Leo Training: Strength & Conditioning | Endurance | Health | Performance | Injury Prevention | Joe Deleo

LT 058 | Bryan Volpenhein - From Walk on to Olympic Champion Episode 058 is sponsored by Finish Line Shell Repair Subscribe & Review : iTunes | Stitcher US Rowing Men's Head Coach and Olympic Gold Medalist is this week's guest on the LEO Training Podcast. Bryan Volpenhein is a three-time Olympian and 2004 gold medalist in the men’s eight. He is responsible for the men’s high performance sweep squad and works to develop, select and prepare the team for international competition.  In this interview Bryan and I discuss rowing from multiple angles - both that of an athlete and a coach. This is a fascinating look into the spectrum of his experience as a collegiate walk on to Olympic Champion. Here is what you will learn in this episode: How Bryan got started with rowing at The Ohio State University Club Rowing Teams and how they are different Transitioning onto the National Team Discussing the elimination of freshmen rowing and the impact on the sport Individualized Training in a Team Environment Why Commun

LT 057 | Dr. Anders Ericsson & Dr. Robert Pool - Peak: Secrets from the New Science of Expertise Subscribe & Review : iTunes | Stitcher In episode 057 I sit down with authors Dr. Anders Ericsson and Dr. Robert Pool to discuss their book Peak. Let me tell you a little bit more about both of them. Dr. Anders Ericsson is a Conradi Eminent Scholar and Professor of Psychology at Florida State University who is internationally recognized as the world's reigning expert of expertise. His research focus on the psychological nature of expertise and human performance. Ericsson has studied expert performance in domains such as medicine, music, chess, and sports, focusing exclusively on extended deliberate practice (e.g., high concentration practice beyond one's comfort zone) as a means of how expert performers acquire their superior performance. Dr. Robert Pool combined his history, physics, and mathematics degrees with his love of writing to successfully transition from mathematics professor to renowned scienc

John Harrison has an amazing story to share and I was thrilled to have him on my podcast. He is a father of four children. By the time John turned 30 years old he was over 300 pounds. At 41 he is now at 200 pounds. John lost well over 60 pounds through unconventional training methods including kettlebell training, mace swinging, sandbags and others. John is an SFG I through StrongFirst and a licensed massage therapist through the Pennsylvania Institute of Massage Therapy. John shares his road to health and fitness and how he has successfully lost his weight. He also shares his approach to working with his students and clients by incorporating the Functional Movement Screen, soft tissue work, and strength training to really provide a totally integrated approach. Here is what you will learn in this episode: Intro/background Success with convention methods of weight loss (running, elliptical, etc.) How unconventional training methods of weight loss (kettlebell, mace, sandbag) made the difference. Journey from H

Today's guest is a legend in the strength and conditioning community. Mark Reifkind has been training and coaching for 40 years! He has been an outstanding athlete in multiple sports including gymnastics, powerlifting, bodybuilding, ultra-running and is well known around the world in the kettlebell community. Mark first started working with kettlebells in 1998 around the same time Pavel Tsatsouline is credited with bringing them to the west. He started the first kettlebell gym in the United States,  Girya Strength in 2003. Mark has also rehabbed from some serious injuries including a complete knee replacement and shoulder injury during his gymnastics career. Here is what you will learn in this exclusive interview: Mark's athletic background across multiple sports as both an athlete and coach His shoulder and knee injuries and how he rehabbed them His presentation on total knee replacement Sarcopenia - muscle mass loss as you age The Lost Art of Training Important bio-markers for strength and health as you ag

My guest this week is Dr. Bryan Mann. Dr. Bryan Mann is the Assistant Teaching Professor of Physical Therapy and was the Assistant Director of  Strength & Conditioning at the University of Missouri from 2004 -2016. Dr. Bryan Mann has been competing in the sport of powerlifting since 1996. He has many powerlifting accolades to his name in raw, single-ply, and multi-ply lifting. He is a researcher and author, having written several research publications dealing with training in Division 1 athletics, specifically football. He has written three books, most notably the Complete Guide to Powerlifting for Human Kinetics with co-author Dan Austin. Here's what you will learn in this episode: Dr. Bryan Mann's background in strength & conditioning Why stress is a syndrome Social media as a stress How to program for a few hundred athletes Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs "Dont confuse highly trained with genetically endowed." Cal Dietz Velocity Training and much more Show Notes: Dr. Bryan Mann (University of Missou

My guest for Epsiode 053 of the LEO Training Podcast is Dr. Kenneth Jay. Dr. Kenneth Jay is the author of the Cardio Code. Kenneth is from Denmark, and is the author of several books including the Viking Warrior Conditioning, a scientific approach to forging a heart of elastic steel, and the applications of the theory behind proper VO2max training. He works with athletes of all ages and demographics and teaches his Cardio Code Seminar around the world! Here is what you will learn in this episode: Dr. Kenneth Jay's background in health and fitness His PhD work The Cardio Code Keyboard athletes Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Weight training is not cardiovascular training Why having a high heart rate is not cardiovascular training Heart Morphology The energy system does not determine if an activity is cardiovascular it's the activity at hand and much more! Show Notes: The Cardio Code (Website) The Cardio (Book) The Cardio Code (Facebook) Dr. Kenneth Jay (Facebook) Dr. Kenneth Jay (Instagram) Danish National Di

In Episode 052 of the LEO Training Podcast I interview Jack Carlson. Jack is an entrepreneur and international coxswain. Jack is a three-time member of the United States rowing team and a World Championships bronze medalist; he has won at Henley Royal Regatta, the Head of the Charles Regatta, and Royal Canadian Henley Regatta. Jack has trained under coaches Henry Bailhache-Webb and Richard Spratley at Oxford Brookes Boat Club, a High Performance Centre for the British team and, along with Leander Club, one of Great Britain's two most successful rowing clubs.  In North American competition and U.S. trials, Jack is proud to represent the New York Athletic Club - the spiritual home of elite amateur sport in the United States. In 2014 Jack published the book Rowing Blazers which is now available for sale. Here is what you will learn in this episode: Jack's athletic background and education Rowing Blazers Row New York Comparison between US Collegiate System and rowing in the UK and US National Team Oxford Brookes

In Episode 051 of the LEO Training Podcast I sit down with Dr. Tim Simansky. Dr. Tim Simansky is an international lecturer, entrepreneur, strength coach, and sports chiropractor. He is most notably known for his involvement in the functional fitness community where he has made a niche in the rehabilitation, injury prevention and performance enhancement of functional fitness athletes. Dr. Simansky has been a member of the CrossFit Games Athlete Services at both the Regional and Games level since 2012. He has acted as the East Regional co-director of Athlete Services since 2015. Aside from his physical participation in CrossFit Dr. Simansky maintains a constant virtual presence as the founder of TheWODdoc.com. Through his involvement in WODdoc Dr. Simansky has been honored with the opportunity to lecture both nationally and internationally. Here are some of the topics we discuss: Dr. Simansky's background and education How did WODDdoc get started? The most common injuries Dr. Simansky sees Common rowing injuri

This episode's guest is rowing coach Marlene Royle. As a competitor, Marlene has won major titles in sculling and sweep rowing including a US National Championship, a Collegiate National Championship, and a Head of the Charles title. She was awarded the Melissa Hale Spencer Award at the West Side Rowing Club of Buffalo in 1980 and the Beverly Jean Cook Award while on the Boston University Rowing Team in 1982. She also served as Boston University Crew's Varsity Women's Captain in 1985. In 2000, she set two world records on the Concept2 Indoor Rower. She is a registered occupational therapist, in addition to being educated in physiology, massage therapy, and strength training. Royle’s publications include: Tip of the Blade: Notes on Rowing, Skillful Rowing, and Technical Drills for Sculling. Tech Tips is Marlene's column on the Craftsbury Sculling Center website and her column Training appears monthly in the international journal, Rowing News. Marlene was among the first coaches in the United States dedicated

In this podcast interview I speak with strength coach and owner/operator of Empowered Strength, John Odden. John spent the early part of his career working in a cardiac rehabilitation clinic and physical therapy clinic. John also endured some severe shoulder and neck injuries as well as scoliosis. As a result this shaped his approach to training for himself and for his students and clients. Here is what you will learn in this episode: John's history and background Experience in cardiac rehab and physical therapy clinics What John incorporates into assessments and evaluations to get a more informed picture Ultimate Athleticism & Max Shank Why a breathing issue is a core issue Andrew Read's Beast Tamer Ian King Highland Games Charles Poliquin Loaded crawls are a staple in his training and why Show Notes: Empowered Strength (Website) Empowered Strength (Facebook) Empowered Strength (Instagram) Highland Games Portland  

In Episode 048, I had the opportunity to interview Sue Falsone. Sue is a pioneer in the rehabilitation field and we cover some very important ground discussing the shoulder and cervical thoracic junction - two key areas that are either not functionally properly or prone to injury. Sue Falsone was born in Buffalo, NY. She received her bachelor's degree in physical therapy from Daemen College in Amherst, New York. She continued her education by earning a master's degree in human movement science, with a concentration in sports medicine, from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Sue has presented at state, national and international level conferences in areas focusing on pillar strength, integration of physical therapy and performance training, and comprehensive kinetic chain assessment and rehabilitation. She's a Board Certified Clinical Specialist in Sports Physical Therapy (SCS), a certified athletic trainer (ATC), certified orthopedic manual therapist for the spine (COMT) and a certified strength

Cole Summers is a Senior SFG with StrongFirst. Cole's coaching history includes people from all walks of life and abilities, and he has also been a strength coach for Team Canada Women's National Volleyball Team, National Boxing Team members, Pro boxers, Olympic Hockey Team members, NHL and WHA Pro Team Champions, Manitoba Rugby Union, University of Winnipeg Women's Volleyball Team, University of Manitoba Women's Basketball team, and University of Manitoba track. He is based in Winnipeg, Canada. Since 2005 Cole has been been guided and supported by world famous Dr. Mauro Di Pasquale. Mauro is a scientific genius, MD, and author. He is a former World Champion, North American, many times Canadian National Champion Powerlifter. I follow and highly recommend Dr. Di Pasquale's books "Metabolic Diet", "Anabolic Solutions", and "Radical Diet". His guidance was and continues to be life changing for me and many champion athletes and ordinary folk. I am personally very fortunate and grateful to have met Cole in person.

Mark Allen is a 6x Ironman World Champion and was the first person to ever win the ITU Olympic Distance World Champion in 1989 in Avignon France. He is also a 10-Time Undefeated Champion of the Nice International Triathlon to name a few of his historic racing accomplishments. In 2012 he was voted “The Greatest Endurance Athlete of All Time” in a worldwide poll conducted by ESPN. Mark trained and competed during an era where technology was not as prevalent as it is today. Smartphones did not exist yet and heart rate monitor technology was still in its infancy. Equipment and gear was also very different compared to today's carbon fiber frames used for triathlon bikes as well as the actual gear worn by the athletes. Mark details two of his greatest races and what he was going through mentally and emotionally during his 1989 race against Dave Scott and in 1995 when he made up 13.5 minutes to win his final Ironman World Championship at the age of 37. We spend a large portion of this interview discussing the import

In this interview I had the opportunity to sit down with Senior SFG, Pavel Macek. Pavel lives in the Czech Republic and runs a gym called KB5. He has also been a student of martial arts for the majority of his life and continues to practice currently. He began studying Judo initially and then segued into the chinese martial art of Practical Hung Kyun. He also is responsible for running StrongFirst Czech Republic. Here is what you will learn in this episode: Pavel's background in martial arts and journey to coaching, strength training, and StrongFirst Physical education in school and the impact it had on him as an adult How reading the Naked Warrior changed his perspective on training and tied into martial arts Using Easy Strength as a blueprint for youth students "Untying the chair" Why the first 3 months with a new student are critical and integrating students into group classes "The tool does not matter, the principles behind them are most important." and much more! It’s easy to review the show and it hel

This is a very special interview with Dean Somerset. Dean and Tony Gentilcore just released a brand new product this week called "The Complete Shoulder and Hip Blueprint". This is a 11+ hour course that is worth 1.1 CEU's through the NSCA. Dean and Tony have put together a phenomenal resource and I've been personally following both their blogs for quite some time. Their experience, insight, and results speak for themselves so I encourage you to check out their new product and their respective websites. Note: In the interest of transparency it is important to note that I am not receiving anything for mentioning this product. I've followed Tony and Dean's work for a long and it's allowed me to help others and I am paying it forward. Simple as that. Dean is a personal trainer, author, and international public speaker whose main area of expertise is injury and medical dysfunction management through optimally designed exercise programs. Dean's credentials include: BSc. Kinesiology – University of Alberta Certifie

Andrew Read has been in health & fitness industry for over 15 years. He is the owner and operator of Read Performance Training located in Victoria, Australia. He is a former Master RKC and currently teaches for Functional Movement Systems. Andrew's facility is like walking into a time machine. It pays homage to the Turner Halls of the late 19th Century.  Movement and health is the focus. Every person who trains at Read Performance Training undergoes a Functional Movement Screen. Andrew has a tremendous amount of experience and some of his accomplishments include: Master RKC (Russian Kettlebell Certified instructor – the only Australian ever promoted to this level). Certified Kettlebell Functional Movement Specialist Certified Indian Club Specialist National Director Primal Move Qualified Olympic and Power Coach through the Australian Weightlifting Federation Ironman Triathlete Author for – Blitz, Ultrafit, Inside MMA, International Kickboxer, Oxygen and Breaking Muscle. Lectured in Australia, USA, China

C. Shante Cofield grew up in Summit, New Jersey, where she was a 4-year varsity athlete, playing soccer, basketball, and lacrosse. During her sophomore year of high school, Shante tore her ACL, MCL, and meniscus, thus introducing her to the world of physical therapy. Shante successfully rehabilitated her knee and went on to play four years of Division I collegiate soccer at Georgetown University where she received her Bachelor of Science in Health Science. Wishing to combine her passion for movement and health into a career, Shante continued her educational pursuits at New York University, graduating with a Doctorate in Physical Therapy (DPT) and earning her certification as a Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS). Shante used her time at NYU to focus on sports medicine and orthopedic rehabilitation and further developed her orthopedic skills via numerous continuing education courses, later becoming a certified Functional Movement Screen (FMS) provider and Selective Functional Movement Assessment (SFMA)

Danny Sawaya has been a professional in the Fitness and Nutrition field for 17 years. After earning a B.S. in Nutritional Sciences from the University of Arizona, he conducted research and taught nutritional sciences at the University.  He is a StrongFirst Team Leader, as well as a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist through the NSCA. Danny underwent all of his Russian kettlebell training with Pavel Tsatsouline the man who brought kettlebell training to the United States. Danny has worked with strength coaching staff of San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks teaching proper kettlebell form and technique. He has also had the privilege of being the strength coach to Canadian Olympic Mountain Biker and Pan Am Gold Medalist Emily Batty. He has also worked with USA Olympic  Team Mountain Biker Chloe Woodruff.  Danny is the NASA Powerlifting National Record holder for Submasters 181 lbs weight class. He has also broadened his athletic endeavors to the endurance sports and is currently training for the

In Episode 040 of the LEO Training Podcast I interview Mitchell Sadowsky. Mitch Sadowsky is the Director of Golf Fitness at Lake Nona Golf & Country Club in Orlando, FL, working with professional and amateur golfers and athletes on functional, strength and speed training. A member of the National Strength and Conditioning Association, Mitch is a Level 3 Fitness certified member of the Titleist Performance Institute, and holds certifications as an SFG Kettlebell Instructor, USA Weightlifting Level 2 Advanced Lifting Coach, Sports Performance Specialist, and holds certificates in Functional Movement Systems and Active Isolated Stretching. Some of Mitch’s clients have included PGA touring professionals Ian Poulter and Graeme McDowell, European Tour players Maarten Lafeber and Gary Boyd, and Canadian Tour player Charlie Bull. In addition to Mitch’s role as the Director of Golf Fitness at Lake Nona, he is also owner and president of Mitch11 Strength & Performance. As a part of that role, he works directly

In Episode 039 of the LEO Training Podcast I interview LIFT CEO Chris Blyth. Chris sits down and takes us through his career as a personal trainer and how he came identified some problems in the health and industry that LIFT is addressing. This is a great look into how the advent of technology is helping trainers reach clients in new and exciting ways but also providing a platform that utilizes current technology to provide a better teaching and learning experience for students and trainers. Here is what you will learn in this episode: Chris's journey from trainer to entrepreneur Some of the problems that trainers typically face due to clients and fluctuations in business during the seasons What is LIFT? How can LIFT be an alternative source of income for trainers? What makes LIFT different than other platforms out there and how can it help students/clients learn proper and safe lifting technique effectively? How the experience works for trainers and students/clients? and much more! Show Notes: LIFT Session