Advancing Athletics

08/21/2026

FYF - A 👍 setup leads to good reps. Make your mistakes EARLY.

Athlete goal: Develop maximum power production for collegiate high jumping.

Exercise purpose: Build posterior chain (glutes and hams) strength to minimize risk of hamstrings injuries (common in track athletes) and facilitate optimal power for the upcoming season.

Form fault: Her back is gross during this first warm-up set. Notice how it's rounded at that one spot in the mid/upper lumbar region. This will straighten as she begins her pull and concentrate excessive amounts of load at her back.

Form fix: First, THAT'S THE POINT OF WARM-UP SETS! Make mistakes here so that you don't have to deal with the issues when the load is more dangerous. Second, get her to lift her chest and put weight in her heels. The load on the barbell will be a counterbalance for her to hold the corrected position before initiating reps. Get her to engage her last and intra abdominal pressure with a proper breath hold to maintain that position. Great job, Kenna! 💪

08/21/2026

08/21/2026

Fuel the run you’re actually doing 🏃‍♀️💨

If you’re heading out for an easy, low-intensity run lasting ~60 minutes or less, you typically don’t need to load up on extra carbs beforehand—your body has plenty of stored fuel to get you through.

But as your runs get longer and/or more intense, carbohydrate availability becomes much more important. Having a carb-rich snack or meal beforehand can help support energy, performance, and recovery. 🍌🥯

And don’t forget about hydration! 💧 Starting your run well-hydrated—and replacing fluids and electrolytes when appropriate—is another important piece of feeling and performing your best.

The takeaway: Match your fueling and hydration strategy to the duration and intensity of your run.

08/20/2026

FYF - Staying back during BACK SQUAT.

Exercise purpose: Build total body strength in an efficient and maximal way.
Form fault: being too hinged at the bottom, causing initiation during concentric phase to include a forward lean leading to excessive compression at the knee.
Form fix: Get athlete to maintain upright posture during at bottom to initiate return. There are lots of ways to do this, which we'll discuss during the Film Review complement to this video!

This fixed his form, we hope it helps you fix your form! 😤💪

08/18/2026

FYF - Back Extension

Frustrated that you're better but not back from your Low Back injury?
Ever wonder why your back is bugging despite doing the exercises??

Maybe it's your grammar (how you use your back) or maybe, like this guy, it's your spelling (how you strengthen your back).
PSA: Watch episodes 14 and 15 of LDIT for details on SPELLING VS GRAMMAR.

Here's the details for this movement tho with a link 👇 to another view.
This athlete has developed hyper mobility at a small region of his lumbar spine. This has resulted in habitual overuse of that area. So how do we fix it? Getting him to initiate the movement from a wider range is IMPORTANT!

You see that he has a good curvature but he doesn't know where that stopping point is yet. That's the next project him and I have to work on. Yet, he.....nor you..... WILL EVER CHANGE YOUR PATTERN (grammar) if you don't have the strength across the whole range of your back to do so!

Keep that in mind when you're doing your exercises and reach out if you need help!

08/17/2026

People talk about how "the proof is in the pudding" but rarely do you see an athlete put that into practice like Jessica Selinsky does!

For real, Jess has around 1,500 ASSISTS as a Setter in High School so far with one year to go. Last year - cuz of injuries and game plans - she took up a role as a hitter. Her work in the gym (at practice and with us) led her to not only perform but excel as a hitter!!

As you see in the 2nd photo (and may have seen during FYF videos), Jess puts in the work! In the 3rd photo, you see the fruits of her labors as she utilizes her nearly TWO FOOT VERTICAL!!!!!

Great effort, Jess. Looking forward to seeing you get to 2k assists while also contributing at the net!

08/17/2026

LDIT 15 - Spelling v Grammar: Your Grammar Can't Suck

You should think about your training/practice as SPELLING and your performance/competition as GRAMMAR. Last EP we talked about the importance of spelling so your training properly prepped you to compete.

Now we're talking about grammar. You need to train - and prep your body/mind - in a way that FACILITATES performance. It does matter and WILL make the difference between success or mediocrity.
Whether it's a weekend CrossFit competition...
A weekend long baseball tournament...
Or a regularly scheduled football game, you need to make sure all of your training (or spelling) is geared towards performance (or grammar).

If you don't like how you're performing, evaluate how you're training or how you're preparing yourself to compete so you can succeed when/where it counts!

08/16/2026

A great joy of ours is getting to see put into practice how athletes use the hard work they demo with us (during structured classes and independent work).
This is one of some mega performances that are worth celebrating!

Here are a few highlights from Debbie and Phil's performance....
1. They both participated in the Ohio Senior Olympics last weekend
2. They both participated in the 25k Road Race
3. Over 15 mi of unfamiliar pavement, and
BOTH finished sub-60.
4. Phil hit PB LEVEL PACES for a large stretch of the race to finish top-10 in his age group
5. Debbie, renowned for her teamwork and unselfishness, drafted with the eventual winner...taking turns cutting through the wind for the other....before eventually laying claim to the 2nd place spot on the podium!

Whether it's a podium finish or a "did not finish" we celebrate EFFORT, not results. Results are products of effort and deserve celebration but the willingness to try is what we should all strive to do.
Great job, Goodings. To see these two thrive together is LITERALLY remarkable and a proper job!

08/16/2026

Fuel the run you’re actually doing 🏃‍♀️💨

If you’re heading out for an easy, low-intensity run lasting ~60 minutes or less, you typically don’t need to load up on extra carbs beforehand—your body has plenty of stored fuel to get you through.

But as your runs get longer and/or more intense, carbohydrate availability becomes much more important. Having a carb-rich snack or meal beforehand can help support energy, performance, and recovery. 🍌🥯

And don’t forget about hydration! 💧 Starting your run well-hydrated—and replacing fluids and electrolytes when appropriate—is another important piece of feeling and performing your best.

The takeaway: Match your fueling and hydration strategy to the duration and intensity of your run.

PerformanceNutrition SportsDietitian FuelYourBody Hydration RegisteredDietitian

08/15/2026

FYF - RESULTS!

IF YOU THOUGHT.....all this form fixing was for wimps and good for isolated work but not performance. YOU. ARE. WRONG!

Here are some examples.
17 yr old female who has strong and fit already. With only 10 weeks of focused PLYO training, we put 6 inches on her BROAD JUMP (not seen) and 3 inches on her Vert!

14 yr old male who's jumping almost THIRTY (3-0) inches before he starts high school despite training for about a year minus good minus basketball and minus baseball!

Fixing your form, eating well, listening to your body isn't some eye rolling nonsense. It is well balanced, holistic and EARNED growth.

DM to experience the change yourself!