Q:  What age-related changes have you made to your diet/workouts/sups? Think 28 vs 38

A: This is a big topic, I will write a newsletter on this one to expand on it, but for now here’s the abbreviated version:

Diet – Like most people that get older, My life is way more hectic & complicated than it has ever been.  My need for simplifying has gone up exponentially.  I don’t make the time to weigh & prep my food anymore – I’d rather spend that time working/learning/being present with my family.  So as a result, I’ve drifted towards the carnivore diet. 

People are going to probably think it’s not sustainable, or that I’m a weirdo zealot for saying that but hear me out first…

I really like eating steak, and when I eat it I feel good.  I also really like pastries, but when I eat it I don’t feel good. I really like walnuts, hazelnuts peanuts, & some fruits & veggies, but when I eat them, I have an allergic reaction (I don’t die, I just get itchy and/or stomach aches).  So, I just simplify.  I just cut them out most of the time and I feel and perform better.  And by doing carnivore, I can literally eat as much as I want and I don’t gain weight – so it’s very easy for me to do. 

I have tried every single diet.  Keto, vegan, zone, paleo, blah blah blah.  The best I’ve performed and looked is by doing a zone diet of 40% carbs 30% fat 30% protein.  But that involved weighing every single meal and food prepping.  I did that for 4 years of college.  It was necessary for peak athletic performance for me.  That was my main goal at that time. 

Now? My goals have changed.  I want my health to be good which is primarily impacted by my bodyfat %.  Easiest way for me to do that is through fasting and carnivore. 

I do not recommend this lifestyle to everyone.  But it works for me. 

Workouts – when I was 28 I cared about the weight on the bar. I really don’t care anymore.  I just want to feel good, still have enough strength to choke someone that threatens me or my family and look good naked – so my wife still wants to look at me and so I don’t feel awful about myself.

I do a ton of bodyweight exercises now.  Decent volume, but mostly for a pump.  I’m not chasing weight.  I’m chasing consistency and a pump.  That’s it.  And that’s been more than enough to satisfy my energy & physique demands.

Supplements – I wrote a newsletter on this one.  But to simplify – instead of taking everything I can under the sun to improve physical performance – now I care about cognition, longevity & health.  To boil it down, multivitamins & fish oils EVERY SINGLE DAY. If you want more info on this sign up for my newsletter.

Q: Hi Mike,

Some youth athletes come up and can perform exercises no problem. Recently I have had a couple of kids who are less naturally athletic and they struggle to perform bodyweight exercises with good technique.
Such as squats without the hips shifting to one side. Lunges or split squats without the upper body collapsing.
How can I solve these issues please? Are isometrics and eccentrics a good way to build strength and technique with these exercises?
I wasn’t sure if possibly mobility issues were playing a part here.
Would be very grateful for the help

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A: Depending on the age of the kids, I’ll assume they’re prepubescent – mobility is not really a causal issue just yet.  What I mean by this is, fixing mobility alone, won’t likely address the issue. I just think they’re weak.  If you fix strength, it will address perceived issues with mobility, but not the other way around.

So, what needs to be done?  Get them stronger.  Break down every movement into parts.  I call this the part-whole approach.  I do this all the time with less competent movers. 

Typically, we can handle ~20% more eccentrically than we can concentrically, right? So, that’s what we focus on first.  Just the eccentric portion with good form, and get assistance on the way up. 

Have clients that can’t do the entire ROM? Not a big deal, just do PART of the eccentric movement, and help them up.  Start with as little as 10% of the eccentric ROM, then add volume until it’s simply performed. Volume can be added via increasing reps or time under tension (isometric or slower eccentric movement).  Then, increase the ROM (responsibly).  I let form dictate progressions, but I’ve been doing this a long time now.  So my eye is pretty decent.  If you’re new, or don’t trust your eye, keep it safe and increase ROM by set %’s.

How frequently should you progress?  It depends on their adaptation.  If they never get better, maybe you should regress and progress the regression with intensity or volume.  Form will guide you. Unless there is a specific timeline where $ is on the line – in which case, if you’re not competent, you should probably refer out (ethically), I genuinely don’t believe you can get hurt slow cooking. 

Question: Book Recommendations for young coaches?

Answer: This is a good one.  I have a handful of books that I’d recommend for guys in different situations.  This list of books/materials is absolutely incomplete, but I advise you to go through all of them thoroughly and 5-10x each:

1. Charlie Francis
   • Consume every piece of his content multiple times. He was way ahead of his time and is still insanely ahead of the curve.  His concepts and rationale are amazing.  He will teach you HOW to think
2. Bondarchuk’s Transfer of training
   • I think this is important because you will grasp the concept of general vs specific exercises.  It will help teach you how to organize/categorize work a little better
3. Applied Sprint Training by James Smith
   • James typically speaks over people’s heads, but this is a great resource to constantly refer back to.  Essentially, this reinforces Charlie’s theories and teaches you how & why to apply some of his work
4. Learn muscle origin, insertion & action
   • don’t worry about applying it to everything yet, just know everything cold.  It will help you down the road. 
5. Learn all the orthopedic inefficiencies & potential injuries they can cause

Example:

• Flat feet
• Leg length/hip height discrepancy
• Kyphosis/scoliosis/lordosis
• Stenosis/Bulging/herniate/degenerative discs
• Tendinits/tendinosis
• Etc

DO NOT DO ANYTHING WITH THE INFORMATION. Just observe it and constantly refer out if you think it’s an issue.  Take note as to how many people have what and how they perform.

The more I learned about all these things, the more I saw it, and the less I was actually able to help majority of it…and on top of it, the more I realized it kinda sorta almost might not really matter… which is blasphemous to some people and music to other peoples ears.

6. Just about any book on Massage

Learn about massage and tissue manipulation. Watch videos and learn about it and practice it on your loved ones, not your clients.  Learn what it’s supposed to look like and how it’s supposed to feel.  Not so you can do it, but so you know how to identify a good or a bad massage therapist.  This way you can refer your athletes/clients to a good one.  Your network is just as valuable as your abilities.  You’re one person, you can’t do EVERYTHING. 

7. Chop Wood Carry Water

It’s a quick read, and has nothing to do with S&C but has everything to do with S&C. This business whether you’re in team sports or private is a grind. There are some years where you feel like you’re standing still going nowhere fast.  This book is a constant reminder of what achieving greatness looks like.

8. The Body Keeps the Score

• You are going to be dealing with people that have a lot of trauma, whether you know it or not.  This book will give you a very small idea of who/what you are dealing with

Here’s a stat that I repost on facebook/IG just about every year to give perspective:

1 in 5 sexual molested as a child
1 in 4 were beaten by their parent to the point of a mark left on their body
1 in 3 couples engage in physical violence
1 in 4 grew up with an alcoholic relative
1 in 8 witness their mother being beaten or hit

That means that 1 in 20 will have been molested, beaten as a child.

In every single class I was in growing up, odds are there was someone molested and beaten and no one knew.

Next time you see a “bad kid” maybe think twice before judging them.

“Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about.” – Wendy Mass

9. The 5 love languages

• This will give you more information on how you can positively & better communicate with your clients/athletes… and significant other

Q: Where did you get that sauna and how much was it?

A: The sauna that you guys are typically seeing me in was a custom built barrel sauna that holds 8 people comfortably. You likely do not need to get one this size. I do because I routinely have large recovery sessions with our guys.

I had the barrel built custom by a guy in PA named Merlin – if you’re in the area and want something similar let me know and I’ll forward you his contact info. It’s made of cedar and it cost me a total of $4,450. I then purchased a 10.5kw HUUM Hive heater which ran me $4,254. Then I had to pay an electrician to properly set it up which was about $2,000. All in I paid over $10,000 for it. I regret none of it. Our recovery sessions are next level. People look forward to them. We do Sauna, Plunge, Steaks & occasionally cigars. It’s a 2-4hour ordeal and every single person loves it. We also occasionally do bodywork on those days to make it the ultimate recovery day.

If you’re on a budget, here’s what I recommend for your sauna. Scour craigslist and facebook marketplace. You can find a used 2 person sauna for very cheap. I found one for like $700. I then purchased a better heater for it which was about $1800. Because it was a lower power heater I was able to do the installation myself and all in paid about $2,500 for it. You can get those up to about 194 degrees Fahrenheit, which is plenty hot. And if they’re poorly built, you can insulate it by throwing some blankets over the top of it while you’re using it.

I personally like the traditionally Finnish sauna over the infrared. I like the heat. The infrared saunas don’t get hot enough for me.

As for the cold plunge, you can freeze & reuse bottles of water instead of having to go buy ice every time and fill up a garbage can. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy. Of all the research that I’ve read regarding the benefits of cold, it kinda boils down to 48degrees Fahrenheit for 10mintues. Which you can definitely do without any fancy equipment.

That being said, I have the cold plunge by Plunge. I love it. It’s awesome and is also worth the investment.

“The Dalai Lama, when asked what surprised him most about humanity, he said:

‘Man. Because he sacrifices his health in order to make money. Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health. And then he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present; the result being that he does not live in the present or the future; he lives as if he is never going to die, and then dies having never really lived.”

― Dalai Lama XIV

You cannot put a price on health. You either pay with time, or you pay with money. I’d rather invest in myself and my health.

Question:
Do you prefer Trap bar or straight bar when training athletes for performance?

Answer:
Honestly, I really don’t use either of them very much. I know that’s blasphemous to some people. The way I see it, majority of sports are asymmetrical, which means athletes are going to have an asymmetrical way of loading most exercises. That load will usually take place either at the hips or the shoulders. Both areas are connected to the spine.

Most of the athletes we train are pretty high level, which means they all play a lot, which means they usually have some kind of injury they’re dealing with. Back/hip/shoulder injuries are super common among most sports.

*Sidenote: If you’ve never been injured, you’ve never come off the bench.*

So, because of this laundry list of injuries, I do whatever I can to not add insult to them, while still attempting to achieve the desired adaptation – whether it be strength, speed, power, etc. To combat/mitigate these micro/macro insults, majority of our work is done unilaterally, and if it’s bilaterally, it’s more common for us to perform them without being confined/restricted by a bar that requires symmetry to mitigate risk.