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THIRST For More Podcast

THIRST For More Podcast

Von: Brandon Smitley | Terre Haute Intensity Resistance and Sports Training
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The THIRST For More Podcast is designed to help provide insight and knowledge for the strength and conditioning, sports performance, personal training, online training, gym ownership, and health and fitness professionals. Host, Brandon Smitley, reaches out to various professionals in the industry and sits down with them to chat about becoming a better coach, how to improve athletic performance, improving communication, ideas for marketing and brand recognition, and general information on just accelerating your career and life. Brandon is the co-owner of Terre Haute Intensity Resistance and Sports Training (THIRST), a locally owned gym in Terre Haute, Indiana. He trains and works with youth athletes, personal training clients, and strength sport athletes. Brandon's goal is to "Build Better People Through Strength". Connect with Brandon and the THIRST For More Podcast below. Instagram: @team.thirst Instagram: @bsmitley Website: http://thirstgym.comCopyright 2026 Brandon Smitley | Terre Haute Intensity Resistance and Sports Training Hygiene & gesundes Leben
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  • E 80 | Virtual Coaching: How to Build Real Connection Through a Screen

    E 80 | Virtual Coaching: How to Build Real Connection Through a Screen
    Jul 13 2026
    Episode SummaryYour online clients are not quitting because of the screen. They are quitting because somewhere in the move to virtual, you stopped coaching them and started sending them files.In this episode of THIRST For More, we take apart the most comfortable excuse in the fitness industry: "online coaching just is not the same."A 2025 randomized controlled trial in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research finally ran the comparison our industry has been arguing about for five years. Same ten week program. Three delivery models. In-person supervision. Remote app-guided coaching. And a self-guided PDF.Session adherence came in at roughly 88 percent, 81 percent, and 52 percent.Now look at where the cliff actually is. The gap between having a coach in the room and having a coach on a screen is about seven points. The gap between having a coach on a screen and having no coach at all is nearly thirty. We have spent five years fighting over the wrong gap.This episode is not a pitch for online coaching. It is an honest look at what you genuinely lose when you go remote, what you do not lose, and what you were never actually doing on purpose in the first place.WHAT WE YOU WILL LEARNWhat the supervision literature actually says, and why the mechanism behind it is almost entirely transmissible over a screenWhy Mazzetti 2000 is the most misread study in this entire debateThe meta-analytic effect size for supervision, and why it is smaller than you thinkThe 52 percent cliff, and why your real competition is not the trainer down the streetWhat the telehealth therapeutic alliance research proves about human connection at a distanceWhy self-determination theory suggests your in-person client may actually be the weaker coaching outcomeThe five pillar Virtual Connection System, built to install this weekThe business math nobody runs, and two pricing rules worth dying onAn honest segment on where this argument could be wrongRESEARCH REFERENCEDGavanda S, Held S, Schrey S, et al. Optimizing Resistance Training Outcomes: Comparing In-Person Supervision, Online Coaching, and Self-Guided Approaches: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 2025; 39(11): 1129-1137.Mazzetti SA, Kraemer WJ, Volek JS, et al. The Influence of Direct Supervision of Resistance Training on Strength Performance. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise. 2000; 32(6): 1175-1184.Gentil P, Bottaro M. Influence of Supervision Ratio on Muscle Adaptations to Resistance Training in Nontrained Subjects. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 2010; 24(3): 639-643.Lacroix A, Hortobagyi T, Beurskens R, et al. Effects of Supervised vs. Unsupervised Training Programs on Balance and Muscle Strength in Older Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Sports Medicine. 2017; 47(11): 2341-2361.Fisher JP, et al. Supervised versus unsupervised resistance training: a systematic review and meta-analysis.DISCLAIMERThis podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and should not be considered medical, fitness, or professional advice. Always consult with qualified healthcare and fitness professionals before making changes to your training, supplementation, nutrition, or health practices. Individual results may vary. The host and producers are not responsible for any adverse effects or consequences resulting from the use of any information, suggestions, or procedures discussed in this podcast.Subscribe & Review:If this episode added value to your training knowledge, please subscribe and leave a 5-star review! Your feedback helps us reach more fitness enthusiasts, coaches, lifters, athletes or anyone who can benefit from quality training information.About Brandon SmitleyInstagram: @bsmitley @team.thirstSubscribe On YouTube!Website: THIRSTgym.comMy FREE Newsletter — training insights, programming education & no-fluff content delivered straight to your inboxFree 3-Minute Performance Audit — find out what's actually limiting your results (and what to do about it)Brandon Smitley is a world renowned strength coach and athlete for over a decade. He and his wife, Adrian, own Terre Haute Intensity Resistance and Sports Training (THIRST) where they work with youth athletes and personal training clients of all ages. He earned his Bachelor’s degree from Purdue University in Health and Fitness, and his Master’s degree from Indiana State University in Physical Education and Coaching. Brandon has been awarded Personal Trainer of the Year Awards from Purdue University and Indiana State University as well is the 2020 Reader's Choice for Best Personal Trainer in Terre Haute, IN and the Wabash Valley.Brandon is a sponsored athlete with Elitefts and NutraBio where as a competitive powerlifter he currently holds the all-time world record squat in the 132 pound weight class, with a 567 pound squat. He also holds a 330 pound bench press, and 510 pound deadlift in that weight class, totaling 1377 pounds, ranking 4th...
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    52 Min.
  • E 79 | Why the Speed Ladder Is Making Your Athletes SLOWER

    E 79 | Why the Speed Ladder Is Making Your Athletes SLOWER
    Jul 6 2026
    Episode SummaryEverybody owns a speed and agility ladder. Almost nobody asks whether it works.In this episode we put the most popular tool in youth and team sports under an evidence-based lens, and make the case that the way it is usually used may be leaving your athletes slower than their own potential. This is not ladder-bashing. It is a reframe: keep the tool, but stop calling it speed training.We cover what actually determines sprint speed (force into the ground, not fast feet), why real agility requires reacting to a stimulus the ladder never provides, what the transfer research really shows, and the two mechanisms - training intent and opportunity cost - that turn a harmless-looking drill into a real cost. Then we hand you the full replacement toolkit you can use tomorrow with almost no equipment.WHAT WE YOU WILL LEARNWhy faster athletes are not repositioning their legs faster, they are applying more forceThe real definition of agility and why in response to a stimulus changes everythingWhy the ladder is a closed, pre-memorized pattern and not speed or agilityWhat the transfer research does and does not supportThe two ways the ladder can actively cost your athletes speedThe narrow, honest place the ladder does belongA no-equipment replacement plan for real speed and agilityRESEARCH REFERENCEDWeyand and colleagues on ground reaction force as the determinant of top running speed, Journal of Applied Physiology, 2000Weyand and colleagues follow up on the biological limits to running speedSheppard and Young, agility literature review, Journal of Sports Sciences, 2006Change of direction versus reactive agility transfer literatureDISCLAIMERThis podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and should not be considered medical, fitness, or professional advice. Always consult with qualified healthcare and fitness professionals before making changes to your training, supplementation, nutrition, or health practices. Individual results may vary. The host and producers are not responsible for any adverse effects or consequences resulting from the use of any information, suggestions, or procedures discussed in this podcast.Subscribe & Review:If this episode added value to your training knowledge, please subscribe and leave a 5-star review! Your feedback helps us reach more fitness enthusiasts, coaches, lifters, athletes or anyone who can benefit from quality training information.About Brandon SmitleyInstagram: @bsmitley @team.thirstSubscribe On YouTube!Website: THIRSTgym.comMy FREE Newsletter — training insights, programming education & no-fluff content delivered straight to your inboxFree 3-Minute Performance Audit — find out what's actually limiting your results (and what to do about it)Brandon Smitley is a world renowned strength coach and athlete for over a decade. He and his wife, Adrian, own Terre Haute Intensity Resistance and Sports Training (THIRST) where they work with youth athletes and personal training clients of all ages. He earned his Bachelor’s degree from Purdue University in Health and Fitness, and his Master’s degree from Indiana State University in Physical Education and Coaching. Brandon has been awarded Personal Trainer of the Year Awards from Purdue University and Indiana State University as well is the 2020 Reader's Choice for Best Personal Trainer in Terre Haute, IN and the Wabash Valley.Brandon is a sponsored athlete with Elitefts and NutraBio where as a competitive powerlifter he currently holds the all-time world record squat in the 132 pound weight class, with a 567 pound squat. He also holds a 330 pound bench press, and 510 pound deadlift in that weight class, totaling 1377 pounds, ranking 4th all-time. He provides online coaching and programming around the world, and has personally worked with over 200 athletes in the US, UK, France, Italy, Mexico, Canada, and other countries. Brandon’s been published at Elitefts, Muscle and Performance, and Muscle and Fitness magazine.He holds his Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS), Level One Sports Performance (USAW), Certified Personal Trainer (CPT) certifications, and is educated in PRI for Fitness and Performance.
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    41 Min.
  • E 78 | The Complete Guide to Pogo Hops for Athletic Performance

    E 78 | The Complete Guide to Pogo Hops for Athletic Performance
    Jun 29 2026
    Episode SummaryMost coaches use pogo hops as warm-up filler - and that is exactly why their athletes stay slow. In this complete guide, we break down the one little drill that builds reactive strength: the foundational, fast stretch-shortening-cycle quality that your big strength work will not give you on its own. You will learn the real science, the mistakes almost everyone makes, a full 5-stage progression, and exactly how to program, dose, and measure it. No equipment. No hype. You cannot out-squat a leaky ankle - so let us fix that.WHAT WE YOU WILL LEARNWhy reactive strength is a separate quality from maximal strengthThe stretch-shortening cycle, and fast vs slow SSCReactive Strength Index (RSI) and why it is your scoreboardWhat actually adapts: tendon stiffness and elastic energy returnWhat a pogo hop is, and what it is NOTThe 6 mistakes that kill the adaptationThe 5-stage pogo progressionProgramming, dosing, and how to autoregulate with your eyes and earsHow to measure progress, from no-tech to force platesApplication for youth athletes, older adults, and return-to-playKEY TAKEAWAYSPogo hops train reactive strength and fast-SSC ability - not warm-up filler.The mechanism is solid: tendon stiffness and elastic energy return build a better spring.Coach the details - quick over high, quiet over loud, stiff over soft, intent on every contact.DISCLAIMERThis podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and should not be considered medical, fitness, or professional advice. Always consult with qualified healthcare and fitness professionals before making changes to your training, supplementation, nutrition, or health practices. Individual results may vary. The host and producers are not responsible for any adverse effects or consequences resulting from the use of any information, suggestions, or procedures discussed in this podcast.Subscribe & Review:If this episode added value to your training knowledge, please subscribe and leave a 5-star review! Your feedback helps us reach more fitness enthusiasts, coaches, lifters, athletes or anyone who can benefit from quality training information.About Brandon SmitleyInstagram: @bsmitley @team.thirstSubscribe On YouTube!Website: THIRSTgym.comMy FREE Newsletter — training insights, programming education & no-fluff content delivered straight to your inboxFree 3-Minute Performance Audit — find out what's actually limiting your results (and what to do about it)Brandon Smitley is a world renowned strength coach and athlete for over a decade. He and his wife, Adrian, own Terre Haute Intensity Resistance and Sports Training (THIRST) where they work with youth athletes and personal training clients of all ages. He earned his Bachelor’s degree from Purdue University in Health and Fitness, and his Master’s degree from Indiana State University in Physical Education and Coaching. Brandon has been awarded Personal Trainer of the Year Awards from Purdue University and Indiana State University as well is the 2020 Reader's Choice for Best Personal Trainer in Terre Haute, IN and the Wabash Valley.Brandon is a sponsored athlete with Elitefts and NutraBio where as a competitive powerlifter he currently holds the all-time world record squat in the 132 pound weight class, with a 567 pound squat. He also holds a 330 pound bench press, and 510 pound deadlift in that weight class, totaling 1377 pounds, ranking 4th all-time. He provides online coaching and programming around the world, and has personally worked with over 200 athletes in the US, UK, France, Italy, Mexico, Canada, and other countries. Brandon’s been published at Elitefts, Muscle and Performance, and Muscle and Fitness magazine.He holds his Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS), Level One Sports Performance (USAW), Certified Personal Trainer (CPT) certifications, and is educated in PRI for Fitness and Performance.
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    52 Min.
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