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 approach to help athletes get out of pain and back to the sports they love. I’ve been fortunate to be friends […]
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 to quantify the impact of different coaching styles on athlete performance and wellness. This […]
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 sexually abused. But also important is how the film discusses the wider spread cultural issues […]
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 conversations around athlete physical/mental wellness, reducing the risk of injury, and taking a much […]
I’ve been getting a ton of messages from soon to be / new graduates asking for advice. Mostly Physical Therapy, Athletic Training, and Chiropractic students. I’m super flattered by this. I’m also happy to offer some guidance or insight. The most common response I give is Master each joint If a patient 7 days out […]
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 and her colleagues rightfully exposed many serious systemic issues within our sport. Ones that […]
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 practices are finally making their way into mainstream gymnastics. I firmly believe that this will be the biggest change we […]
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 people my thoughts on everything going on related to these topics. I get 30 or […]
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 online gymnastics group, I offered off a free consulting session for one lucky winner. Last month, […]
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 in daily training or at meets (it’s literally called ‘getting judged), so many gymnasts, coaches, parents, and other professionals suffer in […]
