Perform with Dr. Andy Galpin

In this episode, I speak with Les Spellman, one of the most in-demand speed coaches in the world, who has trained more than 100 NFL athletes and worked with elite performers across football, basketball, baseball, soccer, and track. We discuss whether you can actually make people faster, what speed really means beyond a 40-yard dash time, and why the fastest athletes are not always the most successful on the field. Les explains his car analogy for speed (engine, brakes, and steering), how the density of a sport shapes its speed demands, and the key differences among linear speed, change of direction, and agility. We break down why deceleration is one of the most overlooked and high-force qualities in sport, how cutting angles change the braking demand, and why agility ladders miss the mark. Les also dismantles the “stay low” cue for acceleration, explains the four sprint archetypes (bounders, drivers, spinners, and bouncers), and shares how he uses the weight room to train high, fast, and slow force. We also cover session design and rest intervals, how often to hit near-maximal speeds, his post-game blood flow restriction (BFR) recovery protocol, when kids should start speed training, how speed development differs between girls and boys, and practical ways adult and endurance athletes can get faster. This episode is for any athlete, coach, or parent who wants to understand how speed is built and how to train it safely and effectively.

Show notes: https://www.performpodcast.com/episodes/les-spellman-how-to-get-faster

Sponsors

Momentous: https://livemomentous.com/galpin

David: https://davidprotein.com/perform

Eight Sleep: https://eightsleep.com/perform

LMNT: https://drinklmnt.com/perform

Chapters

(00:00:00) Can You Make People Faster?

(00:05:45) 40-Yard Dash Benchmarks by Position

(00:07:30) Sponsor: Momentous

(00:08:57) Defining Speed & Whether a Fast 40 Translates to the Field

(00:13:43) Engines, Brakes & Steering: How Sport Shapes Speed

(00:20:05) Training Speed for Court vs. Field Sports

(00:24:03) Lessons Learned: Speed, Capacity & Conditioning

(00:28:03) Aerobic Work, Post-Game BFR & Recovery Basics

(00:35:39) Linear Speed, Change of Direction & Agility

(00:41:14) Agility Ladders, Deceleration & Injury Risk

(00:50:04) Sponsor: David

(00:51:26) Early vs. Late Deceleration & Cutting Angles

(01:00:02) Agility vs. Change-of-Direction Drills; Drill Progressions

(01:06:51) Youth Athletes, General Preparation & Free Play

(01:10:22) Sponsor: Eight Sleep

(01:11:54) Fast vs. Quick, False Steps & the “Stay Low” Myth

(01:23:40) Stride Length vs. Frequency & Sprint Archetypes

(01:34:49) Sponsor: LMNT

(01:36:10) Lifting Weights for Speed: High, Fast & Slow Force

(01:44:31) Plyometrics, Session Design & Rest Between Sprints

(01:54:01) How Strong Is Strong Enough?

(01:56:57) Sprinting Injury Risk & Max-Speed Dosing

(02:01:39) Youth Speed Training: When to Start & What to Avoid

(02:07:03) Speed Development in Girls vs. Boys

(02:10:05) Getting Faster as an Adult or Endurance Athlete

(02:14:09) Advice for Young Coaches

Disclaimer & Disclosures
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In this episode, I explore testosterone and performance, building on my conversation with Dr. Ben House to take a closer look at how nutrition, metabolic health, and aging affect your hormones. I explain why excess body fat and underfueling can both suppress testosterone, how aggressive dieting differs from a modest calorie deficit, and what research suggests about hormone recovery after refeeding. I examine emerging findings on testosterone and aging, why metabolic health matters, and how total testosterone, free testosterone, and sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) can tell different stories. I also discuss the Defense Health Agency’s new testosterone guidelines for male service members, the importance of repeat testing, and what to consider before starting testosterone replacement therapy (TRT), including fertility and ongoing monitoring. We then look at testosterone’s role in muscle growth, why normal hormone levels and brief post-exercise increases do not reliably predict training results, and what androgen receptors can and cannot explain. I also discuss practical considerations for protein intake, anabolic resistance, and strength training as you age. This episode is for anyone who wants to better understand their hormone health and make more informed decisions about nutrition, training, and testosterone.

Sponsors

Momentous: https://livemomentous.com/galpin

David: https://davidprotein.com/perform

LMNT: https://drinklmnt.com/perform

Chapters

(00:00:00) Testosterone & Performance

(00:06:37) Low Testosterone: Lab Results, Symptoms & Obesity

(00:13:31) Underfueling, Calorie Deficits & Low Testosterone

(00:23:05) Testosterone Recovery: Refeeding, Sleep & Stress

(00:30:11) Testosterone & Aging: The Role of Metabolic Health

(00:44:39) New Testosterone Guidelines & Accurate Testing

(00:50:42) TRT: Safety, Fertility, Treatment Targets & Benefits

(01:00:01) Daily Testosterone Rhythms & Testing Time

(01:03:37) Total vs. Free Testosterone: Understanding SHBG

(01:13:12) Does Higher Testosterone Mean More Muscle Growth?

(01:21:46) Androgen Receptors & Individual Training Responses

(01:25:12) Aging, Anabolic Resistance & How Much Protein You Need

(01:34:53) Strength Training With Age & Final Takeaways

Disclaimer & Disclosures
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, my guest is Dr. Ben House, a nutritional scientist who has spent nearly two decades working with elite athletes and professional sports teams. We take a detailed look at testosterone, what your lab results can and cannot tell you, and why a higher number does not automatically mean better health or more muscle. Ben explains total and free testosterone, sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), and how testing methods, sleep, hydration, meals, and the timing of your blood draw can affect the result. We examine research on testosterone and muscle growth, why population averages can obscure individual differences, and how metabolic health complicates the story of testosterone and aging. We also discuss obesity, low energy availability, dietary fat, carbohydrates, micronutrients, and recovering after a calorie deficit. Ben shares his approach to investigating low testosterone, the importance of informed consent before testosterone replacement therapy (TRT), and the distinction between restoring normal levels and using higher doses for performance or physique goals. We finish with lessons from professional sports on managing training loads, fueling, sleep, and recovery. This episode is for anyone who wants to better understand hormone testing, support long-term performance, and make more informed decisions about testosterone.

Sponsors

Momentous: https://livemomentous.com/galpin

LMNT: https://drinklmnt.com/perform

David: https://davidprotein.com/perform

Eight Sleep: https://eightsleep.com/perform

Chapters

(00:00:00) Ben House: Testosterone, Health & Performance

(00:03:51) Personal Baselines & Normal Testosterone Ranges

(00:12:00) Total vs. Free Testosterone: SHBG & Albumin

(00:17:49) Accurate Hormone Testing: Methods, Timing & Measurement Error

(00:23:36) Daily Testosterone Fluctuations & Why Repeat Tests Matter

(00:29:33) High SHBG: Interpreting Lab Ranges in Context

(00:32:08) TRT: Informed Consent & Finding the Cause of Low Testosterone

(00:35:04) TRT Monitoring: Hematocrit, Lipids, Estradiol & Heart Health

(00:43:38) Natural Testosterone Production, Testicular Atrophy & Stopping TRT

(00:48:11) The Brain–Testicle Hormone Axis & Training with Low Testosterone

(00:55:16) Calorie Deficits, Body Recomposition & Testosterone

(01:00:44) Does Higher Testosterone Predict More Muscle Growth?

(01:15:03) Obesity, Leptin & Low Testosterone

(01:22:45) Is Testosterone Declining Across Generations?

(01:29:52) Testosterone & Aging: The Role of Metabolic Health

(01:39:44) Low Testosterone Symptoms & Looking Beyond Fatigue

(01:44:54) Supplements, Weight Loss, Refeeding & Sleep

(01:53:14) Micronutrients, Metabolic Health & GLP-1 Medications

(01:57:45) Training Stress, Underfueling & Overlooked Medical Causes

(02:03:33) Getting Too Lean: Energy Availability & Hormone Recovery

(02:10:19) Dieting Too Hard? Symptoms, Tradeoffs & Individual Responses

(02:15:19) Refeeding: Dietary Fat, Carbohydrates & Changes in Scale Weight

(02:21:22) Professional Athletes: Training Loads, Fueling & Recovery

(02:28:38) Better Recovery: Trust, Sleep & Low-Intensity Movement

(02:34:27) TRT vs. Higher-Dose Use: What Cardiovascular Research Actually Shows

Disclaimer & Disclosures
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In this episode, my guest is Dr. John Rusin, a physical therapist and strength coach who bridges rehabilitation and human performance. We discuss his approach to persistent back, shoulder, and knee pain and how to build a body that can handle demanding training for the long term. John walks through his six-phase warm-up, a 10–12-minute sequence that combines foam rolling, stretching, corrective exercises, activation, movement practice, and explosive drills. He explains why breathing matters during soft tissue work, how mobility differs from flexibility, and why feeling tight doesn't necessarily mean you just need more stretching. We cover simple movement breaks for desk workers, detailed cues for hip and shoulder stability, face-pull technique, bracing, lifting belts, and how to adapt exercise form to your body and goals. We also discuss progressing back to heavier training, maintaining strength, muscle, and power as you age, and using loaded carries to build and assess full-body capacity. This episode is for anyone who wants to move more comfortably, train consistently, and keep getting stronger.

Sponsors

Momentous: https://livemomentous.com/galpin

LMNT: https://drinklmnt.com/perform

David: https://davidprotein.com/perform

Eight Sleep: https://eightsleep.com/perform

Chapters

(00:00:00) John Rusin: Bridging Physical Therapy & Performance

(00:07:26) Chronic Pain vs. Acute Injury

(00:17:20) Desk Work, Movement Breaks & Better Posture

(00:23:46) The 10-Minute Warm-Up: Six Phases for Better Training

(00:29:46) Foam Rolling: Technique, Breathing & What Actually Changes

(00:40:49) Tight or Weak? Mobility, Flexibility & Muscle Control

(00:53:17) Back Pain: Surgery, Rehabilitation & Conservative Care

(00:57:11) How to Stretch with Control & Stability

(01:11:25) Corrective Exercises & Activation: Bird Dogs to Hip Thrusts

(01:21:56) Better Face Pulls: Grip, Angles & Technique

(01:29:16) Movement Practice: Turning Better Technique into Habit

(01:39:32) Preparing for Heavy Lifting: Power & Explosive Movement

(01:43:03) Full-Body Bracing & When to Use a Lifting Belt

(01:46:08) What Good Form Means: Your Body, Load & Experience

(01:56:12) Deadlift Grip, Jefferson Curls & Training Spinal Flexion

(02:01:26) Training for Longevity & Knowing When to Progress

(02:07:41) Building Strength, Muscle & Power Together

(02:12:30) Loaded Carries: Benchmarks, Technique & Programming

Disclaimer & Disclosures
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In this episode, my guest is Dan Garner, a renowned human performance coach behind UFC champions, Olympic medalists, and CEOs. We discuss how he bridges the gap between sports science and real-world coaching. Dan explains constraint theory — finding the single bottleneck holding someone back — and walks through the blood markers he uses to find it, including why a 20% testosterone swing can be pure noise, why vitamin D has no usable reference change value, and why the omega-3 index is the most honest marker he tracks. We cover his three-step approach to fat loss, diet breaks, low energy availability, hypertrophy clusters, deload strategy, and an evidence-first framework for evaluating peptides. This episode is for anyone who wants to measure what they're doing and adjust it intelligently rather than guessing.

Show notes: https://www.performpodcast.com/episodes/dan-garner-how-to-reach-your-fitness-goals

Sponsors

Momentous: https://livemomentous.com/galpin

Eight Sleep: https://eightsleep.com/perform

David: https://davidprotein.com/perform

LMNT: https://drinklmnt.com/perform

Chapters

(00:00:00) White House UFC & Ronda Rousey's Return

(00:06:14) Dan Garner's Coaching Career & Health as a Performance Constraint

(00:11:19) Build a Better Schedule: Daily Review, Preparation & Consistency

(00:23:22) Results vs. Activity: Measurement, Progression & Deep Work

(00:35:29) Evidence-Based Coaching: Science, Context & Critical Thinking

(00:41:32) Prescribe, Measure & Adjust: Adherence Before Physiology

(00:47:15) Real-Life Constraints, Goal Alignment & Extreme Balance

(00:56:36) Protein, Fiber, Sunlight & Constraint Theory

(01:00:03) Biomarker Noise: Testosterone, Vitamin D & Omega-3

(01:09:42) Testosterone: Optimal Ranges, Performance & Low Levels

(01:15:31) Low Energy Availability, Diet Breaks & Metabolic Health

(01:21:09) Fat-Loss Blueprint: Calories, Macros & Nutrient Timing

(01:27:27) Diet Readiness: Symptoms, Blood Work & Removing Constraints

(01:31:30) Testosterone Testing: Meaningful Change, Free T & Lab Variability

(01:36:31) Omega-3 Index: Targets, Dosing & Measuring Your Response

(01:45:46) Vitamin D: Targets, Dosing & Misleading Results

(01:54:41) Building a Better Physique: Timing, Meal Frequency & Adherence

(02:03:26) Combining Cardio & Lifting; Training Splits for Aesthetics

(02:08:35) Flexible Programming, Recovery Days & Smarter Deloads

(02:14:39) Lagging Muscles, Calf Training & Hypertrophy Clusters

(02:24:20) Training to Failure & the "One Bad Rep" Rule

(02:27:31) Sleep Supplements, Pre-Workouts & Recovery Strategies

(02:40:50) Peptides: Evidence, Risk, Monitoring & SS-31

(02:51:33) MOTS-c: Mitochondria, AMPK & Response Variability

(02:56:20) Retatrutide: Triple-Agonist Therapy, Benefits & Unknown Risks

Disclaimer & Disclosures
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices