Saturday night, January 20, was pretty special for me. Three of the MMA athletes who train at Skill of Strength fought on the UFC 220 card at the TD Garden in Boston. Yup, that’s our home town! I have prepared athletes for some pretty big fights in the past, but three of them fighting in … Read More
Strength
Newbie Gains and Strength Plateaus
If you’ve ever hit a PR, you know first hand how exhilarating this experience can be. It’s a rush. You are fired up, motivated as hell and ready to take on the world. Not to mention, it’s just fun. When you first start strength training, these PR’s happen a lot. It seems like you have … Read More
Can You Get Strong and Fit with Group Training?
I wrote this post awhile back with five tips to help you succeed at the gym. While the post itself is geared more towards people who’ve joined a quality group training program, or work with a coach in a small group setting, most of the tips are really applicable to anyone just getting started (or … Read More
8 Weeks Until Fall
Here comes fall. It happens every year. August 1st rolls around and we get a whole bunch of frantic phone calls from parents and athletes. “Hi, I’m trying to make the varsity soccer team and I haven’t trained at all for two to three months. Can you help me get in shape and three and … Read More
Strength Training For Beginners
So you’ve heard strength training is a must, but if you’re a strength training newbie, how the heck do you get started? What needs to be included in strength training for beginners? I’ve written thousands of programs and a large portion of those are for general population, for people who are just getting started with … Read More
Summer Training for High School Athletes – 5 Dos & Don’ts
Lets be honest, everyone is thinking about summer right now. Sure, school is technically still going on. However, we all know that while you’re squirming around in your desk pretending to be taking notes on simple squamous epithelium, your brain is fully committed to Tommy Bahama beach chairs, farmer’s tans, Yeti coolers, bon fires, wireless speakers … Read More
The SOS Get up
In this video you’ll see a variation of the traditional get up. This version requires significantly more thoracic mobility than a traditional get up. If your goal is to perform a windmill or bent press, this is a fantastic variation of the get up to perform prior to doing those other drills. Things to note: If … Read More
5 Exercises You Should Be Doing
Over the last few years, I started to notice I was sneaking some specific drills into just about every client’s program. I honestly think that, when programmed appropriately, these are 5 exercises you should be doing as they are a fantastic addition to just about all training programs. From my experience, these exercises are seriously absolute game changers … Read More
Single Leg Deadlift Progressions
If there’s one exercise I constantly see butchered, it’s the single leg deadlift. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a fantastic exercise when applied appropriately to the client. Unfortunately, it’s common to see this in the fitness industry. Most people chase the flashy exercises before owning the fundamentals. If you’re a coach, here’s a quick thought process to … Read More
You’re Not Getting Any Younger {One Member Lost 50 Pounds in 6 Months}
I’m 45 years old and I’m not GETTING back in shape. I AM back in shape. It feels so good to be able to say this from where I started 6 months ago. My friends, people at work, at the gym, at Taekwondo, everyone, is making positive comments about the transformation in my appearance. In six months … Read More