Todd is a former attorney turned manual therapist who scratched his own itch. After years of experiencing pain, he set out to understand what causes it, how to move better, and effective strategies for reducing pain and improving your athletic performances.

He has written two books, A Guide to Better Movement and Playing with Movement, which are interdisciplinary ways of looking at the problems of injury and pain. He brings in a broad diversity of disciplines like stress physiology to complex systems theory and then explains how that all relates back to athletes.

This conversation was wide-ranging and touches on subjects like static stretching, mobility, dynamic flexibility, how much of pain is mental, and strategies for having more fun in your training. Todd also gives us some tangible advice on:

Doing warm-ups as a sport specific activity
Ways to develop intrinsic motivation for running
How to approach a "balanced movement diet"
And where to start when looking to improve in your sport

I was also excited to hear that Todd is training for his first 5K. Tune in to hear about how the training is going for him!

Show Links & Resources:

Learn more about Todd at his website
Connect with Todd on Twitter
Todd's book: Playing With Movement: How to Explore the Many Dimensions of Physical Health and Performance
Strength series: High Performance Lifting

Thank You SureFeet!

I’m excited to announce our newest sponsor SureFeet. They make a colorless, odorless shoe spray that stops your running shoes from getting so smelly. They make their Odor Eliminating Shoe Spray in the USA and each bottle can treat about 10 pairs of shoes.

SureFeet sent me a sample and I used it on my worst smelling shoes and guess what? It worked great! This pair smelled from across the room but after a quick application of the spray, I’d say the smell was reduced by 95%. After wearing them a few more times, the smell was probably 80% less than how it smelled before I used SureFeet.

It works and my wife is very thankful for that. Just one quick suggestion: don’t put it on too thick because it won’t dry completely clear.

My next project is using it on a pair of new running shoes because it’s best as a preventative tool, rather than on already smelly shoes. It doesn’t wash off, wear away, or contain any nasty chemicals. Be sure to check out SureFeet and get a twin-pack of their spray.

153. Movement Expert Todd Hargrove on Pain, Mobility, and Play

The Strength Running Podcast