Evolving Performance Podcast (Ep10): Structural Biases in Speed & Strength Development with Bill Hartman

In this episode of the Evolving Performance Podcast, I’m 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.

In this episode, we 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