Soflete

Brent and Doug discuss the intricacies of the human specimen.

This week’s episode has the boys reflecting on a truly awesome week. George and Matt recently attended the NSCA Tactical Strength and Conditioning (TSAC) Annual Training event in Norfolk, Virginia. Aside from offering a stellar lineup of highly experienced and educated speakers, the event was also a fantastic opportunity to connect with other human performance specialists from across the tactical community. From earning a Navy SEAL Challenge Coin to playing the most competitive game of Jenga ever; if you weren’t fortunate enough to have been able to attend the event in person, check out this episode to live vicariously through the eyes of the Soflete Human Performance Team. Please see below for some of the links that the guys mention during the podcast: NSCA TSAC (https://www.nsca.com/professional-development/professional-areas/tsac-professionals/) Vernon Griffith Episode 44 of the Soflete Performance Podcast (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/performance-podcast-44-vernon-griffith/id1238939513

Brent and Doug catch up over drinks.

Episode 3 - How Take Your Nervous System Into Consideration To wrap up this chapter, George and Matt kick off with a quote from the legendary late Dr Fred Hatfield. In keeping with the no-nonsense, practical approach that ’Dr Squat’ was known for, the guys focus this episode on providing you with actionable steps to improve your performance and boost your health and longevity. To start with, they guys recap the ‘be your own scientist’ concept and explain how you can use this systematic approach to improve markers of health and wellness- like resting heart rate or HRV. George then provides examples of protocols that you can use to gain extra accuracy on the range, improve critical thinking in the boardroom or even get a few more pounds on your bench press. Finally, the guys drop this chapter’s Conscious Warrior Challenge. The guys want you to become your own scientist and use your nervous system to improve your performance. You can either choose an ‘acute performance’ (e.g. a lift in the gym, or an occupatio

Brent and Doug discuss the Olympics.

Episode 2 - How Understanding the Nervous System is Relevant to the Tactical Community In this episode, George and Matt discuss how being able to make some sense of the nervous system can help enhance performance and resilience, specifically for the tactical professional. In doing so, the guys dive into the role of the autonomic nervous system and consider how the stress response requirements have changed in humans over the last 1000 years. Matt explains that for a lot of this to make sense, we need to consider the response to both acute and chronic stress. For instance, from a performance enhancement perspective, we need to identify what ‘state’ might be optimal for the completion of a given task (e.g. long range shooting) and then learn how to bridge the gap from our current state, to that desired state. George then unpacks how Heart Rate Variability (HRV) can be used as a tool for quantifying state, thus providing a baseline from which to experiment. Everything we do here at SOFLETE is based on adding v

Episode 1 - Introducing the Nervous System This episode comes with a public safety announcement- the human nervous system is a pretty complex piece of hardware; the exact workings of which the scientific community still doesn’t completely understand. Consequently, George and Matt attempt to walk the tightrope balance between providing you with sufficient biological knowledge that you can understand the rest of this chapter in context, whilst still giving practical advice that you can implement directly into your own training. The episode starts out with Matt providing a brief ‘machine gun style’ overview of the structure of the human nervous system. If this is something you are interested in, then definitely head over to youtube (or your local library!) and spend some time getting familiar with this stuff- particularly if you’re a coach, it does really help to have a solid underpinning of knowledge in this area. The late Canadian sprints coach Charlie Francis epitomised how understanding the nervous system ca

Bottom Of The Barrel 20 - Third Time Is The Charm by SOFLETE

We're back with another episode, listening in on a conversation from the SOFLETE Human Performance Team's virtual office. Talk this time is based around another book on George's reading list, 'The Creativity Leap' by Natalie Nixon. In the book, Natalie illustrates the concept of balancing work and play through the construct of 'wonder versus rigor.' She describes how finding time to be creative and reflective ultimately leads to greater quality work being produced. George and Matt discuss how this concept can be applied across a wide variety of environments, from teaching your child to play softball or preparing for an ultra-endurance event. This episode is a reminder that whatever it is you're doing, take some time to find a way to enjoy it and introduce a little play (or wonder!); you'll undoubtedly reap the reward of increased productivity. As ever, the guys invite you to join in the conversation- either through SOFLETE's social media or by contacting them directly (George@soflete.com Matt@soflete.com).

“Why not”? These two words have been the genesis for many of this week’s guest’s achievements. Long time SOFLETE Athlete Tony Nash first started asking himself, “why not?” when he accepted a place at Westpoint. Since then, the momentum has continued to grow exponentially for this Buffalo, NY native. Tony has now served as an Active Duty Field Artillery Officer for 11 years, whilst simultaneously authoring The Night Before Journal, hosting the Got Your Six podcast, graduating with a master’s degree at Cornell, and most recently becoming the first person to complete an Ultra Ergathlon! In true SOFLETE Athlete fashion, Tony isn’t just content to smash life himself; he’s also all about helping others get a leg up. From assisting his junior officers in getting academic work published to celebrate the community's everyday successes through his Stacking The Win section on his podcast, Tony shows that a rising tide really does lift all ships. If you’re interested in learning how to achieve more with less ti

This week the guys were fortunate enough to reconnect with Dr. Theo Ballard, SOFLETE’s in-house physical therapist. Theo is a civilian Orthopedic and Sport Certified Performance Physiotherapist specializing in both sport and tactical performance, specifically with conventional and SOF military personnel. In this episode, George and Matt get some great insight into a few of the more common injuries and training pitfalls that Theo sees in his clinic. Theo then provides some awesome advice to help you navigate these and boost your own training at the same time. Finally, the guys geek out on the current best practice tendinopathy management protocols (spoiler alert- eating jello might cure your knee pain!) and compare notes on how best to train the foot- considering the requirements for most tactical professionals to operate in boots. Even if you’re not currently broken or in pain, this episode is well worth a listen; it provides a fantastic illustration of why Human Performance needs to be considered from a

Doug and Brent revisit some of the tough times in the triumphant return of the Bottom of the Barrel podcast.

George sits down with Derek to discuss his process with Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Treatment. Derek provides insight into the minds of special operations solider and the risk that comes with it. Sharing personal stories and how he has is using EMDR to work through his own struggles and improve his mental defenses to create the life he deserves. This podcast has no relation to the Department of Defense.

This week, George and Matt chat with 10 year USMC Officer and 4-year SOFlete athlete, Kris Drake. Kris serves as a USMC Cyberspace Officer, however, he has worked equally hard at finding and maintaining a sense of priority- based around safeguarding time with his family and still finding time to indulge his passions of health and fitness, learning, and being outdoors. Listen as the guys draw from the worlds of performance psychology, business management, and philosophy to try and make some sense of the chaos that is daily life. Kris has also recently completed the Conscious Warrior System pilot study. Over the course of 8 weeks, George and Matt have been working to implement and test the system as a way to enhance Kris’ performance- both as a human and a professional. Today’s episode gives great insight into exactly how the theories and principles surrounding human performance can be implemented at a real-world level. Please see below for links to the resources that the gents mention during the podcast.

Lunch and Learn Chapter 4 - Nutrition Disclaimer Whilst SOFLETE does work with a Registered Nutritionist, neither George nor Matt hold this qualification, or that of a Dietician. Any discussion or recommendations given in this Chapter should not be construed as medical advice and listeners should always consult a trained clinician before attempting any nutritional intervention. Episode 3 - Improving YOUR Nutrition This is the episode in every chapter that everyone cares about- the one that turns all that theory into practice. Alongside giving you their take-home recommendations, George and Matt highlight the importance of treading lightly if attempting to change someone else’s nutritional practices. We know that psychology and emotion are deeply entwined into food choices and consequently people often take their nutrition very personally. With that in mind, it’s important to understand the context and intent behind why someone is eating the way they are. As is customary now, episode 3 also features a Consc

Lunch and Learn Chapter 4 - Nutrition Disclaimer Whilst SOFLETE does work with a Registered Nutritionist, neither George nor Matt hold this qualification, or that of a Dietician. Any discussion or recommendations given in this Chapter should not be construed as medical advice and listeners should always consult a trained clinician before attempting any nutritional intervention. Episode 2 - The Relevance of Nutrition Within The Tactical Community In this episode, George and Matt get to grips with the current state of affairs of nutrition within the tactical community. Despite what Hollywood depicts, the tactical community is not made up exclusively of ripped, muscular girls and guys, all at the apex of their physical health. In actual fact, as we’ve mentioned before, the tactical community acts as a pretty accurate cross-section of wider society. With that in mind, this episode gets into how the most appropriate nutritional strategy required will vary- depending on an individual’s role, career stage and pers

Lunch and Learn Chapter 4 - Nutrition Disclaimer Whilst SOFLETE does work with a Registered Nutritionist, neither George nor Matt hold this qualification, or that of a Dietician. Any discussion or recommendations given in this Chapter should not be construed as medical advice and listeners should always consult a trained clinician before attempting any nutritional intervention. Episode 1 - Introducing Nutrition To be fair, nutrition is definitely a topic of conversation that doesn’t need to be introduced. From your mother to those annoying Youtube commercials, everyone seems to have an opinion on what you should or should not be eating. That’s where SOFLETE comes in; in today’s episode, George and Matt attempt to navigate the confusing and complex world of nutrition. They highlight the importance of addressing the basic dietary foundations of health and wellness, before worrying about the nuances of performance nutrition. George also discusses the necessity of establishing and maintaining a ‘healthy’ relat

In today’s episode, George and Matt get the opportunity to chat with longtime SOFLETE friend, Noël Brenda. Noël is a 14 year veteran of the Royal Netherlands Marine Corps, where he served as both a Medic SF and Physical Training Instructor. This gave him a fantastic first-hand perspective on the preparation required to build successful tactical professionals, an opportunity he capitalized upon, as he transitioned back into civilian life. He’s now co-founder of Breda Strength and Conditioning, with his wife Sanne; where, for a decade, they’ve put this knowledge and experience into practice through running the region’s premier training facility. Whilst they cater to a wide range of clients, from grandmothers to professional athletes, they specialize in preparing aspiring tactical professionals for the rigors of military selection. With a 90% success rate for individuals passing some of the toughest and most grueling selection courses around, Noël and Sanne must be something right! Listen in as George an

Episode 3 - How to Enhance YOUR Heart Health The ‘Be Your Own Scientist’ concept is a big part of what we do here at SOFLETE. We feel that it’s much better to teach you the methods, than give a rigid prescription. That way, you can figure out exactly what does and doesn’t work, based on the constraints present in your own unique situation. With that being said, the last episode of this chapter is dedicated to giving you the tools needed to square away your own Heart Health. The guys teach you how to get a baseline readin, using free and easy methods like the BOLT score and resting heart rate (see below for links). Once armed with these baselines, you can implement one of the multitude of protocols suggested by George and Matt, and use regular re-tests to establish what works best for you. The key point the boys stress throughout, is that whatever method(s) you choose, they should be fun and enjoyable. So make the most of the weather getting nicer and get involved with the rest of the SOFLETE community, dur

Episode 2 - The Relevance of Heart Health to the Tactical Community Despite the media portrayal that the tactical community is made up exclusively of personnel resembling Greek demi-gods (we’ll admit, there are one or two- looking at you Firefighters!), we’re actually a pretty representative cross-section of the civilian population. We have similar proportions of super fit people and similar proportions of those who are… maybe not so much. In this episode, the guys get into how developing heart health is vital if we want to look after the human inside the superhero costume. Using research and first hand experience, George and Matt explore the myriad of reasons why personnel on both ends of the tactical performance spectrum (from the ‘tip of the spear’ to the ‘keyboard warriors’) can benefit from strengthening the ‘muscle that never tires’. Everything we do here at SOFLETE is based on adding value to our community, so if you have any ideas, requests or questions, please feel free to reach out to us- either t