Royston Medicine & Movement

29/10/2025

Accumulation 14

Upper Body 2

A1 - Dip - 6, 6, 6, 10, 10 - 4010 - 90s
A2 - Pull Up - 6, 6, 6, 10, 10 - 3010 - 90s

B1 - 30’ Incline DB Press - 4 x 8-10 - 3010 - 75s
B2 - Seated Medium Neutral Grip Row - 4 x 8-10 - 3010 - 75s

C - Cable Mid-Pulley External Rotation - 3 x 10-12ea - 3010 - 45s

Select appropriate loads and stick to the tempo and the rest breaks!

23/10/2025

Couple of really good photos from the past week..

- Linc doing unbelievably well over in the US!
- Todd competing for the first time on the track and winning medal after medal!!

22/10/2025

A few bits and pieces from different things I’ve read or read-read recently..

- Strength is often dictated by coordination and motor control

- Never break the rules until you truly understand the system

- The body always responds in an orderly and predictable manner

- Isolation, integration, improvisation

- Don’t always change the exercise, change the emphasis

- Complexity is easy, clarity is earned

- What we place importance on is often what drives behaviour

- Questioning our own viewpoints is often more important than questioning others

20/10/2025

Pre-season well underway.

Warm Up

A - Hip Mobility

B1 - Lateral Lunge on the Glute Ham Roller - 2 x 8ea - 60s
B2 - Lateral Band Walks - 2 x 10-12ea - 60s

C1 - Tall to Short - 2 x 5
C2 - Bodyweight Single Leg Russian Step Ups - 2 x 5ea

D - Running Mechanics

E - Low Pulley Split Squat with Rope - 3 x 8ea - 4010 - 90s

F1 - Flat Bench DB Press - 3 x 8-10 - 4010 - 60s
F2 - Inverted Row - Supinated - 3 x 8-10 - 3011 - 60s

G - Incline Back Extension Isometric - 3 x 60s - 90s

H - Body Saw - 2 x 8-10 - 1010 - 45s

17/10/2025

Matty’s off to Perth!! Best of luck mate!!!

16/10/2025

13/10/2025

A little bit of something I’ve been working on..

In my opinion to apply an effective strength and conditioning program we need to understand as best we can where that individual athlete may sit on a numerous number of different training continuums and then find a way to balance and integrate such continuums to create both a certain level of structure but also appropriate levels of progression and overload. Such continuums may be in the form of movement skill, exercise selection, volume and intensity, energy system development, focus of contraction overload eg concentric / eccentric / isometric etc, speed of contraction / tempo, strength curve overload, set / rep schemes applied, special methods used etc. The number of continuums is significant and therefore there will be times when certain continuums need to be prioritised over others. This may be due to the demands of the chosen sport, the time of the training year and most importantly the ability levels of the athlete.

06/10/2025

Almost home and looking forward to getting back to work!

As always I’ve had plenty of time to think, read and learn whilst being away!

Whilst in London my sister in law introduced me to the work of Sigmund Freud - a famous Austrian neurologist who was a pioneer in the world of psychoanalysis. Visiting where he both lived and worked after escaping Austria during the war was fascinating. Both he and his youngest daughter Anna - also a psychoanalyst - shared the view of the importance of being well read. I couldn’t agree more with this concept and idea.

Visiting Naples where Maradona is still seen as a god like figure was incredible. His last game for Napoli was back in 1990 and despite his tumultuous lifestyle the legacy he has left in the city of Naples is hard to put into words. I wonder if today’s world of sport science would have aided a player such as Maradona or whether or not his life was so chaotic that perhaps he would have found it difficult to buy into. We will never know. Despite whatever people think of him in such a deprived city he is one thing that brings people together. His song is still sung throughout the bars and restaurants and his face is posted everywhere. My little boy loved it!!!

I picked up Gary Neville’s book at the airport and found it a brilliant read. I managed to finish it within 48 hours. Some people love Gary, others not so much. Personally I’m a big fan. In particular the stories of the famous ‘Class of 92’ really intrigue me. I think a lot of athletes could learn a lot from not only their work ethic but also the constant belief in what they were doing was going to lead to success. All too often I think athletes are too quick to make changes whenever there is any type of slight setback. Sport consists of both highs and lows - both need to be managed! I also think the influence of good coaching can’t be underestimated. The balance of what athletes need and what they want is a line that needs to be carefully managed.

In my opinion one of the best things I’ve ever bought whilst travelling - an authentic replica of Zinedine Zidane’s iconic France 98 jersey! One of my favourite players of all time!

04/10/2025

Despite going down 3-1 after extra time it was brilliant watching Jay play in the FFA Cup Final!!

03/10/2025

Cammy Devlin back in the Socceroos squad ahead of tomorrow nights Edinburgh derby - Hearts v Hibernian!

Amazing news to wake up too!

28/09/2025

Being away often means a little more downtime in which I can take my time and try to put some thoughts together. Here are a few topics that have had me thinking whilst being away..

The endless possibilities that revolve around program design. The more I continually read and educate myself the more confusing it can all so easily become! The old adage, ‘the more we know, the more we realise we don’t know’ is definitely true!

The grey area between different health and sports science professions. I think the constant quest for speed development within the world of team sport athletes in recent times may raise a few eyebrows of those who specialise in sprint coaching.

Technical proficiency - what is it and what does it mean when we are looking at elite performance? What are the limitations..?

Data collection and testing. Has it almost gone too far. Stu McMillan shared a great quote from one of my lecturers back when I was doing my masters - Dr Nimphius on this exact topic. For those interested it’s definitely worth a read.

The balance between traditional strength work and that of conditioning. What is the context that drives such decisions.

Walking up and down stairs on the Amalfi Coast in Italy is a great form of ‘conditioning’!!

I don’t think il ever get a better view when having my morning coffee. The Amalfi Coast is stunning and getting away and spending time with family is incredibly special!

20/09/2025

Our yearly catch up with Nico and Mari! Last year was in Lomas, Argentina, this year was in London!

The girls lost interest pretty quick but it was so good to discuss anything training and rehab related over a nice meal!