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Random Friday 8-29-14
Oh hey there – long time no see! It’s been a crazy couple of weeks, with work, travel, and a bunch of personal commitments all coming together at once. But I wanted to get this blog up today, just so you know what all is going on – and that I haven’t forgotten about you. […]
Continue ReadingQ&A: Speed Work
Q: I was wondering if you could help me when it comes to programming for speed sets. Do you have an optimal percent range that you use when working on bar speed? I am working with a sprinter right now and wanted to start adding some speed sets in, but I am not sure how […]
Continue ReadingManaging the In-Season Athlete
The other day I was texting with my good friend (and Portland Timbers center back) Danny O’Rourke, and we were discussing how to approach in-season training and lifting. After our discussion, I thought this would be a great opportunity to discuss the topic here on the site. (This is also going to be the entire […]
Continue ReadingMike Rants – Exercise Technique
Last week, Kirsten (my amazing admin and the Wonder Woman of IFAST) posted a picture of me working with one of the new guys for the Indy Eleven. I’m an admin on the page, so I get a notification that another gym owner here in Indianapolis has commented: “Better check on that lunge form.” Now […]
Continue ReadingHow to Find a Quality Coach
Hiring a coach isn’t an easy process. It’s not as easy as poking around on the Internet for 20-30 minutes, looking up a few websites, and plopping down some cash for training. Instead, finding a coach should be a (somewhat) slow and painstaking process. You are, after all, trusting this person with your single-most valuable […]
Continue Reading5 Strength Training Tips for Females
Between my years as a strength coach, gym owner, and personal trainer, I’ve had hundreds of females come to me with a goal of getting stronger. Some want to get stronger as a goal in-and-of itself (i.e. to compete in powerlifting). Some want to get stronger to improve their athletic development. And others simply want […]
Continue ReadingMolly Galbraith Interview
Molly, thanks for taking the time to be with us here today. Could you start by telling us a little bit about yourself? Sure, Mike! Thanks so much for having me! In terms of my professional life, I’m am a trainer and certified strength and conditioning specialist, co-founder and owner of Girls Gone Strong, and […]
Continue ReadingThoughts on Training Female Athletes
Coaching is in my blood. Before I decided to become a strength & conditioning or “performance” coach, I thought I was going to be a basketball or volleyball coach when I grew up. I remember as a teen watching the same recorded games time and again on old VHS tapes, breaking down mechanics, movement, and […]
Continue ReadingPush-up
Every single client or athlete I train uses push-ups in their programming. And why not? They are simply a fantastic lift, whether your goal is to get stronger, burn more body fat, or become more athletic. Let’s start our journey by reviewing just a few of the reasons you might want to include push-ups in […]
Continue Reading7 Exercises You SHOULD Be Doing
I’m not a fan of the article that features “eight new ways to blast your pecs,” or “six new ways to shred your abs.” When it comes to training, I’m very vanilla in my approach. I believe that there are certain basic, big bang exercises that everyone should be using, regardless of their end goal. […]
Continue Reading5 Fitness Business Tips and Tricks
Running a fitness business is one of the hardest things I’ve done in my life. Needless to say, it’s a lot more difficult than that whole “Field of Dreams” mantra: “Build it and they will come.” That makes for awesome cinema, but if you try to pull that in the business world, it’s only a […]
Continue ReadingHow to Write Power Training Programs
Power training is critical in athletics. Whether it’s the ability to juke a defender and break off a big touchdown run, hit a baseball 400 feet, or slam dunk a basketball, power is a key component that every performance coach must program for. However, before you blindly jump in and start doing 100 repetitions of […]
Continue ReadingMy Top 5 Moves for Athletic Power
Let’s start with an important, yet not so obvious statement…. Athletes are not professional lifters. Does strength have carryover to what they do on the field or court? Absolutely. But is it the be-all, end-all of athletic development? Absolutely not. When it comes to developing a well-rounded athletic development program, you can’t put in everything […]
Continue ReadingWil Fleming Interview
Note from MR: Wil Fleming is a guy I’ve become close with in recent years, and beyond having great hair, he’s also an awesome guy to chat with. The guy owns a successful business, coaches high-level athletes, and is an Olympic lifter himself. In this post we’ll discuss training, coaching, and everything in between . […]
Continue Reading3 Keys to Improving Power
As an athlete, power reigns supreme. Sure maximal speed is important, and being brutally strong can help, but if you want to be at your best it behooves you to improve power. Unfortunately, I think most athletes go about this entirely wrong. First and foremost, they spend all their time focusing on force production vs. […]
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