WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.240 Typically, mean velocity is more suited to your 00:00:03.240 --> 00:00:05.780 strength type exercises, your non -ballistic 00:00:05.780 --> 00:00:09.000 type exercises, so bench, deadlifts, squat, etc. 00:00:09.320 --> 00:00:12.640 And peak velocity is more suited to your explosive, 00:00:13.179 --> 00:00:17.640 powerful exercises. Hi, Steve. It's my pleasure 00:00:17.640 --> 00:00:19.780 to have you on Evidence Strong Show. If you could 00:00:19.780 --> 00:00:22.420 briefly introduce yourself. Hi, Alex. Yeah, thank 00:00:22.420 --> 00:00:24.600 you very much for inviting me on. I'm looking 00:00:24.600 --> 00:00:26.780 forward to chatting with you today. So yeah, 00:00:26.839 --> 00:00:29.579 my name is Dr. Steve Thompson. I'm a senior lecturer 00:00:29.579 --> 00:00:32.320 at Sheffield Hallam University in the UK. I've 00:00:32.320 --> 00:00:36.079 been in sort of academia and research for 10, 00:00:36.140 --> 00:00:40.659 12 years now. I passed my PhD in 2022, obviously 00:00:40.659 --> 00:00:43.299 majoring in velocity -based training and load 00:00:43.299 --> 00:00:46.079 velocity profiling and its ability to... predict 00:00:46.079 --> 00:00:49.320 1RM. And I'm also a practicing S &C coach. So 00:00:49.320 --> 00:00:50.960 I've been accredited for a similar amount of 00:00:50.960 --> 00:00:53.579 time. And I'm currently working with British 00:00:53.579 --> 00:00:56.619 Diving, where we had some successful medalists 00:00:56.619 --> 00:00:58.960 at the Paris Olympics just gone. And I also work 00:00:58.960 --> 00:01:01.539 as a physical performance coach for the English 00:01:01.539 --> 00:01:03.799 Football Association as well. Awesome. Huge credentials. 00:01:03.899 --> 00:01:06.439 I'm very excited to have you. And we'll be talking 00:01:06.439 --> 00:01:09.099 about velocity training. So let's start with 00:01:09.099 --> 00:01:11.620 the basics. Why velocity training? Why should 00:01:11.620 --> 00:01:13.939 we care? Yeah, good question. Why should we care? 00:01:15.120 --> 00:01:19.060 based training is a strategy is a tool that strength 00:01:19.060 --> 00:01:20.680 and conditioning coaches and sports scientists 00:01:20.680 --> 00:01:24.260 have available to them to help inform what they 00:01:24.260 --> 00:01:26.340 do from a training and a testing perspective 00:01:26.340 --> 00:01:30.260 so by utilizing velocity we get objective data 00:01:30.260 --> 00:01:33.640 to help determine someone's physical status or 00:01:33.640 --> 00:01:36.099 physiological status on any given day we can 00:01:36.099 --> 00:01:39.900 also use it as a means to manipulate load to 00:01:39.900 --> 00:01:43.819 also regulate to drive intent to help with programming 00:01:43.819 --> 00:01:47.170 and prescription and optimize the the things 00:01:47.170 --> 00:01:49.290 that our athletes do in the gym you know most 00:01:49.290 --> 00:01:51.769 you'll be aware and i'm sure most of your listeners 00:01:51.769 --> 00:01:54.230 will be aware of the different auto -regulatory 00:01:54.230 --> 00:01:56.530 strategies that are out there repetitions and 00:01:56.530 --> 00:01:59.569 reserve rpe different predictive equations and 00:01:59.569 --> 00:02:02.650 for me velocity is the is the best of the of 00:02:02.650 --> 00:02:04.829 that bunch really it's objective it gives us 00:02:04.829 --> 00:02:07.250 data it's pretty reliable it's pretty valid and 00:02:07.250 --> 00:02:10.129 it has a clear and direct link to our neuromuscular 00:02:10.129 --> 00:02:12.530 function so from my perspective which obviously 00:02:12.530 --> 00:02:15.550 is a bias one I stand by those biases and I truly 00:02:15.550 --> 00:02:19.289 believe that velocity as a tool for improving 00:02:19.289 --> 00:02:22.949 the way we prescribe, program, test and monitor. 00:02:23.009 --> 00:02:25.210 I think it's the best out there. All right. So 00:02:25.210 --> 00:02:27.849 you kind of mentioned what the goal would be. 00:02:27.909 --> 00:02:31.750 So goals can be different. So this is a diverse 00:02:31.750 --> 00:02:35.349 tool that can be used in different ways. So I 00:02:35.349 --> 00:02:37.270 always break it down into sort of six different 00:02:37.270 --> 00:02:40.069 categories. The main fixed roles and responsibilities 00:02:40.069 --> 00:02:43.039 outside of coaching that an S &C coach. typically 00:02:43.039 --> 00:02:45.819 has to undergo or think about so we've got our 00:02:45.819 --> 00:02:48.120 testing whereby you could apply some form of 00:02:48.120 --> 00:02:50.219 low velocity profile which is the most common 00:02:50.219 --> 00:02:52.520 and most popular from a research perspective 00:02:52.520 --> 00:02:54.840 we've got monitoring where you might do some 00:02:54.840 --> 00:02:58.020 simple tracking of velocity to just identify 00:02:58.020 --> 00:03:00.039 sort of that physiological status readiness to 00:03:00.039 --> 00:03:02.080 train type approach we've got programming so 00:03:02.080 --> 00:03:04.699 being able to set velocity zones and targets 00:03:04.699 --> 00:03:07.340 to help athletes understand where and what they 00:03:07.340 --> 00:03:09.599 should be lifting we've got kind of the prediction 00:03:09.599 --> 00:03:12.060 that the auto regulation whereby we might might 00:03:12.060 --> 00:03:14.699 either predict 1RM or we might do a bit more 00:03:14.699 --> 00:03:18.360 of a bespoke, simple approach to load manipulation 00:03:18.360 --> 00:03:20.719 and, you know, adjusting the load on the bar 00:03:20.719 --> 00:03:22.919 based on the velocities that we're seeing. We've 00:03:22.919 --> 00:03:25.860 then got kind of fatigue monitoring, volume control 00:03:25.860 --> 00:03:28.639 through velocity loss. And then the final one, 00:03:28.699 --> 00:03:31.759 which is arguably the most impactful, but unfortunately 00:03:31.759 --> 00:03:34.159 the least researched, is that feedback that you 00:03:34.159 --> 00:03:36.340 can get from velocity and the ability to drive 00:03:36.340 --> 00:03:39.300 intent and competition and just create a really 00:03:39.300 --> 00:03:41.560 healthy environment within that. the weight room. 00:03:41.680 --> 00:03:44.120 And, you know, these are all at the disposal 00:03:44.120 --> 00:03:47.560 of the S &C coach and what they feel is appropriate 00:03:47.560 --> 00:03:50.139 for a given person, a given block of training, 00:03:50.240 --> 00:03:53.060 or a given sort of environment that they're working 00:03:53.060 --> 00:03:55.039 within. And I think you can kind of jump between 00:03:55.039 --> 00:03:57.479 all of them. You know, you could argue that using 00:03:57.479 --> 00:04:00.960 all six is best case scenario, is best practice. 00:04:01.180 --> 00:04:04.400 I think best practice is whatever works for where 00:04:04.400 --> 00:04:06.659 you coach and where you train. The way I normally 00:04:06.659 --> 00:04:09.199 try to describe it is that you can kind of, those 00:04:09.199 --> 00:04:11.169 six categories can kind of... to be split into 00:04:11.169 --> 00:04:13.710 two. You've got those that are ready to go. So 00:04:13.710 --> 00:04:16.649 kind of pick up the technology, stick it on the 00:04:16.649 --> 00:04:19.370 bar and just start using it. So there's no prerequisite 00:04:19.370 --> 00:04:21.550 profiling or testing required. And then there's 00:04:21.550 --> 00:04:23.470 the bits you can do that are a bit more invasive 00:04:23.470 --> 00:04:26.790 or require a little bit more detail and depth 00:04:26.790 --> 00:04:29.189 that would follow on from doing that kind of 00:04:29.189 --> 00:04:31.389 profiling. So if we start with the bang for your 00:04:31.389 --> 00:04:33.269 buck, easy stuff to just pick up, you know, plug 00:04:33.269 --> 00:04:35.610 and go stuff, the feedback is the first. So as 00:04:35.610 --> 00:04:38.730 I mentioned, feedback is where you're in a gym 00:04:38.730 --> 00:04:41.129 and you're... You're doing whatever exercise 00:04:41.129 --> 00:04:44.269 and you're simply feeding back the velocities 00:04:44.269 --> 00:04:47.329 to that individual in order to provide a bigger 00:04:47.329 --> 00:04:50.050 output, a bigger mechanical output. And anybody 00:04:50.050 --> 00:04:52.449 that's used VVT will have seen the positive impact 00:04:52.449 --> 00:04:54.990 that that can have on an environment. So from 00:04:54.990 --> 00:04:57.089 my perspective, it's something that can be done 00:04:57.089 --> 00:04:59.689 really, really easily and can have a big impact 00:04:59.689 --> 00:05:02.550 straight away because it can help athletes understand, 00:05:02.970 --> 00:05:05.209 you know, intent. Certainly from a younger perspective, 00:05:05.529 --> 00:05:08.250 you start to give them some targets or you start 00:05:08.250 --> 00:05:10.480 to sort of... They say, okay, that last rep was 00:05:10.480 --> 00:05:14.300 1 .02. Can you get 1 .05? And they do it and 00:05:14.300 --> 00:05:17.139 they think, oh, okay, now I understand what driving 00:05:17.139 --> 00:05:19.379 intent might feel like. I thought I was doing 00:05:19.379 --> 00:05:21.560 it, but perhaps I wasn't. Well, then you can 00:05:21.560 --> 00:05:24.139 also use it to create a really healthy environment. 00:05:24.339 --> 00:05:27.480 So if you're working in a team setting or a squad 00:05:27.480 --> 00:05:29.339 setting where there's lots of people training 00:05:29.339 --> 00:05:31.800 all at the same time, you can create leaderboards 00:05:31.800 --> 00:05:34.259 or you can split the leaderboards up so it's 00:05:34.259 --> 00:05:36.240 fair. You could do it by relative strength or 00:05:36.240 --> 00:05:38.939 whatever you decide. appropriate way of breaking 00:05:38.939 --> 00:05:41.620 down the squad. And you can chase some velocities 00:05:41.620 --> 00:05:44.800 and create this healthy environment either with 00:05:44.800 --> 00:05:47.160 peers or even with oneself. And there's research 00:05:47.160 --> 00:05:49.220 out there. There's a meta -analysis by Jonathan 00:05:49.220 --> 00:05:52.199 Weakley and his research team that kind of looked 00:05:52.199 --> 00:05:54.800 at all of those different feedback related studies 00:05:54.800 --> 00:05:58.560 and found that velocity can help to improve performance 00:05:58.560 --> 00:06:01.420 and performance is defined by output. So mechanical 00:06:01.420 --> 00:06:04.019 output, typically through measurement of velocity, 00:06:04.319 --> 00:06:06.620 but simply giving that feedback can improve performance 00:06:06.620 --> 00:06:09.139 by eight. which is quite a lot I think certainly 00:06:09.139 --> 00:06:11.060 if you're working with the upper echelons of 00:06:11.060 --> 00:06:13.779 performance I think trying to find 8 % improvement 00:06:13.779 --> 00:06:16.639 would make a big difference so from my perspective 00:06:16.639 --> 00:06:20.360 the feedback aspect of VBT is the easiest to 00:06:20.360 --> 00:06:22.740 implement and potentially has the biggest bang 00:06:22.740 --> 00:06:24.740 for your buck. So I would definitely implore 00:06:24.740 --> 00:06:27.120 everybody just give it a go that invest in VBT. 00:06:27.379 --> 00:06:29.759 Okay, we went through feedback. What would be 00:06:29.759 --> 00:06:33.680 the next one easy to use? So I think from a monitoring 00:06:33.680 --> 00:06:35.779 perspective, there's some real simple testing 00:06:35.779 --> 00:06:37.800 as well. Actually, there's some real simple things 00:06:37.800 --> 00:06:39.899 we can do that often get overlooked. I think 00:06:39.899 --> 00:06:41.680 the first is the idea of readiness to train. 00:06:41.779 --> 00:06:44.720 So the reason I like velocity is, as I mentioned 00:06:44.720 --> 00:06:47.560 earlier, it has kind of like direct link with 00:06:47.560 --> 00:06:49.860 neuromuscular function. If you think about force 00:06:49.860 --> 00:06:52.459 equals mass times acceleration and how we break 00:06:52.459 --> 00:06:54.860 that down and how we split that down, any kind 00:06:54.860 --> 00:06:58.319 of force or velocity measurement directly links 00:06:58.319 --> 00:07:00.740 to what's happening physiologically. If you think 00:07:00.740 --> 00:07:03.240 about force velocity relationships, how that 00:07:03.240 --> 00:07:05.699 links to how a muscle shortens and lengthens, 00:07:05.800 --> 00:07:08.600 there is clear relationships with that type of 00:07:08.600 --> 00:07:11.040 information versus what's happening physiologically. 00:07:11.279 --> 00:07:13.620 So I really like that. It gives me confidence 00:07:13.620 --> 00:07:16.120 in what I'm seeing. So, you know, real simple. 00:07:16.399 --> 00:07:18.500 in us to train instead of jumping and looking 00:07:18.500 --> 00:07:21.620 at jump height or looking at a different metric 00:07:21.620 --> 00:07:24.180 looking at takeoff velocity or peak velocity 00:07:24.180 --> 00:07:27.139 or even mean velocity can give you a real simple 00:07:27.139 --> 00:07:29.500 indication as to whether someone's coming in 00:07:29.500 --> 00:07:32.459 fatigued or not and i never go as far as saying 00:07:32.459 --> 00:07:35.519 if your velocity dropped by x amount we're going 00:07:35.519 --> 00:07:37.839 to strip this amount of load out because i don't 00:07:37.839 --> 00:07:39.660 think it works like that but i think what it 00:07:39.660 --> 00:07:42.040 does do is it sparks a conversation between coach 00:07:42.040 --> 00:07:44.459 and athlete to say right what's going on why 00:07:44.459 --> 00:07:46.470 are your numbers down How did you sleep? How 00:07:46.470 --> 00:07:48.449 are you eating? How's your stress level, et cetera? 00:07:48.689 --> 00:07:50.689 Do you think we need to modify today? And if 00:07:50.689 --> 00:07:52.889 the answer is yes, then you use your coaching 00:07:52.889 --> 00:07:54.990 ability and coaching intuition just to figure 00:07:54.990 --> 00:07:57.009 out what that modification should look like. 00:07:57.089 --> 00:07:59.269 Just one thing on the testing element is more 00:07:59.269 --> 00:08:01.470 around some simple testing. And it goes back 00:08:01.470 --> 00:08:04.569 to Newtonian laws of F equals mass times acceleration. 00:08:04.829 --> 00:08:07.230 And if you think about how we typically test 00:08:07.230 --> 00:08:09.589 strengths, so 1RM testing, for example, you know, 00:08:09.610 --> 00:08:12.470 I have no problem. I have 1RM test my athlete 00:08:12.470 --> 00:08:15.529 and I think it's a very good. reliable, valid 00:08:15.529 --> 00:08:17.990 method of understanding someone's maximal capacity. 00:08:18.269 --> 00:08:21.069 And I think it should definitely be complemented 00:08:21.069 --> 00:08:23.370 in any of the auto -regulation stuff that we 00:08:23.370 --> 00:08:25.529 do. But I do think there are environments where 00:08:25.529 --> 00:08:30.110 1RM testing is unfeasible, impractical. And therefore, 00:08:30.350 --> 00:08:34.129 in order to track strength development, you could 00:08:34.129 --> 00:08:37.269 quite easily pick an arbitrary load, let's call 00:08:37.269 --> 00:08:39.970 it 100 kilograms. And you could, at the start 00:08:39.970 --> 00:08:41.769 of the intervention or a training block, you 00:08:41.769 --> 00:08:44.940 could measure their block, you do exactly the 00:08:44.940 --> 00:08:47.120 same load and you measure their velocity. And 00:08:47.120 --> 00:08:49.340 if we think about what force equals mass times 00:08:49.340 --> 00:08:51.899 acceleration actually means, we know that mass 00:08:51.899 --> 00:08:54.440 is fixed. So mass doesn't change. We know that 00:08:54.440 --> 00:08:56.659 acceleration is a byproduct of velocity. And 00:08:56.659 --> 00:08:58.980 therefore, if acceleration or velocity goes up, 00:08:59.059 --> 00:09:01.440 we know that force goes up, force underpins strength. 00:09:01.620 --> 00:09:04.019 Hey, presto, we have got stronger. Obviously, 00:09:04.019 --> 00:09:06.860 we can't necessarily quantify that as much as 00:09:06.860 --> 00:09:09.879 we would like to with a 1RM and start readjusting 00:09:09.879 --> 00:09:13.039 loads, etc. But as a real simple testing strategy. 00:09:13.259 --> 00:09:15.700 we can determine whether that intervention has 00:09:15.700 --> 00:09:17.919 been successful or not. And at least we have 00:09:17.919 --> 00:09:20.379 some data where in previous, we might not have 00:09:20.379 --> 00:09:22.299 taken that because we haven't got access to this 00:09:22.299 --> 00:09:24.500 technology. So for me, it's a real simple method 00:09:24.500 --> 00:09:27.580 that again, gets overlooked and often isn't used 00:09:27.580 --> 00:09:29.840 as a testing strategy. All right. So we covered 00:09:29.840 --> 00:09:32.659 three, feedback, testing and monitoring. The 00:09:32.659 --> 00:09:34.980 other one on the sort of the plug and play is 00:09:34.980 --> 00:09:38.240 this idea of velocity loss. So velocity loss 00:09:38.240 --> 00:09:42.879 is a way of individualizing volume. prescription. 00:09:43.120 --> 00:09:45.960 So for those that are unaware of what velocity 00:09:45.960 --> 00:09:48.179 loss is, it's basically a way of determining 00:09:48.179 --> 00:09:50.679 when a set should finish. So instead of saying 00:09:50.679 --> 00:09:53.159 you're going to do five sets of five repetitions, 00:09:53.220 --> 00:09:55.940 you might say you're going to do five sets, but 00:09:55.940 --> 00:09:58.460 you're going to stop the set when your velocity 00:09:58.460 --> 00:10:01.360 is dropped by 10, 20, 30, 40 percent, whatever 00:10:01.360 --> 00:10:05.019 it might be. And what this does is it individualizes 00:10:05.019 --> 00:10:07.899 the volume prescription. So we know and research 00:10:07.899 --> 00:10:10.919 has shown that at a given load, individuals lift 00:10:10.919 --> 00:10:13.649 different repetitions. numbers so you and I at 00:10:13.649 --> 00:10:16.789 85 % in a squat will lift different numbers to 00:10:16.789 --> 00:10:19.429 failure different numbers of repetition and therefore 00:10:20.009 --> 00:10:23.289 We individualize the load, the intensity, by 00:10:23.289 --> 00:10:26.490 doing 1RM, calculating 1RM, at percentages of 00:10:26.490 --> 00:10:28.730 1RM, making sure that's what's on the bar. But 00:10:28.730 --> 00:10:32.309 then we say, now go and do 5x5 or 6x3 or whatever 00:10:32.309 --> 00:10:34.710 it might be. And it's very blanket prescription 00:10:34.710 --> 00:10:37.690 based on what we've learned through our careers 00:10:37.690 --> 00:10:40.350 as coaches and within academia and research. 00:10:40.529 --> 00:10:42.389 And the reason I like velocity loss is because 00:10:42.389 --> 00:10:44.730 it takes away that generalized approach. And 00:10:44.730 --> 00:10:46.610 actually now it says, yes, you're going to work 00:10:46.610 --> 00:10:48.370 to the same percentage, but now you're going 00:10:48.370 --> 00:10:50.690 to do the amount. of work that's right for you 00:10:50.690 --> 00:10:52.929 in terms of your physiological state of your 00:10:52.929 --> 00:10:55.110 strength levels your training history etc etc 00:10:55.110 --> 00:10:57.970 so i really i think velocity loss and again is 00:10:57.970 --> 00:10:59.309 something that you can just pick up you don't 00:10:59.309 --> 00:11:01.309 need to do any profiling prior you can just pick 00:11:01.309 --> 00:11:03.570 it up stick it on the bar and and as long as 00:11:03.570 --> 00:11:06.129 you understand the relationship between the percentage 00:11:06.129 --> 00:11:08.889 drop and the physiology then you're off to a 00:11:08.889 --> 00:11:11.509 winner and and on that then i think everybody 00:11:11.509 --> 00:11:13.769 listening would think it's common sense that 00:11:13.769 --> 00:11:16.070 the higher the threshold the more repetitions 00:11:16.070 --> 00:11:17.850 you're going to do the more muscular breakdown 00:11:17.850 --> 00:11:20.610 more more of a metabolic response the more of 00:11:20.610 --> 00:11:22.549 a hypertrophic response you're going to get the 00:11:22.549 --> 00:11:24.929 smaller the threshold less reps less fatigue 00:11:24.929 --> 00:11:26.990 potentially more strength development more targeting 00:11:26.990 --> 00:11:29.669 of power tapering and priming close to competition 00:11:29.669 --> 00:11:31.629 and then there's kind of that spectrum and that 00:11:31.629 --> 00:11:33.610 continuum as to where you might sit based on 00:11:33.610 --> 00:11:35.350 the adaptation that you're trying to achieve 00:11:35.350 --> 00:11:38.950 so again a real simple method for for individualizing 00:11:38.950 --> 00:11:40.870 the volume prescription which i think is an important 00:11:40.870 --> 00:11:43.100 thing that again often gets overlooked Could 00:11:43.100 --> 00:11:46.120 we go through the examples? So following on what 00:11:46.120 --> 00:11:49.399 you suggested before, let's say I have some sets 00:11:49.399 --> 00:11:53.460 to do at 85%. Now, how you would use the velocity 00:11:53.460 --> 00:11:56.799 loss to guide the prescription? Yeah, so if you're 00:11:56.799 --> 00:11:58.759 in a strength block, let's take block periodization 00:11:58.759 --> 00:12:01.500 as a real simple way of breaking it down. So 00:12:01.500 --> 00:12:04.100 that first block accumulation, hypertrophy kind 00:12:04.100 --> 00:12:06.340 of goal response, you're looking at the higher 00:12:06.340 --> 00:12:08.539 end. So you're looking at anywhere between 30 00:12:08.539 --> 00:12:11.659 and 40, 45 % velocity loss. Research suggests 00:12:11.659 --> 00:12:15.470 that... 40 to 45 % is pretty close to where failure 00:12:15.470 --> 00:12:17.990 would be from a velocity perspective. And obviously 00:12:17.990 --> 00:12:20.490 there are lots of research coming out more recently 00:12:20.490 --> 00:12:22.950 that suggests actually training to failure isn't 00:12:22.950 --> 00:12:25.710 as effective for strength and hypertrophy developments 00:12:25.710 --> 00:12:28.149 than not training to failure. So having a little 00:12:28.149 --> 00:12:30.070 bit in the tank is probably worthwhile, but you're 00:12:30.070 --> 00:12:32.110 going to get a lot more mechanical and metabolic 00:12:32.110 --> 00:12:35.029 responses from doing that larger amount of work. 00:12:35.169 --> 00:12:37.909 So yeah, 30 to 40 % is that accumulation block, 00:12:38.049 --> 00:12:40.309 that hypertrophy block. Strength then is going 00:12:40.309 --> 00:12:44.500 to be around 20 to... 25 30 so that's your transmutation 00:12:44.500 --> 00:12:47.120 and then for your realization block which is 00:12:47.120 --> 00:12:49.240 is obviously a bit more of an explosive power 00:12:49.240 --> 00:12:52.960 focus you're looking around 10 10 i think when 00:12:52.960 --> 00:12:55.460 you're then going closer to competition if we're 00:12:55.460 --> 00:12:57.799 in kind of an olympic sport for example and we 00:12:57.799 --> 00:13:00.019 get into that peaking and that tapering strategy 00:13:00.019 --> 00:13:02.539 i would probably be looking at five percent now 00:13:02.539 --> 00:13:05.200 five percent might only be one rep or two reps 00:13:05.200 --> 00:13:07.379 but that's probably what we want at that given 00:13:07.379 --> 00:13:09.840 time because of our proximity to competition 00:13:09.840 --> 00:13:12.179 so that's I would typically break it down. And 00:13:12.179 --> 00:13:13.919 that's based off a lot of research. It's not 00:13:13.919 --> 00:13:16.220 just me making it up. That's kind of all over 00:13:16.220 --> 00:13:18.240 the place with velocity -based research. Thank 00:13:18.240 --> 00:13:19.980 you. That's very helpful. All right, fatigue 00:13:19.980 --> 00:13:22.480 covered. Now we have, do I remember correctly? 00:13:22.820 --> 00:13:25.799 Programming and prediction. Two more. Yeah, so 00:13:25.799 --> 00:13:28.200 I suppose we probably need to just go back to 00:13:28.200 --> 00:13:30.299 the testing element because this is where profiling 00:13:30.299 --> 00:13:32.360 comes in. So obviously the paper that I recently 00:13:32.360 --> 00:13:34.759 published with my colleagues, a big part of that 00:13:34.759 --> 00:13:37.019 was around load velocity profiling. And load 00:13:37.019 --> 00:13:39.840 velocity profiling is an area of research that 00:13:39.840 --> 00:13:41.750 is... heavily researched these days. There is 00:13:41.750 --> 00:13:44.049 lots out there, which is good and also not so 00:13:44.049 --> 00:13:46.710 good sometimes. But load velocity profiling is 00:13:46.710 --> 00:13:48.990 essentially an incremental protocol. It's no 00:13:48.990 --> 00:13:51.230 different to a 1RM. However, you might start 00:13:51.230 --> 00:13:53.490 a little bit lighter. You might go up in more 00:13:53.490 --> 00:13:56.029 sensible increments. So let's say you start at 00:13:56.029 --> 00:13:59.289 30 % 1RM and go up to 110 % increments. You wouldn't 00:13:59.289 --> 00:14:01.490 do that if you were just doing a 1RM. You might 00:14:01.490 --> 00:14:04.509 start at 50, go to 70, 80, et cetera. And so 00:14:04.509 --> 00:14:05.970 there's maybe a few more increments involved 00:14:05.970 --> 00:14:09.029 and every lift is done with maximal antenna. 00:14:09.230 --> 00:14:11.169 and velocity. But apart from that, it's an incremental 00:14:11.169 --> 00:14:13.590 protocol. It's exactly the same as a 1RM. So 00:14:13.590 --> 00:14:15.409 I think firstly, it's important to note that 00:14:15.409 --> 00:14:19.029 sometimes there is this conflict between velocity 00:14:19.029 --> 00:14:21.950 -based training advocate, percentage 1RM advocates, 00:14:22.289 --> 00:14:24.490 and it's almost like the two don't go together 00:14:24.490 --> 00:14:26.889 when I think that's just madness. They absolutely 00:14:26.889 --> 00:14:28.929 should go together and should always go together. 00:14:29.029 --> 00:14:31.149 They are very complementary. So if we're going 00:14:31.149 --> 00:14:34.169 to do our 1RM test, great, get that data, but 00:14:34.169 --> 00:14:36.389 then why not track the velocity on the lower 00:14:36.389 --> 00:14:39.100 loads as well and get that data? same time. If 00:14:39.100 --> 00:14:41.399 we're going to prescribe percentage of 1RM, great. 00:14:41.539 --> 00:14:43.360 That's how we learn. That's how we understand 00:14:43.360 --> 00:14:46.299 where adaptations sit, but use the velocity to 00:14:46.299 --> 00:14:48.279 help guide the prescriptions at the same time. 00:14:48.399 --> 00:14:50.419 So I think that there's definitely a strong marriage 00:14:50.419 --> 00:14:52.679 there that needs to be acknowledged. So from 00:14:52.679 --> 00:14:55.200 a profiling perspective, you are picking a key 00:14:55.200 --> 00:14:57.500 exercise. You are doing the incremental protocol. 00:14:57.759 --> 00:15:00.399 You're measuring velocity alongside the load 00:15:00.399 --> 00:15:02.700 that's being lifted. And then you're simply plotting 00:15:02.700 --> 00:15:05.700 load on the X, velocity on the Y. Once you do 00:15:05.700 --> 00:15:09.580 that, you plot a prediction. equation so a linear 00:15:09.580 --> 00:15:12.460 regression or a second order polynomial line 00:15:12.460 --> 00:15:15.100 through it gives you an equation you then use 00:15:15.100 --> 00:15:17.340 that equation for whatever you need to use it 00:15:17.340 --> 00:15:20.000 for that's load velocity profiling in a nutshell 00:15:20.000 --> 00:15:23.919 and profiling is great for real in -depth understanding 00:15:23.919 --> 00:15:26.899 of force velocity characteristics we can look 00:15:26.899 --> 00:15:29.600 at how someone changes off the back of interventions 00:15:29.600 --> 00:15:32.279 in more depth than just have they got stronger 00:15:32.279 --> 00:15:34.820 we can look at have they got faster have they 00:15:34.820 --> 00:15:38.000 got stronger at lighter loads at How does the 00:15:38.000 --> 00:15:40.740 whole profile shift? Does it shift? all looking 00:15:40.740 --> 00:15:42.320 to the right. Does one bit move? Does another 00:15:42.320 --> 00:15:44.159 bit move? We get a little bit more information, 00:15:44.299 --> 00:15:46.120 which I think is really important. But the main 00:15:46.120 --> 00:15:48.419 thing we can use the profiling for then is programming. 00:15:48.559 --> 00:15:51.740 So we can then start to use and set really bespoke 00:15:51.740 --> 00:15:54.919 individualized targets for our athletes to say, 00:15:55.039 --> 00:15:57.940 right, if you're going to lift 85 % 1RM, that 00:15:57.940 --> 00:16:01.179 equates to 100 kilograms for you and also equates 00:16:01.179 --> 00:16:04.220 to 0 .5 meters per second. Great. So then when 00:16:04.220 --> 00:16:07.000 the athlete goes into the gym, they know firstly, 00:16:07.279 --> 00:16:09.519 okay, I know I need 100 KD on the bar, but it's 00:16:09.580 --> 00:16:12.159 should be lifted at 0 .5 meters per second done 00:16:12.159 --> 00:16:15.620 maximally if for whatever reason that 100k is 00:16:15.620 --> 00:16:19.080 faster or slower well we can then decide whether 00:16:19.080 --> 00:16:21.580 we need to adjust that load that manipulate the 00:16:21.580 --> 00:16:24.639 load so auto regulate and what that allows the 00:16:24.639 --> 00:16:26.759 athlete to do is to become a little bit more 00:16:26.759 --> 00:16:31.240 intuitive and a little bit more self -aware of 00:16:31.240 --> 00:16:33.299 their own training so they become a little bit 00:16:33.299 --> 00:16:35.799 more have a bit a better ownership of their own 00:16:35.799 --> 00:16:37.580 training because instead of now saying go into 00:16:37.580 --> 00:16:39.879 the coach i don't feel So if I drop it a bit, 00:16:39.940 --> 00:16:42.159 they can use the data themselves. They know this 00:16:42.159 --> 00:16:44.419 should be at 0 .5. It's now coming out at 0 .4. 00:16:44.519 --> 00:16:46.039 Well, then they know they need to take a little 00:16:46.039 --> 00:16:48.399 bit off to hit that zone that's been set by the 00:16:48.399 --> 00:16:50.240 coach. So I think that can be a really powerful 00:16:50.240 --> 00:16:53.100 tool, not only in optimizing prescriptions, but 00:16:53.100 --> 00:16:55.440 in educating athletes at the same time in terms 00:16:55.440 --> 00:16:57.580 of taking ownership of their own training. The 00:16:57.580 --> 00:17:00.860 only downfall is you have to have the time and 00:17:00.860 --> 00:17:03.500 the resource to be able to go through the profile. 00:17:03.639 --> 00:17:06.099 Every exercise has its own profile. So there's 00:17:06.099 --> 00:17:08.849 no, it's not one profile. fits all and every 00:17:08.849 --> 00:17:10.930 individual has their own profile so if you are 00:17:10.930 --> 00:17:13.069 working with a big squad it becomes a little 00:17:13.069 --> 00:17:16.150 bit more difficult to manage that there are options 00:17:16.150 --> 00:17:18.670 out there you know the quite heavily researched 00:17:18.670 --> 00:17:20.910 is is what's called a two -point method whereby 00:17:20.910 --> 00:17:24.250 you take two proximal points so two distal points 00:17:24.250 --> 00:17:27.089 within a profile so you might do 40 percent and 00:17:27.089 --> 00:17:29.730 85 percent and you get those two loads and those 00:17:29.730 --> 00:17:31.329 two velocities and you draw the line through 00:17:31.329 --> 00:17:33.789 and you can then calculate the rest of the of 00:17:33.789 --> 00:17:36.490 the spectrum great in upper body exercises great 00:17:36.490 --> 00:17:38.730 in smith machine exercises from what i've seen 00:17:38.730 --> 00:17:41.569 and what i've experienced not the best lower 00:17:41.569 --> 00:17:43.829 body freeway exercises i think you need a few 00:17:43.829 --> 00:17:47.230 more loads so one of my pieces of research from 00:17:47.230 --> 00:17:50.269 my phd looked at a four point method within a 00:17:50.269 --> 00:17:53.170 back squat and a combined back squat jump squat 00:17:53.170 --> 00:17:55.950 which had some real good success so i think it's 00:17:55.950 --> 00:17:58.970 definitely doable um from a prescription perspective, 00:17:59.089 --> 00:18:01.650 but the accuracy of the prediction on a two -point 00:18:01.650 --> 00:18:04.509 method is not always 100 % now. Could you speak 00:18:04.509 --> 00:18:06.890 a little bit more on the testing of back squat 00:18:06.890 --> 00:18:09.529 and jump squat, did you say? Yeah. So I kind 00:18:09.529 --> 00:18:12.690 of acknowledge that when we profile, let's say 00:18:12.690 --> 00:18:15.109 we profile a back squat, we often try and get 00:18:15.109 --> 00:18:18.210 the lighter load. So anything as low as 20, 30 00:18:18.210 --> 00:18:21.789 % perhaps, but we're asking individuals, athletes 00:18:21.789 --> 00:18:25.650 to back squat 20 % at maximal intent and velocity. 00:18:26.029 --> 00:18:28.470 And if you've ever tried doing that it feels 00:18:28.470 --> 00:18:31.309 very weird it's very difficult to control the 00:18:31.309 --> 00:18:33.690 reliability of the data at that in such a light 00:18:33.690 --> 00:18:36.509 load because of that deceleration phase you get 00:18:36.509 --> 00:18:38.470 because you're not leaving the ground and that 00:18:38.470 --> 00:18:40.250 sort of braking phase on in a non -ballistic 00:18:40.250 --> 00:18:42.650 exercise i think it had a big impact on the what 00:18:42.650 --> 00:18:44.990 the data actually looked like so we tested and 00:18:44.990 --> 00:18:48.150 and researched a combination of doing a jump 00:18:48.150 --> 00:18:50.730 squat but a full jump squat so full descent as 00:18:50.730 --> 00:18:52.529 you would the back squat and then just accelerate 00:18:52.529 --> 00:18:55.849 through and off the ground from zero percent 00:18:55.849 --> 00:18:59.430 to 60 % 1RM and then we continued with the back 00:18:59.430 --> 00:19:01.910 squat. Took a combination of those in order to 00:19:01.910 --> 00:19:04.569 predict 1RM and found that was far more successful 00:19:04.569 --> 00:19:06.750 than just doing back squat alone. Sorry, do you 00:19:06.750 --> 00:19:11.150 plot it on one load velocity curve? Yes. So you 00:19:11.150 --> 00:19:14.809 work off percentages of back squat 1RM, but you 00:19:14.809 --> 00:19:17.589 would simply jump at the lighter loads and you 00:19:17.589 --> 00:19:19.690 would still do full descent, just accelerate 00:19:19.690 --> 00:19:21.769 all the way through and leave the ground at those 00:19:21.769 --> 00:19:23.490 lighter loads and plot it. And actually what 00:19:23.490 --> 00:19:25.710 you find is it now becomes more of a curved line. 00:19:25.799 --> 00:19:28.519 So you apply a second order polynomial instead 00:19:28.519 --> 00:19:30.680 of a linear regression and the predictions were 00:19:30.680 --> 00:19:33.400 much, much better. So it's something that I always 00:19:33.400 --> 00:19:37.339 try and use and try and advocate when I'm talking 00:19:37.339 --> 00:19:39.779 to people about profiling. Do you use mean or 00:19:39.779 --> 00:19:43.039 peak velocity? Mean, yeah. I always try to use 00:19:43.039 --> 00:19:45.440 mean from a profiling perspective because, again, 00:19:45.559 --> 00:19:48.079 it's just a slightly more stable metric. Peak 00:19:48.079 --> 00:19:50.420 velocity, depending on the technology and depending 00:19:50.420 --> 00:19:53.579 on the way it's been done, can sometimes throw 00:19:53.579 --> 00:19:57.960 out some erroneous data. could you speak a little 00:19:57.960 --> 00:20:02.299 bit more about peak and mean velocity and when 00:20:02.299 --> 00:20:06.279 you would use which one and why yeah so typically 00:20:06.279 --> 00:20:09.660 mean velocity is is more suited to your strength 00:20:09.660 --> 00:20:12.539 type exercises so your non -ballistic type exercises 00:20:12.539 --> 00:20:16.119 so bench deadlifts squat etc and peak velocity 00:20:16.119 --> 00:20:20.240 is more suited to your explosive powerful exercises 00:20:20.240 --> 00:20:23.400 so maybe weightlifting derivatives loaded jumps 00:20:24.240 --> 00:20:26.160 if you use any kind of unloaded jumps as well. 00:20:26.279 --> 00:20:28.700 I think that's fine. I think that works. And 00:20:28.700 --> 00:20:32.000 I agree that that's how it's typically used. 00:20:32.319 --> 00:20:35.420 I would always look at mean velocity, whatever 00:20:35.420 --> 00:20:37.940 the exercise, because from my perspective, mean 00:20:37.940 --> 00:20:40.460 velocity is a more stable metric. And I think 00:20:40.460 --> 00:20:43.039 it's important that you look at the more stable 00:20:43.039 --> 00:20:45.779 metric as well, just in case peak velocity starts 00:20:45.779 --> 00:20:47.660 to throw out some of that erroneous data that 00:20:47.660 --> 00:20:50.960 I mentioned. But they are both perfectly viable, 00:20:51.160 --> 00:20:54.289 have their place. And as I mentioned, kind of 00:20:54.289 --> 00:20:56.230 suited to the different types of exercises that 00:20:56.230 --> 00:20:57.950 we would typically do within a gym. But I think 00:20:57.950 --> 00:20:59.589 it's important just to keep your eye on the mean 00:20:59.589 --> 00:21:01.369 velocity, whatever the exercise, just so you 00:21:01.369 --> 00:21:04.069 know that the data looks right. Should we go 00:21:04.069 --> 00:21:08.329 into prediction first? So the idea of 1RM prediction 00:21:08.329 --> 00:21:12.210 is based off a profile whereby you do a submaximal 00:21:12.210 --> 00:21:14.109 profile. So you don't need to take someone up 00:21:14.109 --> 00:21:16.890 to 1RM and you utilize the equation I mentioned 00:21:16.890 --> 00:21:19.970 in order to extrapolate to where that 1RM would 00:21:19.970 --> 00:21:23.309 be. So essentially you could do a... full profile 00:21:23.309 --> 00:21:26.630 1RM test and figure out someone's velocity at 00:21:26.630 --> 00:21:30.069 1RM. Then the next session, you do a submaximal 00:21:30.069 --> 00:21:32.150 profile of maybe two or three loads, plug in 00:21:32.150 --> 00:21:34.990 where the velocity should be for their 1RM and 00:21:34.990 --> 00:21:38.069 extrapolate down and predict what your 1RM would 00:21:38.069 --> 00:21:40.450 be for that given day. Now, I've seen it be done 00:21:40.450 --> 00:21:43.089 very well and I've done it myself very well in 00:21:43.089 --> 00:21:45.769 terms of the approach, but I've also seen it 00:21:45.769 --> 00:21:49.009 be done very poorly and found some remarkable 00:21:49.009 --> 00:21:51.960 predictions of 1RM. And I think coaches... need 00:21:51.960 --> 00:21:55.319 to be wary of using it religiously because it 00:21:55.319 --> 00:21:58.200 can often if one thing isn't quite right one 00:21:58.200 --> 00:22:01.500 lift is is done not with maximal intent or there's 00:22:01.500 --> 00:22:03.599 some issue with the technology it can throw the 00:22:03.599 --> 00:22:06.140 predictions completely off and it's it's something 00:22:06.140 --> 00:22:08.839 that then has a much bigger impact further down 00:22:08.839 --> 00:22:12.559 the line so i often advocate the more acute load 00:22:12.559 --> 00:22:16.980 manipulation based on the profile how I described 00:22:16.980 --> 00:22:19.440 it earlier in terms of get your full profile, 00:22:19.700 --> 00:22:21.460 learn, you know, figure out what loads you want 00:22:21.460 --> 00:22:24.519 to lift at and then essentially figure out what 00:22:24.519 --> 00:22:26.940 that velocity should be and then put a little 00:22:26.940 --> 00:22:30.420 zone around it. So let's say your target is 0 00:22:30.420 --> 00:22:33.440 .5 meters per second. You might go 0 .03 the 00:22:33.440 --> 00:22:36.859 side. So you've got from 0 .47 to 0 .53. There's 00:22:36.859 --> 00:22:38.920 your zone. Stay in that zone for all of your 00:22:38.920 --> 00:22:41.019 sets. If you come out of it, take a little bit 00:22:41.019 --> 00:22:42.839 off or put a little bit on. And I think that's 00:22:42.839 --> 00:22:45.799 a much simpler way of... auto -regulating than 00:22:45.799 --> 00:22:49.779 trying to use fancy equations and potentially 00:22:49.779 --> 00:22:53.240 troublesome equations to predict what your actual 00:22:53.240 --> 00:22:55.640 1RM could be on that given day. I think the other 00:22:55.640 --> 00:22:57.519 thing is those predictions need to be done at 00:22:57.519 --> 00:22:59.440 the start of every session. That's time consuming. 00:22:59.619 --> 00:23:01.819 It could take 15, 20 minutes to do it. And if 00:23:01.819 --> 00:23:04.220 you've only got 45 to 60 minutes with a full 00:23:04.220 --> 00:23:06.400 squad, it's just not feasible. So I think there 00:23:06.400 --> 00:23:08.460 are, and this is coming from someone, by the 00:23:08.460 --> 00:23:10.720 way, who studied this as a part of their PhD. 00:23:10.819 --> 00:23:13.480 And I now sort of suggest maybe not that worth 00:23:13.480 --> 00:23:15.670 it. I did it for five and a half years. So, you 00:23:15.670 --> 00:23:18.809 know, it's not coming from any negative bias. 00:23:18.910 --> 00:23:21.569 It's from experience of thinking, well, is it 00:23:21.569 --> 00:23:23.569 the best way of doing it? And I don't think it's 00:23:23.569 --> 00:23:25.630 the simplest way, that's for sure. I think there's 00:23:25.630 --> 00:23:27.569 other ways that we have the same kind of impact 00:23:27.569 --> 00:23:30.410 without having to go through the same process 00:23:30.410 --> 00:23:32.809 at every start of every session and then trust 00:23:32.809 --> 00:23:35.650 some equations that perhaps are not always going 00:23:35.650 --> 00:23:38.210 to be as valid as we hoped. What would be your 00:23:38.210 --> 00:23:41.410 comment on trying to predict, for example, with 00:23:41.410 --> 00:23:44.690 athletes who cannot do... one rm testing and 00:23:44.690 --> 00:23:48.349 do a block with them and then try to predict 00:23:48.349 --> 00:23:50.450 at the end of the block whether they got stronger 00:23:50.450 --> 00:23:53.109 in let's say back squat yeah i think that's again 00:23:53.109 --> 00:23:55.670 a viable option like i said at the very start 00:23:55.670 --> 00:23:58.210 of this of this recording vbt is very flexible 00:23:58.210 --> 00:24:00.329 and if you're working with athletes who for whatever 00:24:00.329 --> 00:24:02.670 reason can't do one rm testing then you have 00:24:02.670 --> 00:24:05.009 to think of a way around that and prediction 00:24:05.009 --> 00:24:07.849 might be that i think one of the ways that it 00:24:07.849 --> 00:24:09.990 can obviously work is if you are working with 00:24:09.990 --> 00:24:12.009 individual athletes and you have a little bit 00:24:12.009 --> 00:24:14.599 more time time. But I think that there are also, 00:24:14.799 --> 00:24:17.319 there's a whole host of research out there that 00:24:17.319 --> 00:24:21.380 we can try and utilize. So while we want to individualize 00:24:21.380 --> 00:24:23.839 as much as we possibly can, if you're not able 00:24:23.839 --> 00:24:25.980 to do that for whatever reason, there's going 00:24:25.980 --> 00:24:28.599 to be some research out there that has breakdowns 00:24:28.599 --> 00:24:31.859 of velocity zones and velocity targets based 00:24:31.859 --> 00:24:34.279 on percentages of 1RM in a population that's 00:24:34.279 --> 00:24:36.000 probably very similar to the one that you're 00:24:36.000 --> 00:24:38.000 working in, that you could maybe think, well, 00:24:38.039 --> 00:24:39.440 let's cut out the middleman and let's just take 00:24:39.440 --> 00:24:41.460 that data. The whole point of the profile for 00:24:41.460 --> 00:24:43.339 a programming perspective is to set targets and 00:24:43.339 --> 00:24:46.240 zones. So if we have that data already and we're 00:24:46.240 --> 00:24:48.779 kind of fairly confident that the population 00:24:48.779 --> 00:24:51.680 is similar enough that we can be confident that 00:24:51.680 --> 00:24:54.299 those velocity targets are going to be not too 00:24:54.299 --> 00:24:56.599 far away, well, why don't we just use that and 00:24:56.599 --> 00:25:00.319 let's save some time? So there are lots of ways. 00:25:00.779 --> 00:25:03.640 to do it. There are lots of ways to use VBT successfully. 00:25:03.980 --> 00:25:05.940 There are a few ways to use it unsuccessfully, 00:25:06.059 --> 00:25:08.720 but I think trying to keep it as simple as possible 00:25:08.720 --> 00:25:11.839 is definitely the place to start and then build 00:25:11.839 --> 00:25:14.680 out on top of it. Don't go sort of bowling in 00:25:14.680 --> 00:25:17.940 with the one -iron predictions and full profiles 00:25:17.940 --> 00:25:20.619 if you've never picked up a VBT device before. 00:25:20.720 --> 00:25:22.640 Just have a play around first. What have you 00:25:22.640 --> 00:25:26.019 seen coaches doing wrong in terms of using VBT? 00:25:26.279 --> 00:25:29.059 The thing that I'm mindful of the most, and this 00:25:29.059 --> 00:25:31.339 came out of that call, qualitative research that 00:25:31.339 --> 00:25:34.119 i did upon my phd is that coaches don't become 00:25:34.119 --> 00:25:37.279 ipad coaches that was that was a big drawback 00:25:37.279 --> 00:25:39.640 that came out of that research that you then 00:25:39.640 --> 00:25:43.460 become so ingrained in the technology head in 00:25:43.460 --> 00:25:46.000 an ipad looking at the data you forget to coach 00:25:46.000 --> 00:25:48.720 and i think that's a big part of what we do snc 00:25:48.720 --> 00:25:52.089 coaches are there to work with athletes in person, 00:25:52.250 --> 00:25:55.230 make sure that they are moving right, lifting 00:25:55.230 --> 00:25:57.690 right, doing the right things in the right way, 00:25:57.769 --> 00:25:59.750 building those relationships. If you've got your 00:25:59.750 --> 00:26:03.029 head in an iPad, that then suffers. So I think 00:26:03.029 --> 00:26:06.109 that's one bit is either you use it at the right 00:26:06.109 --> 00:26:09.089 times. So pick one or two exercises, use it for 00:26:09.089 --> 00:26:11.849 those and then put it away or educate your athletes 00:26:11.849 --> 00:26:14.269 to be able to use it themselves so that you can 00:26:14.269 --> 00:26:17.259 be then. in that environment and be coaching, 00:26:17.400 --> 00:26:19.359 et cetera, and not having to worry about what 00:26:19.359 --> 00:26:21.400 the technology is telling us. I think that's 00:26:21.400 --> 00:26:23.920 probably the main sort of cautionary piece of 00:26:23.920 --> 00:26:26.019 advice I would give. Well done, thank you. There 00:26:26.019 --> 00:26:28.420 are lots and lots of things that we can do. You 00:26:28.420 --> 00:26:31.220 can be extremely invasive and fully immersive 00:26:31.220 --> 00:26:34.200 with VVT and every little bit has some kind of 00:26:34.200 --> 00:26:36.180 data attached to it. And if that works, that's 00:26:36.180 --> 00:26:38.220 what your athletes like, then go for it. I think, 00:26:38.240 --> 00:26:40.380 you know, brilliant. But be mindful that not 00:26:40.380 --> 00:26:43.619 every athlete likes. data not every athlete likes 00:26:43.619 --> 00:26:45.980 using technology and i think being mindful of 00:26:45.980 --> 00:26:48.460 that as well is important to remember that there's 00:26:48.460 --> 00:26:51.319 a person behind the device or the underneath 00:26:51.319 --> 00:26:53.420 the barbell that that needs to be brought into 00:26:53.420 --> 00:26:56.220 that conversation and that decision as to to 00:26:56.220 --> 00:26:58.660 how and when it's used awesome you made me excited 00:26:58.660 --> 00:27:02.640 about vbt so right all right two short questions 00:27:02.640 --> 00:27:05.619 to finish the first one is what is your favorite 00:27:05.619 --> 00:27:07.980 lift favorite lift back squat why is that it's 00:27:07.980 --> 00:27:09.940 just something i've always loved doing do it 00:27:10.430 --> 00:27:12.849 every session if I can it makes me from a from 00:27:12.849 --> 00:27:14.970 a movement perspective I feel good after doing 00:27:14.970 --> 00:27:17.470 it it's one that I always sort of able to get 00:27:17.470 --> 00:27:20.529 stuck into and and yeah I'd say it's the pretty 00:27:20.529 --> 00:27:23.319 pretty staple of of any kind of ethnicity program. 00:27:23.500 --> 00:27:26.220 Sounds about right. If people want to follow 00:27:26.220 --> 00:27:28.799 your work, see what you're up to, maybe ask a 00:27:28.799 --> 00:27:31.740 question where they should go online to find 00:27:31.740 --> 00:27:35.619 you. Yep. So you can contact me on X. So that's 00:27:35.619 --> 00:27:38.720 my handle is at Steve381. I do have an Instagram 00:27:38.720 --> 00:27:42.099 account, SteveThompson99T. Not necessarily, I 00:27:42.099 --> 00:27:44.160 don't use it for work that much, but I'm happy 00:27:44.160 --> 00:27:46.640 for people to reach out on there or email is 00:27:46.640 --> 00:27:49.460 always fine as well, which we can put under the 00:27:49.460 --> 00:27:51.079 show notes or whatever. All right. Sounds good. 00:27:51.119 --> 00:27:52.759 Thank you so much, Steve. It was a pleasure. 00:27:52.859 --> 00:27:54.380 Bro, thanks, Alex. Appreciate it.