Isometrics vs. Strength vs. Plyos: What’s Missing in Your Strength Training with Dr. Matt Silver
Release Date: 11/06/2025
The Strength Running Podcast
Brodie Sharpe is a physiotherapist, the host of the , and author of . As a Physical therapist who specializes in endurance runners, Brodie Sharpe takes a holistic approach to . He helps runners learn how to correct mistakes and work with their bodies to get healthy. Brodie emphasizes the importance of looking at training as well as your lifestyle around it, since every aspect of what you do impacts how you feel and perform. This episode focuses on how to learn from a running injury: how to figure out what caused it the training changes needed to prevent it from recurring how to update...
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Dr. Matthew Silver is a physical therapist, author, and owner of Alpha Project Phyzio and Performance in Maryland. His book is now available. While he set his college’s 8k record and made the all-conference team, injuries prematurely ended Matt’s career, sparking his interest in physical therapy. In today’s conversation, we’re talking about the different types of strength training that exist, their benefits and drawbacks, and how to integrate them into your training. It’s important to recognize that not all strength training is the same. We’re going to discuss traditional...
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Nick Thompson has been running and racing for 35 years. He’s the 40-44 age group American record holder in the 50k with a 3:04 finish time (that’s 5:56 per mile for 31 miles), and was previously the world’s top ranked runner in his age group in the 50-mile. He's now the CEO of the Atlantic Magazine and his new book is now available: You'll hear: How Nick’s relationship with his father helped him get into running What drives him to compete today vs. 30 years ago His recommendations for passing along a love for running to your kids How his cancer diagnosis changed his relationship with...
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Dr. John Rusin is a physical therapist and trainer who's worked with nearly every professional sports league as well as Olympic athletes. His new book, , is now available. Our conversation focuses on movement, coordination, and building efficiency. We discuss: common mistakes in the weight room how to structure better strength workouts mindfulness and breathing a nervous-system oriented warm-down when to know if you’re putting in too much effort in the gym We should not consider strength training to be "cross-training" - it’s just part of the normal training process. Learn how to...
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John Davis holds a PhD in Biomechanics, coaches elite marathoners, and is the author of . His newest book is a masterclass on marathon preparation: . It includes new research on training theory, elite-level training plans, and guidance for every type of aspiring marathoner. Today, we discuss physiological resilience: How physiological resilience is like the 4th metric of performance How to build this skill safely Example workouts for beginner to advanced runners The role of "depletion workouts" in physiological resilience What actually causes the "marathon fade" at the end of 26.2 miles...
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Chris Napier is the author of , a professor of physical therapy, practicing physiotherapist, 2:33 marathoner, and medal winner at the Canadian Track & Field Championships in 1996 and 1997. He is also a scientific advisor to , the world’s smartest running shoe (I'm also an advisor!). Today's focus is on super shoes and how they affect your running form: The specific form changes that happen due to high-stack foam and carbon plates Specific injury risks from super shoes How often Chris recommends wearing super shoes Training changes that while wearing super shoes Extra Resources: ...
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is a former collegiate athlete and writer for Outside Magazine, a certified running coach and personal trainer, and a Spartan Elite podium athlete. She has a bachelor’s in Psychology & Nutrition, a master’s in Public Health, and has finished four 100-mile races. Megan is a multi-faceted athlete and works with a variety of runners in her . In this conversation, we’re bringing our combined experiences with cross-training to you: how to add cross-training why you should add it what forms of exercise are best the types of exercise to avoid if you want to stay healthy when to...
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Scott Johnston is one of the top coaches in the world, especially in mountain and high alpine sports. He's worked with Killian Jornet and recently coached both winners of the most prestigious trail race on Earth, UTMB (Tom Evans & Ruth Croft). He's also author of one of my favorite training books, and founder of the coaching group. This conversation focuses on fatigue resistance: What is fatigue resistance? Local vs. global fatigue Top workouts to build fatigue resistance The role of the nervous system in fatigue Scott's wisdom has helped the best runners in the world reach...
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Sara Hall has been competing at the highest level for nearly 30 years. She was the 2000 high school national cross country champion before earning 7-time All-America honors at Stanford University. Not only has she won 10 US National Championship titles, but she’s the only American to win national titles in both the mile and the marathon. Her incredible range is also demonstrated by her gold medal at the 2011 Pan American Games in the steeplechase, while also being the second fastest American female marathoner with a time of 2:20:32. She was previously on the podcast when I interviewed 5...
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Coach turned around a struggling Newbury Park high school cross country team that hadn't qualified for a State Championship in 25 years. Soon, they had won three consecutive National Championships. How did he do it? Sean shares the psychological and physical strategies he used to instill belief, develop fitness, and build the bond between teammates. His all-in, often unorthodox approach, raised eyebrows but undeniably got incredible results. Himself a distinguished endurance runner, Sean was a collegiate All-American in both cross country and track and holds a personal best of 3:44.33 in the...
info_outlineDr. Matthew Silver is a physical therapist, author, and owner of Alpha Project Phyzio and Performance in Maryland. His book Built to Run is now available.
While he set his college’s 8k record and made the all-conference team, injuries prematurely ended Matt’s career, sparking his interest in physical therapy.
In today’s conversation, we’re talking about the different types of strength training that exist, their benefits and drawbacks, and how to integrate them into your training. It’s important to recognize that not all strength training is the same. We’re going to discuss traditional strength training, isometrics, and plyometrics. Each one is unique and has an important place in your training.
Additional Resources:
- Our complimentary strength series: strengthrunning.com/strength/ (explosivity, mistakes to avoid, case studies, example movements, etc).
- High Performance Lifting (Strength Running's flagship weightlifting course)
Thank You Lever!
I'm excited to partner with Lever - a bodyweight support system that helps you run further or faster with less effort and injury risk.
You’ve probably seen pro runners using Lever - it attaches to any treadmill and you hook into it like a harness. It effectively makes you lighter, enabling you to run more volume than you normally could with reduced injury risk, run faster with less effort, or return to running after an injury more effectively.
Lever allows you to do more running with less risk. From building mileage, introducing faster workouts, aiding your return to running after a break, Lever has a place in every phase of training. The pro’s have been using Lever for years, giving them the advantage of more training with fewer injuries.
They’re also common in physical therapy offices. Because you can run with less body weight, you can gain fitness and practice good technique without risking your recovery.
Go to levermovement.com and use code Strength20 for 20% off any system (and that’s with a capital S). If you’re injury-prone or are looking to take a big swing at your goals this year, now is the time for Lever. That’s levermovement.com with code Strength20 for 20% off any system.
Thank you LMNT!
A big thanks to LMNT for their support of this episode! They make electrolyte drinks for athletes and low-carb folks with no sugar, artificial ingredients, or colors. They are offering a free gift with your purchase at LMNT. And this does NOT have to be your first purchase. You’ll get a sample pack with every flavor so you can try them all before deciding what you like best.
And BIG news! Their newest flavor is now permanently available : LEMONADE SALT!
LMNT’s products have some of the highest sodium concentrations that you can find. Anybody who runs a lot knows that sodium, as well as other electrolytes like magnesium and potassium, are essential to our performance and how we feel throughout the day.
If you’re not familiar, LMNT is my favorite way to hydrate. They make electrolytes for athletes and low-carb folks with no Sugar, artificial ingredients, or colors. I’m now in the habit of giving away boxes of LMNT at group runs around Denver and Boulder and everyone loves this stuff.
Boost your performance and your recovery with LMNT. They’re the exclusive hydration partner to Team USA Weightlifting and quite a few professional baseball, hockey, and basketball teams are on regular subscriptions. So check out LMNT to get a free sampler pack and get your hydration optimized for the upcoming season.
Thank you Gut & Green!
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With twice of the fiber of my last greens mix and a better flavor, it’s a no brainer for me. It's like insurance against my diet (which isn't always as good as it should be) so I can feel my best throughout the day.
Try it for yourself here at previnex.com and be sure to use code “JASONGREENS” to save 15% off your first order. Don’t tell anyone, but if you put Gut & Green Superfoods powder in your cart, then the 15% off discount will work for anything else you add into your cart as well. Thanks Gut & Green!