Greetings to those who joined IronMan Performance in the inaugural year (2023) and welcome to the several new subscribers. I ended 2023 with The Complete 2023 IronMan Performance Substack Collection, where I categorized the collection of 35 blogs. This may be helpful for new subscribers, and a quick index for others.
In 2024, I plan to continue sharing knowledge, research, insights and musings spanning all things Testing | Training | Energizing humans of all ages and abilities. This includes: sport science, technology, screening & monitoring; research, data science [Tested]; all things strength & conditioning, physical literacy, fitness or whatever you choose to call it, along with the “training” (education) of the next generation of and professional development for exercise/sport/health scientists and practitioners [Trained]; and recovery, nutrition, sleep and mental skill development [Energized]. At the end of the day, I am most interested in helping you build healthy, fit, and robust young people.
Writing Projects
Related - I have some exciting projects in the works. This includes additional writing for the LTAD Network, 1080 Motion, and MoveFactorX.
And, my academic/scientific writing includes projects focusing on: 1) development of the locomotor profile in young athletes, 2) integrating strength & conditioning in sports academies, 3) training load in youth athletes, and 4) athletic development in the young tennis player. Aside from the content of these latter works (which I will share nuggets here along the way), the most exciting part if collaborating with colleagues from around the World whom I learn so much.
The "rolling sport diversity/sampling" model
Another exciting project that I have been working on relates to integrating strength & conditioning in sports academies. Since Fall, I have been consulting with a major sports academy to develop and implement a long-term athletic development program from ages 6-18 years. One thing I will share is the idea of a "rolling sport diversity/sampling" model at the younger ages. Instead of a fall/winter/spring sports season for let’s say soccer (Fall), basketball (Winter) and baseball/softball (Spring), we are considering a rolling exposure to these sports monthly. It would look something like this - 2 weeks soccer, 1 week basketball, 1 week baseball (Sept), 1 week soccer, 2 weeks basketball, 1 week baseball (Oct), etc. This would occur in Grades 1-4. Of course, there are many logistics involved - one being competing/playing in a league. Since there is no real need to play in truly competitive league for the sake of winning the city championship for 8 year olds (despite popular practice!), we would still accommodate playing in the league. If there is a local league for soccer in the Fall, we will still play the games during a basketball or baseball practice week. Again, it's for fun and fundamental development of athletic and sport skills … not trying to win the league title. I would love to hear your thoughts on this approach.
Stay healthy
Aside from my professional activities, my health is a priority. I turn 54 years of age next month. I can assure you that I’ll continue to check off my Father’s Day To-Do List, Every Day of the Year -
🌞Upon waking, AM sunlight and fresh air.
🥣Nourish with the right types of food, in the right amounts, and at the right time.
🏃♂️Move and move often - and lift heavy shit a couple of times during the week.
😃Laugh, smile, and connect with Inner Circle.
🧠Think and engage the brain and mind.
🛏️Recovery and Sleep.
….and I’ll write a few more posts on adult health and fitness to hopefully educate and inspire you … or at least for you to share it with friends and family.
All the best for a great 2024. Make every day a great day.