“Ever pushed through a workout just because it was on the plan—only to pay for it later?
Most athletes and lifters know the trap: the program says one thing, your body says another. That’s where autoregulation comes in.

In Episode 35 of Past Your Prime, Alex and Craig break down how to adjust a structured program in real time without losing progress. Alex shares what he’s been hearing about “intuitive exercise,” Craig explains why skill and measurement matter, and together they walk through the tools you can actually use to autoregulate training—so you know when to regress, lateralize, or progress.

In this episode:
– Why rigidly sticking to a plan often backfire– The difference between intuitive exercise and autoregulation– Key autoregulation tools: RPE, reps in reserve, fatigue response levels, and key signs– How to use tissue, energy, and exercise capacity to guide decisions– Regression, lateralization, and progression explained– Real-world examples from Alex’s training and injuries

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

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

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Follow us on Instagram:

📲 Alex – ⁠@spikerkeicher⁠

📲 Craig – ⁠@craigsmithPT

Still jumping, landing, and lifting—but your knees don’t feel the same?

In this episode, Craig and Alex break down the 5-Level Framework for keeping your knees healthy, strong, and pain-free—especially if you’re an active adult dealing with old injuries, stubborn swelling, or a history of patellar pain.

Whether you’re playing pickup sports, chasing kids, or just want to train without blowing out your knees, this episode walks you through exactly what to fix—and in what order.

You’ll learn how to spot silent breakdowns like quad inhibition, why force absorption matters more than power production, and how smart loading (not fancy exercises) keeps you in the game.

In this episode:– The 4 non-negotiables for knee health– Why quad inhibition quietly ruins your performance– How to test if your muscles are “shut off” (and what to do)– Force absorption vs. power: why it’s the missing link in injury prevention– Movement patterns that wreck your landings– Why “fixing your glutes” isn’t always the answer– How to spot faulty movement (valgus, stiffness, asymmetry)– Real recovery strategies (not just ice and tape)– Why weekly and monthly load planning matters more than random rest– How to stop masking symptoms—and start managing your knee

____________________________________

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

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

When everything hurts, most people just try to push through—or give up altogether. But there’s a better way.

In this episode, Craig and Alex introduce the Body Inventory: a 5-question system to map out your current and past injuries, identify hidden compensations, and finally train with clarity instead of fear.

Whether you're dealing with persistent pain, old injuries that keep flaring up, or movement patterns you didn’t even realize you were avoiding, this episode gives you a structured way to stop guessing and start managing your body.

You’ll learn why most active adults confuse pain tolerance with pain threshold, how sensitization develops over time, and what it really means to feel fragile—but not broken.

Craig and Alex walk through real examples (including Alex’s wrist injury) to show you how to turn scattered symptoms into a focused plan—and why your warm-up, key signs, and self-awareness matter more than any quick fix.

In this episode:

– Why pushing through pain leads to fragility, not resilience– The difference between pain tolerance and pain threshold (and why it matters)– How sensitization makes your body react more to less– The 5-question Body Inventory framework– Why forgotten injuries still matter– How to identify key signs for monitoring progress– What to do when your symptoms don’t respond to treatment– Why most warm-ups are too long and miss the point– How to build a plan around your body's real limits—not your ego– What it means to be untracked (not broken)

____________________________

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