Finding the Bottleneck in Your Training

Ask a questionTendinopathy is the injury most people quit on. Recovery takes months, progress feels random, and there's a billion-dollar market selling miracle fixes to people desperate for relief. Jarlo has been treating it for 28 years and has dealt with it personally for years at a stretch.In this conversation we get into:Why getting stronger and feeling better don't track as cleanly as people assume, and what actually seems to drive recoveryThe protocol question (isometrics, heavy-slow loading, daily moderate-rep work) and the practical answer about which one to pickHow to tell within a couple weeks whether something is helping, without doing mental gymnastics to convince yourselfActivity modification that lets you keep training through it, including the order-of-operations fix that finally settled a year of Jarlo's knee painWhy "pain free" is the wrong finish line, and what to track instead so you don't bail at month fourIf you've got a nagging elbow, achilles, shoulder, or knee that's been around longer than it should, this one's for you. Support the show👉 Try a free strength and agility workout

Ask a questionTwo ways people get it wrong with training around injuries: rest until everything feels perfect (three weeks becomes three months becomes deconditioned and afraid to start), or push through and hope (which usually extends the flare). Both worked when you were 22. They don't anymore.Jarlo Ilano (physical therapist, GMB co-founder) and Andy Fossett walk through the framework Jarlo uses with patients and we use across our programs. A discomfort scale, an irritability test, and a way to keep training while you recover.What's covered:Why "rest until pain-free" stops working past your 30s, and what active rest actually looks likeThe 3-out-of-10 discomfort scale: what it measures, how to track it through a session, and why we use 3 instead of the 5 that shows up in post-op researchIrritability as a diagnostic: the difference between pain that fades when you stop and pain that lingers after the stressor is goneThe delayed-reaction problem (you felt fine during, you wake up wrecked) and how to read the next 24 hoursThe "split everything in half" rule for your first session backHow to control variables when you train injured: pick a familiar movement, fix the time, vary the loadWhy every rep is already a modification, and why that mindset beats hunting for the perfect substitute exerciseThis one's for anyone who's hit middle age (which Jarlo points out starts way earlier than you think) and noticed the rules have changed. You can run the framework yourself, and it works across most of the common stuff: knees, shoulders, tendons, adductors. Support the show👉 Try a free strength and agility workout

Ask a questionIn this episode, Andy and Ryan explore the concept of bottlenecks in training, emphasizing how identifying and addressing the main limiting factor can accelerate progress. They discuss practical methods for assessment, common misconceptions, and real-world examples to help listeners optimize their fitness routines.Key TopicsTheory of constraints in trainingIdentifying bottlenecks in fitnessAssessment methods: strength, flexibility, controlPractical examples: handstands, pull-ups, swimmingTraining strategies for different body types and limitationsChapters00:00 Identifying Your Training Bottleneck09:19 The Importance of General Physical Preparedness18:54 Assessing and Diagnosing Your Bottleneck28:49 Navigating Constraints and Limitations Support the show👉 Try a free strength and agility workout

Ask a questionSleep Is a PracticeWe've talked about sleep before — our PM routines, keeping it dark and cool and quiet, putting down the phone, all the adulting 101 tips that every Instagram account and bestselling book has been yelling at you for years. You know all of it.So we polled 119 members of our coaching community about their sleep. A third of them are struggling, and the comments made one thing very clear: nobody has a knowledge problem. They have a life problem. Toddlers, menopause, business anxiety, shift-working spouses, bodies that wake up at 3am to replay every unfinished task from the last decade.This episode is about what to do when you already know the basics and your life won't cooperate.Resources:5 Quality Sleep Strategies to Feel Well-Rested and More Productive - Our article on the fundamentals of better sleepEvening Stretching Routine - Ryan's pre-bed routine to help you relax and sleep betterYour PM Routine - Our earlier episode on building an evening routine that sets you up for the next dayHow to Practice Recovery - Our episode on autoregulation and learning to read your body's recovery needsRespiration - Our breathing program for managing stress, calming your nervous system, and improving recoveryRecovery - Structured active recovery sessions with light movement, self-massage, and full-body awareness workAlpha Posse - Our coaching community where this sleep conversation startedPick one thing from this episode. One. Practice it for two weeks. If it's breathing before bed, do it every night. If it's moving your phone out of the bedroom, do it every night. If it's the evening stretch routine, commit. See what actually changes for you, then decide if it stays.Support the show👉 Try a free strength and agility workout

Ask a questionMost people think training is about constant progress.Getting stronger. More flexible. Better conditioned. Always moving forward.And when that’s not happening, it feels like something’s gone wrong.But that idea falls apart pretty quickly when you look at how anything actually develops over time.Athletes don’t train at peak intensity all year. They periodize their with pre-season, in-season, and off-season. Your work has busy periods and slower stretches. Even your energy across a week shifts depending on sleep, stress, and everything else going on in your life.Training works the same way.There are seasons to it. Not just one.In this episode, we break down four of them:Building — when you’re putting focused effort into improving a specific skill or qualityMaintenance Mode — doing just enough to keep what you’ve built while your attention goes elsewhereDamage Control — adjusting when something’s off, whether that’s an injury, fatigue, or just life hitting hardExploring / Performing — using what you’ve built in less structured, more variable, real-world waysThe mistake most people make is treating “building” as the only phase that counts.But trying to build everything, all the time, usually leads to stalled progress, frustration, or getting hurt.A better approach is understanding which season each part of your training is in, and adjusting accordingly.You might be building mobility, maintaining strength, managing a cranky shoulder, and exploring new movement patterns all in the same week.That’s how sustainable progress actually works.We’ll walk through how each of these phases works, why they’re all necessary, and how to train in each one so that even maintenance or damage control still move you forward.Because the goal isn’t to always be pushing harder.It’s to keep making progress over time without burning yourself out in the process.Support the show👉 Try a free strength and agility workout

Ask a questionMost people know when to back off their training, but only once something already hurts. That’s the problem.In this episode, we break down why pain and fatigue are lagging indicators, and how to start using earlier signals to guide your training instead. You’ll learn how to recognize when you’re actually ready to push harder, not just when you need to stop, and how to adjust your sessions based on what’s really going on in your body and your life.If you’ve ever felt stuck between going too hard and doing nothing at all, this gives you a better way to make the call.Support the show👉 Try a free strength and agility workout

Ask a questionMany people think progress only happens on the days when they push themselves to the limit. Everything else feels like falling behind.In reality, most productive training happens in the middle. The grey zone between maximum effort and total rest is where you can practice skills, build muscle, develop endurance, and accumulate consistent work without constantly needing long recovery periods.Autoregulation helps you learn how to operate in that middle range. Instead of reacting to fatigue or chasing max effort every session, you develop the ability to adjust intensity and keep moving forward.The result is fewer setbacks, more training days, and better long-term progress.Support the show👉 Try a free strength and agility workout

Ask a questionThis episode is a rambling and unfocused mess. OK, so it's a little better than that, but the truth is that "how do I integrate more training into my life" is a really broad question, and any focused, succinct answer would be incomplete.What you'll actually get is Ryan and Andy working through the tension between movement snacks and real training sessions, why 15 focused minutes beats 90 minutes of scattered effort, and the five words that have repeatedly saved Andy from his own to-do list. And Ryan's three-word rebuttal. If you've ever caught yourself researching infrared saunas for three hours instead of doing some damn pushups, this one's for you. And yes, we talk about toilet squats.Support the show👉 Try a free strength and agility workout

Ask a questionAndy and Ryan discuss the use of timed sets vs rep counting in the Praxis Protocol, emphasizing the importance of quality movement over quantity. The conversation covers the significance of adjusting intensity, the idea of mechanical drop sets, and the distinction between time under tension and time under attention. They also address how to measure progress without relying on numerical goals, encouraging listeners to focus on their improvement in movement quality.TakeawaysGMB emphasizes quality of movement over quantity in training.The five P's framework helps organize practice effectively.Timed sets allow for a focus on quality rather than counting reps.Adjusting intensity and scaling movements is crucial for progress.Mechanical drop sets can be applied to bodyweight exercises.Time under tension is important, but time under attention is key for practice.Measuring progress can be based on how well you perform movements, not just numbers.Quality movement leads to better performance in sports and daily activities.The goal of training should be to improve functional movement skills.Practicing with a focus on quality can prevent injuries and enhance performance.Chapters00:00 Introduction to the Podcast and GMB's Unique Approach02:22 Understanding the Five P's Framework05:21 Quality Over Quantity in Movement Practice08:34 The Importance of Timed Sets in Training11:27 Challenges with Traditional Rep Counting14:12 Transitioning to Quality-Focused Training17:23 Conclusion and Future Directions18:56 Scaling Movements and Adjustments21:59 Understanding Mechanical Drop Sets23:53 Bodyweight Variations and Drop Sets27:22 Quality Over Quantity in Training29:26 Time Under Tension vs. Time Under Attention35:31 Focusing on Progress Beyond NumbersSupport the show👉 Try a free strength and agility workout

Ask a questionIf you’ve been training for years but still feel like you're not sure how to keep progress going, have random aches hanging around, and every new “must-do” tip online is somehow making it worse. Then this episode is for you!Jarlo sits down with Dr. Jason Silvernail (DPT, DSc, U.S. Army Colonel, strength coach) to talk about the problem most people don’t realize they have: it’s not a lack of information… it’s a lack of a way to sort it. They unpack why modern fitness advice swings between two extremes, either a vague “wellness philosophy” or an aggressive “one weird trick” fear based, and what to use instead: a practical framework for making smart training decisions that actually match your real-life goals.You’ll hear how Jason shifted his own training in his 40s (without giving up being strong), why “masters athlete” training is not resigning yourself to being less. It's a  mindset upgrade, and how the best results come from combining the right inputs (movement, recovery, stress, sleep, context) rather than chasing the next magic bullet.Come for the training insights and leave with a clearer filter for everything you hear about health, fitness, and longevity.*Opinions expressed by Dr. Jason Silvernail are his own and do not represent the official policy or position of the United States Army, the Department of Defense, or the United States Government*Learn more from Dr. Silvernail here http://Linktr.ee/jasonsilvernailSupport the show👉 Try a free strength and agility workout