Squats when done correctly, are amazing for strength, joint health, bone density, hypertrophy and performance. Also, they are not bad for your knees! Let’s stop blaming your bad knees for why you can’t squat and go over some common squatting issues! Maybe it’s not that you can’t squat, but perhaps your squats simply just don’t feel good or … Read More
Should You Strength Train Year Round?
“There is no off-season.” “Stop when you’re done, not when you’re tired.” “Sore is the new skinny.” “Go hard or go home.” GAG. I hate the above statements. That’s not what I’m here to talk about today. I’m also not going to talk to you about the reasons why you should lift weights and exercise to … Read More
A Guide to Heart Rate Monitor Training
You’ve got a heart rate monitor. You’re strapped in and ready to go, but what the heck do the numbers really mean anyway and why should you care about heart rate monitor training anyway? At Skill of Strength, we installed an in-house heart rate monitoring system a few months ago. While most of you have … Read More
5 Ways to Become a Better Coach
I’ve been coaching for roughly 14 years. I’ve trained professional athletes, weekend warriors, kids, teenagers, collegiate athletes and everyone in between. I have learned a ton along the way and love sharing my experiences in hopes that I can help younger trainers shorten the learning curve and become a better coach. Today I’m going to … Read More
How to Love the Gym
You don’t want to hear from a gym owner about how awesome it is to exercise. I’m a freak who loves working out. 😉 Instead, I’ll share an email from a client who has made incredible progress in just one year. He’s gone from dreading exercising to becoming a gym person in one year. Yup, he learned how … Read More
Foot and Toe Mobility for MMA and BJJ
When I was younger trainer, I used to snicker when people said that the big toe played a large role in movement. When other coaches wrote about the big toe, I honestly thought they were just trying to write a complicated blog or sound smart to impress others. There’s no way you have to worry about the … Read More
Exercise Video: Kettlebell Shoulder Mobility
I’m always looking for ways to improve my overall mobility and movement competency. And to be honest, I just want to feel better. When I have some spare time, I like to experiment with different drills and exercises. The hope is that I put together quick and effective protocols I think will work for most people. Today, … Read More
A Training System for Life
Over the last 13 years I’ve seen it all. …The functional training phase where everyone was balancing on a bosu ball. …The crossfit boom. …The increased popularity of powerlifting. …and currently we seem to be in a phase where people are focused on movement-based training systems like Movnat, animal flow and original strength. While each of … Read More
Strength with Time Constraints
The fight game is tough. I get it. Many fighters are trying to figure out how to fit in technical work as well as strength and conditioning training…often while balancing a full-time job and a family. Fighting is a huge commitment, but like anything, if you want to be the best, there are some sacrifices that you need to make. … Read More
Five Tips to Succeed at the Gym
Joining a gym is scary for some people! We get that. For many of our clients, joining SOS is a huge deal. It’s far from what they have done in the past for fitness. Just the other day a client submitted our contact us form ending with “it’s scary to hit submit, but here we go.” … Read More