Mental Toughness. Here we go again. One of the most overused phrases in the coaching world. What is it? How do you help athletes "Get Tough" and why is it even important? Well, being a kid who grew up in the 80s and experiencing countless training styles and coaches, I am smart enough to see the changes and the evolution. And with all this experience comes a lot of mistakes and knowledge. What worked in the 80s and 90s doesn't always work today. As a high school athlete, my coach … [Read more...]
Professionalism in The Strength Coach Profession
When I first began sharing / writing articles and creating work online, I garnered a few haters. Not too many haters, but the few who hated were actually well respected Strength Coaches. They may have forgotten what they said, but I did not forget :) When someone brought it to my attention I said to them, "Tell them not to worry about spending time bad mouthing me. I can see their blazing insecurity every time they have bad things to say. Besides, why do they feel so threatened by a guy … [Read more...]
Dumbbell Training for Athletes: Building Strength, Muscle & Power
Dumbbell training is one of the most under utilized training tools for athletes and even bodybuilders. I explain to athletes on the regular, if someone uses dumbbells instead of a barbell, the use of the barbell does NOT guarantee the athlete will be a better athlete. Strong is Strong. Period. End of Story. At the time of this article, I am 3 weeks into training the high school Football Team with about 40 freshman. None of them have touched a barbell yet. It's been ALL bodyweight and … [Read more...]
269 | Building Leaders in Athletes & Strength Coaches
STRONG Life Podcast ep 269 is with Jason Leydon from his Conquer Athlete Podcast. I had a blast on this episode chatting about building leaders on a sports team as well as empowering your coaches to all become Leaders. Jason has been in the coaching game for a long time and it's interesting to see how CrossFit still has a hungry following. Jason and I dug deep into how I've evolved as a Coach through the decades and the years along with my many experiences from the private sector, to D1 … [Read more...]
How to Get Stronger & Build Muscle in Your 40s
My body is on the mend since my knee surgery and blood clot last March, 2021. My knee is not 100% and as we get older, if you have had an injury or a surgery, I believe it is safer to DOUBLE the length of "recovery time" to ensure you don't rush through the full healing process. I'd say one of the biggest influences towards people's injuries is trying to impress others by posting their best on Instagram ALL the time. You only have so many 1 rep maxes in your pocket before you injure … [Read more...]
The Advantages of Being STRONG, Bill Starr Training & York Barbell Stories
The more years and Decades I put into training and coaching, the more I realize and learn that it keeps coming back to STRENGTH. I am not talking about Strong & Useless. Strength requires Speed. And, speed requires strength. They DO go hand in hand. In this video I share the following: The Advantages of Being STRONG & how it can save your neck, literally. The Story of my 80 lb York Globe Dumbbells and Training immediately after a Car Accident Bill Starr Inspiration … [Read more...]
Barbarian Brothers Strength Training Lessons & Inspiration
Lessons & Inspiration from THE Barbarian Brothers. I know that some people will dismiss this information. Others are simply not ready for it. They don't have an open mind yet. For me, with my decades of experience, I have seen a lot and gone through a lot. This gives me a massive pool of knowledge and experience to pull from. So if you're ready, read on. Heck, even if you're not ready, jump in and read on...... The weight room at my high school has been PACKED to the gills since … [Read more...]
Inside Mike Mentzer’s Heavy Duty Book & Training Methods
I came across Mike Mentzer's training methods as a kid. In fact, if memory serves me properly, I began reading about Mike Mentzer around age 11. You see, I would read my older brother's bodybuilding books and magazines for 2 years before I actually began training. I began training in June of 1989 but leading up to that point, I would dabble in lifting the weights my brother had in his room. It was strange to me that I would lift weights for 2 or 3 weeks and then quit. I thought something was … [Read more...]
Strength Coach & Strength Training Lessons Learned Since 1989
It was June of 1989 when I began lifting weights in my brother's room. For a year, perhaps even 2 years, I was already intrigued with getting strong and building my body. I would read the bodybuilding books and magazines my brother had before I even began training. Unfortunately, those books were bodybuilding based. There were NO performance based training books available at the book stores. Unless I completely ignored them and only read what captured my attention. When I began coaching at a … [Read more...]
268 | Martin Rooney on Building GREAT Team Culture & Leadership
STRONG Life Podcast ep 268 with veteran guest, Martin Rooney. Martin always brings the thunder and as expected, I walked away fired up and enlightened to be a better coach and a better HUMAN. This was GREAT timing for a few reasons that are crucial to you and me. As a Coach in NJ and much of the USA, the restrictions have been lifted and sports will be going full tilt this year. My off season / Summer strength & conditioning at my school began today. School ended yesterday so we … [Read more...]
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