Michael Boyle's Strengthcoach.com Blog

UK Strength and Conditioning Coach Nick Grantham was nice enough to provide a review of Advances in Functional Training that I wanted to share with you.

Now Michael Boyle is old but he wasn’t around in the days of Confucius, but if ever there was a statement that in my mind sums up Michael Boyle it’s the one below by Confusius, and I’m sure Confucius wouldn’t have any problems with me linking his wise words to a certain American strength and conditioning coach!

“Learn avidly. Question repeatedly what you have learned. Analyse it carefully. Then put what you have learned into practice intelligently.” – Confucius

Michael contacted me back at the start of the year to ask me if I would review his latest book, Advances in Functional Training: Training Techniques for Coaches, Personal Trainers and Athletes. This is his third book to hit the shelves of our local bookstores (not including his countless DVD’s and training manuals) and I was pleased to be oblige.

The first book I read from Michael was Designing Strength Training Programme and Facilities; I’ve also got a copy of his follow up book, Functional Training For Sports: Superior Conditioning For Today’s Athlete. Both are great books that I often refer back to. So why when I already have two of his books would I want a third? A question that you as the reader of this review may well be asking.

Well, the answer lies in the wise words of confucious, Michael’s training methodology is constantly evolving. He reads, observes, analyses and then implements. Some critics will argue that he is always changing his mind! In fact, he even points out in the introduction that “in the past 10 years I’ve ridden on a rollercoaster that probably makes me appear confused to the casual reader” I would suggest that Michael is simply someone whose training naturally evolves where necessary. I would add though, that this is not a book for the casual reader. You would do well to take the time to read his first two books as I think it helps you understand his perspective when writing Advances in Functional Training. You can’t really watch Return of The Jedi and fully appreciate the plotline, without first having watched Star Wars! Advances in Functional Training is very much like Return of The Jedi, whilst it stands up on its own, it becomes even more insightful when you understand the evolution of the book and Michaels rationale.

So, what can you expect from Advances in Functional Training? In the opening chapter, Michael explains his path to becoming a believer in functional training and sets out to explain what he feels “functional training” actually is? Having clearly established, what functional training actually means the book then moves into the ‘nuts and bolts’ of physical preparation. The first area to come under scrutiny is mobility and flexibility, an area that is often overlooked by many strength and conditioning coaches, but one that is crucial if you wish to develop athletes that are robust and ready for competition. In this section, readers will are walked through a joint by joint approach that underpins program design, the importance of establishing a comprehensive screening programme and the effective use of a variety of soft tissue therapies.

The second chapter tackles another poorly understood aspect of strength and conditioning, injuries. In this chapter, you will find out why much of what we currently do in terms of injury management is simply ‘papering over the cracks’. Michaels, physiotherapy background is clear to see in this chapter and is refreshing to see simple and logical injury reduction strategies for some of the common problems faced by many strength and conditioning coaches such as rotator cuff injuries, ACL injuries and sports hernia’s.

Another area of mass confusion in the world of fitness and strength and conditioning is core training! If you’re not sure whether you should be hollowing, drawing in or bracing then this chapter is a must read! If you do not read Michael’s earlier publications you may find parts of this chapter to be a little bit radical. For example, when it comes to anterior core training Michael has all but done away with traditional flexion exercises. I think we probably agree on more than we disagree when it comes to core training and whilst I understand the rationale behind his thinking (repeated flexion = disc damage) I do think there are some cases that warrant the use of exercises involving flexion. Grappling sports, for example will have elements of flexion and it may be pertinent to include that as part of your overall physical preparation programme. However the days of doing endless crunches are behind us! Areas that do receive attention in this chapter are anti-extension, anti-rotation and rotational training, and Michael offers some interesting arguments as to why these should be essential components in any physical preparation program.

I read with particular interest the chapter on cardiovascular training and the work capacity model put forward by Michael for training athletes. I’ve always favoured a non-conventional ‘reverse periodised’ approach to cardiovascular conditioning and had the opportunity to speak to Ian King and Istvan Bayli back in the late 90’s about this alternative method. I think it is a very effective model and have used it extensively with the athletes and teams that I’ve worked with. In addition to the work capacity model, Michael offers some useful tips on how to develop your interval training programme which has made me stop and think about my own programming of work to rest ratio’s.

The closing chapters concentrate on how to develop gross athleticism through a comprehensive programme design structure. Sample workout programs for 4, 3 and 2 day a week programmes are provided, and Michael goes on to show you how to program on a shoestring and develop flexibility and mobility circuits.

In the final thoughts section Michael says “ it’s vital not to get caught in the trap of believing so intently in your training philosophy you’re unable to recognise the value of new thinking”. This for me is the key to unlocking the information contained within Advances in Functional Training. I’ve been working as a strength and conditioning coach in high-performance sport for more than a decade and my copy of Advances in Functional Training is littered with notes, sticky markers and highlighted text. The photos below give a clear indication of how useful I found this latest addition to my library. Once again, Michael delivers a thought-provoking, challenging and contemporary book on real-world functional training that is relevant for coaches, personal trainers and athletes. Great job.

So the bottom line is, do I think you should purchase this book? If it is the first book that you are thinking of reading to gain an insight into functional training then I would say no…. I think you need to put the time in and read Michael’s previous publications to the fully understand and appreciate the current text. I would say however, that once you have read his earlier work this is well worth purchasing and adding to your library.

Don’t you hate those commercials for high fructose corn syrup. They remind me of a drug dealer giving a kid his first joint free. “Just take a little it won’t hurt you”. A pitiful attempt by the food companies to deceive you. A recent Princeton study reported in The Stone Hearth Newsletter again demonstrated that sugar and high fructose corn syrup are not the same. I don’t know why, but the proof keeps hitting us in the face. Look for high fructose corn syrup on the label. If it is ingredient one or two, skip the product. Amazingly it is the number two ingredient in ketchup. I now buy organic, HFCS free, ketchup.

Check out this excellent piece from the website www.mercola.com . The more I read the more scared I get. Our collective ignorance about nutrition is scary. Until last year I was totally unaware of the benefits of grassfed beef. Now I buy my meat on-line. Grass fed beef has the same fatty acid profile as wild salmon. Do you think that the large companies that control our food supply want us to know that? Until last year I thought corn was a vegetable. Now I realize it is a grain and the number one source of calories in the American diet.

If you use whey protein try Mercola Miracle Whey. I was amazed that something so good for you could also taste so good. And, it’s from grass fed cows. I have never had a whey protein that I even thought tasted Ok, much lesss tasted good. You can check. There are no affiliate links. I just want to turn you on to great ideas and great products.

Please, tell all your friends. Reblog, retweet, etc.

First up this week is an older article I wrote in 2007. A recent forum post about quad dominance had me looking for this info. Knees Over Toes? looks at the old idea that the knee should not move forward in squatting. Next up is a really thorough article from BJ Gaddour of Workout Muse. If you seen FSC 3 you know I’m a Workout Muse fan. The Top 5 Ways to Make Any Exercise Harder or Easier is a great overview of loading and unloading ideas. Although BJ’s thing is Bootcamps, this article applies to anyone out there training athletes and clients.

Our third article this week is Part 2 of Eric Cressey’s Top Ten Mistakes Interns Make. I’ve already mentioned how much I like both of these.

Video of the Week

For video of the week we have some great stuff from Gray Cook. Anthony Renna was kind enough to film Gray talking about some different variations of total body stretches he was working on. Initially this clip was intended for me to remember our conversation but we decided to share it with you.

As always don’t forget to check out the StrengthCoach Podcast at  www.strengthcoachpodcast.com.  Also we just filmed a new webinar, Designing Strength Training Programs, for www.strengthandconditioningwebinars.com

Site Notes

Just a reminder, as always the articles and videos go up over the course of the week. Generally one each day.  Only one article mentioned on this email will go up on the day you receive this email. Please let us know via the forum if there are things you want to see.

Just wanted to let everyone know that we just launched an incredible new site that you absolutely need to be a part of if you train hockey players.  It’s called http://www.HockeyStrengthandConditioning.com.

I have partnered with Sean Skahan (Anaheim Ducks), Mike Potenza (San Jose Sharks) Kevin Neeld (Endeavor Hockey)  and Anthony Renna ( StrengthCoach Podcast, Five Iron Fitness) and assembled what we are calling “The Greatest Collection of Hockey Strength and Conditioning Coaches on the Planet!”

Our advisory board is a Who’s Who of Hockey Strength and Conditioning including Chris Pietrzak-Wegner (Minnesota Wild), Chuck Lobe (Tampa Bay Lightning), Jim Reeves (Mind to Muscle), Brijesh Patel (Quinnipiac), Cal Dietz (Univ. of Minnesota), Chris Boyko (UMass), Maria Mountain (Revolution Sport Conditioning), Tim Yuhas (Yuhas Performance), Matt Nichol (former Toronto Maple Leafs) and Kim McCullough (Total Female Hockey).

There are a ton of articles on the site already with topics ranging from Strength and Conditioning, Programming, Youth Training, Injuries, Female Training and Coaching.   There are webinars, audio interviews and videos up as well, all about hockey!

Each week, we will be adding videos, articles and programs to the library and with this group, you know the Coaches Forum will be active.  Each month, there will also be webinars and audio interviews added as well.

Right now until March 31, we have an incredible offer: Only 1 dollar for 30 days, then $9.95 a month after that.  I don’t know how long the $9.95 a month is going to last, so you should jump on this opportunity.   It’s only a buck, and you have until March 31.

I know. You’re probably saying “here he goes again” and you are correct. You’re thinking “Come on, don’t attack the target heartrate zone idea too”. Sorry. Here we go again. Every time I have this conversation with a group I always get the question “ If this stuff isn’t true, why is it plastered on the front of every treadmill”. I can’t really answer except to say that it probably came out of the legal department.

The truth is that target heartrate zone training is a highly flawed concept that could result in us drastically overtraining or undertraining  ourselves or a client.  Why is it a flawed concept? Because the physiologists know that only a small percentage of the population actually fits the formula. Did you know that seventy percent of the population is plus or minus ten to twelve beats from the theoretical 220- age formula. Yes seven out of ten people don’t fit the mold. Even worse, thirty percent of the population deviates nearly twice that much.

In mathematical terms for seventy percent of the population maximal heartrate actually equals:

220 – age plus or minus 10-12 beats per minute

For thirty percent of the population maximal heartrate actually equals:

220- age plus or minus 20-24  beats per minute

Why is this such a big deal? To realize why, we need to first state that those whose heartrates are on the high end are at little to no risk. All that happens with those folks is that we don’t push them hard enough. The problem is with the folks who have an unusually low maximum heartrate. If we were to push a person in the thirty percent group that is minus twenty-four beats per minute to eighty percent of their theoretical maximal heartrate, we would actually be pushing them to ninety percent. This would be a major error that could have significant ramifications.

The lesson here is that, as with so many of the so-called truths of fitness, there is actually significant variability in what we seem to think is an accurate and time-honored formula. Be careful with yourself and with you clients. Buy a heartrate monitor and learn how both you and your clients really respond to exercise.

I have always advocated eating on the fly at lunch. Maybe a sandwich from home but, more likely a shake or a bar. I think this really helps my productivity. I also think it helps me keep my weight down. One thing I have come to realize is that I am powerless against visual food. If I go to a sandwich shop I succumb to my urge to get a bag of potato chips or, to eat a cookie. I find myself getting coffee in the morning saying “you don’t need a donut”. Not to get all religious on you but, I think there is something to “the lead us not into temptation thing”.

One of the best ways to lose weight or, to maintain your current weight is to avoid tempting situations. Restaurants and sandwich shops are set up to help make us fat. If you want to succeed, avoid the lunch trap. Either bring a sandwich and a piece of fruit from home or, have a bar or a shake ready. Better yet, don’t plan time to eat so you will only have a minute. If someone wants to meet for lunch politely decline. Tests of will power are ones we often lose. Set yourself up to win, not lose.