Applying DNS to strength training - An athlete's perspective (Francesca Dooris, Olympic Weightlifter)

Today I spoke with Francesca Dooris, a nationally competitive Olympic Weightlifter.Francesca is coached by Chelsea Dillon (Co-founder of Project Lift). Chelsea was one of the first athletes on which the DNS principles were applied not to rehab, but to training. In her coaching, Chelsea uses the DNS principles. Francesca, therefore, has been using these principles in her training for years.Francesca has also completed the entire DNS Strength Training track, becoming a Certified DNS Strength Coach (DNS-SC).Finally, I have treated Francesca on multiple occasions, which means she has been exposed and benefitted from DNS on multiple levels.In this conversation, we talk about Francesca's background, how she made the difficulty decision to sit out a year to improve her movement quality, and how DNS has impacted her as an athlete.

While DNS (Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilization) started as a powerful rehab approach, the very first time I took a DNS course, I saw its application to strength training immediately. In fact, at lunch, right after the introduction lecture in which we learned about stabilization and IAP (intra-abdominal pressure), I attempted to apply this to a heavy snatch workout I had scheduled. Even before I was a certified DNS practitioner and well before I was brought on as an instructor, I was presenting DNS concepts to strength coaches and personal trainers at conferences and clinics all over the country. In 2016, after being brought on as an instructor, I presented to the DNS team how one would apply the DNS principles to strength training. Soon after, I started teaching DNS Weight Lifting, a 3 day DNS Exercise 1 course with some time tacked on the end for strength training. This was version 1.0 of what is now a fully established, 3 course training track to help coach improve their results and reduce risk of injury. Over the next decade, with the help of Jakub Novak (from the Czech Republic), Michael Maxwell (from Canada), and Han Lindgren (from Australia), I evolved, tweaked, and pruned, DNS strength training into a comprehensive 3 course track. Two people/athletes/coaches who were absolutely critical to this process (patient 0 and 1 if you will) were Drew & Chelsea Dillon of Project Lift (www.Project-Lift.org). It was 2012, right before the US Weightlifting Olympic Trials and well before I was brought on an instructor, when I met these two special humans without whom DNS Strength Training would have never come to fruition. It was on them that the DNS principles were applied to training. Previously, DNS' involvement in sports was confined to the treatment of athletes. They had not yet been applied to training. Using DNS principles, I was able to rehab both of them through near career-ending injuries, getting them both back to the National level where they belong. In this process where DNS Strength Training was truly born, I rehabbed them through their injury, tweaked their technique to align with DNS principles of movement, and programmed for them for nearly 6 months to get them back to National level athletes. This process was crucial for bringing DNS Strength Training to fruition. Since that time, both Drew and Chelsea, both certified DNS strength coaches (DNS-SC), have been applying DNS to Olympic weightlifting at its highest level out of their gym Project Lift right here in Columbus, Ohio. If you want to learn about applying DNS to strength training, particularly Olympic weightlifting, there is no one doing it better...literally. Check out www.Project-Lift.org for more information on Project Lifting. Tell them I sent you!In this long overdue conversation Drew, Chelsea, and I talk about this process, this evolution of DNS Strength Training. I am eternally grateful that I was able to meet them, about the gracious way they allowed me to "experiment" on the them (if you will), and that I have them as close friends.Please enjoy this conversation with two of my favorite humans on the planet, Drew & Chelsea Dillon.

In this conversation with Mike Boyle...On December 29th, Mike Boyle put up a post that caused quite a ruckus. He said "I'm going to say it again, 5-10 reps done to failure is heavy enough. The risk of 1-5 is not worth the reward." While this statement does not seem to be all that controversial, the social media influencers of the world got riled up and stated to attack. I thought this created a terrific opportunity to discuss some important issues strength coaches face every day:- In what scenario do we need to lift to failure? - What does lifting to failure mean? - Do adults need to lift heavy?Mike is a brilliant strength coach with a world-class pragmatism. In this conversation, we dig into the weeds and actually explore the nuances of these critical questions instead of just throwing out attacks.

The conversation that we started in Part 1 was just getting rolling when we had to cut it off. Fortunately, Carl was nice enough to make time for a second podcast. In this episode, we neatly summarize the OPEX concept "Sustain" and then we dig a lot deeper into its application. Later in the episode we tease out the difference between sustain and repeatability - both important for any coach who works with the general public or athletes. I really enjoyed this conversation and was grateful that Carl was willing to make extra time. Enjoy!#KnowTheWhy#AthleteEnhancement

I was lucky enough to sit down, not once, but twice with OPEX CEO Carl Hardwick. If you've not heard of OPEX, it is a phenomenal education platform for strength coaches and personal trainers. It truly is a comprehensive program for any one in the industry, no matter how much experience you have. OPEX has many foundational concepts, on which their system is based. Once such concept is "Sustain". In this episode, we start digging into this concept, one which about which any coach or trainer should be aware. Huge thanks to Carl for taking time out of his busy schedule to meet with me. #KnowTheWhy#AthleteEnhancement

Of late, flexing the lumbar spine under load has become a surprisingly controversial topic. What was cannot not 10 years ago has become questionable. While flexing the lumbar spine under load seems like a bad idea, many social medial pundits are out there promoting the message that flexing your lumbar spine under load is totally fine. Again, while flexing the lumbar spine under load (repetitively at that) seems silly, it is actually more complex than a blanket, black and white statement, that one should never allow an athlete to flex their lumbar spine. For this reason, this will be a 2 part podcast. Enjoy!#KnowTheWhy #TrainHardTrainSmart #AthleteEnhancement

Thanks to groups like the Human Health & Performance Foundation (@HHPFoundation) and books like Breath, the benefits of nasal respiration are starting to be uncovered. While most of these have focused on the effects nasal respiration has on aerobic performance and also health, I was curious how it might influence stability in both traditional strength training and also high intensity metabolic intervals with heavier loads. In this episode, Dr. Ulm discusses these benefits, the challenges with using nasal respiration in training and also proper implementation.#KnowTheWhy

While these two phenomena or expressions of function are no doubt related and overlap in many settings, they are separate and distinct from each other. Understanding the difference enables the coach/therapist to better dose the exercise to elicit the desired adaptation (response).

Today’s Thoughts On is about the impact the athlete has on the overall efficacy of the program.~It was inspired by a great conversation I had with Henry Turaño, a fantastic coach and owner of OPEX San Juan. He is also one of the head coaches for Crafted Coaching, a remote coaching organization.~No matter how good the coach, programming is nothing more  than an educated guess. How the athlete interprets and executes the program has a huge impact on the efficacy.~@coachtorano @opexsj @crafted.coaching 

Mike Boyle has been an influential force in the strength training profession since its inception back in the 1980s. Brandishing a pragmatic sensibility, Mike has remained relevant and effective in an ever-changing profession for 4 decades. He's one of the early adopters of a "functional approach", now widely accepted in the industry.Mike is a busy fellow. He works as a strength coach in the Boston area at Mike Boyle Strength and Conditioning (www.bodybyboyle.com). He is the author of a functional training classic, Functional Training for Sports. He has a functional training certification, Certified Functional Strength Coach (CFSC | www.certifiedfsc.com) and he is a regular presenter on the Perform Better Functional Training series (www.performbetter.com/3-day-functional-training-summit). Mike is a fantastic presenter. If you ever get a chance to hear him present, you should definitely take it.