2890: Speed Training for Athletes | How to Sprint Faster Without Getting Hurt w/ Brian Kula

In this episode the guys sit down with elite speed and performance coach Brian Kula of Kula Sports Performance, the man who has trained Christian McCaffrey since he was 13 years old, Saquon Barkley, AJ Brown, and dozens of other professional and Olympic athletes. Brian breaks down his Bounce Fire system for building safe running mechanics from the ground up, why strong athletes like Sal who never sprint are actually at higher injury risk than deconditioned ones, how the nervous system is the real reason hamstrings pull, why cold plunges can shut down the nervous system for up to 24 hours before a game, the best strength training exercises for speed including trap bar deadlifts and overcoming isometrics, how he uses force plates and grip strength to gauge recovery, the role genetics play in athletic potential, why gymnastics is the best base sport for young kids, and the ACL injury connection to the menstrual cycle that most coaches don't know about.

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0:00 - Intro

3:31 - Running is a skill and why the injury rate is so high

6:06 - The Bounce Fire system — Brian's 25-year progressive running mechanics method

12:20 - Why reaching with your stride is the real cause of most hamstring pulls

15:44 - Sal's hamstring pop story and why strong athletes who never sprint are highest risk

20:28 - Recovery tools — force plates, fly tens and structured periodization

30:08 - Best strength exercises for speed — trap bar deadlift, box squat and overcoming isometrics

37:09 - Biggest changes in athletic training over 30 years and what went wrong with functional training

40:07 - Female ACL injury rates and the menstrual cycle connection nobody talks about

43:14 - CO2 paste recovery technology — why Brian thinks it beats hyperbaric chambers and cold plunges

51:00 - Biggest mistakes young athletes and coaches make and the multi-sport debate

1:00:25 - Stories from coaching Saquon, McCaffrey, AJ Brown and what separates elite athletes