Today’s podcast features Matt Aldred. Matt is the head strength and conditioning coach for basketball at the University of Michigan. He has international expertise and a diverse background in sports he has worked with through his previous stops in NCAA strength and conditioning. In addition to his strength and conditioning experience, he is certified in fascial abrasion technique and Frederick stretch therapy, in addition to a sports massage background. Matt has also co-authored the Fascial Mechanics for Sport course alongside Danny Foley.
In building a performance program, it must ultimately be centered around the needs of the athlete. Athletes need to be as ready as possible on game day. Some athletes need more mass and physical strength. Others need more conditioning and body composition management. Others need more fluid and adaptive movement capabilities. Many athletes enjoy and benefit from providing their input into the program. These facets of performance make athletic development more dynamic than just “get them strong and I did my job”.
On today’s podcast, Matt talks about many aspects of building an athlete-centered program, highlighting training the spectrum of muscular strength and tissue quality, over to dynamic, high-velocity training with a priority on athletic qualities. He also speaks on training variability (such as “every rep different”), multi-planar training, basketball game demands, athlete autonomy, wearable resistance training, and much more. This show puts many pieces into place of a comprehensive approach to athletic development, encompassing so many facets of improvement in the field.
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Main Points
3:41– Functional Training for Athletic Performance Enhancement
7:34– Peak Performance Training for Athletes
12:49– Position-Based Athletic Programming for Optimal Performance
18:14– Enhancing Athletic Performance Through Varied Training
22:39– Position-Specific Basketball Training Programs
25:04– Game-Specific Training for Peak Performance
27:25– Dynamic Training Approaches for Athletic Performance
37:11– Strategic Micro-Dosing for Athlete Performance Optimization
46:00– Sticking to Basic Exercises for Effective Training
47:46– Enhancing Athletes’ Adaptability Through Varied Workouts
49:33– Tailored Training Zones for Athletes in Weight Room
51:13– Optimizing Player Performance Through Varied Training
55:28– Amorpho Gear Enhancing Basketball Performance Sessions
1:08:25– Functional Movement Training with Light Weights
1:14:54– Functional Movement Training for Athletic Performance
Quotes
(00:07:34) “The game is so intense and it’s so movement-based. We have to replicate that in the weight room. We can’t just be weight and warriors because we’ve all had that athlete that’s super strong and looks amazing. And I’m looking at the opposition team in a warm up going, who is that!? And then they don’t play.” – Matt Aldred
(00:13:50) “The longer I’ve done this, the more I really lean into an athlete’s intuition.” – Matt Aldred
(00:20:40) “There are certain exercises like a chin-up we’re probably going to want to go full range of motion. I want you to hold at the top with Tempo down. But if we’re doing a horizontal row, man, I can be elbow wide. I can be really quick reps. I can hold at the top. I can do a split stance with an anchor on a Kaiser pull-down. We can make that horizontal roll whatever we want to do.” – Matt Aldred
(00:24:29) “I don’t think that we put the athlete in the box like no man, like whatever you are, I’ll program towards that.” – Matt Aldred
(00:31:40) “I don’t need you to turn into a cross country athlete because essentially if we don’t lift and you just practice, you’re going to get skinny and weak. You need to do the higher load stuff.” – Matt Aldred
(00:37:01) “Just keep them healthy, put them in the best situation you can, and then let them go. Let them just express themselves on the court.” – Matt Aldred
(00:46:00) “Simple does work when the season is chaotic.” – Matt Aldred
(00:59:27) “Especially if it’s a lot. If it’s a shooting workout, probably less so. If it’s a, if it’s a skill workout on the court. Dude, put that (wearable resistance) on. Yeah, that’s that to me it’s a no-brainer.” – Matt Aldred
(01:12:55) “For every rep different. No, it’s about how they look doing it, how they feel. Can they be quicker doing it? Yes, perfect. Like and because that’s a fine motor skill that’s a fine motor skill trap bar deadlift is fine motor skill. Like don’t merge the two would be my advice.” – Matt Aldred
About Matt Aldred
Matt Aldred is the head strength and conditioning coach for basketball at the University of Michigan. Originally from the United Kingdom, he brings international expertise and a diverse background in competitive sports, including a playing career in soccer (football). Before joining Michigan, Matt held strength and conditioning roles across multiple NCAA programs, working with a variety of sports.
He is certified in Fascial Abrasion Technique (FIT Institute) and Frederick Stretch Therapy Level I, with a foundation in sports massage. Matt is also the co-author of the Fascial Mechanics for Sport course, developed in collaboration with performance coach Danny Foley.
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