“It’s not the 9.58 seconds that make sprinting what it is—it’s everything packed inside them.”
That’s how Stuart McMillan sees it. And after coaching over 70 Olympic athletes to more than 30 Olympic medals, and decades spent consulting across global sport, he’s earned the right to say so.
Following a widely shared conversation with Andrew Huberman, McMillan joined the Rich Roll Podcast to explore sprinting from a different angle. Less science, more systems. Less output, more awareness. This wasn’t a technical deep dive for track nerds. It was a conversation about what sport—and sprinting in particular—reveals about how we move, how we think, and how we lead.
As the conversation unfolded, a number of key themes emerged, each one building a clearer picture of why sprinting is more than performance: It’s a lens for understanding people, process, and potential.
This article unpacks some of these key themes from that conversation, and offers practical insights for coaches, athletes, and anyone interested in how movement connects to mindset.
The Three Buttons of Human Performance
McMillan begins with a foundational concept: improvement hinges on knowing what to change. He breaks performance down into three distinct levers:
- Structure – height, limb length, fiber type, joint configuration. Some variables are fixed, some adjustable.
- Function – capacities like force production, range of motion, and endurance.
- Coordination – the technical and neural ability to organize movement.
“Most athletes have structure and function. What they’re missing is coordination.”
The takeaway is simple but often missed: performance gains come from identifying the right button—and pressing it with precision.
This sets the stage for a deeper dive into the most overlooked lever of the three.
Coordination Over Capacity
Many athletes and coaches overemphasize drills or load, while underestimating the value of mindful repetition. For McMillan, technical mastery emerges through movement—not in isolation.
“You don’t get better at running by doing drills. You get better at running by running well.”
True change takes time—and often means stepping back before moving forward. McMillan points to Tiger Woods’ swing change as a metaphor for this process: even the best risk short-term setbacks to pursue long-term gains.
This perspective also shapes how McMillan thinks about training progression.
Why Sprinting Matters for Everyone
From elite performers to everyday runners, sprinting offers lessons that apply across the spectrum. McMillan unpacks the concept of speed reserve—how improving top-end velocity increases efficiency at submaximal speeds.
“If your top speed increases, then every speed below that becomes more economical.”
He offers skipping as an accessible, low-risk entry point into sprint-style movement. It reinforces stiffness, timing, and joint coordination without the demands of maximal effort.
The key, as always, is progression:
“If the fastest you’ve gone is 80% and you suddenly try to go to 100%, it’s only going to end one way.”
But sprinting is more than a movement solution; it’s also a systems metaphor.
Building High-Performing Systems
Beyond the biomechanics, McMillan zooms out to look at organizational performance. Having worked with over 100 professional teams, he draws a sharp contrast between the aligned and the fragmented.
“The best teams have integrated systems. The worst have silos.”
He shares examples from Arsenal and the LA Rams—teams where medical, performance, and coaching staff communicate daily and operate from shared language. The result? Athletes who feel supported, and systems built to last.
“If the athlete doesn’t feel supported by the whole system, the system isn’t working.”
From there, McMillan circles back to the foundation of coaching and leadership.
Movement is a Mirror
From systems to self-awareness, McMillan closes the loop by returning to movement as a mirror. Health, he argues, is about variability. Performance is about coordination. Coaching is about curiosity.
“What makes this athlete unique? That’s the question I ask first.”
He encourages coaches and athletes to reflect more deeply on how they move, what they’re paying attention to, and where blind spots may lie. Movement quality—measured by coordination, stiffness, and rhythm—is both a physical and psychological practice.
“The body is rotational. Hips oscillate. Shoulders rock. Movement is a dance between tension and freedom.”
Variability is Health
Movement is more than a workout—it's a reflection of how we engage with the world. McMillan believes the healthiest movers are those who do the most different things.
“Health is variability. Can you do a bunch of different things in a bunch of different ways?”
As we age, narrowing routines can dull both performance and curiosity. Reintroducing variety—new skills, new patterns, new environments—keeps both body and mind adaptable.
Coaching the Individual
In a powerful analogy, McMillan compares modern coaching to a new car's lane-assist feature: constantly nudging athletes back toward a pre-set template.
“Coaches set narrow guidelines instead of asking: what makes this athlete unique?”
The most effective coaches, he argues, prioritize listening. They start not with a program, but with a person.
“Coaching is curiosity.”
So what does it all add up to?
Across nearly 2-hours, this conversation touches on biomechanics, leadership, coaching philosophy, and organizational design. But if you’re looking for a distilled playbook—here are the six essential insights from McMillan’s appearance on The Rich Roll Podcast.
- Coordination is the undervalued lever. Most athletes chase strength or capacity. Few address how they actually move.
“Most athletes have structure and function. What they’re missing is coordination.”
- Speed benefits everyone. It’s not about sprinting all-out. It’s about improving your movement economy through speed reserve.
“Any speed that’s below your top speed becomes more economical.”
- Great coaching starts with curiosity. McMillan’s first question with any athlete: “What makes you unique?”
“That’s always the answer for me—curiosity.”
- Elite teams share language and systems. Alignment isn’t soft—it’s a strategic edge.
“The best teams have integrated systems. The worst have silos.”
- Movement quality reflects mindset. What we attend to in training reflects how we think, learn, and lead.
“Health is variability. Can you do a bunch of different things in a bunch of different ways?”
- Technology supports, not replaces. Data informs—but it’s the coaching eye that decides.
“Use the tech that is most important for us, and rely on as little as we possibly can.”
Beyond the stopwatch
What sprinting demands at the highest level—attention, alignment, and adaptability—has something to teach every coach and athlete, regardless of their domain. In this wide-ranging conversation, McMillan opens a window into what it means to move with purpose, lead with clarity, and build systems that work.
Watch the full Rich Roll Podcast episode with Stuart McMillan for more insight. And if you’re ready to start your own sprint journey, access Stu’s free video series on how to safely and effectively introduce sprinting into your health and fitness routine.
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