In This Issue
– Exclusive Interview: Mike Yuhaniak
MR: Mike, thanks for being with us here today; with everything you have going on, I know you’re quite busy!
For those who readers who may not know who you are, please introduce yourself.
MY: That really depends on who you talk to and at what time of day. Like most fitness professionals I wear several hats currently because I derive pleasure from all of my pursuits. I spend the bulk of my time as the head trainer at the largest training studio in Washington DC. I’m also the Strength and Conditioning coach for the Wrestling team at Johns Hopkins University. Last, but certainly not least, I have my own small company that specializes in athletic training. Regardless of which job we’re talking about I feel that most of what I do centers around helping others reach their potential. I’ve been given a lot over the years and as cliché as it sounds I’m simply trying to pass on to others what I wish I’d known earlier.
MR: What originally got you into the field of strength training?
MY: I was your typical brainy moderately athletic kid with all the requisite social skills that come along with that stereotype. Weight training taught me that I could achieve whatever I wanted if I put in hard work consistently over time. As I learned how to manipulate my body through training I became a better athlete and I built the confidence necessary to overcome my initial introversion and shyness. I ended up wrestling for four years in college and was even fortunate to be named team captain for the last two years despite the fact that I was a mediocre wrestler at best. Training – particularly lifting heavy things – provided me with a certain sense of empowerment.
It was only a matter of time before I realized that I wanted to share this with others and teach them that they have the power to change themselves. After college I toyed with the idea of becoming a physical therapist but after working as a technician and personal trainer in an orthopedic outpatient clinic for a while I realized that there were certain things that would prevent me from being happy and fulfilled in that role. I set out to find a middle path between clinical work and stereotypical personal training. I’m fortunate to say that I feel like I’ve been able to accomplish this objective over time and I truly enjoy what I do. Besides what other field allows you the latitude to teach an elderly person how to get out of a chair one hour and help an athlete set a PR the next?
MR: The cool thing is, you’re walking the walk while competing in strongman. What got you into that?
MY: Over the last 2 years I’ve placed added emphasis on improving my own health so that I can do what I want physically for the long run. As a result my own athleticism has improved tremendously. My friend John Sullivan who is an accomplished strongman competitor encouraged me to take up the sport as he thought this athleticism combined with my relative strength levels and decent maximal strength would be a successful mix. When I took the first Z-Health certification as his facility in Boston I flipped the 800 lb. tire at his urging and I was hooked.
This led to a lot of tremendous changes for me as I found a group of training partners led by Graham Bartholomew and Brian Hosford that both push and inspire me. My physical abilities have skyrocketed as a result of joining this awesome group. Just as importantly it has given me a new frame of reference and accelerated my strength gains tremendously. When you put 300 pounds in each hand for a Farmer’s Walk or put 700 plus pounds on your back for a Yoke Walk you can’t help but change your perspective. It really alters how you view what you thought were heavy gym lifts and makes you realize that your old PR’s may have been limited more by mindset than physical abilities.
MR: Strongman requires a unique blend of physical attributes. How do you structure your own training?
MY: You’re right about the unique blend Mike. To paraphrase what Brett Jones said to me after a recent contest, strongman requires a strange mix of maximal lifts, speed and compressed time – things that don’t usually mix well. This does make things more challenging but it still comes down to the basic principles – utilize your strengths and try to bring up your weak points.
I’m certainly no authority on this subject but I’ve had moderate success utilizing 2 gym days per week matched up with event training on the weekend with a healthy dose of joint mobility work thrown in daily. The gym days are generally only about an hour with a max effort movement (lower body one day and upper body or Olympic lift the other day). I follow that up with either a submax movement or a superset of submax movements. Depending on what I need in the training block I will either add in some supplemental work or potentially add in some metabolic work. The event training is determined by the next contest and utilizes 3-4 week waves of intensity (with volume contingent upon my state of readiness). Keep in mind that I personally tend to respond better to intensity rather than volume and my training reflects this especially when compared to my training partners who utilize more frequent sessions.
MR: Let’s talk some more about training. What mistakes do you see people making, both in regards to general fitness training and/or on the strength athlete side of things?
MY: It seems to be that most people spend too much time majoring in the minors due to a mix of impatience and misinformation. However I think that this main problem stems from people’s inability to filter information. The internet is a fantastic resource if you learn how to wade through the bullshit. Many people try to remedy this through guru worship and become enamored with one type of training. As my colleague Chuck Halbakken reminded me that other day, when you only have a hammer, everything looks like a nail. Unfortunately one size does not fit all. Recognize that a kettlebell or a dumbbell or a stone are only tools. Build a bigger toolbox that can house all of these tools and stick to your own philosophy. Learn from others to help refine as you go.
On the strength side it seems to me like most strength athletes still pay lip service at best to overall health. The lack of general health measures leads to just as many preventable injuries as you see with your average gym rat but it’s compounded due to overuse and extreme loading. Obviously this is a judgment call and a question that each athlete has to ask himself so I hope I don’t sound like I’m preaching – I just hate seeing avoidable injuries preventing people from reaching their potential. I don’t really think it’s asking a lot to find ten minutes in the morning or evening to regain control of your own body and create some structural balance.
MR: You’ve been a huge proponent of the Z-Health mobility system and Eric Cobb. How has Z-Health influenced your training and performance?
MY: I’ve got to laugh Mike because the way you phrased the first part of that question it sounds like Z-Health is some sort of religious movement with zealous followers. I guess I should preface my answer by bringing up that is was you who introduced me to the system. In all seriousness though, I must say that Z-Health has helped me reframe a lot of my training ideas. It’s helped me build a bigger toolbox like I was talking about earlier. You know that I’m not one to drink the Kool-Aid so to speak and I’ve helped a lot of people utilizing similar strategies as yourself. When all is said and done what I care about is getting results in the most efficient and effective manner possible and since I started with Z-Health I’ve seen significant improvements in my ability to do just that.
Personally my own performance has gone through the roof since I’ve embraced the tenets of Z-Health. I do not have any of the chronic nagging injuries that are so prevalent among people who like to lift heavy things and my strength numbers have increased tremendously. My flexibility and mobility are at all-time highs despite the fact that I don’t utilize the foam roller any more. I hope that didn’t sound too much like an infomercial because it is all true. I guess I should have mentioned earlier when we were talking about strongman but another main reason I took it up the sport was because my body felt so good that I needed a new challenge.
One thing that I think gets lost when talking about Z-Health is that it goes well beyond just mobility work. As I’ve learned more of Dr. Cobb’s system I’ve come to accept that the nervous system governs everything and let my training reflect this more so than before. Mobility work as utilized in Z-Health is just one tool that is used to help fix the athlete’s individual issues. Essentially if the athlete is not getting the results he wants then the nervous system has put a governor on performance for some reason. Obviously this can manifest in any number of ways – most people will see it most frequently with tight muscles or unexplained weakness. The role of the coach in my opinion is to find out why the athlete’s nervous system has created this governor and what can I do to remove it so that he can utilize his abilities to the fullest. It basically comes down to what is causing a threat response in the body – doesn’t matter if it’s joints that don’t move, tissues that don’t move or a scar that doesn’t move – and how can I reduce the threat response to retrain the nervous system.
I have to say that it’s the dogmatic people that ruin things for everyone. The way I see it – I don’t have to give up any of the things I enjoy and utilize – strongman, heavy strength training, athletic development, etc. to utilize the principles behind Z-Health. I’m sure I’m not the only one to look at the country as a whole and see that the majority of people (be they athletes, office workers or old people) don’t move well, don’t eat well and don’t take care of themselves. I’ve always looked for ways to remedy this issue; Dr. Cobb has his solutions – that’s what I feel that Z-Health encapsulates. I will continue to work on improving my own solutions but I’m grateful to have learned much of his system as it is incredibly effective at making people feel better, move better and perform better.
MR: You’re a true student of the game – in this industry, who have been your top 5 influences and why?
MY: I always laugh when people refuse to answer this question and instead cop out and list 10-20 people. It really is tough though. I feel like there will never be a time when I feel content with what I’ve learned. I mean I’m one of those people who took the Brian Tracy quote about achieving mastery with an hour a day for 5 years to heart. As a result the people who’ve influenced me the most have been the ones that have led me to explore areas that I had not planned on exploring – basically the people who’ve guided my education knowingly or unknowingly.
In no particular order the people who’ve influenced me the most:
– Dr. Eric Cobb – his system based on neurophysiology has led my educational pursuits in different directions than I anticipated and he taught me skill sets that allow me to help virtually anyone I encounter
– Mike McNiff – I’m sure most of your readers don’t know Mike yet but he is a brilliant trainer that has helped me grow tremendously and has taught me a lot about nutrition, friendship and intellectual curiosity. He’s an awesome training partner, business partner and a great friend. When we get some of our upcoming business ventures off the ground I’ll be excited to say you heard it here first
– Dr. Mel Siff – reading his work led me to explore the Eastern Research and gave me a ridiculous amount of ideas
– Alwyn Cosgrove – I’ve learned a lot about the mindset necessary for success from both his products and from being a fly on the wall at innumerable lectures, presentations and conversations at events across the country
– Mike Robertson – I swear I’m not just stroking your ego my man. You’ve been a great resource and just as great a friend over the last couple of years. I always learn something whenever I’m fortunate enough to steal some of your time or even just from the information you put out for public consumption
I couldn’t talk about learning without bringing up the fact that I may actually learn the most from my clients and athletes. Without them this would all be theoretical anyway as no one wants to hear from the unemployed keyboard warrior.
MR: Where do you envision yourself in the next 5-10 years as a professional?
MY: This question is very timely for me personally as I’m at a bit of a crossroads myself as we speak. I hope I don’t come off sounding arrogant but I have learned some amazing skill sets in the last year in a half and I am currently in the process of redefining my market. I’ll put my results with performance enhancement and body composition up against virtually anyone but I find myself currently deriving more pleasure from helping people achieve better health via pain reduction and movement re-training. As a result of my current restructuring I have had to push back opening my own facility much to the chagrin of backers and clients alike. I felt it had to be done though as I won’t settle for being anything but the best in the area; unfocused is not something I want to be associated with.
That sounds kind of vague though so maybe I can frame that better for you. Joe DeFranco wrote a great article entitled “Just Another Day” that was published on Elitefts a while ago in which he described the insanity that is his life. I currently have a lot of days like that. However I know that in the next 5-10 years the majority of my days will be just like he describes – especially when the facility finally gets off the ground and out of strategic design – the price to pay to make it one of the best on the East Coast and the country. Although I can’t complain as I truly love what I do – when I’m with clients and athletes it never feels like work.
MR: That’s great stuff. I’m going to finish with the same question I always use, because I think we learn more from our mistakes than our successes. What’s one mistake you’ve made along the way? And more importantly, what have you done since then to correct it?
MY: It’s awful hard to pinpoint only one mistake as not a day goes by that I don’t make mistakes. I tend to associate with people that are more successful than I am as I find that this helps me grow and learn and most importantly keeps me from believing my own marketing. I got in trouble when I tried to emulate the lifestyles of these more successful friends without putting in nearly as much hard work. There are no shortcuts; unfortunately you have to pay your dues. Eat a lot of humble pie if you will. To remedy this error I rededicated myself to fixing my weak points and developing these areas – making them strong points. I’m huge into self-improvement both personally and professionally as a way of preventing myself from falling into this trap again. As an example, I reinvested nearly 30% of my gross income in my own education last year; that trend started about 5 years ago and continues to this day. In addition to paying your dues through hard work and continual improvement I must say that never compromising your morals and ethics is essential to fixing this problem too. I received some flak for getting rid of an athlete I was training who is competing in Beijing this summer but you know I have certain standards and expectations that must be met. Not good from a publicity standpoint but I’d rather be able to sleep soundly at night knowing that I didn’t compromise my standards.
MR: Mike, thanks a lot for taking the time to be with us today. If you would, please let the readers where they can find out more about you.
MY: My website (www.mikeyuhaniak.com) is being redesigned as we speak to make it more of a resource for my clients, athletes and loyal newsletter subscribers. It’s currently more of a parking spot on the internet than a resource – I plan on changing that with more frequent content as you can see I often have a lot to say. We do send out newsletters regularly so sign up if you want to get hear some honest opinions on training and other matters. I also have a YouTube page (www.youtube.com/MikeYuhaniak) that is updated pretty frequently with strongman footage and training tips.
Thanks a lot for having me Mike. It’s always a pleasure.