Physical Preparation with Grant “Rufus” Gardis

Grant "Rufus" Gardis is a guy I’ve known and worked with for years. In fact, he was one of my instructors when I took the USA Weightlifting certification course way back in 2003! Not only is he one of the most knowledgeable coaches I’ve ever met when it comes to long-term athletic development, but one of the hardest working as well. In this show we’re going to try something a little bit different as well. As you may or may not know, Rufus coaches at IFAST on a regular basis – and I probably couldn’t kick him out if I tried! As such, we’re going to do this show truly interview style, with both of us in the same room. Hopefully the sound and audio come out well on your end, because I think this environment will make for a truly interactive and fun show. Here's a brief overview of what we covered in this episode: * What originally led Rufus to the world of physical preparation. * His long and winding career arc. * A tough question - are we doing ANYTHING right when it comes to long-term athletic development (LTAD)? * Rufus' cornerstones of an LTAD program. * Free Play - what it is, and how to incorporate it into your world. * The ideal training group - his program for the kiddos he works with from middle-to-high school. * Rufus is made king of athletic development - what would his first initiatives be to give our athletes a better foundation? * What can we do for the kid who is already "specialized" in their sport? * Some of the unique things Rufus done in his Olympic weightlifting programs for young and developing lifters. * The BIG Question. * The lightning round, where we talk about how he got the nickname, his proudest moment as a coach, the best BBQ city, and his thoughts on coaching the RDL.