymnastics Strength Program For Post COVID + Full Lecture

We are in a really strange spot right now in gymnastics, related to returning to training, needing a lot of physical preparation, and being a bit unsure how to safely get back to skills. I have been working like crazy the last few months…
, , , ,

Nick Ruddock’s Yurchenko Systems For Building Power and High Level Vaults

I'm super grateful to be friends with Nick Ruddock, one of the world's most sought after coaches for technical and strategic development. He has worked in the highest levels of the sport, ranging from being a personal and national level coach…
, , ,

How Did We Get Here? A Gymnastics Culture Rant Inspired by #AthleteA

Hi all, below is an #AthleteA inspired rant on the harsh reality of Gymnastics culture 7 years in the making for me. ‬ ‪To the survivors, families, journalists, & countless others who had the courage to stare evil in the face demanding…
, ,

Colin Van Wicklen Shares Advice on Returning To Training, Time Off, and Weight Training in Gymnastics

Really excited to have Colin Van Wicklen, World Team and Senior National Team member for team USA, back on the podcast. Colin is about 6 weeks into his return to gymnastics following the 3-month COVID-19 break. Not only this, but he also has…
, ,

Navy Men’s Gymnastics on Competitive Success, Culture, and Making Sacrifices

I'm so excited to share a fantastic chat I had with Lucas Beltran and Christian Correale, as well as head coach Kip Simons, of Navy Men's Gymnastics.  I've always had an enormous amount of respect for anyone who serves in the military. But,…
, ,

Advice to Parents and Gymnasts During COVID19 – 5 Key Focuses When Stuck At Home

As always, I want to start by saying I hope that you are safe, healthy, and doing well during COVID19! Along with questions from gymnastics coaches, I have been getting a ton of questions from parents and gymnasts concerned about how to maintain…
, ,

Tom Meadow’s Best Parallel Bar Drills, Skills, and Progressions for Peaches

Hello! I hope you are doing well and staying safe during the ongoing coronavirus situation. Today, I wanted to help people get their minds off things and offer an amazing podcast I recorded with Olympic Men's Gymnastics Coach, Tom Meadows.…
, ,

Advice For Gymnastics During COVID-19

Hey everyone, I hope you are doing okay hanging in during COVID-19! These are proving to be crazy times for sure. Lots of people have uncertainties and are (rightfully so) worried about everything going on. Specifically in the gymnastics…
, ,

The Top 10 SHIFT Show Podcasts To Binge During COVID-19

As I have been starting all of my recent blogs, I first hope you are safe, well, and are managing your mental wellness during these crazy Coronavirus times. I've been doing my best to provide people with tools and education during this time.…
, , ,

The Hard Conversations Gymnastics Needs To Have

I'm so excited to get an absolute must hear interview up today about hard, but necessary, conversation with parents, gymnasts, and coaches. Last month, I wrote a very popular article, "7 Tips for Dealing with Stubborn Gymnastics Coaches, Parents,…
, ,

Bridget Sloan On Keeping Young Gymnasts Healthy, NCAA/Olympic Success, and CrossFit

Today I'm super excited to share a fantastic interview with Bridget Sloan, who is a 2008 Olympian, 9x NCAA Champion with the Florida Gators, and current gymnastics commentator. She has a had a huge range of experience as an athlete, and offers…
, ,

Is Insecurity and Fear of Social Judgement Driving Culture Issues In Gymnastics?

The Problem Changing gymnastics culture is by far the biggest conversation we are having in our sport. In my opinion, when you dig down to the real root issues two commonalities pop up: personal insecurities and/or fear of social judgment. These…
, , , ,

Complete Gymnastics Shoulder Performance – How To Develop Flexibility, Strength, and Power

I've really been looking forward to posting this, as it has been something a ton of people email or message me about. High-level shoulder performance is absolutely critical for gymnastics. For one, it is the main joint that supports proper handstands,…
, ,

Lucas Wasson of Ohio State Women’s Gymnastics on What Success Means

I'm excited to get the ball rolling back on some podcasts and guest interviews! I've been working like crazy to get some great guests lined up for the next month, and today we're kicking things off with a great start. Lucas Wasson is the…
,

Kohei Uchimura’s Coach, Hiroaki Sato, Shares Must Hear Advice

I'm incredibly happy to get this podcast out to the world where Hiroaki Sato, the personal coach of gymnastics legend Kohei Uchimura, shares his invaluable advice that I think everyone needs to hear. It takes a very special athlete and coach…
, ,

The Nutrition and Overtraining Talk We Need To Have, But Aren’t

I'll just come right out and say it Gymnastics culture continues to have a serious problem with the intersection of nutrition, mental health, and proper training workloads for kids. If you take a step back even more, you see this problem…
, ,

An Honest Talk About Ego, Depression, and Anxiety in Gymnastics

In my experiences, there are a lot of people who focus on the technical and physical development of gymnasts. Most of their efforts focus on getting new drills, strength exercises, or progressions to help athletes get new skills or move up to…
, ,

Mark Williams on World Championships, USA Gymnastics, and Creating Coaching Success

Anyone who is familiar with men's gymnastics knows that Mark Williams, Head Coach of Oklahoma University Men's Program and 2016 Olympic Head Coach, has quite a list of accolades behind him. Mark has not only made the journey from coaching…
, ,

9 Ways to Be Happier In The Gym and Life

I wanted to take a little bit of a pivot this week to offer people a lecture/podcast on happiness that was highly requested from people. Mental/Emotional health is such an important topic in our modern world. It's crucial not only for our…
, ,

When To Progress Young Gymnasts to Big Skills, and Advice on Developing Young Gymnasts

Part of the 'art' of coaching is being able to read the athletes you work with, and understanding when to push them forward vs pull back a bit. Specifically in gymnastics, this often comes up in times of new skills being taught or attempted. In…
, ,

My Thoughts on The Gymnastics Abuse Scandal

Over the last 3 years, I have been quite observant of everything going on in gymnastics related to the abuse scandal, the cultural dynamics that have been implicated as a factor, and the way this links to how people are changing their approach…
, , ,

Steve Gluckstein Shares How Weightlifting Can Help Gymnasts and The Benefits of Trampoline

Really excited for this today! My good buddy and former Olympic Trampoline athlete for Team USA Steve Gluckstein was gracious enough to join me for a long podcast chat. Anyone who has followed Steve's journey knows that he is a big advocate…
, ,

Helping Gymnastics Coaches Stay Happy In The Gym and Change Their Cultures

If there is one thing that I know all gymnastics coaches deal with, it's frustration and times of burnout. I have delt with it, I've seen coaches I work with deal with it, and I know for a fact it's one of the number one things people tell me…
, , , ,

Tom Meadows on Developing Elite Male Gymnasts and His Best Coaching Advice

Really excited to share some amazing content with everyone today! I was able to sit down and chat with one of the most highly respected coaches here in the US, Tom Meadows of Cypress Academy. Tom has one of the most impressive journeys in gymnastics,…
, ,

What Gymnasts Need for Nutrition with Dr. Josh Eldridge

Nutrition for gymnasts, and more specifically what they can eat to fuel themselves for training, is one of the most highly talked about topics in gymnastics. Rightfully so, as it's one of the most important parts of health and training. In…
, ,

Nick Ruddock’s Best Uneven Bar Strategies For High Level Skills and Long Term Health

Brace yourself everybody, because today we have an absolutely epic episode of the podcast. Many people have been asking me get someone on who has a special expertise in uneven bars,  due to how frustrating of and event it can be to teach new…
, , ,

How Much is Too Much for Young Gymnasts? (Free Lecture and PDF Download)

I've written about this topic before, but the mysterious question of how much work to how much recovery is appropriate for young gymnasts continues to be a question that stumps many people in gymnastics. This topic is something that continues…
, ,

Jon Horton on Men’s Gymnastics Development and Building Athlete’s Long Term

Really pumped to have someone on the podcast who can speak to the men's gymnastics side of the sport. Jon Horton has quite the epic accolade list. He is a multiple time Olympian for Team USA (winning a silver medal on high bar), is an alumni…
, ,

Addressing Body Image Issues, Disordered Eating, and Nutrition in Gymnastics with Tasia Percevecz

Today I have one of the most important podcasts to ever come out of SHIFT. Although I have had some nutritionists on to talk about issues related to poor nutrition education, and also harmful practices that are still existent in gymnastics related…
, ,

Samantha Peszek on Her Elite Journey, Overcoming Fears, and UCLA Gymnastics

Really excited for this podcast episode and interview, as I think people are going to love hearing from Samantha Peszek on what her gymnastics journey has been through. Sam has quite an epic list of accomplishments over the years ranging…
, , , ,

Back Pain in Gymnastics with Dr. Stuart McGill: Mechanisms, Evaluation, and Training

I am incredibly excited to share with listeners an interview with someone who I have looked up to for many years, Dr. Stuart McGill. Dr. McGill has a PhD from the University of  Waterloo and is one of the most internationally known researchers…
, , , ,

Have More Productive Practices and Hit Routines with These Gymnastics Cardio Essentials

Developing cardio systems in gymnasts is beyond important, for both performance and safety. On the performance side, better endurance allows gymnasts to make it through full routines that have high-level skills. It also is what allows them…
, , ,

Danusia Francis Shares Her Advice for NCAA and Elite Gymnastics Success

I was really fortunate to meet Danusia Francis last year when speaking at GymCon with Miss Val and Nick Ruddock. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Danusia, she competed for Great Britain as an international elite, spent 4 years with…
, , ,

A Must Listen Interview with Tim Gabbett, PhD – How Workload Research Can Increase Performance and Reduce Injury Risk

There are a handful of very well-known sports scientists and researchers around the world. One of those researchers is  Tim Gabbett, PhD. His work has been incredibly helpful to look at how spikes in training load are associated with injury…
, ,

How Much is Too Much in Gymnastics? How Chronic Stress Impacts Young Athletes

Today on the blog I'm really excited to get out a new lecture that has been in the works for a while. It is one that I feel is the msot central topic currently facing gymnastics - how much is too much for young gymnasts? This podcast is from…
, ,

New Podcast! Q&A – Landing Form vs Skill Form, Shoulder Injuries During Releases, and Doing Adult Gymnastics Safely

Really excited for the first ever Question and Answer Episode of The SHIFT Show! The episodes are going to alternate between longer-form content and shorter form Q&A. People can ask anything they want on gymnastics topics like flexibility,…

I Launched A Podcast for SHIFT! New Episode with Nick Ruddock, My Entire 2 Hour Gymnastics Strength Lecture, and More!

I have an absolutely massive announcement! After listening to feedback from the SHIFT Community on wanting more "on the go" type audio content, I have launched my brand new podcast, "The SHIFT Show". I'm super excited for the project to…