Recent Posts
Principles, Strategies and Tools To Be A Better In-Person Coach
Well, couldn’t sleep last night but I guess it was because I was so fired up to share this! 🙂 Last week I went on my good friend Luka Hocevar’s podcast, with the primary theme being “how to be a better in-person coach.” As always, Luka and I could talk forever on these shows, but […]
Continue ReadingFebruary Q&A: Isometric Training, Performance Assessments, and the IFAST Internship
We’rrrreeeee back! It’s the February edition of our Q&A podcast, and man do we have a bunch of topics to cover. Performance assessments. Isometric training and testing. Why everyone and their sister is squatting with a heel wedge. And why IFAST is evolving. So without any further ado, let’s jump right in! Isometrics are […]
Continue ReadingHow to Program Offset Activities
Today I want to do a little customer Q&A! Here’s a question I received from Matt who is going through my Complete Coach Certification: Hey Mike! I’m going through the cert and I’m hoping you can help me better understand a few concepts: A) When and how to “load” vs “propulse,” B) The concept of […]
Continue ReadingAaron Cunanan on Developing a Sports Science Team in Pro Baseball
One of my favorite aspects of this show is getting these little peeks behind the “high performance” curtain. Even if we don’t work in elite sport, or have the resources they have available to them, getting an understanding into the systems and thought processes they use to build the best athletes in the world can […]
Continue ReadingThe Scissor Cue for Swaybacks
Let’s talk a little bit of coaching and cuing today my friend! If someone is dealing with an anterior pelvic tilt/anterior orientation, I like to use two cues to clean that up: Soft knees, and Belt buckle up. However, we get ourselves into trouble when we cue all of our clients and athletes the same […]
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 ReadingDan Pope on Training, Injuries, and How to Stay in the Gym for Life
Let’s be real for a minute: Injuries suck. If you’ve been lifting yourself for any period of time, you know that if you push yourself long enough or hard enough, something is bound to crop up. But while injuries might be part of the game, they shouldn’t keep you out of the game. That’s why […]
Continue ReadingThe WORST Program to Write
Without giving the whole video away, do you want to know the single WORST program to write? Easy…the program for a client with no real goals! Because if we’re being honest, being “fitter” or “healthier” – while commendable – is pretty darn hard to track, measure or quantify. So how do we fix that? How […]
Continue ReadingJarrod Antflick on Building a Resilient and Robust Achilles Tendon
Have you ever had a client or athlete who was dealing with Achilles pain? Maybe it was a gen pop client who was a little overweight. Maybe it was a weekend warrior whose heel was stiff after a game of basketball or pickleball. Or maybe it was a high performing athlete who was dealing with […]
Continue ReadingWhat Trunk Position is Best for Split-Squats?
When it comes to split-squats and lunges, many people think there’s ONE torso position that’s best. For instance, you’ll often see me cue a tall, upright posture if I’m trying to get someone to load their hips more effectively. OR if I’m trying to get the hip flexors and quads to chill out a bit. […]
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 ReadingSteve Tashjian and Darcy Norman on Building a High-Performance Team at the International Level
The World Cup is the pinnacle of the soccer world. You have the best athletes in the world, representing their countries, and doing everything they can to perform at the highest levels in the biggest moments of sport. And while I love nothing more than watching these incredible athletes play, I also love talking to […]
Continue ReadingCuing in Bullet Points
Unless you’re recapping the latest episode of The Boys or Bridgerton, your clients don’t want to hear you monologue – it’s a sure-fire way to have your clients and athletes tune you out. And this is especially true when it comes to coaching and cuing exercises. Eventually your voice starts to sound like that teacher from […]
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 ReadingJanuary 2023 Q&A – Online Coaching, Cuing, and Content Creation
We’re BACK with another Q&A podcast episode! I absolutely love doing these and it allows me to better connect with YOU, my listener. Plus, we get to dabble in a bunch of different topics – from coaching and cuing, to program design, to content creation. So without any further ado, let’s jump into this week’s […]
Continue Reading