Robertson Training Systems

With over 30 years in high performance sport, Ben Sporer has seen what it takes to be successful at the highest levels.

From Canadian Olympic athletes to the Vancouver Whitecaps of the MLS, Ben has made a career on being clear and intentional about the goals of his program.

So where do we go wrong when writing programs? Are we too caught up in the 1% that we're missing the long hanging fruit? Or are we too enamored with cool recovery modalities that we're actually NOT getting the training adaptations we want?

We cover all that - and much more - in this week's episode of the Physical Prep Podcast!

This Week on the Physical Prep Podcast:

🎙️ Ben's pioneering role as the first full-time paid physiologist for Olympic sports in Canada.
🎙️ His transition from strength coaching in hockey to leading performance strategies for Olympic and professional sports teams.
🎙️ Why Ben believes that "performance is an output, not an outcome."
🎙️ The importance of mastering fundamentals FIRST (or again!) before focusing on marginal gains
🎙️ What is "net performance impact?" And how can you use it to evaluate training and recovery strategies?
🎙️ Ben's emphasis on recovery being as intentional and rigorous as training itself.
🎙️ The distinction between multidisciplinary and integrated teams, and the need for active communication across domains
🎙️ Challenges and strategies you'll see when customizing training programs for individual athletes within team environments.
🎙️ The importance of clear objectives and context in performance planning.
🎙️ Ben's approach to balancing training and recovery, including the strategic use of recovery periods.

This Week on the Physical Prep Podcast:

🎙️ How the roles of PT’s and strength coaches should overlap throughout the rehab and return to play (RTP) process

🎙️ The most important things you should be focusing on if your goal is “longevity”

🎙️ Should you only be training Zone 2? And where/when might you be looking to incorporate more high-intensity conditioning?

🎙️ Rethinking traditional “big-bang” exercises, and figuring out where they might fit into your programs (if at all!)

🎙️ The power of micro-progressions to avoid setbacks and smooth the RTP process

🎙️ Why data is great, but it’s not the be-all, end-all some would like for it to be

🎙️ Sports specialization vs multi-sport participation in young athletes

🎙️ How training constraints influence program design in real-world settings

🎙️ The disconnect between online social media debates and practical application in training