Dr. Andreo Spina interviews a diverse group of educators, athletes, and industry leaders in health & fitness.
About Dr. Andreo Spina…
A published author, and international speaker on the topics of joint health, human movement, sports performance, and injury management, Dr. Spina's training and manual therapy systems are currently utilized by practitioners world-wide including medical professionals and dozens of professional sports organizations, athletes, and performers in the NBA, NFL, NHL, MLB, MLS, NCAA, UFC and more.
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Training NFL athletes isn’t about chasing perfect programs. It’s about making the right decisions inside real-world constraints. This conversation isn’t about drills or programming trends. It’s about building and maintaining physical qualities during an NFL season — when athletes are competing weekly, managing injuries, absorbing collisions, and still expected to improve. Phil Matusz, former Head Strength and Conditioning Coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers, breaks down what the role actually dema...
In this episode of Control Yourself, Dr. Andreo Spina sits down with Mike Fitch, founder of Animal Flow, for a deep conversation on the art and science of movement education. They discuss how systems evolve over time, what it means to teach with integrity, and how to balance creativity with structure when designing training for humans—not just athletes. Topics include movement variability, joint health, programming, and redefining what “longevity” in training really means. It’s a candid exchange...
In this episode of The Control Yourself Podcast , Dr. Andreo Spina is joined by fellow FRS instructor Dr. John Saratsiotis for a focused deep dive into palpation—what it is, what it isn’t, and how it fits into the broader Functional Range Systems approach. Together, they break down some of the most common misconceptions surrounding manual therapy, including the long-standing myth that therapists are “breaking up” scar tissue with their hands. Instead, the conversation shifts toward a more nuance...
In this episode, I explore training to failure by analyzing the scientific literature through the lens of first principles physiology. Given the inconsistencies in research, this approach enhances our understanding and helps optimize training programs for hypertrophy and other musculoskeletal outcomes. We explore: * Conflicting research findings on training to failure vs. training with reps in reserve * Differentiating training for hypertrophy vs. strength training * The role of momentary muscul...
In this episode of Control Yourself, Dr. Andreo Spina is joined by Josh Halbert, FRS instructor, mobility trainer, and co-founder of LearnMobility.com. We dive into longevity, fitness, and the future of online training, as well as the importance of staying mobile as we age. Josh shares his insights on why mobility training is essential, how he approaches functional fitness whether he is working with everyday people or elite athletes looking to prolong their careers and quality of life when they ...
📝 Are you training for mobility, or just stretching aimlessly? In this episode of the Control Yourself Podcast, I am joined by Alex Nichols, manual therapist, strength coach and FRS instructor to break down the science behind mobility, strength, and injury prevention. 📝 What You’ll Learn in This Episode: ✅ Why stretching alone won’t improve mobility ✅ How effective, joint specific assessments reveal hidden limitations ✅ The difference between flexibility, mobility, and usable range of mo...
In the latest episode of the "Control Yourself Podcast," Dr. Andreo Spina interviews strength and conditioning coach Hunter Cook, who shares his experiences working with Olympic gold medalist Sydney McLaughlin. The conversation dives deep into the intricacies of training elite athletes, emphasizing the importance of maintaining joint health and optimizing performance through tailored mobility work. Hunter discusses his approach to assessing athletes, the significance of understanding their uniqu...
In this episode, I sat down with @hunterfitness for what was supposed to be a series of short, Q&A posts. However, once we got going, we just kept going. As a result, we are releasing this as a full podcast! Some of the topics we discuss: Sport specific training, recent case studies, and training program alterations Programming for general population and moving well for life The difference between effort and intensity and how it changes client training Training for longevity Athletic injury ...
In this episode, I had the privilege of speaking at the Royal College of Chiropractic Sport Sciences of Canada (RCCSS) Move 2020 Virtual Conference: The psychological, biomechanical and neurophysiological implications of human movement. I discussed some foundational FRS® principles in our approach to injury management and athletic development. Topics include: How are movements created? Natural selection for movement during embryologicaldevelopment. The process of joint cavitation and why space...
Dr. Andreo Spina and Dr. Mike Chivers discuss their new spinal management course, highlighting the persistent problem of low back pain despite decades of research. They critique the lack of specificity in current manual therapy and S&C approaches, advocating for a system that treats each spinal segment like a shoulder, considering its unique biology and neurological control. The episode emphasizes the need to move beyond generic advice to address the root causes of spinal dysfunction.
In this episode Dr. Spina sits down with Sport Specialist Chiropractor, and FRS Instructor Dr. Michael Chivers to discuss the functional anatomy and clinical management of the shoulder girdle. However, as is usually the case, the conversation ends up following a number of important tangent topics, this time related to the overarching idea of system emergence and how it affects the evolution of human movement, anatomic evolution, injury creation, as well as injury management. This deep dive is in...
In this episode Dr. Spina sits down with Dr. John Saratsiotis Physiotherapist, Chiropractor, Biochemist, and lead FRS instructor to discuss a controversial topic in the world of manual therapy and injury management, namely the topic of soft tissue Fibrosis. What is it? How does it form? How does it affect force transmission and the many misconceptions surrounding both its existence following injury as well as soft tissue management. We also cover related concepts including tissue directionality ...
John Quint and I recently visited Tom Barry, Chief Operations Officer of Westside Barbell, and we’ll be co-releasing that episode in the coming weeks. For this podcast, John and I took the opportunity to sit down to discuss John’s history at WSBB and his relationship with Louie Simmons who was a pioneer in developing world, record- breaking strength athletes. We also discuss the present state of strength training and how it has evolved to include training the internal environment. Some of the to...
In this episode I sit down with FRS Instructor Josh Halbert for a philosophical discussion about the concept of “exercise”. We discuss the merits of using an evolutionary perspective to view exercise, modern approaches to physical training, inherent problems with current approaches, and how to reframe intentions and results through training. Other topics include: The influence of memetic selection on exercise creation The history of sports science Complex system emergence Strength programming fo...
In this podcast, I sit down with FRS Master Instructor Dr. Michael Chivers for a technical discussion about the evolutionary perspective of anatomy with special attention on the hip joint. We explore how evolutionary pressures forged anatomical structures and their influence on the biomechanics of joints and how the FRS Bioflow model differs from traditional understandings of anatomy. We also discuss the concept of tissue force profiles, tissue specificity in palpation and rehabilitation, and cl...
In this episode Dr. Spina sits down with FRS Master Instructor Hunter Cook to discuss case study of a retired professional baseball pitcher. Though an FRS lens, Hunter and Dre discuss how this athlete’s training was managed over time with reference videos and photos of his progress. Topics covered in the conversation include: The pathophysiological effects of pitching over time The pitfalls of kinetic chain assessment Shoulder dynamics in pitching Establishing active to passive ratios The import...
In this bonus episode we listen in on a meeting between Dr. Spina and FRS instructors John Quint and Dewey Nielsen as they discuss a variety of topics surrounding two cases of Jiu Jitsu athletes with very different backgrounds. Topics covered in the conversation include the cultivation of absolute strength in non-absolute strength sport athletes; how to prioritize training goals using the FRS Internal Strength Model; the “Training Delusion”; dosing of Internal vs. External training; injury manag...
Volume has largely been viewed as an endlessly positive quality to pursue in current strength and conditioning protocols. However, “more” doesn’t alway equal “better”. In this episode, Dr. Spina sits down with FRS Instructors John Quint and Dr. Michael Chivers to discuss programming and volume issues in training. What are the downsides of pursuing volume? Moreover, what is missing from standard-model training programs? Topics include: What is strength? How to elicit specific endocrine responses ...
LOAD > CAPACITY = INJURY. Using this simple equation as a starting point, Dr. Spina explores the idea of Load Management in professional athletics. Specifically, he discusses how a shift in focus to tissue specific training can hedge an athlete's tissue capacity against the increasing loading demands that occur over their career. Topics covered include injury mitigation and management, the physiology of tissue healing, cellular communication and force signalling, loading ‘vacations’ in profes...
Dr. Andreo Spina explores why low back pain persists despite common treatments, focusing on the spine's segmental anatomy and the critical role of movement for joint health. He critiques the
In this episode Dr. Spina, along with his fellow FRS lead instructors Dr. Michael Chivers, John Quint, and Dewey Nielsen, takes a deep dive into the new Functional Range Systems Internal Strength Model. The conversation covers the evolution of strength training, the distinction between training for strength vs skill in high level athletics, contrasting standard model training with the Internal Strength model, managing force and training volume, and much more. Since its inception, Functional Rang...
In this episode of the podcast, Dr. Spina sits down for a conversation with conditioning specialist and Functional Range Systems Instructor Josh Halbert about a number of topics including his experience managing and training professional athletes, consciousness and its evolutionary basis, the physiology of meditation and its role in pain management, regular meditative practice, free will and managing motivation, flow state and creativity, building body awareness and control, managing training ri...
In this white board session, Dr. Spina sits down to discuss the evolutionary origins of human movement and how an understanding of those origins leads to better exercise selection and programming. Also covered is the concept of movement and exercise prerequisites – Play Basketball? Love yoga? Want to smash your WODS? You love to run? Just remember, all movements have prerequisites and managing them will lead to performance enhancement and ongoing joint health. Ignoring this reality often has dev...
For over 20 years, Don has coached actors, athletes, musicians, and business executives pushing them to function at their fullest potential. In 2005, he opened his NYC Gym, Drive 495. He has developed a reputation for training some of the biggest names in Hollywood for the big screen. Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Jake Gyllenhaal, John Krasinski, Emily Blunt, Liev Schreiber, Sebastian Stan, Anne Hathaway, Zachary Levi, Drew Powell, Hugh Jackman, & David Harbour are among his roster of clients...
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 foc...
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 inclu...
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...
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 –...
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 t...
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 l...
