Ep 27: Strength, Simplicity & Smart Gains for Performance & Longevity w/Dr. Ramsey Nijem
Episode Summary: In this engaging episode of The Vitality Collective Podcast, Dr. Jeremy Bettle is joined by Ramsey Nijem, renowned as the youngest head strength coach in NBA history and now a National Champion at the University of Kansas. Jeremy and Ramsey delve into their shared history and philosophies on strength training, injury prevention, and optimizing performance. The conversation explores practical ways to approach strength training, progressive overload strategies, and the significant role of creatine supplementation for both athletic and general populations. Guest Bio: Ramsey Nijem is a performance coach, educator, and entrepreneur with a doctorate in Human and Sports Performance. He served as the Head Strength & Conditioning Coach for the Sacramento Kings and is currently the Director of Sport Performance for the University of Kansas Men’s Basketball program, where he contributed to a National Championship. He is also the founder of Applied Performance, an education company helping performance and rehab professionals gain clarity and confidence in their knowledge, impact, and careers. Connect with Ramsey: Instagram: @dr.ramsey.nijem Website: Applied Performance Coach Certification Creatine Gummies: Create Creatine Gummies Three Actionable Takeaways: Lower the Barrier to Entry: Begin with something as simple as taking a walk every day. Consistency Over Intensity: Take a long-term view in your training progression, focusing on gradual improvements rather than rushing the process. Holistic Approach: Recognize the compound benefits of strength training, Proper sleep, and great nutrition for overall vitality. Top 10 Takeaways: Creating environments of curiosity and continuous learning is essential in coaching. Training should reflect the demands of your sport or daily activities. Progressive overload involves gradually increasing difficulty through load, volume, or intensity. Injury prevention is complex and requires buy-in from all organizational levels. Strength training should be simple, not complicated or overly flashy. Relative intensity (how heavy feels to you) is more important than absolute weight. Recovery is crucial; it's important to train hard but avoid going to complete muscular failure regularly. Velocity and tempo can be adjusted to modify the intensity of workouts without changing the load significantly. Creatine supplementation offers broad benefits beyond muscle gain, including cognitive and neurological improvements. Regular assessments are vital to ensure training aligns with individual goals and readiness.