Today’s guest is Rett Larson, strength coach for the German Women’s Volleyball Team and creator of the “No Zombies” training philosophy. Rett coached Olympic medalists with China and the Netherlands, blending energy, rhythm, and purposeful movement into world-class performance.
As sport expands into an increasingly more high-pressure, early specialization event that can easily suck fun and joy away, there grows a need for a “counter-culture” within athletic performance. Not only does a “physical preparation” process for athletes that is joyful and gamified lead to more fun within a training session, but it also develops important athletic qualities, within that umbrella of “fun” that may not be possible in more “traditional” sessions.
Rett Larson is spearheading an active, engaging approach to the physical preparation process for athletes with warmups designed for joy, engagement, and a comprehensive stimulation of athletic qualities along the way. On today’s episode, Rett speaks on a variety of engaging tools and gamifications in the warmup process for both thermogenic and neurological preparation. He goes into his take on partner exercises and isometrics, and the process of using a physical challenge to “sneak” strength and skill elements in the program.
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Timestamps
6:12– Enhancing Athlete Performance through Innovative Training
20:06– Rope Flow in the Warmup Process
25:19– Team Bonding through Partner Exercises and Gamification
29:39– Athletic Development through Diverse Warm-Ups
31:24– Engaging Training Games for Athletic Development
38:00– Enhancing Motor Learning Through Novel Activities
48:14– Isometric and “Sneaky Strength” Exercises
54:50– Tennis Balls as a Powerful Warmup Tool
1:05:36– Animal-Inspired Safari Warmup Routine
1:14:35– Dynamic Movement Enhancement with Wearable Resistance Gear
Key Takeaways
1️⃣ Rethinking Training Norms: Breaking the Script
Let’s be honest—starting the season with FMS testing or default punishments like push-ups feels like a missed opportunity. Rett challenges that default. Why not flip the script? Start with something that actually taps into the nervous excitement athletes bring into day one. Instead of draining that spark, use it to build buy-in.
What to try:
• Kick things off with a creative team challenge instead of movement screens.
• Replace punishments with something silly but memorable (e.g., team serenade or worm dance).
• Avoid singling people out—no solo singing for introverts. The goal is laughter, not dread.
2️⃣ Rope Flow: Movement Puzzles that Stick
If you’ve ever tried rope flow, you know it’s strangely addicting. Rett uses it as a warm-up tool that hits thermogenic, rotational, and coordination qualities all in one. It’s essentially a moving puzzle—and that makes it ideal for getting athletes out of zombie mode.
What to try:
• Add rope flow sequences early in warm-ups to raise body temp and spark engagement.
• Mix in new patterns over time so it stays fresh.
• Think of it as “motor learning meets party trick”—athletes love that feeling of leveling up.
3️⃣ Partner Work and Social Pressure: The Good Kind
Warm-ups don’t have to be solo grinds. In fact, the social element is part of the magic. Whether it’s balloon volleys in a split squat or partner wall sits, Rett uses simple tools to inject teamwork, laughter, and just the right amount of peer pressure.
What to try:
• Design partner or trio-based warm-up drills to naturally boost effort and engagement.
• Add tasks or games that distract from the burn (like volleying a balloon while holding a lunge).
• Use social dynamics to make tough work feel more like play.
4️⃣ Level the Playing Field in Warm-Ups
Not every athlete is going to dominate on the court or in the weight room—but everyone should get a win somewhere. Rett builds warm-ups that make space for every athlete to feel like they’re the best at something, even if it’s just balancing a stick or hitting a weird trick shot.
What to try:
• Mix in low-stakes games where skills outside of sport dominance matter.
• Intentionally pair high- and lower-level athletes to create “shared wins.”
• Look for ways to create a different kind of leaderboard—one that rotates based on the activity.
5️⃣ Restore Joy Through Play
High-level sport has gotten… intense. Too intense, sometimes. Rett’s approach reminds us that playful, chaotic games can help restore balance in an environment that often leans toward burnout. The warm-up becomes a space for curiosity, flow, and actual fun.
What to try:
• Build in games where athletes can move, laugh, and connect without overthinking.
• Use warm-ups as “pressure off” zones—a way to enjoy movement with no performance score.
• Let joy be part of the training equation again.
6️⃣ Motor Learning Needs Novelty
One of Rett’s strengths is how often he rotates the environment—new rules, new tools, new constraints. That variability drives motor learning in ways that static drills don’t. And it doesn’t need to be wild—just different enough to force a fresh response.
What to try:
• Slightly tweak warm-up games each week (e.g., switch dominant hand, adjust spacing, add reaction tasks).
• Use novelty to make athletes problem-solve movement—not just repeat it.
• Think of warm-ups as “controlled chaos”—great for expanding the movement toolbox.
7️⃣ Sneaky Strength: Make It Fun, Then Make It Burn
Most athletes don’t love ISO holds. So Rett hides them inside games. Balloons, light pods, med balls—it’s all a bit of a trick. But it works. The burn sneaks up while attention is elsewhere.
What to try:
• Pair isometrics with challenges (e.g., balloon volley in a lunge, wall sit while shouting directions).
• Use reactive partner drills (like plank leg drops) to train stability without boring them to death.
• Think: how can I distract the brain just long enough to let the body work?
8️⃣ Tennis Balls: The MVP of Warm-Up Tools
Tennis balls are wildly versatile. Rett uses them for everything—from balance work to reactivity games to hand-eye drills. And they’re cheap, portable, and fun.
What to try:
• Toss them into solo drills (bounce, catch behind back, one-leg throw and catch).
• Use them in partner work for tracking, dodging, or coordination under pressure.
• Add a twist: can you 360 and catch before it hits the ground?
9️⃣ Animal-Inspired Routines: Low-Tech, High Engagement
The “safari warm-up” idea is simple: take known movements and repackage them with animal names, new props, or tiny changes. That 5–10% novelty? It goes a long way.
What to try:
• Mix in crawls, hops, or rolls with animal names and sounds for buy-in (especially with youth).
• Keep novelty minimal but consistent—three new variations a week can be plenty.
• It doesn’t need to be chaotic. Just different enough to make athletes pay attention.
🔟 Wearable Resistance: Keep It Light and Reactive
Adding wearable resistance (like Lila sleeves) isn’t about loading heavy. It’s about adding just enough constraint to challenge control and enhance feel. Rett uses them in warm-ups to amplify movement, not grind through it.
What to try:
• Use light resistance in warm-up drills where coordination or timing is key.
• Focus on rotational or speed-based movement patterns.
• Don’t overdo it—keep it short, crisp, and curious.
Rett Larson Quotes
(5:30) “I like this idea of breaking the script of what athletes expect.” – Rett Larson
(8:59) “Are we not trying to get to a place in team sports, at least where we have vulnerability? Are we not learning that vulnerability and looking like a little bit of an idiot in front of your teammates and, and knowing that everybody gets theirs at some point? And that is, that’s, that’s also something we should be striving for.” – Rett Larson
(20:06) “In the thermogenic bucket goes a lot of almost like movement puzzles to steal some Ido Portal: if it’s the tennis ball on a string, a stick in their hand.” – Rett Larson
(21:00) “Similarly, the rope flow stuff fits really nicely in that bucket because it is really challenging to unlock some of these very difficult movements that get your body rotating, certainly get you hot and sweaty, but it also feels like you are leveling up every time you actually conquer it.” – Rett Larson
(29:45) “The great thing about warmup is you get to be competitive in a, in an extremely low stakes environment; when I’m programming the weight room well, it’s not just my twitchy, 23-year-old phenom whose parents both played volleyball that wins every event. There should be enough variety in the weight room that we’re getting winners all over the place, that we’re manufacturing celebrations from every single person on my team in a given week or a couple of weeks or month.” – Rett Larson
(31:16) “I’m manufacturing smiles, I’m manufacturing the joy that I think you and I understand can come out of the weight room.” – Rett Larson
(51:20) “I’m trying to hide grinding strength within either other fun games or, you know, include like having it be a part of the fun as much as possible.” – Rett Larson
(54:30) “The great thing about tennis balls is that there’s, they can be used for all of it is they can be movement puzzles, they can be balance challenges, anything that you need them to be.” – Rett Larson
(1:00:38) “There’s no reason that coaches shouldn’t be actually actively trying to find more moments, more memorable things that stick with athletes, that make you a remarkable coach, that not for nothing, like, why not be original?” – Rett Larson
(1:13:10) “I don’t have five favorite shoulder exercises. I have 50 favorite shoulder exercises. I believe in throwing a bunch of different challenges at the shoulder and making that shoulder adaptable and good at all of them.” – Rett Larson
About Rett Larson
Rett Larson is the strength and performance coach for the German Women’s National Volleyball Team, where he brings his trademark “No Zombies” philosophy—emphasizing purposeful movement, emotional engagement, and dynamic energy to every training session.
Before joining Team Germany, Rett spent seven years in China, first as Project Manager for EXOS-China, supporting Olympic teams preparing for the 2012 London Games. He then joined the Chinese National Women’s Volleyball Team, helping guide them to victory at the 2015 World Cup and a gold medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics. He later served as strength coach for the Netherlands Women’s National Team, contributing to multiple podium finishes.
Prior to his international coaching career, Rett spent a decade with Velocity Sports Performance, eventually becoming Director of Coaching at their U.S. headquarters. Known globally for his innovative, rhythm-based warmups and blend of Eastern and Western methods, Rett is also a sought-after speaker and consultant for high-performance teams worldwide.
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