How the Elites Stay Healthy: All-American Steepler Jonathan Pierce on Injury Prevention

Mar 26, 2026

Jonathan Pierce, DPT and former Stanford All-American steeplechaser who founded NOVOS Athlete, shares how elites stay healthy. He talks about training and mechanical causes of injuries. He explains movement quality, simple screens to spot deficits, and drills to improve coordination. He outlines strength, sprint, and recovery strategies that build durability for runners.

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ADVICE

Do Less Not More During Meet Treatment

Avoid over-treating athletes at competitions; use minimal targeted inputs to prevent nervous-system fatigue.
Jonathan uses short ART sessions and progressive check-ins across rounds so athletes stay energized and coordinated.

ANECDOTE

Steeple Hurdles Boost Hip Rotators And Power

Jonathan recounted being ID'd as a steepler at Stanford for pop, mobility, and willingness to do hurdle work.
He said hurdle training develops hip rotators, eccentric hamstring load, coordination and transferable power.

ANECDOTE

Competition Tune Ups Keep Athletes Sharp

Jonathan described working championships doing short tune-ups to make athletes feel and move better before rounds.
He balanced minimal manual therapy and targeted fixes so athletes weren't neurologically fatigued but could express peak fitness.

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Jonathan Pierce is an ART certified massage therapist, a Stanford All-American in the 3,000m steeplechase, and a former pro runner for Reebok, ASICS, and the Mammoth Track Club. Not only has he competed at the Olympic Trials, he's worked there as a therapist.

He's also the founder of NOVOS Athlete in San Diego, a physical therapy and performance center for athletes.

Jonathan joins us to discuss his experience working with elite athletes and how they approach the process of staying healthy. We also talk about:

The training and mechanical causes of running injuries
The role of movement in health and how quality movement is preventative
How to determine if you have qualilty movement patterns and how to improve

Don't miss our complimentary injury prevention series to learn even more about staying healthy!

Thank you Lever!

Lever is back as a sponsor and they're giving away a FREE Lever system! Enter today at this link (the giveaway runs through the end of March) and for a bonus entry, follow Lever and Jason on Instagram.

Lever attaches to any treadmill and you hook into it like a harness. It effectively makes you lighter, enabling you to run more volume than you normally could with reduced injury risk, or helping you return to running after an injury.

Lever allows you to do more running with less risk. So maybe you want to build more mileage, or run hard workouts but you're hesitant because of injury concerns. The pro's have been using Lever for years, letting them get the advantage of more training with fewer injuries.

I had the chance to go for a run using Lever and it was deceptively easy to set up and use. All of a sudden, I was running 7min mile pace with the heart rate of 8:30 pace. You can see it in action on our YouTube channel.

They're also trusted by physical therapists, where they're commonly used during injury recovery so you can keep running with less load and impact.

Go to levermovement.com and use code Strength20 (with a capital S) for 20% off any system . Or, enter their giveaway here. Just don't wait too long - the giveaway only lasts until the end of March.

Thank you LMNT!

A big thanks to LMNT for their support of this episode! They make electrolyte drinks for athletes and low-carb folks with no sugar, artificial ingredients, or colors. They are offering a free gift with your purchase at LMNT. And this does NOT have to be your first purchase. You'll get a sample pack with every flavor so you can try them all before deciding what you like best.

And DOUBLE big news! Their newest flavor Lemonade Salt is now permanently available (it's now my favorite). They're also offering 12oz cans of sparkling LMNT water that has half the sodium concentration of a packet. Check them out.

LMNT's products have some of the highest sodium concentrations that you can find. Anybody who runs a lot knows that sodium, as well as other electrolytes like magnesium and potassium, are essential to our performance and how we feel throughout the day.

LMNT is my favorite way to hydrate. I'm now in the habit of giving away boxes of LMNT at group runs around Denver and Boulder and everyone loves this stuff.

Boost your performance and your recovery with LMNT. They're the exclusive hydration partner to Team USA Weightlifting and quite a few professional baseball, hockey, and basketball teams are on regular subscriptions. So check out LMNT to get a free sampler pack and get your hydration optimized for the upcoming season.