Ever tried adding plyometrics—only to end up sore, flared up, or frustrated?

In this episode of Past Your Prime, Craig and Alex explain how to reintroduce plyometric training without blowing yourself up. Whether you’re returning from injury, trying to get more explosive, or just want to stay athletic as you age, this conversation gives you a clear roadmap for success.

They cover:– What the stretch-shortening cycle (SSC) really is– How plyos train both your nervous system and your tendons– The most common mistakes people make when adding jump training– The foundational movements and phases you must own first– How to progress: landing → control → power– Why cramping might get worse before it gets better– Craig’s rules for volume, frequency, and intensity– Real-world examples from rehab and sport

If you’ve ever skipped the “boring” prep and paid for it later, this episode will show you how to do plyos the smart way—without wrecking your knees, aggravating old injuries, or derailing your training.

___________________________________________________

Welcome to Past Your Prime – the podcast for active adults balancing training, rehab, family, and real life.

In each episode, hosts Craig Smith and Alex Keicher dive into real-world strategies for overcoming injuries, staying strong, and living pain-free — even when life gets chaotic.

💡 Learn more, access resources, and join our community: 👉 ⁠pastyourprime.com⁠

Follow us on Instagram:

📲 Alex – ⁠@spikerkeicher⁠

📲 Craig – ⁠@craigsmithPT

Why do you feel fine during a workout… only to wake up sore, stiff, or wrecked the next day?

In this episode of Past Your Prime, Craig and Alex break down a powerful clinical tool: the 3-Capacity Model, which helps you identify what’s actually limiting your progress—and what’s setting you up for injury, burnout, or flare-ups.

They cover:

• The difference between energy capacity, tissue capacity, and exercise capacity

• Why most people train the wrong one (and don’t realize it)

• How to use the 6-level response scale for fatigue and pain

• Why workouts that feel good can still backfire

• Case studies: a breast cancer survivor, a college runner, and a retired firefighter trying to get back on track

  
  

If you’ve ever said, “I don’t get why I’m sore—I didn’t even push that hard,” this episode will change how you think about fatigue, injury, and sustainable performance.

🎧 Subscribe to catch all future episodes

Welcome to Past Your Prime – the podcast for active adults balancing training, rehab, family, and real life.

In each episode, hosts Craig Smith and Alex Keicher dive into real-world strategies for overcoming injuries, staying strong, and living pain-free — even when life gets chaotic.

💡 Learn more, access resources, and join our community: 👉 pastyourprime.com

Follow us on Instagram:

📲 Alex – @spikerkeicher

📲 Craig – @craigsmithPT

🌐 More tools + programs: https://pastyourprime.com

📲 Follow on Instagram: Alex – @spikerkeicher

Craig – @craigsmithPT

How to Understand and Manage Flare-Ups Without Panic, Quitting, or Starting Over

You’ve been putting in the work. Things were feeling better. Then suddenly—pain’s back. You’re spiraling, questioning your diagnosis, and wondering if you’re just broken.

In this episode, Craig and Alex unpack the real reason people relapse—even when their rehab was working. Spoiler: it’s not always about the diagnosis. They break down the four most common flare-up triggers, how to rebuild your therapeutic gap, and why managing your system matters more than chasing new treatments.

Whether you’re dealing with back pain, a cranky knee, or a wrist that won’t cooperate, this episode will help you stop panicking and start progressing again.

In this episode:

• The 4-step flare-up checklist

• How activity creep ruins recovery

• Why your system is “perfect” for your current outcome

• Hidden triggers and the trap of familiarity

• Using flare-ups to build mastery and autonomy

• Why identity mismatches can sabotage rehab

  
  

If you’ve ever felt like you were doing everything right and still backslid—this is for you.

—

Need help managing pain, rebuilding capacity, or figuring out your rehab system?
Explore more at pastyourprime.com

Follow us on IG:
Alex – @spikerkeicher

Craig – @craigsmithPT

Past Your Prime is the podcast for active adults balancing training, rehab, family, and real life. Hosts Craig Smith (PT & coach) and Alex Keicher (pro athlete & busy dad) unpack real-world strategies to overcome injuries, stay strong, and keep moving—even when life gets chaotic.

You didn’t fail 75 Hard. Your system did.

In Episode 23 of Past Your Prime, Craig and Alex take a hard look at the viral 75 Hard challenge — and flip the narrative.

Most people assume 75 Hard is a test of willpower and mental toughness. But Craig argues it’s something more revealing: a full-body audit of your life systems.

Why can’t you drink a gallon of water a day without panicking about your next bathroom break? Why does one skipped workout derail your whole week? Why does not drinking at a party feel like social exile?

It’s not because you’re weak. It’s because your system isn’t built to support the behavior you’re trying to change.

This episode blends real-life struggles (Alex’s flare-ups, Craig’s wine-based work edge) with honest coaching on identity, habit design, and long-term self-management.

We cover:

– What 75 Hard really tests (spoiler: it’s not discipline)– Why water intake is the perfect hidden systems test– How alcohol becomes a "work edge" and social ritual– The difference between identity-based change and white-knuckle effort– Why vacation, work, and family life sabotage hard rules– What to track before starting a challenge like this– How to audit your current system before it break– Why willpower will always lose to friction

Resources:

👉 Visit pastyourprime.com for tools, training programs, and recovery systems designed for real life.

Past Your Prime is the podcast for active adults balancing training, rehab, family, and real life.
Hosts Craig Smith (PT & coach) and Alex Keicher (pro athlete & busy dad) unpack real-world strategies to overcome injuries, stay strong, and keep moving—even when life gets chaotic.

💡 Join the community: pastyourprime.com

Follow us on Instagram:
📲 Alex – @spikerkeicher📲 Craig – @craigsmithPT

No knee pain? You might still be failing rehab.

In Episode 22 of Past Your Prime, Craig and Alex break down the most common mistake in knee recovery: assuming that once the pain is gone, you’re ready to get back to life. Spoiler—your knee disagrees.

Using Alex’s recent flare-up as a case study, Craig explains why true recovery depends on more than just how your knee feels. You’ll learn the four metrics every athlete and active adult needs to pass before getting cleared: full extension, no swelling, full flexion, and quad strength.

They also dig into the real reason cortisone shots create long-term problems, how swelling shuts down your quad, and why glute training isn’t the fix everyone thinks it is.

Whether you're recovering from injury or just want knees that last, this one’s a must-listen.

We cover:– Why "pain-free" doesn’t mean "problem-free"– The 4 clinical signs you need to clear before resuming activity– How to test your own knee extension– What joint swelling does to your quad (and how to reverse it)– Why cortisone can feel like a miracle—and still ruin your joint– How to create a positive rehab loop (instead of a doom loop spiral)– The real role of glutes in knee recovery– When to use heel lifts, ideal knees, and quad primers

Resources:👉 Check out pastyourprime.com for knee tools, training programs, and recovery content.

Past Your Prime is the podcast for active adults balancing training, rehab, family, and real life.
Hosts Craig Smith (PT & coach) and Alex Keicher (pro athlete & busy dad) unpack real-world strategies to overcome injuries, stay strong, and keep moving—even when life gets chaotic.
💡 Join the community: pastyourprime.com

Follow us on Instagram:📲 Alex – @spikerkeicher📲 Craig – @craigsmithPT

Cramping mid-game? Here’s why it happens—and how to actually fix it.

In Episode 21 of Past Your Prime, Craig and Alex tackle one of the most frustrating problems in sports: calf and hamstring cramps. Alex shares a real-time story from a recent volleyball match where he finally overcame a calf cramp mid-game using a neural flossing technique—and why it worked for the first time in his life.

Craig breaks down the science behind muscle cramping, including the real role of the nervous system, why stretching often makes things worse, and how fatigue, inhibition, and movement patterns all contribute to recurring cramps. They also discuss hamstring pulls, glute shutdown, and how to rewire your body to stop overusing the same muscles.

Whether you’re an athlete, weekend warrior, or just tired of waking up with leg cramps, this episode gives you the tools to take control.

We cover:

– Why your cramps aren’t caused by hydration or electrolytes

– How to tell if your cramps are coming from your back

– Why glute inhibition leads to hamstring overload

– Real-time cramp solutions: neural flossing, traction, and activation

– When your training style becomes your injury risk

– The #1 mistake people make when treating cramps (stretching!)

– How to identify and treat double crush syndrome

– How to stop night cramps before they start

Resources: Are You Past Your Prime?

Past Your Prime is the podcast for active adults balancing training, rehab, family, and real life.

Hosts Craig Smith (PT & coach) and Alex Keicher (pro athlete & busy dad) unpack real-world strategies to overcome injuries, stay strong, and keep moving—even when life gets chaotic.

💡 Join the community: pastyourprime.com

Follow us on Instagram:

📲 Alex – ⁠@spikerkeicher⁠ 📲 Craig – ⁠@craigsmithPT

Feeling motivated but still can’t make progress? In Episode 20 of Past Your Prime, Craig and Alex break down why motivation alone isn’t enough—and what to do instead.

Using Alex’s recent string of injuries and volleyball training as a case study, they reveal a four-step system designed to eliminate failure points, build foundational skills, use feedback loops, and continuously upgrade your plan.

Whether you're a busy adult trying to stay fit or an athlete balancing real life with training goals, this episode gives you the tools to build a body that can actually handle your life.

We cover: – Why motivation fails—even when you're fired up – How to find and eliminate the real failure points in your routine – The five barriers that stop people from working out consistently – Foundational physical and life skills you need to succeed – How to use tight feedback loops to avoid setbacks and tweak your plan – Why refining your training system matters more than just “working harder”

Resources:

Are you past your prime?

How to Start a Workout Routine

Motivation Myth

Past Your Prime is the podcast for active adults balancing training, rehab, family, and real life. Hosts Craig Smith (PT & coach) and Alex Keicher (pro athlete & busy dad) unpack real-world strategies to overcome injuries, stay strong, and keep moving—even when life gets chaotic. 💡 Join the community: pastyourprime.com

Most people think motivation is what keeps them going.
But what if relying on motivation is actually what’s holding you back?

In Episode 19 of Past Your Prime, Craig and Alex break down why motivation can be a trap—especially when it comes to staying consistent with injury rehab, strength training, or life as a busy parent.

From late-night gym sessions to stacking injuries from overdoing it, this episode tackles how meaning, identity, and habit systems matter more than motivation ever will.

🔑 In this episode:

• Why motivation often disappears when you need it most

• The difference between meaning and motivation (and why it matters)

• How to build systems that work even when you’re exhausted

• The clinical danger of “over-motivation” in rehab and training

• Why exercise relapse is real—and how to avoid it

• What tissue capacity vs. exercise capacity looks like in real life

  
  

📲 Follow us:Alex – @spikerkeicherCraig – @craigsmithpt

📺 Watch on YouTube

PAST YOUR PRIME

Past Your Prime is the podcast for active adults balancing training, rehab, family, and real life.
Hosts Craig Smith (PT & coach) and Alex Keicher (pro athlete & busy dad) unpack real-world strategies to overcome injuries, stay strong, and keep moving—even when life gets chaotic.
💡 Join the community: pastyourprime.com