control yourself with dr andreo spina

Ep.15: Whiteboard Session

In this white board session, Dr. Spina sits down to answer some questions specific to the Functional Range Systems, as well as questions relating to manual therapy as a whole.

Topics discussed include – a detailed description of the purpose/utilization of Controlled Articular Rotations (CARs) for articular assessment, training, and therapy; the differentiation between capsular workspace (CW), articular workspace (AW), and global workspace (GW) and how an understanding of these principles can focus/guide force based inputs (therapeutic and/or training); Chronic pain research and management; the neurophysiology of ‘muscle tightness’;  the difference between Neurological Tightness vs. Mechanical Tension and how the ability to distinguish the two can rapidly improve clinical outcomes; the histological goal of specific soft tissue treatment; and many more. This episode is a deep dive into the specifics of clinical practice full of big take always, and numerous ‘a-ha’ moments that will interest manual therapists, medical practitioners, and strength and conditioning specialists alike.

As this episode is part of our Whiteboard Series, if you’d like to reference Dr. Spina’s notes/illustrations during the podcast, please hop over to our YouTube channel at  https://youtu.be/upLI2OzqODU

Ep. 14: ‘The Evolution of Eating’: A conversation with 2X NYT best selling author Robb Wolf

In this episode of the podcast Dr. Spina sits down with former research biochemist and 2X New York Times best selling author of ‘The Paleo Solution’ and ‘Wired to Eat,’ Mr. Robb Wolf.  Robb has been a long-time authority on nutrition and has served as a review editor for the Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism, and as a consultant for the Naval Special Warefare Resiliency program.

The conversation broadly focuses on the evolutionary perspective of human nutrition.  Some of the topics covered include: contrasting physical vs. chemical (nutritional) evolution in homo sapiens, How the ‘caveman’ principle applies to understanding human dietary needs, the natural selective pressures that forged the human genome, consciousness and the challenges it presents to maintaining healthy eating habits, the Hedonic Treadmill, why we are wired to move less and eat more, intermittent fasting, the importance of personalized nutritional programming, the research landscape concerning human nutrition, the problems surrounding the concept of the ‘biohacking’, the reserve-capacity hypothesis, and many more.  Also discussed are the many myths surrounding Paleolithic eating, plant AND meat based diets, telomeres and human longevity, and caloric restriction.

Ep. 13: A Conversation with Dr. Duncan French, Vice President UFC Performance Institute

In this episode of the podcast, Dr. Spina sits down to speak with the Dr. Duncan French, Vice President of Performance at the UFC Performance Institute (UFCPI) in Las Vegas.  Dr. French is globally recognized as a leading expert in high-performance sport and is responsible for directing sport-specific technical interfaces that maximize the impact of performance services for UFC rostered athletes.  Prior to this role, he led Strength & Conditioning at the English Institute of Sport and was also the head S&C at Newcastle United Football Club in the Barclays English Premier League.  He has also co-authored over 60 peer-reviewed scientific manuscripts and seven book chapters.

Duncan holds a PhD from the University of Connecticut in Exercise Physiology with a focus on Neuroendocrinology.  As such, the discussion focuses largely on the endocrine (hormonal) responses to resistance training and conditioning.  Topics include the selection of appropriate training intensities, creating an anabolic environment in the athlete, the role of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA Axis), stress and its effect on hormonal output/metabolism, exercise selection, sport specificity, psychological factors that enhance or depress neuroendocrine output, progressive overload, training accommodation, the role of genetics in high level athletics vs. training effect, and more.

Dr. Spina and Dr. French also discuss the inner workings of the UFC Performance Institute which has become the world leader in Mixed Martial Arts research, training, and athlete care.

Ep. 12: System Specific Training for MMA Fighters- A conversation with Head S&C Coach of Sanford MMA Dr. Corey Peacock

In this episode of the podcast, Dr. Spina sits down with Dr. Corey Peacock.  Dr. Peacock holds a Ph.D. in Exercise Physiology from Kent State University and serves as an associate professor in the Department of Health and Human Performance at Nova Southeastern University.  As a researcher , he has contributed to multiple peer-reviewed publications integrating the fields of exercise physiology, athletic performance, and supplementation.  He is also head of strength and conditioning for Sanford MMA – a premier professional MMA team comprised of some of the top-ranked fighters in the business including multiple current and former World Champions.   The discussion covers a lot of ground on a variety of topics including:

• ‘The Dark Triad’ psychological profile and its relation to combat sport athletes
• The effects of genetic ability vs coaching • Dopamine metabolism and its effects on brain function
• CTE and brain injuries in combat sports
• The specifics of S&C programming for high level athletes
• Creating system adaptability in the athletic body
• Contrast training
• The mental and physical effects of over training
• And many, many more

MMA enthusiasts, combat athletes, sports performance coaches, trainers, and anyone interested in optimizing human health and performance… This one is for you!

Ep.11: Control Yourself Before Controlling Others - A Conversation with Matt Pasquale & Mark Brunswick

In this episode of the podcast, Dr. Spina sits down for a discussion with long time BJJ black belt Matthew Pasquale, and fellow FRS x BJJ brown belt, Mark Brunswick. ⁣⁣⁣ Topics discussed in this episode include:

• FRS internal vs external training and its translation to the ability to control yourself in order to better control your opponent
• Bendy does not mean unbreakable
• Jiu jitsu injuries and their implications
• “Correcting” imbalances
• Training tissue for improved motor learning (new jiu jitsu techniques) and performance optimization
• The plus side of compensations in human physiology

If you have an interest in human movement optimization, martial arts, or a desire for a deeper understanding of training adaptations, this episode is for you. 

Ep. 10: Roundtable with Dr. Mitch Broser, John Quint, and Josh Halbert

In this episode of the podcast, Dr. Spina sits down for a roundtable discussion with FRS instructors Dr. Mitch Broser, John Quint, and Josh Halbert after teaching the first day of a Functional Range Conditioning certification in Chicago, Illinois. The conversation covers a lot of ground with topics including the common misconceptions regarding strength and strength development, the differences between weight lifting and strength training, programming for strength vs hypertrophy, the adaptation limitations of the human system, long term vs short term programming goals, and many more.

 

Of note, there is also an extensive discussion specifically on the management, rehabilitation, and conditioning of the spine. Here they discuss misinterpretations/limitations of ‘neutral spine’ concept, and those of the current research landscape pertaining to the topic. Full of clinical pearls, training tips, and ‘ah-ha’ moments, this episode is packed with useful information for anyone interested in achieving human optimization.

Ep. 9: Creating A Finely Tuned Aerobic Engine – A Conversation with Dewey Nielsen

In this episode of the podcast, Dr. Spina sits down for a conversation with elite performance coach Dewey Nielsen.  Dewey has lectured world-wide on the topics of human movement optimization, mobility development, endurance training, and more.  He has also worked with and consulted for a number of professional sports organizations in the MLB, NBA, NFL, UFC, etc., and is highly sought out by professional athletes.  In addition, Dewey is a long time Brazillian Jiu Jitsu Black Belt instructor, and experienced rock/mountain climber and Alpinist, endurance gravel cyclist…former touring musician…and one hell of a knowledgeable coffee enthusiast.

The number of topics covered on this podcast are too many mention but include – programming for elite endurance athletes, the physiology of endurance conditioning, the evolution of sapiens as an endurance dependent species, creating a suitable aerobic base, training recovery strategies, teaching philosophies and training principles in BJJ, verbal and tactile cueing for enhancing motor learning, the pitfalls of human consciousness, and many, many more.

Ep. 8: Tissue Specific Training vs Sport Specific Training

In this white-board session, Dr. Spina sits down to discuss a question that is vital to the understanding of any process but especially as it pertains to human optimization - What are your training goals?  Do you want to build tissue/muscle? Increase power? Develop greater strength? Are you rehabbing an injury? Do you want to get better at a particular task? Regardless of the answer, we then have to ask - Where should I begin? Listen as Dre explains why the specificity of your answer will directly influence your ability to create lasting biological and neurological change in the bodies of clients, patients, or yourselves. Topics covered in this episode include; understanding Max effort vs Dynamic effort inputs, the pitfalls of pattern training, the anatomy and physiology of muscular contraction, the all-or-none principal of contraction, programming desires vs time constraints, programming for combat sport athletes, and many more.

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Ep.7: The Range of Motion Compendium - A Conversation with Dr. Michael Chivers

In this episode of the podcast, Dr. Spina sits down to speak with Sports Specialist Chiropractor, and lead Functional Range Systems instructor Dr. Michael D. Chivers.  Dr. Chivers has lectured world-wide on a variety of topics pertaining to human health, performance, and optimization. He has worked with countless professional sports teams and organizations in the MLB, NBA, NHL, MLB, UFC, etc., and is a highly sought out manual therapist for professional athletes. 

The conversation touches on multiple topics related to joint health & physiology, human movement optimization, dynamic systems theory, complex systems, chaos theory, ‘normal science’ vs ‘revolutionary science,’ sports biomechanics, soft tissue treatment applications, and many more.  Of note, this episode includes an incredibly detailed discussion on range of motion including how it is defined, what people think it is, what it actually is….and why that vitally matters to manual practitioners, athletes, patients, clients… and everyone else.

Ep. 4. The Science of Mechanotransduction and a whole lot more. A conversation with Dr. Roger Menta.

In this episode of the podcast, Dr. Spina speaks with Sports Specialist Chiropractor, Triathlete and FRS Instructor, Dr. Roger Menta on a number of topics including the current state of the literature pertaining to soft tissue therapy, the science of mechanotransduction, force propagation in human tissue, how to effectively consume literature, sport specific programming, managing the endurance athlete, injury prevention, and many more. 

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