How to Assess an Athlete: The Best Principles, Methods, and Devices to Use

July 19, 2018

Educator, coach, and exercise physiologist Dr. Mike T. Nelson is back on the podcast today.  With a PhD in Exercise Physiology, Mike has made learning and teaching about the human body his life’s work. He has published research in physiology and engineering journals and speaks internationally on topics related to metabolic flexibility and movement.

Today Mike is here to speak with Tommy from a coaching perspective about assessing athletes, specifically in the areas of physical performance, nutrition, lifestyle, and technology. Drawing on two decades of education and experience, he discusses the specific tools and principles he uses to evaluate his clients, mixing trusted methods with new technology. He also describes the best way to pick a coach and shares his criteria for selecting devices among new technology.

Here’s the outline of this interview with Mike T. Nelson:

[00:00:54] Previous podcasts: High Ketones and Carbs at the Same Time? Great Performance Tip or Horrible Idea… and The Importance of Strength Training for Endurance Athlete.

[00:01:36] Dr. Pat Davidson.

[00:02:00] International Symposium on Clinical Neuroscience 2018; Carrick Institute; Dr. Frederick Robert Carrick.

[00:02:47] Mass 2 - discussed with Dr. Ben House on this podcast: How to Manage Testosterone and Estrogen in Athletes.

[00:03:02] Dr. Bryan Walsh (podcasts: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6).

[00:03:59] Should practitioners look the part?

[00:04:48] Dr. Michael Ruscio; Podcast: How to Have a Healthy Gut.

[00:06:07] Brian Shaw.

[00:08:10] Tips for finding a coach.

[00:10:08] Athlete assessments (physical, nutrition, lifestyle, technology).

[00:11:29] Kendall Manual Muscle Testing.

[00:11:45] Reflexive Performance Reset (RPR).

[00:13:22] Cooper Test; 500m row.

[00:14:48] Rob Wilson; Brian MacKenzie; Art of Breath.

[00:20:29] Be Activated.

[00:21:50] Jill Miller, Coregeous ball.

[00:22:34] Zach Moore, MA, CSCS, Head of Strength and Conditioning at NBT.

[00:23:54] Gabriele Wulf; Study: Wulf, Gabriele. "Attentional focus and motor learning: a review of 15 years." International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology 6.1 (2013): 77-104.

[00:28:02] Cal Dietz.

[00:28:20] Dr. Eric Cobb at Z Health.

[00:29:38] Cronometer, myfitnesspal.

[00:34:57] Metabolic flexibility.

[00:35:37] FASTER study: Volek, Jeff S., et al. "Metabolic characteristics of keto-adapted ultra-endurance runners." Metabolism 65.3 (2016): 100-110.

[00:37:17] Metabolic Flexibility study: Goodpaster, Bret H., and Lauren M. Sparks. "Metabolic flexibility in health and disease." Cell metabolism 25.5 (2017): 1027-1036.

[00:37:40] Glycomark.

[00:37:59] Pop tart test.

[00:39:16] Sleep; Podcasts with Dan Pardi and Kirk Parsley; Book: Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams, by Matthew Walker, PhD.

[00:40:04] Fun; liking what you do.

[00:42:08] Oura ring.

[00:42:46] Heart Rate Variability (HRV).

[00:45:04] Coaching: What to work on and document.

[00:50:47] Omegawave, Moxy.

[00:53:16] Dophin Neurostim.

[00:54:12] Push Band.

[00:54:35] Halo Sport Headset.

[00:55:06] Transcranial Electrical Stimulation Study: Vöröslakos, Mihály, et al. "Direct effects of transcranial electric stimulation on brain circuits in rats and humans." Nature communications 9.1 (2018): 483.

[00:55:57] Evaluating new technology.

[01:01:11] Blood Chemistry Calculator.

[01:02:29] Sensitivity and Specificity.

[01:09:11] miketnelson.com; flexdiet.com.