Episode 168: Finding Balance with Jay Dawes, Ph.D., CSCS

2025-04-15

Register for the Women's Tactical Human Performance SummitToday’s guest is Dr. Jay Dawes—one of the pioneers in tactical performance and research. Jay and I first connected nearly six years ago, and now we’re colleagues at Oklahoma State University.In this episode, we explore what it means to find balance in training. Jay shares a memorable analogy about plate spinners at the circus—when one plate starts to wobble, it just needs a small touch to start spinning again. It’s a simple but powerful reminder for managing training prioritie...

Today’s guest is Dr. Jay Dawes—one of the pioneers in tactical performance and research. Jay and I first connected nearly six years ago, and now we’re colleagues at Oklahoma State University.

In this episode, we explore what it means to find balance in training. Jay shares a memorable analogy about plate spinners at the circus—when one plate starts to wobble, it just needs a small touch to start spinning again. It’s a simple but powerful reminder for managing training priorities.

So what, now what?!?

We also explore the concept of minimum effective dose—a critical principle for the fire service. Most firefighters don’t have the luxury (or desire) to train 10+ hours weekly. That’s why efficiency and intentionality matter: creating maximum impact with minimal time.

Download a training template based on today's episode

*****
Register for 7-Minute Science here

Purchase FRW Swag here

Get on the Waitlist for Building Your Career in Fire

Follow Fire Rescue Wellness on the socials...

IG | LinkedIn | Twitter

Discount Code:

FRW20 at Fluid Nutrition

Affiliate Links

Check out my Fringe Affiliate Link

Check out my TryCreate Affiliate Link (20% off your order)!

Check out my ChiliSleep Affiliate Link (15% off your order)!

Please rate, share, and subscribe to the podcast!

Comments (3)