The Strength Running Podcast · Jason Fitzgerald

Isometrics vs. Strength vs. Plyos: What's Missing in Your Strength Training with Dr. Matt Silver

·1 hr 3 min·4 clips

Isometrics contract without shortening or lengthening, like a wall sit held against an immovable object.

Jason Fitzgerald opens episode 431 by introducing Dr. Matthew Silver, a physical therapist, coach, cross-country athlete, founder of Alpha Project Physio and Performance in Maryland, and author. He also reminds listeners that the show is built around giving runners guidance from the same experts pro runners rely on. Fitzgerald then shares a birthday trail-run mishap and a bad stumble that left him scraped up, which gives the conversation a lived-in running context. From there, the episode turns into a detailed coaching conversation about strength training. Silver and Fitzgerald compare isometrics, traditional strength work, and plyometrics as separate tools that runners often mix together. The discussion keeps returning to tendon stiffness. Silver explains why heavy calf raises and max-voluntary isometrics can help build a stiffer, more spring-like tendon. He treats that stiffness as a positive for running economy, not the kind of stiffness runners usually try to get rid of. Fitzgerald asks what running economy really means, and Silver grounds the answer in the mechanics of efficient movement. The two also connect muscle tension to the responsive, bouncy feeling runners call pop in their legs. That idea leads naturally into the spring analogy, where the tendon recoils and returns energy with each stride. Jump training enters as the more explosive end of the spectrum. Silver argues that plyometrics make the most sense after the athlete has already built enough tendon stiffness to support them well. The sequencing matters, and the episode makes that point clearly. Silver also talks through how different isometric positions change the training stimulus. The lower-leg examples make the physiology easier to picture without losing the training purpose. Fitzgerald keeps the tone conversational and grounded in real runner problems. Silver answers in a way that is technical but still comfortable for a committed listener. The episode narrows the question to what each method changes and when it should show up in training. By the end, the show has built a practical framework for thinking about tendon health, springiness, and performance. It leaves runners with a clearer way to connect gym work to the feel of running itself.

As heard by us

A runner-focused look at how strength work can translate into better running.

This episode opens with a runner-friendly mix of a trail-running stumble, a 42nd-birthday weight session, and a close look at tendon stiffness. Dr.

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Why you'd press play

When your strength work needs more spring, not just more sets, this episode puts tendon stiffness and running economy in plain view.

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