Matt Rhea, PhD

Athlete Engineer. ASU➡️IMG➡️IU➡️Bama➡️Saints➡️Rhea Performance Systems

[Matt Rhea, PhD @MattRheaPhD]

Two men that I got to watch do it the right way every day! @Mathieu_Era @taeetaylor
Are you looking for a reason to not play or are you doing everything in your power to get out there with your teammates?

[In The Bayou With Tyrann Mathieu @InTheBayouPod]

Three seasons, zero missed games 😳

Alontae Taylor and Tyrann Mathieu explain the mindset behind showing up every Sunday 👇

“I heard Tyrann come out of the training room one day and say, ‘Are you hurt or are you injured?’ Two totally different things… I was telling the guys in Tennessee, one thing you can count on is that I’m going to be available on Sunday.”

[Matt Rhea, PhD @MattRheaPhD]

@EricGuthrie07 Because it takes away an opportunity for a student at that institution. Network at conferences, on social media, or pay a visit to that campus to interact but college S&C programs should contribute to the academic experience of students at the institution that pays their salary.

[Matt Rhea, PhD @MattRheaPhD]

College S&C/Sport Sci depts “hiring”interns that aren’t part of your university student body is absurd. You realize the only reason you have college athletics is because of academics, right?There shouldn’t be an intern in your operation that isn’t a student at your institution.

[Matt Rhea, PhD @MattRheaPhD]

Grandkids, fireworks, BBQ, and Baseball! Have a day America! 🇺🇸

[Matt Rhea, PhD @MattRheaPhD]

This approach won’t adequately deal with publication bias (situations where research showing certain findings is more or less likely to be published) but should help you verify statements or opinions putting some power back in the hands of the average consumer.

[Matt Rhea, PhD @MattRheaPhD]

You don’t have to rely on the “experts” to make sense of research literature or just trust that someone is giving you accurate info. Anyone can find research-backed answers through AI tools. So if you want to know if the weight room improves speed in athletes, for example, ⬇️

[Matt Rhea, PhD @MattRheaPhD]

Enter “Based on published research…” in the beginning of your inquiry and you’ll get a pretty darn good synopsis of the literature through existing AI tools. Use https://t.co/gwAeAzIZvt for a deeper dive into sport science topics.

[Matt Rhea, PhD @MattRheaPhD]

I don’t care if we call it injury prevention, injury risk mitigation, or something else but instead of arguing semantics, we need to focus more time and effort on identifying the things that actually make sports participation safer and keep athletes healthier.

[Matt Rhea, PhD @MattRheaPhD]

Can we predict injuries in sports? YES. Based on published research over past 15 years, we can predict how many injuries will occur per 1,000 hours of athlete exposure. ~30 in soccer, 75 rugby, 20 American Football, 9 basketball, 2 baseball and softball, and 35 in hockey.

[Matt Rhea, PhD @MattRheaPhD]

If we then implement a program or system that addresses those risk factors and then see an injury rate below what would be predicted, we can say we had a positive impact.

[Luke Falk @coachlukefalk]

Is What You're Doing Actually Transferring?
Is it moving the needle? Does it transfer to what you are doing?

I was fortunate enough to work with Dr. @MattRheaPhD in high school when he was my strength coach at Logan High. Dr. Rhea later became the Director of Sports Performance at the University of Alabama under Nick Saban winning a national championship before taking a similar role with the New Orleans Saints.

One of the first things I learned from Dr. Rhea was “The Transfer Effect.”

He taught us that training should directly transfer onto the field. Meaning we were going to utilize exercises that would actually help me become a better quarterback… not waste time on things that didn’t transfer or move the needle.

That principle doesn’t just apply to athletes in the weight room or on the field.
It applies to business, leadership, coaching, relationships, life, etc.

Is what you are working on transferring to your goals, your arena, and your future success?
Or are you spending energy on things that aren’t actually paying you back with any ROI?

The best of the best constantly evaluate this. They focus on what “transfers.”
Being busy and being effective are two completely different things.

“Don’t mistake activity for achievement.” - John Wooden
#MindStrength #TransferEffect

[Matt Rhea, PhD @MattRheaPhD]

So many pro football players are massive futbol fans. Figured it was only a matter of time before the young ones started picking it up. Great story!

[ESPN @espn]

How Alex Freeman's All-Pro wide receiver dad helped him live his World Cup dream ⚽️🏈 https://t.co/VeGGaDudYC

[U.S. Soccer Men's National Team @USMNT]

THE STARS IN STRIPES! 🇺🇸

[Matt Rhea, PhD @MattRheaPhD]

Messi. Messi. Messi. 🇦🇷

[Matt Rhea, PhD @MattRheaPhD]

Two books that I highly recommend for any athlete, coach, and parent written by two amazing athletes and friends!
17 Principles of a Mission Elite by @RaheelManji
https://t.co/uzZk7eUui9
The Mind Strength Playbook by @coachlukefalk
https://t.co/pscVkbtSIr

[Matt Rhea, PhD @MattRheaPhD]

T-Apex…..Under $5k delivered in under 5 days👀! Resisted/Assisted program is up on @RheaPerformance site. Webinar coming shortly. Great ops developing for education, research, and training for those purchasing through RPS!

[Matt Rhea, PhD @MattRheaPhD]

I have seen multiple data sets in my work in college and pro football where the bulk of our training volume was done at faster speeds and moderate loads. And maximum strength went up…not down.

[Matt Rhea, PhD @MattRheaPhD]

To all those suggesting that VBT will decrease strength…. First, VBT stands for “velocity-based training”. It involves ALL velocities, not just fast speeds. It involves a process where we prescribe a speed versus a % of 1RM.

[Matt Rhea, PhD @MattRheaPhD]

If you want to argue that training at fast speeds and light to moderate loads for too long might have an adverse effect on maximum strength, we can have that debate. But be clear that this would be a debate over optimal velocities not VBT versus traditional % programming…AND⬇️