Another solid day

Still feeling pretty good


20k arm bar 5x5

5x5 Bodyweight pistols

5x5 DB chest press
85,90,95,100,105

prep is the key :)

Feeling better :)

Feeling better today, still a bit achy but slow and steady wins the race

Z mobility drills w/focus on high payoffs ;)

Deadlift 5x5
135, 185, 195, 205, 225

These felt light with no lower back problems

Weighted Pullups 5x5
all done w/a 24k kettlebell

I am hoping to get some swings in later today

A few thoughts on training young athletes

I am lucky to have the opportunity to train young athletes. I especially enjoy training high school athletes. I have been asked by several trainers/parents and coaches how to introduce strength training to their kids. If you are in the business of training/coaching young athletes here are five things that I suggest you nail down first.

1. Perfect hip hinge with a neutral spine- this is a must. This will teach the athlete how to extend their hips properly and safely. The hip hinge lays the foundation for RDL's, Bent rows, Deadlifts, KB swings and several other essential movement patterns. Teach this early and often, if will make your life easier as well

2. Body Weight squat- IMO, kids have no business putting a bar on their backs if they cannot perform at least 100 body weight squats in one session. Teach them to squat with proper depth and pay attention to their joint alignment as well as their lumbar spine. If you cannot teach a proper squat you might want to reconsider being a strength coach.

3. Anterior/Posterior pelvic tilt- teach the athlete about neutral spine and how to execute it by pelvic tilting. When paired up with the hip hinge will lay the foundation for proper movement patterns. This will also help the athlete during planks, and push-ups.

4. Push ups-Ahhh the push-up. Great when executed properly, terrible when taught wrong. Half push-ups don't count. Their is no need for a anterior cervical glide in a push-up. There is no need for a hyper-extended lumbar curve in a push-up. There is no-need for a butt in the air push-up. Teach the kids to connect their core with their upper body, do the push-ups right. End of story. There are way too many kids that cannot do a push-up, its embarrassing.

5. Lunge patterns- Too many kids cannot lunge these days. Here are my cues on teaching the lunge. Tall spine, vertical shin angle, weight in the front heel, no valgus or varus forces in the knee. These are simple cues but they work.


Here is my rant :)

High school athletes look bigger and stronger than ever but they are weaker than ever. Most kids train to look good not to perform good. I see way too may kids that can bench 225 but cannot perform 20 perfect pushups. The same kids can't even do 1 perfect pull-up. Their planks are terrible, they cannot deadlift due to poor mobility. They can't squat or even lunge.

Stop training your athletes like bodybuilders, train them to move better. Strength training is a skill and is slowly getting lost when it comes to our young athletes. It makes me sick

Coach vs Critic, which one are you?

I train athletes of all ages. I love to teach and mentor my athletes. When someone leaves me they should have learned something, if they didn't then I feel as if I didn't teach them properly. Some athletes are easier than others but my goal is to educate. There are many Strength Coaches out there but too many of them are Strength Critics. Here is how I distinguish the two.

Strength Coach

-provides an assessment for the athletes
-teaches the athletes his/her prep/corrective work and gives them the reasons why they are doing it.
-teach the athlete how to perform a lift and master it so the athlete can perform it on their own SAFELY
-provides feedback after every set/rep, praise for good reps and constructive gentle criticism for poor reps
-watches every move the athlete makes
-motivates the athlete
-CARES about the athlete
-learns something new every day
-the athletes leaves feeling good and cannot wait to come back

Strength Critic

- drills the warm-ups, never teaches proper movement patterns
- tells the athletes he/she is doing wrong but doesn't show them how to fix it
- cares more about their own workouts, not the athletes
- beats them into the ground with too much volume
- the athlete leaves learning nothing but they got their "butt kicked"
- puts down every other strength coach yet fails to learn something new everyday
- the athlete leaves beat to death and cannot walk for 3 days


Anyone can tell athletes to do a drill, not everyone can teach an athlete to master a drill. There is a HUGE difference. Make an impact on how your athlete moves, feels and carries themselves. Be the type of Strength Coach they tell their kids about 20 years from now.

Easy rehab day

Foam Roll/soft tissue work
Z health mobility drills
40 strict pull ups
40 split squats ( bodyweight )

Back is feeling a bit better, slow and steady wins the race

Great weekend bad ending

I had a great weekend at Perform Better. I promise to re-cap the weekend in another blog soon. The combination of lack of sleep, hours of sitting/driving, and poor nutrition got to me. I guess my previously herniated discs didn't like my weekend. I am not the type of person to take my shirt off and post it but here is a great example of how spending 4 days not taking care of your body looks.

When this happens I resemble a question mark. It's very painful and the spasms suck but I will live :)