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...]
Refined Savage Podcast: Coaching & Building TOUGH High School Athletes, Training LEOs & Parenting
Great times as always chatting it up with Mark Valenti on his podcast, The Refined Savage. Topics we cover are below: Training High School Athletes to be TOUGH and why this is Crucial, yet NOT Popular The difference in knowing how to train yourself vs being able to coach others, especially large groups of athletes with varied ability levels … [Read more...]
264 |QnA: Mental Toughness & Grit Development in Youth Athletes
STRONG Life ep. 264 is a QnA that came in to my IG message from a concerned Uncle. In a nut shell, "How do I get my nephew tough? His father allows him to miss sports practice when ever he wants to, which is quite often. He is 12 years old and has just joined wrestling but his father lets him skip practice whenever he wants. He constantly talks about how everything hurts and has excuses. His personality is that of a wimpy kid. Is it bad to push a kid to do something? If he doesn't want to do … [Read more...]
Dealing with Complainers + Training for YOUR Health
I woke this morning unlike any other morning. Nothing special. Today would be another day of work and another opportunity to get better. I've got 13 days left on crutches after my full meniscus repair. I remind myself that every morning I rise is another day closer to freedom with no crutches. Hard work is my normal. If you have ever been a fan of 20 rep squats and struggling under a bar, most likely you've taken those lessons and applied them to your life. I say "most likely" … [Read more...]
Getting Tough & Pissed off for Greatness
In this BONUS episode of The STRONG Life Podcast I am a guest on Pressing The Limits Podcast with my friend, Jon Bruney. We dig deep into the mindset needed to be TOUGH & Successful in all aspects of life. And I gotta tell you, the more I Coach, the more I am reminded about what it takes for athletes to be successful. They need to be TOUGH. They need GRIT. They need to get Pissed off for Greatness. As an adult, if you are lacking grit & toughness, then life will kick your a-- up … [Read more...]
STRONG Life BONUS: Lessons in Life, Lifting & Business
In this BONUS episode of The STRONG Life Podcast I have a GREAT conversation with Brad Bodnarchuk who interviews me for his podcast. I REALLY enjoyed chatting with Brad. He is such a humble and kind man, and he got some great questions to blend in all the different areas of my life. We chat on a variety of topics that you will enjoy. Here's just some of the topics we cover: … [Read more...]
Strength & Conditioning Thoughts: “Perfect” Training vs DOING THE WORK
Above: The Dumbbells at Diamond Gym. To get to the heaviest weights, you must do all the work to get them from the bottom! In sports, you can be a Coach or even a fan watching practice or competition and there will be stand out athletes. If you don't know that athlete, then you have NO clue how that athlete achieved his or her skill. he may have worked his ass off for it or, he might be gifted and lazy. But in the weight room, ahhhhhh, that's a different story. You can stand against the wall … [Read more...]
STRONG Life Insider Ep. 46: Fighting to EARN Your Success
There's a of of talk out there regarding success and how it should NOT be a grind, that it should be easy. When the truth is, it IS hard. There's no 2 ways about it. Whether it's athletics, academics, career, business, etc - success takes WORK. And I KNOW, it has been a while since I have shared a STRONG Life Insider. Well, sometimes I feel like talking instead of writing. Nobody wants to hear about my crazy schedule, anyway. So, without further ado, here we go: … [Read more...]
9 Short on Time Workouts for When You’re Busy & Tired
If you're an entrepreneur or business owner, you have likely gone through some hectic times where you said to yourself, "I just don't have the time to train....." Maybe you were a first time parent, you said the same thing. Not a minute to breathe you thought to yourself.... Well, there IS always time. It's not gonna be easy. You're gonna wanna go home, eat and just sit down and get a minute to relax. But, let me tell you, that is NOT your best option. You NEED to move your body. You … [Read more...]
3 Reasons Why Leg Training Builds the BEAST
I was in my early teens and training at my first "Hardcore Gym". This gym was 7,500 sq ft. NO AC, just a bunch of stand up industrial fans. ALL the plates were deep dish Ivanko plates and there was rumbling throughout the entire gym, blended with some old rock cassette tapes that blasted through the gym. Usually AC/DC or Metallica, sometimes Def Leppard. The back 1/3 of the gym was lined up with leg equipment. Plenty of squat racks, 2 leg presses, 2 hack squats, 2 leg extensions, 2 leg … [Read more...]