Structural Biases in Speed & Strength Development (with Bill Hartman)

In this episode of the Evolving Performance Podcast, Kevin is joined by Bill Hartman, a world-renowned physical therapist and co-owner of Indianapolis Fitness and Sports Training (IFAST). Bill is the creator of the Unified Health and Performance Continuum Model, a principles-based framework that examines how the entire human system works together to manage forces and create movement.

They explore how structural biases—an athlete's natural body type—fundamentally shape their potential to develop speed versus strength. Bill explains why certain structures gravitate toward specific sports, the trade-offs of training athletes without accounting for their build, and how to tailor exercise selection to individual biomechanics. The conversation also covers evaluating movement in pain-free athletes, using internal versus external coaching cues, and why "belly breathing" misrepresents proper diaphragm function.

This episode offers essential insights for coaches looking to individualize training and better understand the relationship between structure, movement, and performance.

Topics Include:

• Structural biases that favor speed versus strength development
• Why elite athletes in the same sport share similar body types
• How structure determines pressure distribution and force production capacity
• The "funnel" vs. "pillar" configurations and their performance implications
• Training trade-offs when working against an athlete's natural structure
• Exercise selection strategies for different structural archetypes
• Evaluating movement in athletes without pain or dysfunction
• When to use internal versus external focus in coaching
• Direct assessment of diaphragm function and breathing mechanics
• Why "belly breathing" constrains the thorax and limits movement quality
• Using strategic loading to magnify movement patterns and evolve motor control
• The role of sensory awareness in recapturing relative motion

📲 Connect with Bill Hartman:
Instagram: @bill_hartman_pt
Websites:
➡️ billhartmanpt.com
➡️ UHPC Model
➡️ RECON

📩 Contact Kevin:
Follow and suggest future guests, topics, and questions: @KevinNeeld
📺 Watch the videos: @NeeldPerformance
🧠 Subscribe to the free newsletter: KevinNeeld.com
📬 Email: KN@KevinNeeld.com

⏱️ Timestamps

00:00 – Introduction to Bill Hartman
02:00 – Ad read: Metabolic Elite
04:57 – Structural biases in speed vs. strength athletes
08:05 – Body types and sport selection
10:13 – Funnel vs. pillar configurations
12:07 – NFL combine data on structural ratios
14:09 – Tailoring exercise selection to structure
17:12 – Olympic lifting and structural considerations
19:08 – Recognizing structural constraints in training
21:15 – Hockey players and horizontal force application
24:25 – Pressure biases and exercise selection
28:53 – Extreme exhalers and training position
31:38 – Performance vs. structural restoration
36:08 – Movement screens for pain-free athletes
40:09 – Training environment and surface variability
45:18 – Long-term athletic development principles
48:55 – Biological vs. chronological age
53:04 – Growth mindset and continuing education
55:00 – Movement evaluation in pain-free athletes
57:32 – Breathing evaluation and relative motion
01:00:32 – Belly breathing vs. diaphragmatic function
01:01:50 – Connecting with Bill and the UHP Network