Today’s episode features Justin Moore, performance education coordinator at Parabolic Performance and Rehab, also working with their NFL combine athletes.  Justin made his first appearance in episode 78 where he talked about how to optimize the execution of the barbell lifts according to the ideals of the postural restoration institute, making them more transferable to athletic performance, as well as hitting important muscles groups such as the abdominals and hamstring.

Justin is one of the brightest young strength coaches in the field, and has a field of intelligent mentors, many of whom have also been on this podcast.  Justin is a guy who has great knowledge of two things I’m really interested in, PRI and speed.  It’s not often that I get to talk about sprinting in context of the ribs, thorax and diaphragm, but today, Justin and I will do just that.  

When it comes to technique, structure dictates function, but is also not always the roadblock we might make it out to be.  Knowing PRI principles in context of sprinting is important, but it is even more important to know when to use them, and when to avoid having an athlete do corrective based work when a “workaround” is available through good coaching.

For today’s episode, Justin will cover technical issues in sprinting that could be rooted within the thorax and diaphragm, asymmetry in sprinting and human movement, right and left leg differences, as well as the impingement-instability paradigm of locomotion and how that fits with what we are doing in the weightroom.

Today’s episode is brought to you by SimpliFaster, supplier of high-end athletic development tools, such as the Freelap timing system, kBox, Sprint 1080, and more.  



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Key Points

A recap of Justin’s last NFL combine class and what he learned from it
Ideas on maximal strength development and training frequency of speed and plyometric training means and methods
Looking at sprint training in light of the Postural Restoration Institute ideals
How to approach technical issues in sprinting that may be rooted in the thorax and diaphragm
Left and right leg differences in sprinting according to PRI principles
The importance of asymmetry in athletic movement
Impingement based strategies in lifting versus sport movement and how to find the balance





“We realized we were actively making guys slower (by over coaching or using the wrong cue set in coaching speed)”

“Placing too much stress on the (combine) athletes detracted a little from our ability to utilize frequency in training on the field and in the plyometric or jumping realm of things”

“Guys were changing their running strategy to improve the 10 yard dash, but that doesn’t set you up for a better 30 and 40 yard dash”

“Moving air (out of the left side particularly) is critical to being able to create that see-saw action in the frontal plane in sprinting… if you have a balloon in your left chest wall full of air that you can’t get out, then I’m essentially being pushed to the right”

“Arms are a big one (in sprint coaching) because arms are going to reflect what the thorax is doing”

“The left chain of muscles (AIC) is your “swing phase” chain”

“For a number of reasons we are biased into the right stance phase of gait”

“You really see the side to side asymmetry between legs in a 4-jump”

“What can I say that creates the biggest chain reaction to clean the maximal amount of issues up with me saying the least”

“There’s an old adage in biology that asymmetry pays”

“If we aren’t asymmetrical then we are in equilibrium and we don’t move”

“When you try to do everything (corrective, main training, rehab, etc.), you end up losing a little bit”

“You have to  know the bandwidth of the asymmetry the person usually presents with”

“Every time we walk we are impinging on one side, and becoming unstable on the other”