Soccer and Fitness Must Reads: 2/14/17

  I'm heading back to DC this afternoon after five, awesome days in Seattle. I gave a speech on Saturday at the first annual, Seattle Ignited Women Project and then spent a few days hanging with my sister and brother in law. I just finished making my way through some great reads from the past week - here are a few that I want to share with you.... More
kettlebells

Are You Prepared to Perform the KB Swing? Part 2

In today's society that's filled with excess sitting and "social media gone wild" approach to life, many athletes have poor posture and an incredibly weak posterior chain - which is leading to the increase in injuries and the lack of confidence in athletic performance. One exercise that can help combat these issues is the KB Swing. However, there are a lot of working parts that need to be mastered in order to perform and experience all the benefits the KB Swing has to offer. In Part 1 I go over three exercises that will help build a foundation and get you started down the path of mastery with this "biggest bang for your buck" exercise.... More

Are You Prepared to Perform the Kettlebell Swing? Part 1

Lets face it. The Kettlebell Swing is a killer exercise. And, when I say killer I mean the benefits of the swing are endless. I can't think of another "all in one" exercise that helps:
  • Builds overall athleticism and strength
  • Improves conditioning
  • Targets your posterior chain (backside of your body) - I mean who doesn't need/want a bigger, stronger booty?
  • Is a viable alternative for the Olympic lifts
All of this awesomeness in one exercise has athletes wanting to jump right in and get to swinging. The reality is though, that many aren't prepared to perform the swing right off the bat.... More

Building to the Ab Wheel Rollout: 2 Variations to Master the Ab Wheel

I have always been a fan of core training – during my playing days and now as a coach. And, no, I'm not talking about sit-ups and crunches. (Alright, I'm sure there was a time when I would get down with some crunches, but my knowledge/approach has evolved.) I think we can all agree there's a ton of core exercises that give you way more bang for your buck than the traditional sit-ups and crunches. Reason being, everything in sport comes from the core. In soccer specifically, striking the ball, holding off defenders, sprinting/running – every movement that generates power starts with the core.... More

How’s Your Athletic Position?

If you look at the word BASICSKILL what do you do see? BASIC-SKILL? or maybe.... BASICS-KILL? I stole this from Beyond Strength Performance owner and coach, Chris Merritt. Clearly he's a genius. And, this play on words is genius too. We often mistake the basics for "simple" and "easy" and this couldn't be further from the truth.... More

Cardiac Output: The Case of an Under Recovered Soccer Player

How do you deem your training sessions successful? Are you an athlete that needs to be bent over, dripping with sweat every session in order to feel like you accomplished something or are you following a program where there are waves in your training - intense sessions followed by lower intensity sessions that keep you healthy and resilient over the long haul? My hope is that your answer is the latter. However, far too often, most athletes fall into the trap of more and high intensity is better. Unfortunately this approach is not sustainable. And, while periods of high intensity work is absolutely needed, it can't be the only aspect of your conditioning.... More

Layering the Turkish Get-Up with 1/4 and 1/2 Repetitions

When I first attempted the Turkish Get-up (TGU) I was not a fan. It can be a complicated exercise and has a ton of working parts. And, when I heard a famed strength and conditioning coach say, "If I have to teach someone to get up off the ground....then we really have problems." I laughed and kind of agreed at the time. However, when I took the RKC Level 1 Certification last month, my opinion changed completely and I have since learned to love the TGU.... More

2 Drills To Learn and Improve Your Single-Leg RDL

I am a big of fan of single leg training and believe it should be a staple in all programs. One of my favorite single leg exercises is the single leg RDL. It offers a host of benefits such as single leg strength and stability and most importantly it targets the posterior chain or in other words the hamstrings and glutes. However, mastering this exercise can be difficult and takes time and practice. Here are two drills that will help you clean up you technique. ... More

Charge Me Up

indexPhoto Credit: PhoneArena

If you’re like me there are days when you feel tired, like a worn out pile of dog pooh. The last thing you want to do is head to the gym and train hard, right? I get it. Maybe it’s because you had a hard training the day before or maybe it’s because you’ve been consistent with your training for a number of weeks and you just need a bit of a re-charge. If you’re also like me, training is one of your daily 3s. Three daily things that keep you on track, meaning it is a must in your daily routine. Without it you feel a bit lost, unproductive, and off your game. In fact, each week you should have trainings that are a bit on the lighter side that enhance recovery from your training the day before or prepare you for the next days session or better yet – provide you with both.... More

Exercises I Used During My Playing Days, Wished I Had Incorporated While Playing, & Will Continue to Use: Bear Crawl

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This past year and a half my training in the gym has been somewhat of an experiment. After years of intense conditioning and focusing on one goal, I was eager to switch gears and experiment with some different training methods. I dabbled in everything from powerbuilding (a combination of powerlifting and bodybuilding) to bodyweight-only training to physique based training. And, while I enjoyed the exposure to these various methods I was always left feeling somewhat unfulfilled as none of them felt like a balanced combination of strength training and conditioning.... More