Steve Eliopoulos of Gravity Boston just finished up an amazing promotional video for Mike Boyle Strength and Conditioning. If you are in the Boston area and in need of a videographer give Steve a call.
Archive for September, 2009
Mike Boyle Strength and Conditioning Promo Video
Posted in Uncategorized on September 30, 2009 by mboyle1959Jack Lalanne Could See the Future
Posted in Uncategorized on September 29, 2009 by mboyle1959Many of you are so young that you may not even know who Jack Lalanne is. Lallane is referred to as The Godfather of Fitness and is still working out at 95. He opened a health club in the 30’s, yes the 30’s, and literally invented many of the concepts we still use today. Just take a minute and Check this out . Click Sugarholics. This was 1960, almost 50 years ago. Crazy. We have not come very far.
This Week on StrengthCoach.com
Posted in Uncategorized on September 28, 2009 by mboyle1959First up is The Calcaneus- How Important is It? by Dan Christie, a new author for the site. I think the foot is a tough area to write about and Dan has done a great job. I know that I personally struggle with understanding the anatomy and motion of the foot and ankle so this was a great article for me. Next is Swing Speed- Part 2 from Joe Bonyai. Joe’s first part was excellent and I wanted to get part 2 up while the concepts were fresh in your mind. Last is a long piece from Brett Contreras. The title is The Importance of Load Vector in Physique Enhancement and Sport Training. Brett’s ignited a bit of controversy on the site but, as I have said repeatedly on the forum I think his information has merit.
Video of the Week
Video of the week is the TRX Suspended Lunge. MBSC just concluded a weekend of seminars in conjunction with TRX and this is one of four or five exercises that really stands out.
Don’t forget to check out the StrengthCoach Podcast at www.strengthcoachpodcast.com. This week Diane Vives talks about Training Female Athletes.
Also make sure you check out www.strengthandconditioningwebinars.com.
Just a reminder, the articles and videos go up over the course of the week. Generally one each day. Hope you enjoy the week.
Michael
Early Specialization Part 3
Posted in Random Thoughts, Training, Training Females, Youth Training on September 24, 2009 by mboyle1959I was looking at Stack Magazine the other day and came across these gems. Stack interviewed three of the most successful coaches in the country UVA’s Men’s Lacrosse Coach, Dom Starsia, USC’s Pete Carroll and Florida State Track Coach Bob Branum on the subject of early specialization. All three advocated playing multiple sports or doing multiple events.
Starsia said ” for young guys,- especially those seventh, eight, ninth and tenth graders- it’s a little too early to decide that you are going to a football player or, that you are going to be a full time lacrosse player.”
” Probably 95% of the time our kids ( at UVA) are multi- sport athletes. It’s a bit strange to me if somebody is not playing other sports in high school.”
Carroll echoes the same sentiments. “The first question I ask about a kid is what other sports does he play?… I really, really, don’t favor kids having to specialize in one sport.”
Even in track Braman says “versatility becomes more important when on the men’s side I’m looking at twelve scholarships and I’m trying to divide them up”
I know I keep harping on the same subject but, parents need to know that good coaches don’t favor early specialization. If your son or daughter has a coach that is trying to convince them to play one sport prior to high school , take a look and see how that coach earns their money. I’ll bet 90% of the time it’s from that sport.
Bottom line, the best coaches in the country advocate playing multiple sports until at least high school.
I Just Enrolled at a New School
Posted in Random Thoughts, Uncategorized on September 22, 2009 by mboyle1959The past few months I’ve been attending Automobile University. Noted motivational speaker Zig Ziglar coined the term to describe the process of learning while commuting. I encountered the idea while reading a book called Twice as Much in Half the Time ( this is a small book from Simple Truths, they have excellent little short books) by Amy Jones. Jones states:
“simply put, one attends automobile university by listening to education materials while riding the car. A study at USC has shown that if a person drives at least 12,000 miles a year ( as likely someone would in any metropolitan city) and uses this method of education, in a matter of three years he or she would have the equivalent of two years of college education”.
I have always loved audio programs like the StrengthCoach Podcast but, have just recently begun to purchase audio books. Audio books allow me to “read” in the car. I read (I guess listened is the real term), Born to Run this way recently and am just finishing The End of Overeating. Audiobooks are more expensive but, actually they save time and money because they allow me to use my down time better. I also listened to The Power of Less and Swim with the Sharks. Take this tip. Enroll in Automobile U.
This Week on StrengthCoach.com
Posted in Uncategorized on September 21, 2009 by mboyle1959First up this week is another excellent piece from the team of Keats Snideman and Pat Ward. It Hurts Right Here: The Mystery of Pain came out as a result of my interview on Keats and Pat’s Reality Based Fitness Podcast. We ha d a great discussion about the “pain site/ pain source” idea that continues in the article.
Next up is a great piece from one of former athletes Tom Sullivan called Lessons Learned from Two Summers in Business. I think common sense, experiential articles like these often has the most value to our readers.
Last up is Stop the Rotation from Jon Rimmer. Jon is an excellent writer and does a great job putting the lumbar rotation debate into another practical article.
Video of the Week
Video of the week is a Tall Kneeling Anti Rotation Press. This exercise is also known as the Pallof Press but as well all know I like John Pallof but, dislike non-descriptive, personalized exercise names.
Don’t forget to check out the StrengthCoach Podcast at www.strengthcoachpodcast.com.
Also make sure you check out www.strengthandconditioningwebinars.com. Joe Heiler has a webinar this week on Lumbar Spine Injuries.
Just a reminder, the articles and videos go up over the course of the week. Generally one each day. Hope you enjoy the week. Make sure to take a look www.strengthcoach.com, your number one site for performance enhancement info on the internet.
Michael
Parenting Advice from a Former NFL Head Coach
Posted in Random Thoughts, Youth Training on September 20, 2009 by mboyle1959I had the chance to listen to former Minnesota Vikings Head Coach and long time NFL assistant Les Steckel speak at the American Hockey Coaches Convention in Florida last spring. Steckel is an entertaining speaker who now speaks for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Coach Steckel gave a great talk and one point stuck with me. When discussing parenting ( and I think this applies to coaching also) Steckel said “what they see is what you’ll get”. Really makes you think. My Mom had a wall hanging in our kitchen when we were kids. It said “Children Learn What They Live”. It was written in a kitchen in Torrance, Ca in 1954 by Dorothy Nolte.
If children live with criticism, they learn to condemn.
If children live with hostility, they learn to fight.
If children live with fear, they learn to be apprehensive.
If children live with pity, they learn to feel sorry for themselves.
If children live with ridicule, they learn to feel shy.
If children live with jealousy, they learn to feel envy.
If children live with shame, they learn to feel guilty.
If children live with encouragement, they learn confidence.
If children live with tolerance, they learn patience.
If children live with praise, they learn appreciation.
If children live with acceptance, they learn to love.
If children live with approval, they learn to like themselves.
f children live with recognition, they learn it is good to have a goal.
If children live with sharing, they learn generosity.
If children live with honesty, they learn truthfulness.
If children live with fairness, they learn justice.
If children live with kindness and consideration, they learn respect.
If children live with security, they learn to have faith in themselves and in those about
them.
If children live with friendliness, they learn the world is a nice place in which to live.
Wendler’s 5-3-1
Posted in Uncategorized on September 19, 2009 by mboyle1959Jim Wendler’s 5-3-1
I’m not a big ebook fan these days. However a piece in Mike Robertson’s newsletter piqued my interest. Mike mentioned how much he liked Jim Wendler’s 5-3-1 ebook. I went to www.elitefts.com and ordered it. I figured for twenty bucks I had nothing to lose. Funny how people say that. I actually had twenty dollars to lose.
Jim’s book was a breath of fresh air. If you are a person training on your own the advice is wonderfully simple and easy to follow. If you are a college strength coach, the advice is still wonderfully simple and easy to follow. I have always been a fan of simple workouts and Jim hits the nail on the head over and over.
Whether you know very little or know a lot, this might be some of the best money you can spend.
More “Praise” for the Biggest Loser
Posted in Uncategorized on September 18, 2009 by mboyle1959My buddy Robert Dos Remedios just posted a great blog piece about The Biggest Loser . Please, do us all a favor . Read Dos’s blog and then boycott this piece of crap show. It is an embarrassment to our profession. I’m ashamed to be a “trainer”. I don’t even own any army clothes and I have never screamed at a fat person in my life.
PS- Can you ever imagine dressing up in any type of “outfit” for work.
The Three Medicines Everyone Should Take
Posted in Injuries, Low Back Pain, Nutrition, Random Thoughts, Training, Uncategorized on September 16, 2009 by mboyle1959Lets face it, we are a nation of drug users. We love our Advil, Ibuprofen, Aleve etc. However we know that NSAID’s take a toll on the body, particularly if they are used repeatedly. Did you know that regular use of a high quality Fish Oil combined with a high quality Glucosamine-Chondriotin-MSM supplement may give you the same anti-inflammatory benefits as NSAID’s with no health risks? Probably not, not many people do. Well, it appears to be true.
I think we should reclassify fish oil and glucosamine as drugs so everyone will take them. While we are at it, we should also classify fiber as a drug. A simple evening routine of fiber, fish oil and glucosamine maybe the best thing you can do for your health. You know what the problem is? It’s too simple, too easy.
Dan John raved about Orange Flavored Sugar Free Metamucil. I went out and bought it. I now call it Adult Tang. Remember Tang when you were a kid? Orange flavored powder. Orange Flavored Sugar Free Metamucil tastes like Tang but, is way better for you. Grab a glass of Orange Sugar Fee Metamucil and wash down some Fish Oil and Glucosamine. Your body will thank you.
In fact if I can get the FDA to classify fish oil, glucosamine and fiber as drugs, then we can up the price and get doctors to prescribe them. Then people will take them.
How about this? Act like I just prescribed these drugs for you. Make believe I wrote you a prescription and that you have to do this for the rest of your life. Get them and take them every night before you go to bed or every morning when you wake up. You will be amazed how much better you feel.
It’s a simple routine. Whip up a glass of Tang, use it to wash down the fish oils and glucosamine. I guarantee you will notice changes in a few days.
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