Ep. 221 George Briones and the differentials
George Briones is a former Recon Marine (2007-2011) and Recon Instructor. He worked as the Director of Training and Programming at SOFLETE for eight years, holds a BASc in Sport Psychology and is currently studying to earn a MA in English language and literature. He coaches and educates a variety of athletes across a wide range of disciplines, from traditional strength and conditioning, and Olympic lifting to ultra endurance, combat sports, and preparation for military operational readiness, special selection and tactical competitions. He lived in Salt Lake City for several years during which time he trained and coached at NonProphet and became a dear, and trusted friend. George joined us for the Endurance is Love podcast, episode 175, which we recorded in March 2020 but didn't post until August 2021 and he was present for the late-May 2020 protests (mostly peaceful) that happened in SLC coincident with a NonProphet Symposium.
Life has taken him to SoCal where he is the owner/operator of GB3 Athletics. George sat down with Michael to discuss the state of the "fitness industry", which of course, kicks the conversation off with a good critique ... or rant.
They start by discussing the tendency for top level competitors — in this case BJJ but it applies to all sport — to focus solely on the competitive apex while letting the foundation slide, which leads to the concept of injury rehab as a powerful training factor, not only for peak performance but more importantly, longevity.
George talks briefly about a 2010 deployment to Afghanistan, the difference between rules and principles, on-demand, on-the-ground adaptability and flexibility, and how sometimes, the solution to a perceived fitness problem is not gaining more strength but actually reducing the force or load being applied to the organism. The idea that (lack of) mobility is the limitation applies not only to soldiers moving across terrain but also in individual physical expression of strength or other fitness characteristics.
It's a wonderful conversation wherein George presents his approach to training world champion level BJJ players, ultra-endurance athletes, and the seriously important concept of play in training because, if you're not having fun, you will compromise both intensity and volume and that could be the difference between a successful outcome or not.
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