About this episode

Dom Thomas discusses the unique challenges of training Cirque du Soleil performers to maintain peak performance year-round.

We sit down with Dom Thomas—former collegiate S&C coach turned Cirque du Soleil performance coach in Las Vegas —to unpack what it really takes to keep 80–90 “artists” show-ready year-round. Think: Olympic-level skill, mixed training ages, and 10 shows a week with almost no true off-season. In-this-playbook • “Artists” are athletes—on insane volume: ~10 shows/week, ~500/year, with only small “dark” windows. Dom treats those breaks like micro off-seasons: push hard → reset → rebuild. • Screen, sort, then individualise: new arrivals go through a simple but scalable battery (step test @ 90 bpm, trap-bar strength targets by act, pull-ups vs hand-release push-ups, multi-plane core). Pass = integrate; borderline = add days + fix the weak links. • Programming for acts, not sports: each show has different demands and injury profiles (e.g., divers/Russian Swing = shoulder + low back exposure; explosive shows = more ankle/foot issues). Dom starts by asking: what breaks most here? then builds the plan around it. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TeamBuildr⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ : Coaches, revolutionise your training programs with their cutting-edge platform. Create and customised…

Sponsors

TeamBuildr

More episodes of PA CHALK UP

• MARQUES WHITE - ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF FOOTBALL PERFORMANCE @ BOISE STATE UNIVERSITY #134 · April 27, 2026 · 56 min
• DR MIKE STONE & MEG STONE + ALEX BORGS - ETSU S&C #133 · April 20, 2026 · 2h 16m
• BRITT DUCROZ - DIVING S&C COACH FOR TEAM GB & PRIVATE #132 · April 13, 2026 · 1h 11m
• JACKSON MORRIS - DIRECTOR OF FOOTBALL PERFORMANCE @ COASTAL CAROLINA UNIVERSITY #131 · April 6, 2026 · 58 min
• RAVEN CHANCE - S&C COACH @ TOWSEN UNMIVERSITY #130 · March 30, 2026 · 37 min
• BO SANDOVAL - S&C COACH & LECTURER @ TEXAS A&M #129 · March 23, 2026 · 1h 6m

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the PA CHALK UP podcast page.