423: Adarian Barr on Force Application, Levers, and Joint Mechanics

This week’s guest is Adarian Barr. Adarian is a former college track coach, inventor, educator, and international speaker on human movement. He co-authored “Let Me Introduce You” with Jenn Pilotti. Adarian has been a primary mentor of mine in athletic movement and has made various appearances on this podcast. Where much of athletic performance and track world focus on enhancing movement through generalized cues or techniques, Adarian works in the world of joints and levers to understand the nuances of movement. Through these nuances, we can better understand training theory, cueing, and exercise application. On today’s podcast, Adarian discusses recent Olympic races, the role of the feet, shins, and arms in movement, hamstrings, isometrics, and much more. This was a deep dive into important nuances of the total movement equation, and discussions with Adarian are always a tremendous learning experience. Today’s episode is brought to you by TeamBuildr’s Gym Studio and Athletic Development Games. Use the code “justfly25” for 25% off of any Lila Exogen wearable resistance training, including the popular Exogen Calf Sleeves. For this offer head to: Lilateam.com View more podcast episodes at the podcast homepage. Main Points 1:01- Sprinting Mechanics and Strategy in 100m Final 9:49- Strategic Foot Placement and Leaning in Sprints 16:32- Optimizing Performance Through Efficient Joint Interactions 18:20- Athletic Success Through Dynamic Joint Mechanics 26:50- Joint Stopping Importance for Running Efficiency 28:49- Optimizing Movement Efficiency Through Space Awareness 39:38- Enhancing Force Output Through Lever Systems 44:30- Downhill Sprinting for Enhanced Athletic Performance 56:51- Joint Control for Optimal Exercise Performance 59:06- Pressure Detection Influence on Movement Coordination 1:02:43- Hamstring's Compression Role in Targeted Training 1:06:52- Dynamic Resistance with Chain Training 1:09:24- Joint-Specific Compression in Isometric Training 1:15:14- Asymmetric Roles of Sprinting Legs Quotes "All we're doing really when we move about is figuring out how to make space to move into space. What space am I trying to move into and what's in the way of that?" - Adarian Barr “If you really want to guard somebody, get into a shin space and watch how they have to go in a whole different direction because the body's not going to let them” -Adarian Barr "People talk about, like, Fergus Connelly's work and, well, what is offense? It's creating space. What is defense? It's taking away space. And that could happen with all the players on the field or even in a one on one situation. It's, you know, wherever it is, that concept is universal." - Joel Smith “And we see it in hurdles where in this ipsilateral pattern where what's happening? My lead leg trail arm, which is on the same side, you know, or side by side. And what am I going to do? I'm going to move my trend arm forward to force my lead leg down. That's ipsi lateral pattern…. the ipsilateral patterns are faster than the contralateral pattern. I want to affect the same side, that's all it is” -Adarian Barr "The arms just add a little bit to this at that point in time; because you have this collision going on and the body's doing what? Slowing itself down. Now, at that point in time, all you have is what body weight? It's a little bit more now. So the arms itself is going to have just a little bit more input to get an output. That's how levers work. Levers are so cool because if you got a seesaw and there's no input, what does seesaw do? Nothing." -Adarian Barr “That's the whole thing about it. Levers are designed to make things easier. No matter how you look at it, they're designed to make things easier” “(In bridging movements) So when I lay on the ground, I just made another joint between my back and the ground… the whole body on a global and local system is different based on the fact you added two joints and then you took them away, and then you think, I'm gonna act the same. The hamstring’s not gonna act the same because the joints have changed” About Adarian Barr Adarian Barr is a track coach and inventor based out of Yuba City, California. His collegiate track and field coaching stops have included UW-Superior, Indiana State, UNC Pembroke, and Yuba City Community College. He has invented nine devices, from footwear to sleds to exercise devices. Adarian is a USATF Level II coach in sprints, jumps, hurdles, and relays. He has a master’s degree in Physical Education. Adarian’s unique coaching style gets results, and his work on speed and biomechanics is being adapted by some of the top coaches in the nation.