In this episode of The Decoding Excellence Show , I’m pulling back the curtain on what it really takes to hire the right person to lead a collegiate strength & conditioning or sport performance department. After nearly a decade at the University of Colorado—contributing to a sport science and high performance model while working with Women’s Basketball and Volleyball—I’ve seen firsthand what works, what fails, and why so many NCAA programs miss the mark. This isn’t about titles, certificatio...
Jul 07, 2025•23 min•Season 1Ep. 75
In this Cardio Talks episode of The Decoding Excellence Show , I’m breaking down one of the most overlooked threats to athlete recovery: late-night screen time and blue light exposure . Whether you're a performance coach, sport scientist, or former athlete trying to stay sharp—this conversation cuts into the heart of why your HRV, deep sleep, and overall recovery metrics might be lagging. We're talking science-backed disruptions to circadian rhythms, CNS fatigue, and why your phone might be robb...
Jul 03, 2025•22 min•Season 1Ep. 74
In this special “Cardio Chats” edition of the Decoding Excellence Show , I’m hitting record during one of my Zone 2 ruck walks—raw, unfiltered, and straight from the heart. No fancy studio. No edits. Just the real thoughts running through my head while I’m moving my body and reflecting on the work we do in Strength and Conditioning, Sports Science, and High Performance Coaching. This isn’t scripted. It’s not polished. It’s just me sharing what’s top-of-mind—from training insights and performance...
Jun 29, 2025•15 min•Season 1Ep. 73
In this episode of the Decoding Excellence Show , I’m sharing a solo Q&A I originally recorded for the Former Athlete Society. Whether you're freshly out of sport or years removed, this one cuts deep into what really matters: rebuilding discipline, identity, and structure after athletics. I break down four of the most common (and crucial) questions I hear from former athletes navigating life after sport: How do I stay motivated like I was in college? → The truth: motivation fades—systems sti...
May 09, 2025•24 min
In this episode of the Decoding Excellence Show , I'm sharing a handful of the things that have been grabbing my attention lately—from what I'm reading to what I'm watching, buying, doing, and listening to. We’re talking about Dan John’s new book The ABCs (and Fs) of Strength Training and how Easy Strength changed my approach early in my coaching career. I’ll break down a recent Flagrant podcast episode with Pete Buttigieg, some new health tech I'm using to stay ahead of cardiovascular risk, my ...
Apr 27, 2025•27 min•Ep. 71
In this episode of the Decoding Excellence Show , I’m diving into the intricacies of workload monitoring and athlete preparation, particularly for basketball players. From managing training on the road to adapting workouts to fit within the constraints of a packed game schedule, I break down the strategies we’re using to keep athletes performing at their best. Episode Highlights: The challenges of training basketball athletes on the road and maintaining consistency. How to adapt workouts while s...
Feb 12, 2025•49 min•Ep. 70
In this episode of the Decoding Excellence Show, I'm discussing the rapidly changing landscape of collegiate athletics. From NIL deals and the Transfer Portal to the monumental implications of the House v. NCAA settlement, I explore how these seismic shifts are impacting athletic departments across the nation. As a reminder, our Random Shows shows are a quick 15-30 minute episode where I typically discuss current industry trends, research reads, current events, and occasionally offer my insight...
Jan 22, 2025•34 min•Ep. 69
Episode Description: In this episode, I delve into my recent article, Advice I'd Love to Give Myself 15 Years Ago , inspired by conversations with young strength and conditioning interns. Join me as I discuss the article and add some personal commentary. Episode Highlights: Discussion of current advice I give interns How to embrace difficult times with action & honesty Insights into financial literacy and the impact on S&C Quick Reminder: Our Random Shows are 30-minute episodes packed wi...
Jul 04, 2024•36 min•Ep. 68
In this episode of the Decoding Excellence Show , I'm discussing my recent article 10 Hard Truths for Coaching in the World of Athletics . This was an article I wrote off the backend of several conversations with young strength and conditioning interns. This show narrates the article while adding some author commentary. As a reminder, our Random Shows shows are a quick 30 minute episode where I typically discuss current industry trends, research reads, current events, and occasionally offer my i...
Nov 10, 2023•20 min•Ep. 67
In this episode of the Decoding Excellence Show , I'm discussing how we utilize Workload Monitoring across our basketball performance. We discuss weekly periodization models, basketball-specific movement metrics, acceleration vs. deceleration loads, and how you can take principles of wearable workload monitoring for basketball and apply it to your environment. If you've been interested in utilizing workload monitoring strategies in your competitive practice environments, this is the episode for ...
Oct 06, 2022•38 min•Ep. 66
In this episode of the Decoding Excellence Show , I'm discussing how we utilize Isometric Training across our performance benchmarking & testing, strength and conditioning programming, and several of the technologies we use to collect this information. If you've been interested in utilizing isometric testing in your pre-participation athlete profiling or sports performance training, this is the episode for you! As a reminder, our Random Shows shows are a quick 30 minute episode where I typic...
Sep 20, 2022•32 min•Ep. 65
In this episode of the Decoding Excellence Show , I'm discussing some of the new things we're doing around University of Colorado Boulder. It's been some time since I've been behind the microphone and I'm just dusting off the thing. We talk about some of the new technologies we're utilizing within our athletic department, some of the new pre-participation athlete benchmarking we're conducting, and a general run-down of our summer staff. It was a fun show where I break out the microphone and head...
Sep 16, 2022•24 min•Ep. 64
In this episode of the Decoding Excellence Show , I'm discussing the all too common debate between sport science and performance coaching. To be fair, it is a common debate I hear often between the pure academic sport scientists and strength and conditioning coaches "in the field". In this Random Episode , I dive into this debate between an evidence-led, sport science, data-driven decision model versus the applied nature of strength and conditioning or sport coaching. This was a fun episode to ...
Apr 30, 2021•19 min•Ep. 63
In this episode of the Decoding Excellence Show , I'm discussing an issue I hear too often regarding sport science and it's applied nature within high performance sport. I outline a typical day and the many touchpoints with sport science, data-led decision making, and the applied nature of scientific processes on sport outcomes. This was a fun episode to record because I get on a roll talking about this material. As a reminder, our Random Shows shows are a quick 15-25 minute episode where I typ...
Jan 25, 2021•55 min•Ep. 62
In this episode of the Decoding Excellence Show, I'm speaking with Jim Garofalo , Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing for KINEXON. This show is a first as we begin to spotlight innovative companies who are leading the sports performance industry. On the show, we discuss Jim's background, his role at KINEXON, the specific company's vision and market scope for wearable technologies, the introduction of KINEXON's SafeZone, and speculation to where Jim believes the sports performance tec...
Jan 11, 2021•40 min•Ep. 61
In this episode of the Decoding Excellence Show, I'm speaking with Industry Veteran and High Performance Practitioner, Dan Howells . Dan has experience at US Ski & Snowboard, the English Institute of Sport (EIS), Rugby Union and Rugby 7s, and most recently, in the Major League Baseball (MLB) Houston Astros organization. You do not want to miss this show! Dan recently formed Collaborate Sports during the initial lockdowns through COVID as a means of connecting developing coaches and practitio...
Jan 04, 2021•54 min•Ep. 60
In this episode of the Decoding Excellence Show, I'm speaking with former NFL New York Giants Director of Performance Nutrition and Assistant Strength & Conditioning Coach, my friend, Pratik Patel. Patel was closing in on a four year stint as the New York Giants’ Director of Performance Nutrition/Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach prior to making a personal decision to leave the role. We discuss this in the show. Prior to his time in the NFL, he served as University of Oregon's (PAC 1...
Dec 21, 2020•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 59
In this episode of the Decoding Excellence Show , I'm discussing many of the leadership lessons I've learned, through the successes and failures of operating in elite sport. I discuss tactics to help empower leadership and decisions among your athletes and co-workers. I talk about leaning into your weaknesses and being vulnerable. I discuss ways you can take the first step and challenge others to co-elevate to new heights. I think you'll get A LOT out of this show. As a reminder, our Random Show...
Dec 14, 2020•25 min•Ep. 58
In this episode of the Decoding Excellence Show , I'm discussing my application of velocity based training techniques (VBT) and the application of training along the force-velocity curve. I discuss the different velocity thresholds, exercise modalities, how I utilize VBT during different periods of our annual training program, and much more. As a reminder, our Random Shows shows are a quick 15-25 minute episode where I typically discuss current industry trends, research reads, current events, an...
Dec 07, 2020•24 min•Ep. 57
In this episode of the Decoding Excellence Show, we're returning to our Random Show Version and are discussing some of my thoughts surrounding the use of sRPE in applied settings, the Acute:Chronic Workload Ratio (ACWR), and other derivative expressions of acute:chronic formulas like the exponentially weighted moving average (EWMA) equation. As a reminder, our Random Shows shows are a quick 15-25 minute episode where I typically discuss current industry trends, research reads, current events, an...
Nov 28, 2020•26 min•Ep. 56
In this episode of the Decoding Excellence Show, we're returning to our Monday Minute and Vehicle Version (explains the audio difference) and are discussing some of my thoughts surrounding continuing education, the many online Zoom & Google Hangout conferences and clinics, and things you can do to continue along your own personal development initiatives. As a reminder, our Monday Minutes shows are a quick 10-15 minute episode where I discuss current industry trends, research reads, current e...
Apr 20, 2020•13 min•Ep. 55
In this episode of the Decoding Excellence Show, we're returning to our Monday Minute and Vehicle Version (explains the audio difference) and are discussing some of the strategies behind agile startups, tools we utilize to enhance our departmental communication, and what we need to do as an industry to be prepare for the next pandemic. As a reminder, our Monday Minutes shows are a quick 10-15 minute episode where I discuss current industry trends, research reads, current events, and occasionally...
Apr 13, 2020•15 min•Ep. 54
In this episode of the Decoding Excellence Show, I'm speaking with Men's Basketball Strength and Conditioning for Butler University, my good friend, Matthew Johnson. Johnson serves as a member of the men’s basketball staff at Butler University and oversees the program’s strength and conditioning, while also assisting with rehabilitation of injured student-athletes and working with university partners on nutrition and supplement education. Johnson most recently served as the Director of Strength ...
Apr 06, 2020•1 hr•Ep. 53
In this episode of the Decoding Excellence Show, we're returning to our Monday Minute theme and discussing some of the strategies I'm returning to in the New 2020 Year. I talk about meditation, bullet journaling, creating new things, and finding a "third place". As a reminder, our Monday Minutes shows are a quick 10-15 minute episode where I discuss current industry trends, research reads, current events, and occasionally offer my insights into the training process that we're undertaking each we...
Jan 06, 2020•26 min•Ep. 52
In this episode of the Adam Ringler Show , I'm discussing a recent tweet of mine sharing a snippet of "Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams" b y Dr. Matthew Walker . Are we, sport scientists, actively monitoring sleep durations and qualities in our student-athletes to only measure it or should we actually derive meaningful and actionable information from the subjective recall? I believe the later but recognize that sleep is an unbelievably challenging element to actively control...
Dec 31, 2019•17 min•Ep. 51
In this episode of the Adam Ringler Show , I'm discussing Martin Buchheit's article "The Noble Ranks of Performance Roles - Who's a king - who's a duke?" . In addition, I discuss what titles, roles, and responsibilities really mean within High Performance Athletics. Later in the show, I expand on where I think the direction of our industry is going. As a reminder, our shows are typically brief episodes where I discuss current industry trends, research reads, current events, and occasionally offe...
Dec 23, 2019•25 min•Ep. 50
In this episode of the Adam Ringler Show, I'm discussing some of the latest updates surrounding Beautiful Boulder, Colorado. We talk about the latest podcasts, some new email tools that I'm currently using to improve my communication and response-time, and an application called Monday.com that is streamlining our project management initiatives. As a reminder, our shows are typically brief episodes where I discuss current industry trends, research reads, current events, and occasionally offer my ...
Dec 19, 2019•38 min•Ep. 49
In this episode of the Decoding Excellence Show, I'm discussing some of the readiness assessment technologies, diagnostic strength testing equipment, and markerless motion capture biomechanical screening technologies we utilize. In addition, I discuss how we use the information, on a daily and weekly basis, to drive informed and actionable decisions in sports performance program. As a reminder, our Monday Minutes shows are typically brief episodes where I discuss current industry trends, researc...
Nov 11, 2019•19 min•Ep. 48
In this episode of the Decoding Excellence Show, I'm discussing the polarizing topic of strength and conditioning programs, across the country, offering paid vs. unpaid internships in the field and industry. There is merit on both sides of the conversation and I attempt to paint the picture and detail the different perspectives from both camps. As a reminder, our Monday Minutes shows are typically brief episodes where I discuss current industry trends, research reads, current events, and occasio...
Oct 28, 2019•38 min•Ep. 47
In this episode of the Decoding Excellence Show, we're returning to our Monday Minute theme and discussing a concerning trend that I've noticed over the last several months on social media. Much of this show revolves around ethics surrounding biometric data and student-athlete information contained in dashboards and visuals that is widely distributed on social media. As a reminder, our Monday Minutes shows are a quick 10-15 minute episode where I discuss current industry trends, research reads, ...
Oct 22, 2019•22 min•Ep. 46
