Overview of The Model Health Show episode: How to Build Explosive Strength, Speed, and Athleticism at Any Age
In this episode, Shawn Stevenson hosts a two-part masterclass on athletic performance featuring elite coaches Corey Schlesinger and Coach Mike G (Mike Guevara). The conversation focuses on how to build speed, power, jumping ability, deceleration, and long-term athleticism without overloading the body or sacrificing movement quality. While the episode is aimed at serious athletes—especially basketball players—it also offers practical training principles for anyone who wants to stay strong, mobile, and explosive as they age.
Key Themes and Big Ideas
- Train for performance, not just appearance
- The show emphasizes that muscle and fitness should improve what your body can do in real life and sport.
- Microdosing training
- Instead of cramming all training stress into one big session, spread it out in smaller doses to reduce fatigue and preserve performance.
- Specificity matters
- The best training depends on the sport, the athlete’s structure, and what the body actually needs.
- Athleticism is about more than lifting heavy
- Speed, jumping, deceleration, foot strength, and mobility all matter just as much as traditional strength work.
- Longevity comes from preserving key physical abilities
- Sprinting, grip strength, balance, and the ability to get up and down from the floor are framed as essential markers of healthy aging.
Corey Schlesinger: Microdosing, Sprinting, and Sport-Specific Strength
Corey Schlesinger, NBA Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year, explains how elite athletes are trained differently from standard gym-goers.
Microdosing exercise
- Microdosing means spreading training stress across smaller sessions instead of doing one exhausting lift.
- In pro sports, this helps athletes:
- reduce soreness and neural fatigue
- maintain higher quality movement
- recover better during dense schedules like an 82-game season
- He recommends short, focused sessions of 10–15 minutes rather than long mega-lifts.
How to structure training around practice
- Before practice: use speed, power, sprinting, and potentiation work to “turn the motor on.”
- After practice: do heavier eccentrics, isometrics, and accessory work when the athlete is already warmed up.
Why skill and structure matter
- Schlesinger argues that coaches should meet the athlete where they are rather than forcing a one-size-fits-all approach.
- He warns against exercises that are too compressive or technically risky for certain body types.
- For some athletes, machines and calisthenics can be better than barbell-heavy lifts because they allow more control, better loading, and less interference with sport movement.
Sprinting as the top athletic stimulus
- He calls sprinting the most potent stimulus for athletic development.
- Sprinting creates ground reaction forces that cannot be replicated in the weight room.
- He views sprint training, regressions, and progressions as foundational for nearly every athlete.
Deceleration training
- Schlesinger highlights the importance of teaching athletes how to stop quickly and safely.
- Key drills include:
- depth drop landings
- controlled and stiff landings
- lateral and horizontal deceleration progressions
- He notes that great athletes often stand out most in how efficiently they can stop and re-accelerate.
Track and field as the model
- He repeatedly points to track and field as the source for elite warmups, sprint mechanics, and plyometric development.
- His rule of thumb: if you’re not learning from track and field, you’re probably behind.
Coach Mike G: Isometrics, Barefoot Training, and Jump Diversity
Coach Mike G explains how simple training tools can build robust, high-performing athletes.
Why isometrics matter
- Isometrics are static holds with tension but no joint movement.
- They are:
- safe
- accessible to almost everyone
- useful for building tendon health and pain tolerance
- A classic example is the wall sit, which can reduce knee discomfort and improve readiness for training.
Tendon and injury resilience
- He references research showing that isometrics can help reinforce tendon structure.
- This is especially relevant for basketball players, whose knees and Achilles tendons take a lot of stress.
Barefoot training and foot strength
- Mike G trains athletes barefoot to improve:
- proprioception
- foot strength
- balance and stability
- sensory feedback from the ground
- He explains that modern shoes can mute the foot’s natural feedback system.
- He emphasizes foot pressure awareness:
- heel loading
- midfoot loading
- forefoot loading
- toe loading
- These differences can change how force travels up the body.
Big toe strength is underrated
- One standout drill: placing a small ball under the big toe and pressing down isometrically.
- He says strong big toes are strongly associated with better jumping ability.
Jump rope and trampolines
- Jump rope is one of his favorite low-cost, high-value tools for athletes and older adults.
- It improves:
- elasticity
- coordination
- fall prevention
- rebound-based lymphatic movement
- He also praises the mini trampoline as a low-impact way to reintroduce jumping and running mechanics.
Play and gamification
- Mike G stresses that training should feel like play, especially for athletes.
- Games, contests, and movement challenges help shift the athlete’s mindset and improve training quality.
Practical Takeaways You Can Apply
For athletes
- Use shorter, more frequent training doses instead of destroying yourself in one workout.
- Prioritize:
- sprinting
- plyometrics
- isometrics
- deceleration work
- foot strength
- Match training to the demands of your sport.
For parents of young athletes
- Don’t force adult-style heavy lifting too early.
- Focus on movement quality, bouncing, sprinting, jumping, and safe strength development.
- Add calisthenics and isometrics as foundational tools.
For everyday adults
- Keep these abilities alive for longevity:
- sprinting
- grip strength
- full-range movement
- getting up off the floor without your hands
- hanging from a bar
- Start slowly with barefoot work, jump rope, or isometric holds before progressing to impact-based drills.
Notable Insights
-
“The athlete is always right.”
Schlesinger’s reminder that training should serve the athlete, not the coach’s ego. -
Sprinting is framed as a longevity tool, not just a performance tool.
Both guests see speed and elasticity as qualities worth preserving for life. -
You can build athleticism without excessive wear and tear.
Smart regressions, isometrics, barefoot training, and microdosing all aim to get results while protecting the body.
Bottom Line
This episode argues that real athleticism is built through smart, specific, and sustainable training—not just heavy lifting or endless volume. Sprinting, jumping, isometrics, deceleration, and foot strength are presented as core tools for both high-level athletes and everyday people who want to stay powerful, resilient, and capable for life.