Just wanted to let everyone know that we have two more Mentorship Weeks coming up. I haven’t done a great job of choosing dates early enough to let people plan so we have both a fall and a winter week selected.
Fall Mentorship September 20-23rd
Winter Mentorship December 6-9th
to register online go to www.bodybyboyle.com
Take a look at what one of our last mentorship attendees had to say about her experience
Reflections on my 4 day mentorship or “things I learned”
1. I learned from four different resources ~ listening/watching Mike, participating in workouts, watching workouts and talking to the other mentorship participants. All added something to the experience.
2. Although we only had four people participating in the mentorship program, we were amazingly diverse, which allowed for a lot of learning. Two people owned their own facility, two did not. Two had been in the business only 3-4 years, two had been doing it longer, two were from Europe, two from the US, one had a physical therapy background, 3 were in this as a career, one (myself) was in it as a 2nd career…all this diversity allowed for lots of learning just amongst the four of us.
3. I learned I really need to incorporate the functional movement screen into my work. The morning spent with Mike going through the 7 screens was eye-opening. Unfortunately I don’t think I will ever know as much as Mike…it was amazing watching him do the assessment, and then like a detective, start to figure out what that really meant, from a practical standpoint. After spending several hours with our group going through the screen, Mike then actually had an athlete in who he went through it with. Watching Mike in action, in a “real life” setting was a great learning experience in itself.
4. Learn by doing…invaluable. Actually doing the same workouts as the athletes coming through the gym helped it all to sink in. Day 1 we did the workout, then watched the kids coming through doing basically the same workout ~ having already done it ourselves helped make things make more sense. Watching the same workout on Day 2, you picked up even more. Doing linear day again on day 4, even better…Day one was a bit overwhelming, but by Day 3 and 4, things started to gel, to make sense.
5. The people working for you are a direct reflection on you. I think I learned as much about Mike and his ideas from the people working for him as I did from him. Every single person I met at MBSC was not only knowledgeable, but also extremely friendly, open to questions, and smart! All of our workouts were led by people in their early to mid 20’s. I was impressed not only by their wealth of knowledge, but also by their enthusiasm, willingness to share and answer questions and their maturity. Day 3 was led by a young 20 year old kid still in school, interning part-time at MBSC. Equally as impressive in his knowledge and enthusiasm as those a bit older who had been there longer. Every single person at MBSC went out of their way to introduce themselves & make themselves available to us. This was not fake, this was very genuine, and I think reflects very well on Mike.
6. Mike likes dessert (and a few beers).
7. I went running on Day 3, even though I know Mike isn’t a big fan of running, and thinks even less of women running. Being a triathlete, I have to run. My point here is that you read, listen, absorb from others who are smarter then you, but you don’t necessarily throw out all of your own ideas and ways of doing things. I have read Mike’s article on women & running, and while I recognize he has some valid arguments, the reality is, I have to run (and many of my clients like to run) ~ so you adapt and adjust the “ideal” to the “real-world.”
8. I am lucky I live in the US. The two Europeans have to deal with even more backwards thinking about strength and conditioning than we do. They want to implement “functional” training concepts, but very few want to listen. You can tell they are frustrated.
9. I am lucky I live in the Boston area. While it is about a 50 minute drive for me to get to Mike’s Winchester facility, that is nothing compared to a 5 or 6 hour flight. I have one of the greatest learning resources in my back yard.
10. If I can get triathletes to strength train, I will accomplish something no one has been able to do, including Mike. J
11. “Cleans” are fun, but I need a lot more practice.
12. There are so many good “toys” to add to my list…I want ropes, a sled, an Airdyne bike, chains, a landmine…so many toys, so little money.
13. There was an Airdyne bike “challenge” on Day 4 between Mark & Lark ~ 3 times ½ mile, best time wins (I believe the challenge was proposed after a few beers). Do not judge a book by its cover…I think bets were on Mark, our German soccer player who was super solid, a picture of fitness. His “opponent” Lark, was tall and thin, more of a runner’s build. The first ½ mile appeared to be a draw, although we were still figuring out how to work the timers and as a result didn’t get a time for either challenger. Second ½ mile was again a draw…basically finishing at the same time. There never was a 3rd ½ mile interval, as both Mark & Lark seemed to be done, physically, and the point had been made…you cannot assess someone’s level of fitness merely by looking at them (nice job Mark and Lark!).
14. Pay it forward…Mike shares everything he knows. His is not a “secret recipe.” He shares the recipe with anyone who wants it. I spent $1000 and 4 days learning from Mike. The day after the mentorship I had lunch with a good friend who is a personal trainer and shared with her a lot of what I had learned…no secrets, pass it along. I am also serving as a mentor to women participating in a summer triathlon…people helped me when I was a tri newbie, and I love passing along the knowledge. I think Mike is the same way.
Michael Boyle's Strengthcoach.com Blog 
You must be logged in to post a comment.