Q&A with Youtube watcher /commenter: Thomas Frayne

Recently I received an email from Thomas Frayne who had watched my interview with Mark Asanovich.  His questions primarily came from the field of athletics/sports, which is certainly not my emphasis.  I tend to focus more on helping regular folks, particularly an older population, stay as strong as possible, as safely and efficiently as possible, in order to maintain and/or improve their functional ability in order to maximize life quality and "health span".  I have some opinions on how athletes should strength train (same as everyone else) but again, not my emphasis.

Below, I've pasted Thomas' email, and rather than reply, I suggested we have a chat on zoom and record it, so hopefully of interest to listeners/viewers:

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Hi Coach,

I saw your pod with Coach Asanovich, I thought it was excellent.

I have a few questions maybe you could cover in another pod, or even have Coach A back as it was a great interview- er/ee combination.

Full disclaimer, I am into athletics, doing my sports science degree, hence the angle of some of my questions!

You can take it I agree with the generality of what was being said so these really are just points I am curious on and would like to push you both on!! I hope this doesnt seem to pushy, but you got me thinking so hopefully this is just returning the favour!
Do you have a place for dynamic actions in weight training, especially in the context of psychomotric theories. 
eg a basic deadlift extending knees and hips, produces similar moevement to extension in running / sprinting.
What is your view on light weight / high reps to encourage capillarisation and endurance? (as opposed to outright strenght)
I noted on another pod that in-season weights at for NFL players increased 20lbs progressively. In athletics we build similarly, but back off to allow a peak. Would Footballers not benefit from a similar taper?
I disagree on your good-humoured but negative comparison of marathon runners and ballers. So I have a few points on which your views would be interesting
Daniel Lieberman has shown humans evolved as endurance animals, outlasting faster prey.
most top marathon runners incorporate strenght training and are hard bodied, even if slim - this does not mean they are less healthy!? Do you think the comments you made are more of a visual bias (i.e. you are used to seeing gym guys, me personally I look at bulked up guys and think inversely to you!) than science based?
Take the same boston start line, these 'endurance' guys will do 100m in 11s, in training they might do 4 x 10 x 100m in 11", many 'strong' NFL players wouldn't last 100m at that pace.
you mentioned many runners carry injuries, is this not the same maybe as people who train wrong (explosive olympic lifts etc) in NFL and also get injured? What leisure runner makes the time to stretch to ease off runner's knee even though the cause and cure are well known? How many gym hogs maybe cut the odd corner too? Coach A recently tweeted about gym deaths (!) I dont know many runners who die from running - maybe SADS, but this is present in all sports.
How do you assess or weigh the western bias in the data and research? I'm Irish, and like the US and maybe Canada, maybe 60% of people are overweight, so of course strenght traing will benefit them. But are you/we ignoring the 90% of humans that the PhD students dont deign to test or research?
Do you see excess muscle bulk as a stressor on the heart?
An elite marathoner 70kg / 154lbs with 33bpm RHR average  v.
A person at 91kg, 30% heavier, either the heart is going to have to increase capacity or musculation or both, and / or increase frequency to pump blood around the extra mass.

Kindest regards,


Thomas