Posts categorized in:
Programming
3 Ways to Spice-up Your Push-ups!
Here’s a little known fact about push-ups… …they don’t HAVE to be boring! Push-ups are a key exercise in almost every training program I write, but you also need to find ways to spice them up and make sure your clients and athletes are still being challenged by them. So in this video, I’m going […]
Continue ReadingUnlock Your Shoulders in 5 Minutes or Less!
If you’re tired of having stiff, achy or beat-up shoulders, here are 4 things you can do in 5 minutes or less to get you feeling RIGHT! We’ve all heard the saying “if you don’t use it, you lose it” – and I feel like that’s 100% true when it comes to shoulder mobility. And […]
Continue Reading3 Ways to Run Better Group Workouts
Group workouts don’t have to be cookie-cutter, and they definitely DO NOT have to suck. While large group workouts will never be as individual as private or 1-on-1 sessions, there are several simple things we can do to immediately improve the results of these sessions. In this video, I’m going to break down 3 simple […]
Continue ReadingAthletic Rowing
If your only goal in life is to build a huge upper back, this isn’t the video for you. However, if you want to have a strong upper back, while maintaining your mobility and athleticism, this will DEFINITELY help! In this video, I breakdown the following: Why heavy, bilateral rowing is great for strength and […]
Continue ReadingAthletic Pressing
If you’re looking to build huge, showy muscles or bench press weights equivalent to compact cars, by all means bench press ‘til the cows come home. BUT, if you’re looking to improve your strength while also maintaining your athleticism, it may be time to find some different alternatives! In this short-video, I breakdown the following: […]
Continue ReadingMedicine Ball Training 101
Want to learn more about medicine ball training? Then this is the video for you! While definitely not all encompassing, this is a great video to help you better understand how I use and implement medicine ball training with my clients and athletes. Here’s a brief overview of what I cover: Why we do we […]
Continue ReadingUsing the “Microscope Approach” to Write Better Training Programs
One of the most feared days in every IFAST Interns existence was the dreaded “Program Defense Day.” On this day, our interns would have to stand up in front of Bill, myself, and the current IFAST coaches and explain – in excruciating detail – every aspect of a workout they’ve written for a hypothetical client. […]
Continue ReadingIn-Season Program Design
Okay my friends, it’s time for a little Wipe Board Wednesday! Today we’re going to talk about in-season lifting. For many years, lifting in-season was vilified…but should that have been the case? Too often, as the competitive season goes on we see lean body mass and force production go down, while overall fatigue and the […]
Continue ReadingThe Reload Week
When it comes to program design people like to talk about de-loading, or deloads. A deload is a period of time – generally one week – where you strategically drop volume and/or intensity to reduce fatigue and improve overall fitness. But something I’ve used with great success over the years is what I call a […]
Continue ReadingThe Extended Warm-up
One of my favorite programming tricks is to extend the warm-up. Maybe you’ve got a few more years under your belt and need a bit more time to get warm and loose. Maybe your R4 work isn’t super intense, but you want to maintain some power and athleticism. Or maybe you want to get a […]
Continue Reading10 Programming Tips I Wish I Would’ve Known Starting Out
When you’re just starting out as a trainer or coach, as the saying goes: You don’t know what you don’t know. And I think this is especially true with regards to writing programs. Whether it’s using antiquated ways to program intensity, making everyone conform to 4-week training cycles, or skipping key steps early-on in the […]
Continue ReadingHow to Build a Better Squat (or Any Movement Pattern)
As trainers, coaches and rehab professionals, I hope we can all agree that we want our clients and athletes to move better. But how often does somebody just kill it on Day 1? You’re coaching them up, then you just throw out that one magic cue and, BOOM! They’re moving perfectly. Maybe sometimes…but not nearly […]
Continue Reading12 Random Thoughts for Trainers and Coaches
Well in typical MR fashion, I took what was supposed to be a short and sweet, bullet point post and made it into something much bigger! I really wanted to just give you some quick ideas to stimulate thought, but in that same vein it’s hard to just randomly drop ideas on you without at […]
Continue ReadingStep-by-Step Program Design
One of my favorite days in every IFAST internship is “Program Defense Day.” Here, our young coaches are put to the test. We get to see what they’ve really learned about program design during their 3-month internship. And trust me – I’ve seen the good, the bad, and the ugly. From the programs that are […]
Continue Reading3 Types of Recovery Lifts
The longer I write programs, the more I interact with people who want to train DAILY. But here’s the rub: We all know you can’t train “hard” every day without breaking yourself down. So what gives? How do you reconcile the idea of training regularly without burning yourself out? Easy – you need to get […]
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