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Chris Doyle In the world of sports, achieving peak performance is not solely about rigorous training; it's equally about how well athletes fuel their bodies. Sound sports nutrition is crucial for recovery and improved performance, ensuring that...
It might be your son, it might be your daughter. It doesn’t really matter. In any case, you realize that you have a kid that has above average ability. Coaches start to tell you that your child has potential. People start talking about special se...
By Tony Holler, Track Coach, Plainfield North High School I consider myself a coach, a veteran of 36 years of coaching football, basketball, and track. Stuart McMillan recently tweeted, “A good coach knows a lot about a little and a little about...
Dr Stuart McGill describes the core structure as “a fishing rod held up by guide wires.” In other words, the spine is a flexible structure made stiffer or more stable by outside influences. McGill has also described the deep abdominal muscles as ...
I’m amazed that this debate continues to come up. Let’s begin by saying that many of us that don't advocate flexion-based core training are not telling anyone to not bend over to tie their shoes. Those that advocate exercise like Jefferson Curls ...
As a coach/teacher that has been in the business for more than 20 years, I really enjoyed my time at MBSC. I appreciate the work that Mike and his staff have put into making the program better every day. I also appreciate the adaptability of the prog...
Appreciate the Opportunity/Understand the Assignment - You do have to know your role. It doesn’t matter if you are experienced or a newbie. Listen carefully to what the people in charge have to say. At MBSC, Mike runs the show. You are there to lea...
Over the past 7 months, I haven’t spent as much time consuming or posting on Strength Coach as I would have liked. In March, there was a fire on the complex where our studio was. Even though we were safe and our space and equipment wasn’t affecte...
I have always appreciated how things work. Mechanical, biological, or electronic it didn’t matter. I want to know how it works and more importantly can I fit it into my life to make it better. If I can learn from someone that is smarter or better t...
Communicating clear expectations, and consequences for those expectations, creates structure and boundaries within your organization - whether that’s a sports team, a fitness facility, a single training group, or even a personal training relationsh...
First, I wanted to discuss how to get ready for the internship and aspects of learning that one should be aware of Oxford Languages (via Google) defines learning as, to “gain or acquire knowledge of or skill in (something) by study, experience, or...
Last year was my first experience as a high school strength coach. I joined a new staff, of a losing team, post COVID, and oh boy, year one was some tough sledding. We finished 2-8, giving up an average of 42.6 points per game on defense. We dedicate...
Every person that visits the Strengthcoach.com website has an interest in learning. We come for the technical information about different methods, exercises, and business practices so we can be better. My desire to learn more led me to asking Mike Bo...
Many triathletes, with good intentions of adding “a core routine” to their training, run afoul when they start adding exercises like crunches, Russian twists and flutter kicks. This old-school approach to core training is not only ineffective, bu...
Recently a Premier League manager made a comment that his team was no longer weight training because no one lifted weights on the pitch-.
This is about 120% of bodyweight for MBSC coach Shai Lariviere.
This may hit hard, but... YOU KNOW NOTHING! A qualification in Human Movements means nothing- it just shows you are competent at recalling information at a lecture and loosely applying this knowledge in practicals.
These are twelve of my favorite Assault/ AirDyne workouts. Be careful. These are not for beginners.
Read the classics! Sometimes we need to revisit the past to really learn.
I read something a friend had written that has become a viral topic on Facebook called Twenty Five Random Things About Me. I wrote my own posted them to my Facebook page and to my blog and decided to share them with you guys also. Here goes.
I wrote this in 2012 and, just realized it had been purged from the site. Thought I'd repost this. Can believe it was almost a decade ago.
I haven't quite reached the hill myself yet, however hitting 30 somewhat recently has shifted my perspective on my training from "how hard can we go today" to "I wonder how long I can do this shit for?". A few years back, I witnes...
Almost exactly two years ago, to the day, Absolute Human Performance moved into its own facility. And just over four years ago, AHP began (Nov 1, 2017).
As I enter my 40th year of coaching I love to look back on the lessons learned. I always say that one thing I have more of than most coaches is experience. I'm a part of the first generation of strength and conditioning coaches. We were young men who...
When it comes to building strength in the lower body, high school athletes have a number of effective options to choose from. Although barbell squats and trap bar deadlifts are more widely known, neither of them can match the simplicity, versatility...
One thing I love about training a broad spectrum of clients and athletes is that I'm always learning. Just when you think you have all the answers, you realize there are more questions. One thing that has always been perplexing is how to move kids ...
A loaded full range of motion single-leg deadlift is a loaded hamstring stretch. A loaded rear-foot-elevated split squat is a loaded hip flexor and quad stretch. Training squats can improve ankle mobility, even if assisted or using a heel plate.
Last week I had two chances to learn from two of the best and even though I have been doing this for over 25 years I couldn't pass up either opportunity.
Is ACL injury prevention just good training? I think so. The program we use for ACL injury prevention is actually the same program we use with everyone! The truth is ACL injury prevention programs often consist more of packaging than new concepts. Ca...
Recently there has been lots of online back and forth between what I'll call the max velocity-crowd and the acceleration-crowd. In general the max velocity folks tend to be track coaches (generalizing a bit here) and the acceleration people tend to ...
(Originally posted in Dec. 2008) My recent experiences with Crossfit caused me to put some ideas down on paper. I think it is important to write down what you really believe just so you have to think about what your philosophy actually is.
The other day I got a great question from a young coach. He is just starting a new job at the minor league level and, he's starting mid-way through the season. He asked what are a few things I should remember?"
The author says that the 10 practices he highlights are good to know but, not worth your time to worry about. I'm just going to discuss four of these supposedly "over-hyped" practices.
First let me start with a confession. I’m a thief. I regularly steal information. In fact, I think stealing and cheating are great coaching techniques. I like to say in my seminars that they should teach cheating in school. It’s the key t...
Jenny Rearick mentioned this article in forum post yesterday so, I thought I'd repost it. One question that seems to come up frequently on the StrengthCoach.com forum is the "what certification do I need?" question. I seem to answer this ...
Stretching the psoas and iliacus can be difficult without a partner and a table. The other day I came up with this idea to get all the things we need in a good hip flexor stretch.
I've advocated single-leg training over the years for a variety of reasons, which I summed up in this article for TMUSCLE back in 2007. In my view, single-leg training results in less back stress due to the reduced loads. And, although the phrase ...
The idea for this article actually came from a conversation with one of our coaches who had just taken a new job. He came back and said "wow, they ( the coaches at the new job) have strange names for some exercises". "They call lateral...
The other day we lost one of the strongest kids in the world. I refer to him as a kid because that is how I knew him. Charles was about six years younger than me and we grew up together as close family friends, even though far apart in age. You could...
There has been a great deal of talk on the Strengthcoach.com forums about the use of circuits and about circuit training. Both Jon Chaimberg and Jim Reeves have shown versions of circuits on StrengthCoach.com that they have used for their athletes. I...
This might be my favorite low back pain article ever. I find myself sending it to people all the time. Cant believe it was posted 13 years ago. Sometimes the simplest solutions are, in fact, simple. As a physical therapist and conditioning specia...
I've been lucky enough to have had some great conversations with some successful head coaches over the past few weeks. The initial conversations always seem to center around sets and reps but, I quickly switch gears to how vs what. How you run your o...
Add one more to the geographical lexicon. First it was Romanian Deadlifts, then Bulgarian Lunges, and I thought finally Nordic Leg Curls. But, now we have city's claiming exercises with Copenhagen getting it's own Adductor Exercise.
When people used to ask me to explain the difference between a squat and a deadlift, I'd always give a simple, straightforward answer: In the deadlift, the weight is in your hands.For the rest of the article, click HERE.
Strangely enough there were three separate posts the past two weeks dealing with hamstrings strains and hamstring rehab. I thought it would be better to take the time to write a thoughtful article rather than a rushed forum post.
We are seeing the future and in some cases it's not pretty. On one hand we are seeing the highest salaries ever paid in the field of strength and conditioning. On the other hand we are seeing the same trend we see in many industries, older employees ...
We get this question a few times a year so rather than continually trying to point readers to the correct forum post I thought I'd quickly write up my views in article form.
A few recent events have made me realize that all strength coaches will eventually evolve to the same place. Like many of us, I listen and read a great deal from the internet. One trend that I have seen is that some of the previously "hard core&...
Here is an FMS corrective sheet from Robbie Bourke.
There is a kid's book that my son read in first grade called Have You Filled a Bucket Today. In short, “bucket fillers” give you good stuff and help “fill your bucket”. “Bucket dippers” “dip your bucket&rdquo...
I wrote a previous post about First Break All the Rules aimed more at business owners and managers. However, I couldn't help but think about my daughter's recent experience in youth hockey as I read. My daughter had, by most standards, a great year. ...
Every once in a while, like Indiana Jones, you find a little piece of the treasure map and move a step closer to that ideal program.
This is a great, must read, piece on youth sports from Mark Ziegler of the San Diego Tribune.
Do you have a group or a staff of 2 or more and want make sure they are up to date with the latest information in Strength & Conditioning. We offer a group membership at a discount up to 50%!
Tennessee opened up with specific guidelines for gyms. I thought it would be useful for all of us to see what we might be in for when we get up and running.
Here's another video that is guaranteed to make you smile and brighten your day today! As a father of 2 little girls, I can certainly appreciate how much a child laughing can make your day. I hope this brings some joy to you too! Enjoy! Ryan ...
Weird title isn't it. Looking at rehab programs always gets me thinking. At MBSC we get to see the rehab protocols from some of the big shots in the world of surgery and I am often amazed how poorly designed they are. It goes back in many ways to the...
On Saturday I posted a program that had been shared with me by an Instagram follower. The program ( pictured above) is horrible on so many levels. Interestingly enough, the program and the post that followed also showed me how far we still have to go...
It's interesting, ask a strength coach what a good bench press is for a 200 lb male and chances are you'll get a good answer. Maybe everyone won't be in agreement but, everyone will have an opinion. Ask a good strength coach what constitutes good s...
Discover why EVERY athlete must incorporate sled training into your sports training programs and workouts.
Grab a shirt and help out the Humboldt Broncos Memorial Fund
Because of the popularity of the recent forum thread, "Hypertrophy, Start with the Why?" I wanted to re-post this. I train a lot of young athletes. These high school and college kids almost always need to gain solid weight in order to compe...
I've trained a lot of young athletes. They range from middle school and high school to college kids and pros and all almost always need to gain solid weight in order to compete at a higher level. In the world of sport, hardly anyone is "big enou...
No one has ever been through anything exactly like THIS. It's so universal, we don't even have to name THIS.
In season training is about to become a hot topic as we move from summer to fall. Here are some links to in season training articles.
I think every fat loss article we read espouses the value of interval training for fat loss. In fact the term HIIT ( for High Intensity Interval Training) is thrown around so much that many people just assume they know what it is.
Many athletes and trainers are using 'rotational flexibility' exercises in their programs - but is it really helping performance or could it be the cause of more injuries?
I had a comment on the site from a coach who was worried about overtraining athletes by doing lower body work and speed work on the same day.
Knees Over Toes or Knees Over Ankles?
One of the great myths of training is this idea that the knees should never go over the toes when squatting or lunging. I'm not sure where this myth came from but, I see it in print frequently. My guess is that it was a well-intentioned doctor or phy...
If you want to know a bit more about "early Mike Boyle" you can listen to this interview with Duane Carlisle. Duane is not only a successful coach but a successful parent and most interestingly one of my first successful athletes.
Devan sent me this study a while ago and, I never posted it. Maintaining Physical Performance: The Minimal Dose of Exercise Needed to Preserve Strength and Endurance Over Time
I loved this book and, love the idea. In fact, I'm having breakfast this Friday AM at the Perform Better Summit in Long Beach with a person I've never met.
With lots of programs going on long breaks ( Thanksgiving through New Years) I thought this article would be a good repost
Congress is working on a third economic relief package for businesses and industries impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
I had the pleasure of recording a podcast with my friends Lachlan and Jordi in Australia. Great to get some international perspective.
One question that has come up a lot is what do I do if I cant afford an electronic timer-. With the ArenaGate at under $600, I hope you will prioritize and, get a timer. However, we also have to be realistic and, realize that some programs just don't...
I had another epiphany the other day. Another Ah-Ha moment. Sometimes when these ideas occur I can't decide whether I am smart or dumb. Am I smart because I had this thought or dumb because it took so long? A member of my staff and I were talking abo...
As a gym owner my role is so much more than training. When I was only a trainer many years ago I would run 40-50 sessions per week and in addition to continuing education, that was pretty much all I did. Now, things are very different. Most of my tim...
This article is based on a series of Tweets from a few weeks ago. The suggestion was to pull them all together into an article.
I've worked with hundreds of interns over my career as a strength & conditioning coach. At the midpoint of each semester, every intern emails me one thing they want to learn more about in the second half of the internship. The most requested topi...
I got a great question the other day about hip lifts. First to clarify, hip lifts and bridges are synonyms. We often use the terms hip lift and bridge interchangeably. That's probably a terminology thing we need to fix as I can be a stickler about ot...
Here is a list of Free or very low cost products, services, and articles that can help you get through our current situation
Today I collaborate with Mike Yudin of Team Yudin Training for an awesome SIP (Standing in Place) workout with ONE tool, The Ultimate Sandbag (we use their water bag in this video).
What we can learn from improv actors
People lie, even those with the best intentions. This includes most of our clients.
Anyone who knows me knows how much I like analogies. One area that continues to frustrate me is talking to trainers about programming. Often the conversation goes something like this, "I use a little of your stuff, a little of EXOS's stuff and m...
This might be my favorite "new exercise". It's really not new as I wrote about it in the original edition of Functional Training for Sports
As we continue to push the boundaries of unilateral strength, slideboard lunges become a top 5 exercise. These are very close to our "pure unilateral" idea. The back leg does add a degree of stability but cannot aid in moving the load. This...
A local banker that I've worked with in the past sent me the attached info.
Knees Over Toes is the next big internet thing but, is it the right thing?
Got am email question about specialty bars that I thought I'd share I'm not a big fan of specialty bars because ....
A few weeks ago I did a quick Instagram video sbout splits squats and "Knees Over Toes Guy". We also talked about what members want more of and, the answer was overwhelmingly video content.
I can't get away from the "sports specific" training thing. Every parent I talk to asks the same question. Do you guys do "sports specific training?"
If you get one thing out of this article remember this quote (author unknown). "A bad program done well is better than a good program done poorly". Keep it simple, and adhere strictly to the following guidelines...
This article will help guide you as we begin to adapt to more remote training.
Download the full 60 MINUTE TELESEMINAR with Mark Verstegen, the man who has pioneered 'Core Performance'. Listen to this unforgettable seminar and pay close attention as Mark goes through an entire athletic training program (complete with exercises ...
Thank you for downloading Chapter 1 of Designing Strength Training Facilities and Programs. If you like what you see in the eBook, rest assured that StrengthCoach.com is full of the newest cutting-edge programs and articles written by the leaders ...
Sleep hygiene is a major lifestyle issue for clients. Here are my top 3 sleep hygiene tips to help you sleep better.
A lot of people have asked me to cover how we test conditioning at MBSC to determine intensity and aerobic recovery.
When I was in high school it used to annoy me so much when adults would start sentences with "Back when I was your age, things used to be so much different…" It just sounded so lame, and it made them seem old.
If you're looking for step by step instructions on how to improve multi-directional speed and agility... you've come to the right place! The 'Groundbreaking Techniques Program' is a brand-new 2-DVD set that shows you EXACTLY how to dramatically i...
This is a serious post. I really value the intelligent dialogue here. I'm curious about peoples thoughts on civil disobedience.
The Titleist Performance Institute's Junior Golf Cyclone is the name of the program we use for kids between the ages of five and eight. The Cyclone is composed of 6 to 12 stations depending on the size of the facility. Stations focus on speed and a...
Just for starters, tone is not a scientific word. It is a sales gimmick. In my mind, any time a fitness professional uses the word tone, I can only hope that they are saying it to market to an uninformed consumer. If fitness professionals or consumer...
The other day I was thinking about some of my former students who I never see at conferences. Sadly, there are far too many. I often ask them if they are going to attend a particular conference that I am excited about and the response is almost alway...
Navigating the internship process can be a difficult task for any young coach. The idea of moving halfway across the country to volunteer your time with the hope that it leads to your dream job can be a little stressful to say the least. This is why ...
I think t-spine mobility is important but, I think many drills that some coaches think are for the thoracic spine are limited by attempting to mobilize from the bottom up.
A short 5 minute survey to see how we are navigating our "new normal" of remote personal training, coaching and group exercise and I'd love your insights.
I read through some research journals to help me create a new tennis conditioning workout to add to my tennis preparation plan.
Training obese clients represents a series of truly unique challenges. Within these challenges lie great business prospects and opportunities to change lives'. However, to succeed trainers need to put a large amount of thought into the process of dea...
If you want to bench press 225 many times, there's only one way to do it. Michael Boyle outlines his proven strategy and describes a sample workout program that willl have you benching 225 for maximum reps!
test
Had a Facebook question about shoulder dislocations today. The writer said ...
Strength and conditioning professionals at every level face a number of challenges that are not easily solved. If you work in a high school setting, you will almost always have to do more with less in comparison to those that work with college or pr...
As coaches who spend a lot of time reading, listening to podcasts, attending seminars and taking courses, we know how important learning is to our career. But, did you know that exercise is the most powerful tool we have to improve learning?
I love the Dynamax medicine balls but I can't say I always did. About 10 years ago I bought some heavy Dynamax balls to do upper body plyometrics with. Primarily we did medicine ball bench presses. We have one partner drop an 18-20 lb ball and the ot...
Do this simple challenge with your clients to raise money for The Heroes' Movement
Learn how to make a rock mat for your house.
Maybe four
Don't say you don't have time to read
There are a lot of factors that go into program design, with no single, "perfect" program. One tool I've developed and used over the years when writing programs is a weekly training checklist.
I was listening to Jake Tuura's Jacked Athlete Podcast and stumbled upon a title that interested me. It was Episode 21and was titled PRI for Meatheads with Kyle Dobbs. Now, I don't know Kyle or for that matter Jake but, these podcasts have been reall...
I had a visit from one of my former athletes the other day, now himself a high school strength and conditioning coach. He had lots of questions:
My daughter's video caused a little tempest in a teapot on my Youtube Channel. She's proud of her strength and so am I. To be honest I am more proud of the way she attacks the bar than of her strength. Every time we post a clean video we get the same...
No, this is not a story about my personal struggles but rather an explanation of why we have chosen dumbbells and individual pulley handles over straight bars.
Learning to admit your mistakes can take your career from average to great.
Maybe the most frequent question we get is about training young athletes. That prompted me to go back through the archives and pull up all the best articles on training kids. Here are 10 of my favorites. Training Kids- Michael Boyle What I Learned fr...
TrainHeroic founder Ben Crookston and Product Manager and Coach Adam Dawdy join me to discuss adding Remote Training to your business.
One question that seems to come up at the beginning of every summer is how to deal with athletes that train with you at a private facility but play for another team or school. More specifically, how do we deal with an athlete that brings us a program...
As is always the case in life an on the internet, someone has to decide to take the other side of an argument.
When I was in high school it used to annoy me so much when adults would start sentences with "Back when I was your age, things used to be so much different…" It just sounded so lame, and it made them seem old.
In the last article we looked at the breakdown in the performance of the back squat and some of the reasons behind its typical technique errors. We also looked specifically at the low back and hip's role in the back squat and the requirements athlete...
Part 3: The Comparision Continued
This is Part 2 of Jim Reeve's four-part article comparing front squats and back squats. In this segment, Jim analyzes the two lifts through video and picture. Due to the high number of pictures in the article, we had to post it as a PDF file, so plea...
Leave it to Mike Boyle to get people's juices flowing. It's not enough for him to come out and confront the industry with the stance that strongman and power lifting techniques do not make for great sports performance training options. Or that runnin...
Let's face it, Crossfit is a controversial topic in the world of strength and conditioning. Crossfit gyms are springing up all over the world. They are cheap and easy to open, with only a weekend certification and a few thousand dollars worth of equi...
As we continue to push the boundaries of unilateral strength, slideboard lunges become a top 5 exercise. These are very close to our "pure unilateral" idea. The back leg does add a degree of stability but cannot aid in moving the load. This is former...
Don't debate acceleration vs max velocity if your athletes don't run time sprints!...keep reading
Imagine you are sixteen years old and your parents give you your first car. They also give you simple instructions. There is one small hitch, you only get one car, you can never get another. Never. No trade-ins, no trade-ups. Nothing....keep reading
As coaches who spend a lot of time reading, listening to podcasts, attending seminars and taking courses, we know how important learning is to our career. But, did you know that exercise is the most powerful tool we have to improve learning?
This article was originally posted on the site in 2011, but we are posting it again as a StrengthCoach Classic to serve as a refresher and so newer members can see it. I have to give credit to Ray McCarthy for turning me onto "First Break All th...
A recent Twitter video brought depth drops back into the picture. The athlete in the video "drops" off a stacked pile of plyo boxes about 2 meters in height and goes into a rebound jump.
Along with coaching high school and college-aged athletes I also train a number of middle-aged adult clients. In fact, almost half of the hours I spend training people throughout the course of any week is spent training clients who are 40+! So, if I ...
The mother of mastery is deliberate repetition! As Coaches, we are always trying to find better ways to gain maximal results while promoting movement proficiency for our athletes. Variety plays an important role! Reps, sets, stress fluctuation, te...
1997 was a landmark year for young athletes, burgeoning internet gurus, and helicopter parents. As Tiger Woods drained the final putt of a record-setting performance at the Masters, millions of parents, coaches, and educators watched in awe. Tiger'...
Take ninety seconds and go on a 3D tour of Mike Boyle Strength and Conditioning in Woburn courtesy of our friends at Perform Better. After the tour, make sure you have downloaded your copy of Designing Strength Training Programs and Facilities availa...
"Gray Cook answers ...
There comes a time in all our lives when we reinvent ourselves, and more often than not, that time comes when we least expect it. In the strength and conditioning world, we as coaches/trainers influence people by helping them to achieve their goals a...
(originally posted in 2010) This article was written in response to a trend that both Jay and I experienced. We were getting approached by trainers asking us for business advice and how to "jump the ladder, get out of the trenches and avoid trai...
A blog reader posted this question recently and got me thinking. Who were my top coaching influences? I put a little thought in and came up with this list. Initially this was going to be a Top Ten but the more I thought the more the list expanded. Ap...
Originally Printed at www.t-nation.com April 14, 2010 38 years of under-the-bar experience, the best exercises, and why back squats still suck. "... Tao is often referred to as 'the nameless', because neither it nor its principles can ...
Video of the Week is the Knee Dominant Exercise Jukebox. This actually includes two hip dominant exercises and a great 1 leg squat demo by New Jersey Devil Jay Pandolfo.
Speed is the stuff of urban legend. Deion Sanders supposedly showed up at the NFL Combine, ran a 4.2 and went home. We routinely hear of high school kids who purportedly run 4.3's and 4.4's. The stories of "reported" speed have gotten out...
I have always been a ten yard dash proponent. When we test speed, regardless of sport we test the ten yard dash. In fact, I wrote an article previously that questioned whether we really ever tested speed in most team sports. If we choose to be speci...
The following article has been in the works for over a year. It comes out the file we joking refer to as Articles to be Finished. Gray has been kind enough to read it and provide some feedback which has been incorporated. In addition the article will...
Strength training is and always will be a major part of the conditioning process for athletes. In fact, nothing seems to help sport performance more than the development of strength and power. This is great news for those of us who've made a career o...
The video of the week for this week is the Rotational One Leg Squat.
I often get asked, "How do you get so much done with your business, coaching, writing, speaking etc". I usually try to give a humble answer and mumble something about hard work etc. The truth is there is a method to the madness and I'd li...
Video of the week this week is a variation of the One Leg Straight Leg Deadlift. I think the hip hinge action of the one leg straight leg deadlifts is one of the more difficult exercises to teach. Many trainees have difficulty maintaining upper back...
The following article, Variety in Strength Training, is one that I have saved and reread numerous times. I have also passed it on to 100's of aspiring coaches. As our mission at strengthcoach.com is to provide the best performance enhancement informa...
A forum post about women's inability to do chinups prompted me to post these videos. They are not and were not made to be technique videos. They were simply to show how strong our girls were in 1998. Most of the women pictured were members of the 199...
Just in time for Halloween, Mike Boyle presents..."Are You Afraid of Deadlifts?"
As I always say, I love the forum at www.strengthcoach.com. The posts and threads seem to provide a wealth of article ideas. A recent post on in-season training made me aware that, in spite of writing 3 articles in the past year dealing with in-seaso...
I really struggle with the concepts of periodization. Linear? Undulating? Concurrent? Conjugate?
There have been several "ah-ha!" moments in my career -- moments of clarity as it were -- when I learned something new, or something I believed was verified, brought into question or flat out disproved. Basically these were times when my ...
Who do we believe? The strength guys say something like "forget doing abs, just do heavy squats and deadlifts". Don't even say the word core around these guys.
Client retention is a huge key to be successful, as a trainer and as a business. The following list will provide you with some points of wisdom to keep your clients and if you do this you may never find yourself looking for more sessions.
This article originally appeared on www.T-mag.com I'm a gym scientist. My lab is the weight room and my lab rats are my athletes. Many of these "lab rats" are doing the program you're about to read. My experiments have proven one thing: t...
Although they have never really been much of a staple in my program design, I have stopped doing any sit-ups and crunches with my clients. In the past, I have had my clients doing some stick crunches and medicine ball sit ups during my core routine (...
I recently wrote a series of articles for this website's sister site: bodybuilding.com on undulating periodization. These articles were well received and to this day remain one the most popular articles I have ever written.
Some great research brought to our attention by Bob Alejo. New Training Techniques Jeffrey M. McBride, PhD Associate Professor -- Biomechanics Department of Health, Leisure & Exercise Science Appalachian State University
Joint By Joint / Movement Prep Jukebox
A decade ago strength and conditioning coaches, athletic trainers, and physical therapists would have looked quizzically at a thirty six inch long round piece of foam and wondered "What is that for?".
If we're looking for any edge we can find, what we choose to do to physically prepare immediately before competition and training is pretty important.
Check out these plyometric training videos.
Numerous articles have been written about plyometric training for athletes. Very few have detailed progressive programs that take into account the need for a system of training that can be applied to a broad range of athletes.
"In the beginners mind there are many possibilities, in the experts there are few." -- "Buddha's Little Instruction Book" With all that said, I'd like to present 20 things I do know. Here they are, in no particular order:
One of the goals for the new site is to have timely articles that apply to your current situation. This one might be a bit late but, I think it will help for years to come.
Where many strength coaches and trainers previously relied on bilateral exercises like squats and leg presses we now regularly utilize exercises like lunges and one leg squats.
Here's one of the top-secret conditioning programs many of the top NFL strength coaches have used for decades. See actual sample programs you can implement with your athletes right away to get them into top shape!
Pro strength coaches have used slide boards for years to improve strength, speed and agility. Now discover world renown strength coach Mike Boyle's two favorite mini slide-board exercises for 'functional sports strength'
In the field of strength and conditioning the pendulum always swings. A classic example is the use of, or current disdain for, static stretching....keep reading
It takes time and experience to build knowledge and competence, but enthusiasm, work ethic, kindness, helpfulness and positivity are all attributes you can control right now.
WHY YOU SHOULD STAY AWAY FROM BURPEES REASON #1: BURPEES MISS THE GOAL
We are still debating the old periodization thing...
I often ask myself: Does this person need to be able to do more of this- to achieve the end goals? Am I pursuing valuable improvements or just chasing numbers? This can also sound like...
I wrote this in 2011 at the height of the Crossfit craze. I've been looking over older items on my bliog and trying to post things here that are not currently on StrengthCoach.com
The hierarchy is as follows: Mobility > Strength > Power > Conditioning… and here's why:
David Schenk's The Genius in All of Us may be the best of the success- books. In 2012 I read Outliers, Talent Code, Talent is Overrated and finally Genius in All of Us.
Find out the books that Coach Boyle recommends for personal and professional growth!
Coaching isn't about who has access to some secret well of knowledge; it's about who can communicate without misinterpretation. Be simple, descriptive and consistent with your language and you'll be a better coach.
This is probably not my last burpee post...
Almost 4000 likes for yesterday's repost! Read the article here
When it comes to cueing, less is more. Save the sermon for before or after the workout if you have a point to make.
(Originally posted at Movement-as-Medicine.com) Coach Boyle is always reminding us to think like a lawyer.
There was a lot of Instagram responses to my article so I wanted to clear a few things up.
It doesn't matter if you are old or young, these are just bad choices.
At one of our recent Certified Functional Strength Coach courses someone asked, What order should I cue in?- Without realizing it until after I thoroughly explained, my answer made a nice acronym for cueing any exercise: P.A.F
This is the coolest invention in Strength & Conditioning/Personal Training in a long time.
In this video, Kevin gives some strategies for fixing the butt wink
For thirty five years I've been like my dad. Keeping quiet and doing my job but, today I'd like people to learn just a bit about my father Arthur Patrick Boyle.
Joel breaks down five of his men's hockey players in their stationary start, 10 meter sprints.
Last year I did an Instagram series about bad exercises that was pretty controversial. I'm sure this piece will be just as controversial.
We keep having the "no bad exercises" arguments. If you follow me on social media you know I certainly think there are bad exercises. On the flip side of that, there are clearly better choices.
Not ideal but, it's working really well.
This article was originally posted in 2015. Every time I see a burpee, I just ask myself "why?"
Orthopedic cost? I used this term the other day and the person I was speaking with said I really like the idea of orthopedic cost-. What do I mean by orthopedic cost?
One of the better resources I've reviewed in the past few years has been Michael Boyle's Complete Sports Conditioning. To say that I've been impressed has been an understatement, as it's a fantastic resource that offers a nice blend of research, anec...
Here's why
We used to call this Skaters Squat. Now I see it as a 1 leg version of Trap Bar DL
I'm in the process of re-writing Designing Strength Training Programs and Facilities ( my 2005 book, available for free when you join). This is the part I added about COVID changes in the weight room.
If you are a strength coach or work in sports performance, especially in the private sector, this course is designed for you. When you train multi-sport athletes, or any team sport athlete, you have a finite amount of time to work on speed during tra...
In my mind absolutely. Heel elevation is free- ankle mobility and makes just about everyone squat better.
It's not as simple as you think.
Save the sprint mechanics feedback. These are not track athletes.
Most of these guys have dropped .2 sec off their 10 yd fly time. Some have also gained 20-30 lbs.
Great ways to produce variety in the hated new normal-
Exercises can be Tri-planar but also safe and effective
This is the question that comes up all the time. Sounds like a great set up for a joke .
Sometimes you have to get down and do the work with the players. A great lesson for all coaches
My friend Valerie Waters is an expert in coaching females. She claims to speak "female". She really believes that she speaks "client". By that she means she understands what the female client wants and can present a program in a w...
I was providing the program, he was asking me questions in regards to exercise modifications. I asked him why and this is what he responded with
Anthony felt that our (MBSC's) response to training during a pandemic would make a good article. To be truthful, it's a bit of a work in progress. We have totally revamped the weight room for both flow and social distance.
All of us have heard the story of how Blockbuster met its demise, or how the typewriter became obsolete. Could it be this is our Blockbuster moment- where we have to permanently shift to a new model in order to ensure our businesses will survive?
VBT? Tri Phasic? I think we just need to make sure we have a mix of contraction types
We have about 20 Assaults and, 2 of the Assault Elites. I have to admit that I like the feel of the Elite better. There are two issues.
In this episode of Elite Performance from Stack.com, Coach Boyle shows you how to incorporate dumbbell combos and complexes into your workouts to build full-body strength.
(Originally published in 2009)- "I just received an email from a reader saying that a local middle school in his area had instituted Cardiovascular Days. Students use heartrate monitors and must run for 20 min at 160 BPM."
I think as strength and conditioning coaches we can be too influenced by what we see in American football off-season training.
Its 2020 and mobility is a hotter topic than ever. Everyone has their own opinion and there's lot of stuff out there.
A big key in prevention of any injury is to use appropriate screening techniques.
How was reopening? What should we be talking about right now? Throw out some ideas.
(Originally posted in April of 2008) Site member John D'Amico (also my college roommate and one of my best friends) texted me last year to ask if still felt the same about this article. Not much has changed.
This is being reposted as a Strength Coach Classic A recent post on my website forum made me realize that often a short answer to a complicated question doesn't work. A few of my readers seemed to think that all of the recent talk about a weak psoas ...
In-season training is like going to the dentist.
(Originally posted in 2007) A debate has recently ensued regarding the value and impact of the strength and conditioning coach. Football is the best example as football has employed the strength and conditioning coach the longest, and generally emplo...
To control intensity gradually increase the length of the fly in-. Standing starts are easier but, may yield a deceptive time. Reality is it doesn't matter? Once you get to Fly 10's start is not as relevant.
(originally posted in 2010) Mobility seems to be "the" hot topic. Everyone has their own opinion.
(originally posted in 2013) More times than I can think of a coach will ask a question like How do I know if they are doing the exercise right.- My answer is always the same.
If you are a male coach you will have a bunch of "wow, I didn't know that moments." If you are a female coach you may find some points that can really help your female athletes.
(originally posted in 2014) It must be New Years resolutions and goal setting time because recently I have received more than a few Facebook messages asking how I got started.
(originally posted in 2010)"Mike, I need a program. I need to get my linemen bigger and my skill position guys faster" Seems like a logical request at first glance doesn't it. Linemen need to be big and skill guys need to be fast, right? ...
We are going to discuss the more common focus of the deadlift - the hip muscles
Do you want to feel confident having tough conversations? Do you write emails to clients, co-workers, or prospective buyers? Are you communicating on virtual calls and webinars?
Is there a right way- to do a flying 10?
Now a "virtual zoom" event
Originally written in 2006 (pre-Strengthcoach.com). I'm not too fond of the term "paradigm shift" because, in truth I find it a bit overused. I might even hate the term but, as I tell my daughter, hate is a strong word.
(originally posted in 2013) Recently we had a forum discussion, and then an article, on performing rack pulls versus performing hang cleans as a power development exercise
(This is a repost from a few years ago) I received the following question from one of my former athletes and wrote a somewhat tongue-in-cheek response.
(originally posted in 2012) By now, we all know about the 10,000 hours. We've heard about it over and over. If you want to be an expert, you need to put in your 10,000 hours. The number may not be exact, but you get the point. Experience matters.
Depending on who you ask, deadlifts can be thought of as a controversial movement.
What works best for a fighter? Linear or undulating periodization? Kettlebells or dumbbells? Olympic lifts from the floor or hang? What do you do for GPP? What exercises do you use to train pulsing?
I want to describe what I consider to be the number one symptom of someone suffering the Curse of Knowledge.
Planks are presumably one of the most popular body weight abdominal exercises
(originally posted in 2012) How could knowledge be a curse? Don't we talk at length about the value of continuing education?
(Originally Posted in 2009) I think I remember Stephen Covey in his book Seven Habits of Highly Effective People making reference to what I believe he called "the law of the farm."
(originally posted a long time ago) If you have an injury and are wondering whether or not a certain exercise is appropriate, ask yourself a simple question. "Does it hurt"?
Many athletes and trainers are using 'rotational flexibility' exercises in their programs - but is it really helping performance or could it be the cause of more injuries?...keep reading
(Originally posted Nov 5, 2007- One of the first articles!) "We get old too soon and smart too late." Swedish Proverb
Join Damion Perry, Kevin Carr, and Brendon Rearick as they discuss Functional Training Anatomy
We get it, research can be boring BUT understanding how to read and interpret a study can help you to develop a better filter and provide up to date information to your clients.
Recently, I posted a video of my 13-year old son performing a set of hang cleans on Instagram.
Join Steve Bigelow, Kevin Carr, and Brendon Rearick as they discuss Conditioning - The What, Why, and How
People often debate raising the heels in squatting.
FMS Co-founder, Dr. Lee Burton, will sit down with Deibler to discuss his thriving remote training business, how he trains clients around the world, and tips for success and pitfalls to avoid in online training.
Most of our clients run in to problems with squatting due to a limitation in ankle range of motion, specifically ankle dorsiflexion (pointing your foot towards your shin).
Over a 4-day period, more than 50 owners and managers shared their POV in a survey about what they expect for their facilities as they start to open their doors. Here's what they told me.
Join Brendon Rearick, Vinny Talluto, Dan McGinley as they discuss Nutrition Behavior Change & Habit Formation
In this webinar they discuss their response to COVID and expectations for re-opening The future and past of Certified Functional Strength Coach The highs and lows of gym ownership Career advice & perspective
Kaz Kazadi at the NSCA 2019 Hammer Strength Clinic in Georgia.
The key to controlling knees is to control hips.
This has been a patella-femoral pain go to- since the old Cam Neely days in the 90's.
Here is a great variation of the strap/suspension row
This is my favorite anterior knee pain adjustment.
In this webinar we discuss: training philosophy, benchmarks, return to play, scope of practice, back pain, how to build your network, and how to best communicate with clients about the transition between rehab and fitness.
Someone asked yesterday about psoas strengthening and said Isn't it hard to do?" It's actually pretty easy. Do some iso holds lifting from 90 degrees.
Excellent protocol tp follow for clients with shoulder pain.
Don't be boring! Have fun using different activities to accomplish your goals. This mobility and stability exercise is just fun!
Focus your attention on the things you can control
Brendon Rearick and Kevin Carr of www.Movement-As-Medicine.com and Certified Functional Strength Coach go from Assessment to Building Out a Training Program
During the Shelter-in-Place order training studios are in a prime position to help more people than ever before
This works like a charm! Just off-set the bar and allow your body shift into the proper position. Go at it!
Keep your dreams alive and stay away from negativity.
Excellent protocol for clients with back pain
Here are 2 great exercises you can use with the Leverbell
One form of autoregulation is the use of the Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE) scale
Excellent protocol for Knee Pain
I received a request to complete some interview style questions for a member and, agreed as long as I could publish my answers. Here is the second set.
This is basically the text for our first intern meeting
Alwyn & Rachel talk about the importance of building a culture and a community.
It is amazing how quickly we can buy into an exercise without fully evaluating the movement, its' othopedic cost, and its' space requirements.
Keep your current clients, manage your money, and attack the opportunity.
A gym owner's guide to navigating COVID-19. With tips for trainers too
Todd Durkin shares his thoughts & insights on COVID-19 and steps that trainers, coaches, and business owners should consider over the next few weeks/months.
Gym owners from across the country (and one from Canada) got together to discuss their COVID-19 Response.
Here is Elsbeth's second letter to clients about their options for continuation
The key is to stay engaged, offer digital solutions, and organize a community outreach
I received a request to complete some interview style questions for a member and, agreed as long as I could publish my answers. The first set was interesting, so I thought I'd share them.
Video show discussion all things sport and life performance! For the coach, parent, athlete and business owner! We sat down with coach Mike Boyle to discuss the impact of the corona virus on the fitness industry
No gym? No equipment? Tired of bodyweight circuits? Download this FREE guide from ALTIS on how to get fast and fit!
Here are some lower body exercise progressions using a medium-strength Cook Band.
No Equipment needed
Looking for a way to do ladder drills?
Here are some upper body pushing and pulling progressions for clients who have one, "in-between" size kettlebell.
In challenging times it is more important to remember that there IS a future beyond this.
Jenny Rearick explains why communication skills are necessary for success in virtual training, what those skills are, and how to use them to your advantage.
Bilal put together a really simple video series for his clients to follow along home workouts.
As I keep playing with home workouts I want to keep giving you guys ideas
3 day program including Warm Up and Strength. Videos for each exercise
Jenny Rearick explains why communication skills are necessary for success in virtual training, what those skills are, and how to use them to your advantage.
1x20 is really not exactly 1x20. If you read the series of articles on the site, the progression is 20-14-10
The One Kettlebell or 1 Dumbell workout ideas fit perfectly with the 1x20 concept
I REALLY hang my hat on solid 30:30's as I feel this is such a great protocol to build work capacity. Today I take a 15 set round and complete it twice for a brutal 30 min. session!
Just remember, if you can get outside you can do at least half your workout. Dont be so focussed on weights.
Here is a quick video on an easy way to make videos using your iPhone and a YouTube account
In the hopes that I will help some of you out, below are a few different warm-up routines that I have provided to my varsity athletes.
Today the Cosgroves are giving away their entire Fitness Business Mastery course for FREE for 14 Days! (You have to make sure you cancel if you do not want to pay after 14 days)
This is a simple workout you can do with one kettlebell.
Developing young athletes should not copy what the local D1 athletes are doing in their program, they are older, mature and most are a different level of athlete entirely.- That is a statement I heard many times, and completely agreed with. The probl...
Every year we get questions about in-season workouts, workouts on the road, workouts on vacation or workouts in a hotel. With the Corona Virus outbreak, this comes up hourly.
Be careful taking advice from people in the giving advice- business.
To be a good T person you need good I people.
Quick staff meeting snippet going over why we use the goblet squat to teach neutral spine to kids
Here is a good split squat tutorial from an older MBSC staff meeting
Video showing why "Parts" of the "Whole" skill are not as easily assimilated by the CNS because they are not very task driven.
(originally published in Oct 2018) We always get questions about what to do with injured clients.
(originally posted October, 2018) Everyone wants to "break ankles". I get it. It's how to develop this ability to stop on a dime and change direction that is key.
Just because you find flexion and extension in your sport or life, it does not mean your core training needs to revolve around it.
(originally posted October, 2018) I have dubbed the big plyo boxes Idiot Boxes-. Idiot boxes are jumped on by young men ( it is always young men) looking to show off. I have begun to refer to them as skin donors.
When developing an internship program, whether it be at the collegiate or professional level, I always created an education curriculum for the aspiring coaches that we hired. This would include books, articles, and videos that we would require them t...
For sake of clarity I'll start by stating that I think both bilateral and unilateral training has a place in a well-rounded performance program.
We like a bounce- phase prior to a true reactive phase
Core function changes in unilateral stance.
I know people are critical of how we hang clean but, I love double knee bend
This is a three year time lapse 11-12-13. Mark just turned 15 and is up to 135
Great slow motion video of a lateral start to linear speed.
Parallel 1 Arm 2 Leg Row with the Versapulley. This is the easiest way to intro the Versapulley. Joey Bramanti makes it look even easier. Great eccentric load on the horizontal pulling muscles as well as anti-rotation core
Here is a quick video showing the importance of back leg doing most of the work first before front leg takes over.
People love to talk about what great squatters babies are. They have exceptional mobility.
I started thinking about what I'd do if suddenly I found myself back in the American Football World. Here are four things that I would focus on....keep reading
Lee goes over his progression for using the Slide Board
If you are frustrated by all the internet writers telling you how to do your job, read this.
Shouldn't we aspire?
A new one we're going to steal to add to our sled progression. Thinking Sled March/ Explosive Sled Push/ Sled Bound Sled Sprint.
I could swear I already wrote this article? Maybe not, maybe it just went into a presentation and never made it to paper. (does anyone write on paper anymore?)
This article was written by Brendon Rearick after his internship. It has been a part of evey intern training since.
Great way to apply a transverse/ rotary force to the hip in a sagittal exercise. Remember, glute max is both an extensor and an external rotator. The weighted end creates an internal rotation force which must be countered.
As a refresher from part 2: I, much like so many coaches, thought we ( at MBSC) were doing a pretty good job with our speed training. We lifted, we did our plyos, and we ran- sprints. However, we were making a few critical mistakes.
In our pursuit of speed we seem to run into a few problems:How do I know they are running fast? Strength coaches say they want to develop speed but, they rarely test speed and probably don't really train it? For years, ( possibly decades) strength co...
Want to get better? Start out by not getting worse.
I thought this was a great example of how ideas from off-ice that can be applied on-ice and vice versa. Andrew Martin from Marty Strength Hockey goes over an acceleration drill to to help improve your first step.
What happens when a muscle shortens is not what a muscle does. Some muscles are stabilizers, many act eccentrically.
Just because a talented person does it, doesn't make it right.
Dr. Greg Rose breaks down the TPI power and strength screens.
I like to get our baseball guys working overhead and have found this band overhead press works great as a starting point. I stole this from my friend Dan Dyrek DPT.
More split squats. Just for reference, this is a 14 year old, 120 lb. female. She has done 90x5 with these goblet loads. Technique stays really solid but, we have to hand kids the dumbbell.
This is Nico Dandini with 220x5 each leg. Nico weighs 168 lbs. I know all the excuses...
Lying Band Hip Flexion is a great phase 1 hip flexion exercise. Really tough to compensate with trunk flexion in supine and the band gets harder at the top to facilitate Psoas and iliacus.
(originally published in May, 2011) OK, so the title is a bit tongue-in-cheek. However, if you are a regular Strengthcoach.com reader you might be tempted to answer yes. It seems every thread now begins with the statement "have you done the FMS ...
(originally posted in 2009) Is ACL injury prevention just good training? I think so. The program we use for ACL injury prevention is actually the same program we use with everyone!
(originally posted in Dec 2008) The big key is that the program improves performance but, never at the expense of health.
Are bad coaches ruining good athletes? David Epstein makes a great point about this in The Sports Gene. We need to start to understand that fast guys aren't soft, mentally weak, or injury prone. They are different.
People keep asking "what's good" as it relates to our new concept of timing 10 yard dashes
I use both of drills as part of the dynamic warm up for my wrestling team and coach the importance of being able to handle their own body weight before we can expect to handle opponents body weight in battle.
Here is a basic progression that gives all athletes a chance to build landing mechanics, jumping power, and reactive power.
Goblet squats will reduce both torque and shear and will as a result be more back friendly
We often look at training strategies in a bubble. We don't always consider the effect it will have on performance, both negatively and positively. We need to be sure we understand the impact of strength training on the goal we are after.
This is our end of summer, top speed work. The three players shown are 1 NHL, 1 AHL, and one NCAA Division 1. Times were all under 1.05
Trap Bar vs Straight Bar
I've had the unique experience of coaching the same athletes for up to eighteen straight years. I have seen athletes transition from healthy young men to grizzled veteran professional athletes.
I love the Leverbell concept vs the Mace. Same tool different thought process.
Just wanted to throw this out there so you have it when you have to have the inevitable argument with a parent about "real games".
13 and 14 year olds moving at a about 8 yds/second. (7.3 m/sec , about 16 MPH) Roughly 4 times faster than anything we can do in the weight room. And yes, before you waste your time critiquing form, remember I said 13-14.
I sometimes reflect upon what would've happened if I didn't listen to that nice woman at the Boston mail facility.
Meta-analysis including 22 studies
I have to pull this article out every fall. If I have another parent tel me their kid is running cross country to "get in shape" for basketball or hockey, I think I'll cry.
This chart provides great perspective into what's soreness and what is a potential warning sign for injury.
One of my favorite exercises, done with the Versapulley. Rotational Rows were first shown to me years ago by Mark Verstegen. Think of a combination of squat and row down with a frontal / transverse emphasis. The best description here is to think abo...
There are two skills, in my opinion, that are becoming more devoid in global youth development, kicking and throwing.
Keeping up with the times is challenging and with nearly forty years in I've made some interesting observations.
The reactions really surprised me. I didn't think anyone would be pro soreness."
While finalizing my off-season program this summer, I wanted to take another look at the 1 Arm DB Snatch from a risk to benefit standpoint.
Mike Boyle believes every athlete should Deadlift. He also believes no athlete--aside from powerlifters--should Straight Bar Deadlift. Why?
Make sure your athletes are returning in a safe and effective manner
The one leg straight leg deadlift is one of my top two lower body exercises (along with the split squat). The VersaPulley allows you to create some eccentric overload for the one leg sldl.
5 Intermittent Dieting Tips for Athletes and Why
So egregiously bad I'm hoping there will be no defenders.
We get a lot of questions about marketing on StrengthCoach.com, we rarely get them about retention.
People can sign up for one of the seminars individually or they can sign up for both. Each day will be a full day of content from 9am-5pm.
If you have been in the strength and conditioning field for any length of time, you quickly realize there is an influx of new information always coming in
When a new player joins the organization, there are many factors to consider.
Isometric exercise should not be ignored, but solid evidence does not exist for its superiority in aiding the management of patients with tendinopathies.
Nate explains the setup, and regressions to the Landmine Lateral Skater Squat
What's the difference?
Legendary Performance Coach Mike Boyle recently joined CEO and Founder of Kitman Labs, Stephen Smith on the Game Changer Podcast.
This breakdown is more about wearing improper footwear when attempting to move.
I was able to categorize movement into three areas allowing me to quickly assess potential limitations in an athlete's movement.
(Updated article) Last year we switched from the Schwinn AirDyne to the Assault Air Bike. The Assault is basically a redesigned AirDyne with the areas that break down most frequently beefed up. This means that maintenance, the biggest issue with the ...
Meta=analysis including 43 studies.
Here is a video on an assessment I use for centering the COM over the foot and using all 3 joints properly.
Study of 49 pro soccer players- Max acceleration rates compared with other speed-power measures.
In this article I would like to share my thoughts on motor learning as it relates to our supervision and the autonomy, we allow a rep to have.
This was one of those 'duh' moments for me.
This exercise is so bad I don't even know what to call it.
Study included 9 Elite male Cricket players with 3 Weeks of sleep monitoring
You only need one wrong rep.
Training an athlete has become a multi-billion-dollar industry. When you consider the high-tech GPS systems, velocity-based systems, recovery methods, state of the art equipment, nutrition, and high-end facilities from the private sector and college...
Today I present to you the notion of microwave versus crockpot- Full disclosure -- my mentor and friend Mike Boyle posted a video about this on Instagram. So I'm using his line and sharing my thoughts with you.
What's the rush, enjoy the ride.
Do your abs pull your ribs towards your pelvis? Is repeated flexion good for you?
Best one yet?
This article kind of made me laugh
Year in and year out, there are many in the strength and conditioning world that criticize the fitness testing combines assembled by professional sports organizations; most notably the NFL, NBA and NHL.
Somewhat tongue-in-cheek
David Shenk's book "The Genius in All of Us" may be my favorite of what I like to call the talent series-.
Yes, jogging. The criteria I set out for this series was Exercises I would not want my athletes or clients doing."
Here's a secondary example of our hamstring training.
Follow up to "No Bad Exercises- Leg Curl." Bridges (done well) are the key to hamstring strength.
Follow up to "No Bad Exercises- Leg Extension." This is a closed chain , unilateral, front loaded split squat that addresses the need for quad dominance and terminal extension.
Hamstrings don't flex the knee in real life, they extend the hip and act as eccentric/isometric brakes.
Can't figure out why people defend this one
Leg Press. Today the equipment manufacturers will be upset. We haven't had a leg press since the early 90's. My standard joke here is If you're on your back pushing up with your feet you're probably not very good at your sport-
No actual exercise but, a bit of clarification. How does an exercise make the list?
I know I'll get some good old fashioned CrossFit hate on this one.
Today's a layup. Burpees.
I whole heartedly disagree. I think there are a lot of bad exercises. Let's start with the Behind the Neck Press.
Unilateral vs bilateral? Squats vs step ups? Study basically compared squats vs step ups. Can't think of a worse unilateral exercise.
Dogma? You bet.
We all know that you need 10,000 hours of deliberate practice to become an expert performer. What if what we thought we knew was wrong?
Another month, another post full of random thoughts that have been going through my head.
A lot of confusion exists in the fields of strength and conditioning and physical therapy about single leg exercises. I often see the terms step-up, step down and 1 leg squat used almost interchangeably in the literature. I also think many coaches ...
Why our adult clients don't Olympic lift- The airport screening test.- Think risk vs benefit
With this article, I will cover the basics of the 1x20 progression as well as answers to many of the frequently asked questions I've had over the years.
From the hang, everyone is equal.
Yes for kids, no for adults. Never from the floor, hang position above the knees. We catch our cleans and, never do pulls.
(originally posted in May, 2014) In light of my current "Coach's Minute" video on Olympic Lifting, I thought it would be a good idea to post this video. I go over the changes we have made at MBSC with the Hang Clean Progression
Who specializes in a single sport sooner, elite or near-elite athletes?
If you think you are currently raising the next LeBron, Messi , or Crosby, do some research.
Did you know that statistically speaking a youth hockey player will be on the ice 8-12 minutes per game and possess the puck less than 36 seconds?
If someone tells you your kid has to play hockey year round, ask them why. My guess is they don't have a good answer.
Train all summer or, spend the summer at exposure- camps?
(Written in 2008). Parents are being misled. Yes, all the tournament and camp organizers are deliberately misleading you.
How about be a kid?
Speed. It is the most coveted quality in just about any team sport.
A thread on the forum asked about elevating heels. Here is a video from Damion Perry from MBSC that explains why it's a good idea.
I just had to recommend this book.
18 is a great time. Year 1 is a learning year and if you start at 18, year one is still a learning year. Learn to train early!
I know how, run long distance.
Question- We talked about standards earlier this week and I was wondering if any coaches had single leg squat standards for split squats or RFESS that they use?
Playing with your kids might be the best thing you can do to set them up for success in life. Put the electric babysitters ( phones, tablets etc.) away and play!
Without a strong foundation of the scapula, the rotator cuff means little.
Vernon Griffith posted something the other day, active flexion prevents passive extension- I thought it was a great point
Good Plyos are Quiet Plyos? Are our first few plyo- phases even plyos
For those that are unfamiliar, Dr Michael Yessis wrote an entire book on the 1x20 idea. Matt Thome has also written some excellent articles on the concept. I'll summarize as best I can from my readings.
Last one, I promise.
Continuing with thoughts on Periodization
Well intentioned but often uninformed.
This article has been coming for a long time. Dr. Dan Cleather in The Little Black Book of Training Wisdom defines periodization as simply the planning and organization of training-. However, periodization has become so much more than that for some ...
In professional sports, coaches are always worried about practice. One thing I used tell our coaches a lot was "resist the urge to coach". Most great players don't need more coaching and most teams need more rest than work. If I had one wor...
Regaining motion following heavy doses of high intensity throwing cannot be overlooked.
I didn't do a good job getting my point across so here is 2 more tries
Does the study showing core training doesn't improve performance change my mind?
Conditioning for baseball players has long consisted of LSD, long, slow, distance work.
Was Michael Jordan soft? Did his appearance of fatigue hold him back?
Hands on knees or hands behind your head? The answer will surprise you.
A simple in season workout using only one dumbbell
So many coaches complain about not having a weight room, not having a strength coach, not having equipment etc. My feeling is instead of complaining, find a solution.
To me, what matters is the next game...
Coaching to me is teaching
We're not made for 360 degrees of rotation
Taste Great and Good for You
"I'm so sorry to hear about that. Must be tough, man." I've heard that line from a lot of people in the past two months. The reason I'm hearing that so much is because after six years I am moving on from owning my business, Rebell Strengt...
People are now anti anti-rotation ? I love contrarians. Does that make you Pro-rotation? Think of the core as a deliberately constrained transfer station?"
So many responses deserve a response
I promise it's not really about burpees
So how do you beat out all of the chains coming to town? Orange Theory? F45? Lifetime? First off - as soon as a client walks in - your people will be the key! Hire the right people!
View this post on Instagram Burpees? @benbrunotraining Worlds Dumbest Exercise! Let the venomous comments begin! A post shared by Michael Boyle (@michael_boyle1959) on Mar 15, 2019 at 5:30am PDT
450x4? Just amazing. And social media ends up debating straps and terminology. Not me, I just said wow-
These two sets of clips are about 18 months apart
Are you an owl or a parrot?
Steven Covey's quote is the inspiration for today's Coach's Minute
The Dunning-Kruger Effect- people who are incompetent tend to not be able recognize their own incompetence and actually feel like they are competent.
I'm not a weightlifting- coach. Our goal, to steal a Denis Logan quote is great athletes who are good weightlifters-
Nordics, Bosch Iso's, Razors, the Nord Bord, glute hams, hip thrusts, reverse hypers, sprints and the list goes on? What's the best way to prevent hamstring injury? How can we best train the posterior chain? What works best?
Goals? Can't take a trip without a destination.
So many people only have 1/2 the information. Just about everyone we train starts with squats
"It's impossible for a man to learn what he thinks he already knows- Epictetus
Clarifying my pre workout supplement stance. #nocoffeeforkids
Funny story about Matt Nichol
One of them is a bad idea..
Looking the part? I guess it depends on what you think your part is. To me, be in shape and be able to move. Coaches who can't move can't coach. I'll take better movers over bigger muscles every day.
If you saw me in the gym, and you saw me working out, would you ask me for advice?
ACL Injury Prevention is just good training. However to get female athletes into your facility or, to get your coaches on board an ACL Prevention program might do the trick.
Will they bulk up....
Puberty is like Legal Steroids
Will weight training stunt growth in kids?
When you look back in twenty years what will you think?
Start em young! Get ahead! It doesn't work.
An overview of the forum thread Youth Ages 5-10.
1. If you don't set your alarm tomorrow morning and get up to meet your clients do you still have an income? 2. Are you on the floor coaching clients less than 20 hours a week? 3. Can you take a vacation or go away for professional development and ...
Core Anatomy
How stuff works
Help me out, I struggled with this one
Another topic that gets people aggravated.
As usual people argue the wrong points.
Strength Coach Classic, original posted in 2008 Audio Interview Included If you are a strength coach or a personal trainer the chances that you have encountered an athlete recovering from some sort of ligamentous knee injury at some point in your car...
Sport Specific discussion continues: What if parents come in and ask for sport specific training?
(Originally from 2010) I can't tell you how often I hear a parent or a coach ask, "How can I improve my son's/daughter's/ athlete's foot speed or agility?" It seems everyone always wants the shortcut and the quick fix.
We trained a broad range of athletes last week, both male and female, across a range of sports but, we really didn't do much different. Jump, sprint, throw, lift?
People keep throwing these hypothetical arguments up.
It comes down to learning to speak "coach"
90% of training doesn't change
Don't get conned.
Slightly different question, same answer. Technique first!
What bucket- to fill with high school kids. The number 1 bucket is the technique bucket!
Training endurance athletes can be a goldmine for personal trainers and strength coaches if you can understand their mentality....keep reading
Tony Holler's Record, Rank and Publish was a game changer for us at MBSC and got us timing both 10 yard dashes and, Flying 10's. One subject that keeps coming up is what is a good time-?
I posted this video on Instagram and the responses amaze me.
Scene: A courtroom near you. Dogma is on the stand with Maximum Velocity questioning.
Rowers are unique, picture an athlete the size of a small forward in basketball, built like a volleyball outside hitter, huge legs, long arms and torso, large backs, and... nothing else. It's like a real-life version of a centaur, but in reverse.
In this episode Kevin Carr covers the progression we use at Mike Boyle Strength and Conditioning and CFSC to take you from zero push-ups to push-up master.
In this weeks episode Kevin Carr talks about posture (is there even such thing as good posture?) and gives you a few tips to better survive a long day in the office.
Some good reminders for other coaches working with hockey as well as a lot at what we are doing on a weekly basis.
Kevin Carr goes over breathing techniques in the quadruped position.
One of my all time favorite books
The study concluded that a four-week block of maximum speed training may have both an injury prevention and performance enhancement benefit
The strength and conditioning coach, at times, is the only coach on staff that interacts with nearly every athlete, every day.
Jon Messner recently did a podcast with Coach Boyle about his "history".
The entire athletic department stands a chance to benefit from hiring a strength and conditioning professional.
Gratitude
There simply are not enough strength and conditioning professionals at the high school level.
Control What you Can Control…The Power of Process, Mission, and Values In Part I of this article I referenced the term "process" in the paragraph about technology in pro sports. To expand on this point it is worth looking back on the...
While many dream of working with professional or collegiate athletes, working with youth athletes is probably the most challenging and most rewarding jobs you can have.
I love Trap Bar jumps. I wish I could say who gave me this idea as I'd love to give them credit. In any case, to properly discuss Trap bar Jumps, we need some context. I love Olympic lifts but, I also know they are not for everyone.
I like the Leverbell for lifts.
Show up! Show up consistently. Enjoy showing up.
What are you grateful for?
Coach Lippie discusses what he thought were the most important lessons from his time at AS Roma
I figured with the passing of Charles Poliquin I should go over one of the things that he changed in my programming that was quite contrary to everything I knew to be true before: knees over the toes during split squats, and subsequently in every squ...
Great book, especially for a business owner to boss, that discusses the real reasons people stay in their job.
Everyone should read this book.
Great book recommendation
"If you do what you always did, you'll get what you always got- Why invest time in learning only to revert back to the workout you did in high school?
Site member Ray Tucker posted the article "Exercises to Never Do After 50" and then asked if site members agreed. I thought my forum answer was article worthy, so here it is.
In no sport is this selling process more difficult than in the game of soccer. Many soccer cultures have a disdain for strength training borne from years of seeing programs designed for American Football players applied to soccer.
"The greater the artist, the greater the doubt...
We evaluate potential relationships between off-ice and on-ice performance, and explore the on-ice requirements of elite hockey players.
A couple of our players are using a product with surface EMG built into them.
I wish we didn't have to write so much about hips but labral tears and sports hernias seem like an epidemic.
Trap Bar Jumps at 95 lb. we've used these all summer trying to arrive at appropriate loads.
Mistakes. Don't be afraid to learn, change is good! If you're doing the same program you did ten years ago either you were really good ten years ago or, you S_ _k now.
You are much more likely to achieve your goals if you do
The hamstring thing isn't going away...
As we move from summer to fall two day programs become a much bigger deal. Here's a sample of a basic two day in-season program.
Site member Adam Virgile covers a bunch of adductor exercises in his blog...
The Underdog Effect- Was Gladwell's Observation Wrong?
With all my talk about MyZone and heart rate based training I thought you'd enjoy this.
Darryl Nelson from USA Hockey using this exercises for low trap and rotator cuff activations.
Although the idea of the steel mace has been around for a while, my feeling is they aren't catching on due to all of what I call " Game of Thrones" stuff.
The most important thing to understand
I love exercises that can be a core exercise, an activation exercise, a mobility exercise and a flexibility exercise. Exercises that check 4 boxes have massive value
I love this idea
A big mistake parents make preparing young athletes for the fall
It's still not about you.
We've rebranded the mace as a Leverbell. The Leverbell idea takes away the Game of Thrones weapon approach and replaces it with thoughts about an intelligent , leverage based tool for group fitness. This is the next big thing in fitness. Trust me.
It's not about what YOU like
I've written quite a bit about sleds. In fact, I wrote "How to Use the Sled to Drastically Improve Speed and Acceleration" about 10 years ago. I've advocated for heavy sled pushes ( we like to use the term marches) and championed the idea t...
Using a reach can be the best way to teach a single leg hip hinging movement. The big cue for us is to "get long"
Jack Eichel doing easy sled pushes at approx 680 lbs.
There are some fundamental principles that should exist in any long-term training strategy.
For however long you've been in this game, I'm sure we've all at least once personally contemplated and/or heard questions like: Why in the world would somebody really need the services of a personal trainer, strength coach or athletic performance co...
This is video 2
We just started playing with sled sprints. This is video 1.
I talk about cheating as part of my keynote at The Perform Better Summits, it's one of the best things you can do
Coach Boyle talks about the Heavy Sled
Coach Boyle goes over some points about the Sled
Here is a progression we use for mobility, coordination, and strength for our athletes
As a teaching progression we have experimented with a double ladder for Jumps. We have found that with hurdles athletes are too focused on the obstacle vs the jump so we are experimenting with more of a controlled long jump.
This is a Flying 10 which has become the second or third phase of our speed progression. We use a ten yard acceleration and time from 10 yds to 20 yds.
This is a new segment that was initiated by Michaela Boyle on Instagram, thanks Michaela!
I like to post these random thoughts that pop up in my head from time to time.
This is a drill that I was experimenting with last off-season and got some great feedback from the athletes that did it
This is
By using the slant board and elevating them in blocks we take their ankle out as a limiting factor.
Slant board sprints to optimize shin angles and position to improve acceleration. These have been a nice addition to our repertoire
When I started my gym in 2008, I made lots of mistakes.
Check out the trailer for Coach Boyle's new project- Complete Youth Training
3 rarely discussed fitness facts that most people aren't aware of.
Follow some of these tips that I use personally and that I recommend for my clients optimize training at the hotel.
Some of the tips I use to battle jet lag so I can improve my sleep and stay on top of my fitness goals while on the road.
For Episode 51, I head over to Berkeley Heights, NJ, for a tour of Gabriele Fitness with owner Vince Gabriele.
Very inspiring look into James Norris' program as he visits Mike Boyle Strength and Conditioning gym for some one on one training from Ken Whittier and also a Physical Therapy session from John Pallof.
One of the hardest things to do while on the road with a professional hockey team is to get strength training sessions in.
I wanted to follow Episode 3's explanation on how to stretch with some practical examples covering my favorite mobility drills.
3 tips that most people miss out on that can greatly improve the effectiveness of your stretching routine.
Coach Boyle shows the Leg Curl- Peanut Ball as a modification of sideboard curls for people with knee pain.
Kevin Carr from Movement as Medicine starts a new video show all about Movement.
I think the whole Olympic lifts are hard to teach thing- is a cop out.
Kevin Carr demonstrates and gives cues for Coaching and Progressing The Inverted Row
On Wednesdays, I like to experiment with one of our clients
Sean shares some great wisdom here
I think this piece will start some interesting discussion.
A week ago, we had 30 lacrosse athletes training hard, where did they all go?
There is a smarter way to train hard
In light of Coach Boyle's article "A Reaction to the article "Dirty Little Secrets of the Single Leg Training Craze", we thought this article was appropriate
I'm a 50 year old Strength coach who is using the Rear Foot Elevated Split Squat with my athletes but personally it causes me knee pain. The pain is in my front leg. I can use bodyweight but, if I go over 10 reps it hurts.
No real strength coach, me included, is telling anyone to do only single leg exercises all the time
I'm really starting to see sled pushes as more of a strength exercise for the posterior chain. I liken it back to the old Charlie Francis reverse leg press idea. In addition the vector has obvious transfer to sprinting. Our 13 year olds easily use 1....
My talk at Pat Beith's upcoming Speed Summit at MBSC in April is Everything Old is New Again.Nothing is more new to me than the Acceleration Ladder I had at BU in the 1990's.To be honest, then I didn't really understand it. Now I love the idea to tea...
The is a reflection to my interview on the Strength Coach Podcast #226. The reflection discusses Mike Boyle's influence, and clarify my thoughts on open/closed skill in reference to field/court sports and T&F. I'm always interested in feedback!
Nate VanKouwenberg started the Overcoming ISO in Season thread and it created some great discussion. Here is his follow up.
Altis is a group of elite coaches led by Dan Pfaff who, speaking of best kept secrets, may be the greatest performance coach you've never heard of.
Elias Scarr answers many important questions about sales for Results Fitness. Rachel Cosgrove asks him to answer the most commonly asked question amongst trainers today: How do I overcome objections?
MAS = Maximal Aerobic Speed- What is it used for? Testing aerobic capacity, using a time trial method. Generating running workload based on time trial outcomes. So, the test becomes the way of generating workloads.
A few years back I attended an outstanding seminar at Ranfone Training and was lucky enough to hear Todd Bumgardner and Mike Ranfone speak about ISO's and High Tension Lifting strategies. Since then I've utilized many of those techniques fairly often...
After a client suffered an upper body injury we had to get creative to find a way to load her without stressing her right arm
Been getting lots of questions about training kids.
Our kids are not athletes. They're kids.
Brett Klika (Co-founder and CEO of SpiderFit) is on to talk about training with kids and youth athletes.
Jerome asked us to Critique His Form on the Dumbbell Snatch so I wanted to show these to videos to help him along. Check out the thread and let him know if you have any tips
I really like the UBar for third phase 1 Leg Straight Leg Deadlifts
This is part 2 of my ongoing power experiment.
This is a 1980's Speed City tool that is poised for a big comeback.
This makes so much sense I feel really dumb for not thinking of it first. However, in fine MBSC tradition, I'll steal this idea from Ben!
I've been playing with more functional- velocity based ideas
Great idea for loading single leg hip lifts that I stole from Elsbeth Vaino. We've tried Sandbags, Bars etc. This is clearly the best. The strap is actually from a TRX and works great.
In phase 4 for our pitchers we progress to lateral lunges using a metal wedge to get more angular specificity.
This post covers playing music legally in both Canada and the US.
Played with some power training today. Started with an unloaded Trap Bar ( 45 lb 20 k) and a goal of 80% of best VJ. Came up a bit short so went to 17.5 lb DB's and hit the target. (thanks to Craig Breslow for the demo)
I had the opportunity to listen to three podcasts with Cameron Josse where the conversation centered around things like the 10% Rule and sled sprinting for maximum speed.
UPDATED- Kevin Neeld, Assistant Strength Coach for the San Jose Sharks, weighed in on Devan McConnell's forum thread.
I am not a fan of jigsaw puzzles. My three-year-old daughter is
In terms of coaching, there was a point in my career where I felt I knew enough, and that was somewhat correct. I knew enough to have success, but not nearly enough to be considered an expert.
I love hockey but was never a hockey player.
I see a lot of people make the same few mistakes, mostly as it relates to the setup
Editors note- my good friend Dewey Nielsen wrote this as an MMA article. It was so good I edited it to apply to all sports and changed the name to Training Elite Athletes- Be Brilliant at the Basics
I'm known as a sprint coach but I spent the first half of my life focused on basketball.
Coach Boyle joins Reg Grant (NY Rangers), Devan McConnell (Mass Lowell) and Mark Fitzgerald (Anaheim Ducks) for presentations, a roundtable and a Q&A. Of course, we are going for drinks after too. StrengthCoach Members who attend get a month added ...
Trust me, after 35 years I have seen it happen over and over.
I learned that I haven't been getting the most from my mini-band work to maximize glute activation.
I had a reader email me the question "What are the top three things that should be in every program to prevent knee injuries?"
StrengthCoach.com member Keith Simmons asked me to answer a few questions that were based on the Tim Ferris book Tools of Titans.
This Op-Ed is prompted by Kurt Hester, Bob Bowlsby, NSCA, CSCCa, NCAA, the state of our profession and past tragic off-season training occurrences.
This is an article that Coach Boyle cleaned up and added some of the questions from the forum to.
The guys at Rollga have reinvented the foam roller
My goal is to share ten facts with three groups of people: athletes, parents, and coaches. Despite the fact that speed (moving fast) is central to athleticism, too many people live in the dark.
Bruce summarizes the first 2 days at the Summit
I've been noticing that lots of our athletes get off the ground when we clean
I get a lot of great questions from the readers of New Functional Training for Sports. I got a bunch about youth performance training and thought I'd combine a few into one blog post.
I visit with Christa Doran at Tuff Girl Fitness in Hamden, CT for a tour and a business chat.
The title refers to a Youtube clip of the same name posted by Keir Wenham Flat, the person I'm about to discuss.
Check out some upcoming PLAE Summits
Derek Hansen tweeted this the other day and it created quite a long, reactive thread. "Everyone's rolling out their muscles ad naseum pre-workout. I don't think this is good.
When the elite, fast twitch, athlete is injured, they are often perceived as soft by coaches, trainers and most importantly, sports writers.
Kate Upton demonstrates an assisted 1 arm/1 leg row with great technique.
This year I'll enter my twenty-fifth year as a strength and conditioning coach. Last month I watched Barbara Walters celebrate her thirtieth year with a special called "30 Mistakes in 30 Years." I'm going to celebrate my twenty-fifth anniversary by t...
A few weeks ago we had a great thread on the forum entitled Athlete Engagement and Behavior. Anthony had suggested that I expand my thoughts from the thread into an article.
Everyone has heard the cliché about " taking two steps forward and one step back". However, very few young athletes or, parents of young athletes realize that the big key to success is avoiding exactly that.
"What if the way we had always done it was wrong?" Lee Cockrell- Creating Magic
I've trained a lot of young athletes. They range from middle school and high school to college kids and pros and all almost always need to gain solid weight in order to compete at a higher level. In the world of sport, hardly anyone is "big enough." ...
We are having more and more interest in coaches switching from front or back squats to rear foot elevated split squats (Bulgarian Lunges, a name you'll recognize and I hate).
I'm amazed ( and a bit embarrassed) that it took us nearly twenty years to develop some on-ice tests that make sense and, are easy to administer.
I love when I get questions from readers of "New Functional Training for Sports"
As the dad of an 11 year old I watch lots of youth sports. As a coach, I can't help but watch through my coaching lens.
I got a great series of questions from a former player who is now a strength and conditioning coach.
Sometimes no one can make you better. They can only make you smarter....keep reading
This is my 10th year working in the fitness industry. I've officially "done a dime" in this field. Bare with me as I quickly recount my path.
Watch this important video about one of our longtime member's husband Peter Catt and help spread awareness of heart disease in our communities. Watch and #sharePetersStory www.petersstory.ca
Originally posted July, 2015. Recently Dr McGill has been vocal about Rear Foot Elevated Split Squats potentially causing back pain, particularly SI joint pain and as he calls it "pelvic ring" disruption.
Anyone who knows me knows that I have been heavily influenced by Coach Boyle as well as the rest of the Mike Boyle Strength & Conditioning family. As I was going through some of my notes from the Strength Coach Podcast, MBSC Staff Meetings, and o...
Doug Pearson, one of our MBSC Thrive licensees, asked me to come up with an updated book list. I sat in front of my book shelf and wrote down titles to share. Here they are, with links for easy ordering. Start with Why- Simon Sinek - maybe my favorit...
I often ask coaches or trainers to visualize a prospective athlete or client simply watching a workout through a window. No sound, just the visual. Are they impressed? This is the mirror and the window.
HockeyStrengthandConditioning.com, Advantage Strength and conditioning, and are teaming up to host the second annual Great Lakes Hockey Strength and Conditioning Clinic, taking place at Advantage Strength on April 23rd.
Of all gait related injuries hamstring strains have the greatest rate of re-occurance with as many as 1/3 of injured athletes suffering re-inury with the first few weeks following return to sport." -Tom Michaud
Brian Carrol wrote an interesting piece called "Five Reasons Your Not Getting Stronger." It was pretty good and to the point. I thought I'd analyze this part though:
One thing that is always in fashion is bashing something that you didn't invent.
Group training for adults is a huge part of our business at Mike Boyle Strength and Conditioning. Over the past couple of years, enrollment in our adult groups has nearly doubled.
I believe people tend to over-think training younger athletes, which isn't the worst thing when working with kids.
Coach Boyle teaches his staff how to organize and coach a warm up for groups of kids.
I got the question below, and another just like it, over the last few days. "Mike, have you ever worked with a PT who restricted or eliminated lower body work on the non-involved leg after an ACL injury/surgery?
Hamstring injuries are probably the most troubling of all typical track and field injuries.
Kind of a lousy title for an article but, it's true. I often talk to coaches who say "we don't train in-season, we don't have a weightroom". I think I have a simple, low cost solution.
In the past few months I have gone back to coaching kids. It's something that I haven't done in quite a while, really since the early MBSC days 15 years ago. The sad truth is the higher level you work at the more spoiled you get. I've been spoi...
I love teachable moments. These are the times that I realize at Mike Boyle Strength and Conditioning we have a philosophy that may not be familiar to everyone who works there. It is my continued words in the staff meeting. “I have said this ove...
The other day I was thinking about some of my former students who I never see at conferences. Sadly, there are far too many. I often ask them if they are going to attend a particular conference that I am excited about and the response is almost alway...
(originally posted in 2013) Reaching the next level in the areas of training, communication, business and personal growth were the highlights of a recent team meeting
Anatomy is a funny science. In college we were taught what I can best describe as origin-insertion cadaver anatomy. I like to refer to it as dead person anatomy....keep reading
The training of the rower is one of the most interesting yet bizarre processes I have witnessed in my 30 years of training for sport. My first exposure to rowers was in the mid eighties, working with a number of elite and club level males and females...
Anterior knee pain goes by a large number of names but unfortunately seems to have relatively few effective treatments. Chondromalacia Patella, Patella Tendonitis and Patella-Femoral Syndrome are all names used to describe various types of often debi...
Recently I wrote a fairly well received article I titled There is a Reason There is a Box. The premise of the article was that "out of the box" thinking is running out of control and that we need to make sure that we are "masters of the box" before w...
How often have you heard someone described as an "out of the box thinker" or heard someone praised for "thinking outside the box?" This is usually considered a compliment....keep reading
* This is being reposted as a Strength Coach Classic A recent post on my website forum made me realize that often a short answer to a complicated question doesn't work. A few of my readers seemed to think that all of the recent talk about a weak pso...
One leg squats should not be confused with pistol squats....keep reading
Everyone wants to be faster however, the truth is most coaches can't get out of their own way when it comes to developing speed. ( Authors note: until last year I was one of those coaches)...keep reading
Some AT's and PT's are blaming 1 leg training for pelvic issues. Based on survey data from a # of coaches using almost exclusively 1 leg training this is simply not true. I also doubt there is any hard evidence to support this theory. Give this a rea...
After reading my friend Kacey Bellamy's letter to her younger self, I thought I'd drop you a few words of advice. I also figured a list would be better so, here goes....keep reading
Sergeant Harold Hill coined the term Warrior-Athlete to describe the training needs of the modern day soldier. What follows are suggestions for training the warrior-athlete based on what has been termed by Master Sergeant Glen Mercer the "Professiona...
Recently my twelve year old daughter published a YouTube clip of herself doing a set of hang cleans. Not only did the clip produce a technical discussion about Olympic lifts, it produced a theoretical discussion about training for power. One topic th...
One thing that comes up a lot in our meetings is the idea of choosing weights for athletes. It's sort of like the three bears. We don't want the weight selected to be too heavy or too light. We want it to be just right....keep reading
I just read a thread in the Business Forum that had advice that blew me away. I'm not sure how many readers visit the Business Forum so I'd thought I summarize some of our readers' thoughts on working the floor in a commercial gym. The value in this ...
One thing I have become well know for is changing my mind and admitting when I am wrong. I called this article Half Racks Revisited because for years I have told people not to buy Half Racks. In fact in my second book Designing Strength Training Prog...
Years ago I wrote an article for Powerlifting USA entitled Training Female Powerlifters. I wish I still had it, as it would save me some time. Time is something I don't have a lot of so lets cut to the chase. Last week a young female came up to me wi...