Welcome to Blueprint of an Athlete , where host Dr. Robin West, an orthopedic and sports medicine surgeon , is joined by Ted Rath, Director of Sports Performance for the New Orleans Saints. Rath's work spans nearly two decades in the NFL with the Rams and Eagles, minimizing injury and peaking performance across the roster.

Core Philosophy: Mind, Body, and Process

Rath’s performance model is guided by caring for the person—the mind, body, and soul. He focuses on teaching orthopedically sound techniques to correct faulty movement patterns, increasing the athlete’s health span beyond their career.

In the face of adversity and tough seasons , Rath stresses that the process must remain the priority. Focusing on process ensures the team is building a foundation for years of outcomes, not just riding the waves of wins and losses.

Building Trust and Vulnerability

The most successful element that "travels well" between the five NFL teams Rath has worked with is developing great relationships. This establishes the trust needed to ask players to endure uncomfortable recovery protocols.

To build trust quickly, Rath advises leaders to be vulnerable. The greatest four words a leader can say are: "I messed that up". Own the mistake, explain what you learned , and back it up with action.

The Data-Driven NFL Week

Rath details the meticulous structure of an NFL week. Monday is a crucial recovery session to flush acute soreness with mobility work, tempo runs, and lower-body strength training.

He emphasizes the importance of daily communication with the entire coaching, medical, and performance staffs. These meetings review practice loading, injury reports, and workload management.

Key Indicators for Injury Prevention

Rath relies on objective data to flag injury risk:

• Reactive Strength Index (RSI): This force plate metric measures neuromuscular fatigue status—how efficiently an athlete loads and redirects force during a jump. A significant drop flags a concern.
• Context: Data like RSI is combined with subjective wellness (stress, soreness, sleep) to make informed decisions on practice deloading.

All data is housed in a custom-built Athlete Management System (AMS) that simplifies millions of rows of data into "actionable" and digestible visual profiles.

Final Advice

Rath’s new book, Beyond Comfort, stresses the need to lean into discomfort and respond to adversity. His final advice for all athletes: Master Technique and ensure your daily habits align with your goals. The most underrated recovery tool is sleep.