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Coaching
My 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 ReadingHow NOT to RDL
The RDL, or Romanian deadlift, is a staple exercise for Olympic lifters and athletes alike. It’s universally popular because it not only serves as a teaching tool for bigger lifts (full deadlifts, cleans, etc.), but it also builds the hamstrings and teaches people to flex and extend their hips properly. However, I will go to […]
Continue Reading6 Huge Issues in Athletic Development
I’ve spent the better part of my life participating in sports at some level. Couple that with the fact that I’ve been coaching athletes of all shapes and sizes for the last 15 years, and I think I’ve got a good perspective on athletic development as a whole. In this article, I want to not […]
Continue Reading57 Random Thoughts on Athletic Training & Coaching
Seeing as how it’s athletic development month here at RTS, I wanted to do something a bit different. Rather than writing the typical essay-style blog post, I wanted to just riff and jot down some thoughts that are going through my head that pertain to training athletes. Here are 57 random things I’m thinking about […]
Continue ReadingSetting Up for a Big Bench Press
Every Monday around 5 pm, gyms across America are inundated with the following question: “Yo bro – how much ya bench?” It’s a sad fact, but it’s true. And at least if all the bros are benching, we can have the squat rack or the deadlift platform! All jokes aside, I know that people love […]
Continue ReadingSetting Up for a Big Squat
If you read enough blog posts and articles, everyone wants to talk about technique on the big lifts. And who am I to complain? I covered all of that in-depth in my Squat, Bench Press and Deadlift blog posts over the years. But you know what? I’d argue that 90+% of all lifts are missed […]
Continue ReadingEverything You Need to Know About RPE’s
Writing programs for beginner clients is easy. Perform Exercise A, for X reps and Y sets, rest for Z seconds, and BOOM, you’re done. For higher level clients and athletes, however, it’s just not that simple. Using ratings of perceived exertion, or RPE’s, is a critical component of my programming these days. In this article, […]
Continue ReadingHow to RDL
Note from MR: The following is a guest post from Aaron Cunanan. Aaron was an intern at IFAST several years ago, and a really sharp guy. I think you’re really going to love this post! —————— The Romanian Deadlift is one of the most important strength exercises out there and should be a staple in […]
Continue ReadingGuitar Playing and Physical Preparation
When I was shooting the videos for Bulletproof Athlete (the Week 13 recovery video, to be exact), I made a promise: When I was done creating and launching BPA, I was going to start taking guitar lessons. Growing up, I played the piano for almost eight years, and I’d like to think I had gotten […]
Continue Reading5 Hacks for Half-Kneeling
There are a few things that I really love in life. My family. Classic movies. Great music. And while half-kneeling isn’t necessarily in that upper echelon, well done half-kneeling work is pretty damn epic! Today we’re going to talk about the ins-and-outs of half-kneeling exercises, and I’ve got five hacks that I know will make […]
Continue ReadingCan You Guarantee Improved Performance?
Every athlete I’ve worked with wants to improve their performance. And many will do damn near anything to improve it. If you would’ve told me when I was 16 years old that you could help me jump higher to dunk a basketball, I would’ve done damn near anything.
Continue ReadingFront Squat
Front squats are a different animal. After years of dedicated powerlifting training and back squatting, I read an article by one of my strength training mentors, Brad Gillingham. “Big Brad” is one of the strongest human beings on the face of the planet, and his 5×5 squat program had worked wonders for my back squat. […]
Continue Reading3 Reasons You Can’t Perform Big Lifts
The other morning, my daughter Kendall and I were totally engrossed watching “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.” Now before you start bashing me and threaten to steal away my man card, I’m going to tell you this: Snow White is a classic. Whether it’s the simple animation, the lovable characters or the musical score, […]
Continue ReadingOnline Personal Training
(Photo courtesy of Allen Sky) For the next couple of weeks, we’re going to dive head first into the realm of running a fitness business. I’ve been thinking a ton about both my online (Robertson Training Systems) and offline (Indianapolis Fitness and Sports Training) businesses, and I feel I’ve got some really cool stuff to […]
Continue ReadingLessons in Coaching
I’m always thinking about training and coaching. When I was a little kid, my coaches always described me as a gym rat because I loved spending time in the gym and getting better. Now as a performance coach, it’s not uncommon for me to go home (or in my office) after a training session and […]
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