196: How COVID19 is Taking us Back to the Core of Training and Human Movement, Part I: Talks with Jeremy Frisch, Rob Assise and Dr. Tommy John | Sponsored by SimpliFaster

Today’s episode (part I of II) is actually three talks in one show, featuring segments with Jeremy Frisch, Rob Assise, and Dr. Tommy John. In our current world situation, many have found themselves without our typical training structures. This can be anything from not having a team, or partners, to train with anymore, a lack of gym space, and a lack of a training equipment in general. It’s times like these that, although tough, can allow us to shave things down, to the essentials of how we are training, and perhaps more importantly, why we are training in the first place. Each of our guests have had one or multiple appearances on the show before and were those who have a unique perspective on getting to the core essentials of training and movement. Jeremy Frisch is a former NCAA D1 strength coach who is now the owner of Achieve Performance in Clinton, Massachusetts. He is a leader in youth training and play, as well as all-around performance coach who works with athletes of all levels. Jeremy not only coaches physical prep methods, but is also involved in team sport coaching on the youth level. Rob Assise is a teacher and track coach at Homewood-Flossmoor high school who has written some fantastic articles (How I Deal with the Restrictions of COVID-19 and One Man’s Dive Into Extreme Isometrics) on his use of “Extreme Isometrics” in his at-home workouts, a topic of which we went into detail on for today’s show. Dr. Tommy John is a chiropractor, author and performance coach who is no stranger to this show. Tommy has an awesome ability to blend health, training and big-picture ideas into a powerful message in our own performance. His workout, training style, and overall message is one that brings out our true power as human beings. 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. View more podcast episodes at the podcast homepage. Timestamps and Main Points 3:45 Jeremy Frisch’s take on how COVID19 is bringing children back to a more natural mode of play, albeit in context of current restrictions 8:50 The difference between movement and exercise for children, and when they are mature enough to make that distinction 13:35 Jeremy’s own workouts, and what he does to train in his basement gym setup 21:40 What Rob’s workout is looking like with his own daily schedule 29:45 How using extreme ISO’s offers good benefits for endurance of speed and strength qualities to athletes 35:00 Tommy John’s workouts and how they haven’t really changed much since quarantines 45:45 The importance of cultivating a creative practice in coaching 54:00 The inner meaning behind why we train, and the distinction between playing and training “(kids) Riding bikes has been brought back from the ashes, which is nice to see” “I feel there is a silver lining, because of some of the things that are happening out in the world, we have to go back to what we were doing when we were kids” “While moving is great for kids, they don’t have the maturity to understand what exercise really is” “I felt like I could feel the (cycling of energy systems) in the last minute, or minute an a half of a lunge. It’s something you have to try and see” “I hated doing the 5 minute ISO lunge while I was doing it, but afterwards I felt completely at peace. I never regretted it afterwards” “(After doing 5 minute ISO lunges 11x a week) playing “old man basketball”, flat out, I just did not get tired. I was able to go as hard as I could, for pretty much the whole game” “My training has not changed much, but my miles in walking have” Dr. Tommy John “We’re all artists, whether it’s programming or bringing in information in a creative way” “I love walking because it’s an ever-changing environment, it’s outside… there’s different people, there’s different flowers, there’s different shades of light… it’s almost like a movie” “When you walk you pump your sacrum… you create a cerebrospinal fluid flush” “I’m very intentful when I do walk, I’m connecting with ideas, I’m connecting with my body” “When I watch athletes walk in from their car, they don’t walk well. The are not fluid… and then you put them into a cross-crawl test and they are discombobulated” “Training has to be stimulating enough and upsetting enough to change you” About Jeremy Frisch @achieve_performance Jeremy Frisch is the owner and director of Achieve Performance Training in Clinton, Mass. He is the former assistant strength and conditioning coach for the Holy Cross athletic department. While there, he worked directly with the Crusader men’s basketball team, in addition to serving as the strength coach for Holy Cross’ men’s soccer, men’s and women’s lacrosse, baseball, softball, field hockey, tennis and women’s track & field squads. Prior to joining Holy Cross, Frisch served as the sports performance director at Teamworks Sports Center in Acton, Mass., where he was responsible for the design and implementation of all strength and conditioning programs. He also served as a speed and strength coach for Athletes Edge Sports Training, and did a strength and conditioning internship at Stanford University. Frisch is a 2007 graduate of Worcester State College with a bachelor’s degree in health science and physical education. He was a member of the football and track teams during his days at Worcester State and Assumption College. About Rob Assise @HFJumps Rob Assise is a mathematics teacher and track coach at Homewood-Flossmoor High School. He also has experience coaching football and cross country. He can be reached via e-mail at robertassise@gmail.com or Twitter @HFJumps. About Tommy John With Master Degrees in Health and Exercise Science from Furman University, Tommy John brings over 17 years of health experience to the table. At completion of his studies Tommy played professional baseball for three years with teams such as the Schaumburg Flyers, Tyler Roughnecks and the LA Dodgers. Tommy was drawn to chiropractic because he realized there was a higher element missing from the healing, performance process and proper function of the human body in the innate intelligence and the nervous system: brain, brain stem and spinal cord. The primary goal of Tommy John Performance and Healing Center is to provide entire families with integrative, individualized care plans and treatment to improve their quality of life by reducing physical and emotional pain from injury and aging and minimizing the use of pharmaceuticals or surgery. Tommy John also has a book, “Minimize Injury, Maximize Performance: A Sports Parent’s Survival Guide” which is a unique program: a diet, lifestyle, and movement plan (Rethink. Rebuild. Replenish. Recover) for injury- and performance-proofing young athletes in every sport. John’s book is a fusion of thousands of hours of research, clinical experience, and personal experimentation he has used with kids and clients alike for years, merged with the same simple philosophy of healing his Dad used 40 years ago. But his book isn’t just about injury avoidance—and it’s more than just sports. It’s about correcting the developmental deficiencies that are happening right now in youth athletes. It’s a return to traditional methods and techniques—through making the right diet, exercise and lifestyle choices—to reestablish the functional movements lost today. It’s not just about saving an elbow—it’s about saving a life. And it’s about finally attaching the name Tommy John to something positive again.