Insight, articles, and products produced by Michael Boyle - a leader in the fields of Functional Training, Strength and Conditioning and general fitness http://www.michaelboyle.biz/joomla Fri, 16 May 2008 22:04:22 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.2 http://www.michaelboyle.biz/joomla/images/M_images/joomla_rss.png http://www.michaelboyle.biz/joomla Insight, articles, and products produced by Michael Boyle - a leader in the fields of Functional Training, Strength and Conditioning and general fitness http://www.michaelboyle.biz/joomla/content/view/118/ For those of you who have not heard yet, Michael Boyle is going to reach a wider audience by changing sportspecific.com to strengthcoach.com. The transition will result in the combination of the content of both michaelboyle.biz and sportspecific.com.If you are looking for the latest content from Coach Boyle please visit http://www.strengthcoach.com/. Old content will be available on michaelboyle.biz until Monday October 15th. At that point michaelboyle.biz will redirect to strengthcoach.com.Rest assured that the content on strengthcoach.com will be the same honest content you have grown to expect from Michael Boyle.Thank you for your continued support. News - Latest Sun, 30 Sep 2007 21:17:31 +0100 http://www.michaelboyle.biz/joomla/content/view/115/34/ Numerous articles have been written about plyometric training for athletes. Very few havedetailed progressive programs that take into account the need for a system of training that can be applied to a broad range of athletes. Althoughthe works of Chu, Radcliffe and Gambetta were outstanding at the time of their writings, very little has been written in the last 10 years that connectsour current knowledge of functional training with how to design and implement a system of plyometric exercises. In order to fully understand plyometrics, we must look at basics, like terminology,volume and frequency. Read the full Plyometric Training article Functional Training Articles - Program Design Articles by Michael Boyle Sun, 06 May 2007 20:39:24 +0100 http://www.michaelboyle.biz/joomla/content/view/112/34/ A decade ago, strength coaches and athletic trainers would have looked quizzically at a 36-inch long cylindrical piece of foam and wondered, What is that for? Today, nearly every athletic training room and most strength and conditioning facilities contain an array of foam rollers of different lengths and consistencies. What happened to bring foam rollers into prominence? The change has been in our attitude toward massage therapy. We have been slowly moving away from an injury care mode of isokinetics and electronics to more European-inspired processes that focus on hands-on soft tissue care. We now realize that techniques like massage, Muscle Activation (MAT), and Active Release Therapy (ART) can work wonders for sore or injured athlete. Functional Training Articles - Program Design Articles by Michael Boyle Mon, 16 Apr 2007 23:13:13 +0100 http://www.michaelboyle.biz/joomla/content/view/111/34/ The medicine ball is a great tool for power development for clients who might lack the confidence or desire to Olympic lift and is really the only tool available to develop torso power for striking sports like golf or tennis. Unfortunately we consistently have our intelligence insulted by the frequent articles and videos that feature a medicine ball as a replacement for a weight. I go a little crazy when I see lunges with a medicine ball as a “medicine ball” exercise. The reality is that you can lunge with any object in your hands that has mass and get the same effect. The uniqueness of the medicine ball in my mind is in the users ability to develop specific power by throwing the medicine ball and more importantly to take advantage of the eccentric development gained by throwing off a wall. Functional Training Articles - Program Design Articles by Michael Boyle Mon, 16 Apr 2007 17:27:03 +0100 http://www.michaelboyle.biz/joomla/content/view/110/34/ Insanity is often defined as doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. In the field of strength development, this concept applies directly to exercise selection. In order to prevent injuries we need to be able to change. We may only need to change grips or bar positions, but the important thing is that we do need to change. The mark of a great coach in any sport is one who is willing to adapt to changes. We need to able to avoid the insanity. We need to stop doing the same things over and over while expecting different results. Functional Training Articles - Articles by a Coach for Other Coaches Mon, 16 Apr 2007 17:16:19 +0100 http://www.michaelboyle.biz/joomla/content/view/109/34/ Rotary training is probably the newest and most interesting area of core training. Rotary training is really the blending of core training and strength training and is in fact an essential part of both core training and proper strength development. Rotary training probably traces its roots to Knott and Voss and the diagonal patterns of proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF). Although most of us now recognize PNF more as a neuromuscular stretching technique, in fact, the idea was far more extensive. Knott and Voss advocated diagonal patterns of exercise that would involve both sagittal plane prime movers and the muscles responsible for transverse and frontal plane motion. Functional Training Articles - Program Design Articles by Michael Boyle Mon, 16 Apr 2007 17:09:38 +0100 http://www.michaelboyle.biz/joomla/content/view/105/34/ One of the signs of a good coach is that he can admit to mistakes and continue to make progress. In my particular case, I've been frustrated watching my athletes plateau in their junior and senior years. Any good strength coach knows that it's more difficult for athletes with higher training ages to make consistent gains. However, I also think it's a mistake to simply accept this slowdown in progress as a fact of life. We all know that beginners progress more rapidly than advanced athletes. My question is why? Functional Training Articles - Program Design Articles by Michael Boyle Sat, 14 Apr 2007 10:34:44 +0100 http://www.michaelboyle.biz/joomla/content/view/104/34/ This year I'll enter my twenty-fifth year as a strength and conditioning coach. Last month I watched Barbara Walters celebrate her thirtieth year with a special called 30 Mistakes in 30 Years. I'm going to celebrate my twenty-fifth anniversary by telling you my top twenty-five mistakes. Hopefully I'll save you some time, pain, and injury. Experience is a wonderful but impatient teacher. And unfortunately, our experiences in strength and conditioning sometimes hurt people besides us. Functional Training Articles - Articles by a Coach for Other Coaches Sat, 14 Apr 2007 10:33:00 +0100 http://www.michaelboyle.biz/joomla/content/view/102/34/ He works to improve NFL chances By Ron Borges, Globe Staff | February 21, 2007 WINCHESTER -- Zak DeOssie is sweating, dark pools forming on his T-shirt as fitness guru Mike Boyle pushes him through an odd-appearing set of leaps, bounds, skips, dips, and dashes. It is a bright but frigid February morning at Boyle's strength and conditioning complex in Winchester, an hour's drive from the Brown University campus DeOssie calls home. He has been coming here four days a week since December for one purpose: to sweat enough that he won't be sweating it Monday in Indianapolis, where he will participate in one of the most unusual job interviews in any business. Functional Training Articles - Training in Action Sun, 25 Feb 2007 23:21:51 +0100 http://www.michaelboyle.biz/joomla/content/view/101/34/ Tech note: This article contains videos delivered in Flash. You will need the latest version of the Flash Player (at least version 7) to view them. If you cannot see the videos, please CLICK HERE (http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download/download.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash) to download and install the latest player now. It is free, quick, and easy. I was going to call this article 6 Things I Hate, then I realized I'd be a hypocrite. I tell my seven-year-old daughter all the time that hate is a strong word and it should be used with caution. Hence the new title. As I've said frequently, the responses to the articles I write always seem to produce the next idea. An open forum is a wonderful incubator. Hopefully we can produce more meaningful dialogue or, in the case of some of my adoring audience, just mean dialogue. It's okay. Thinking is good, and a little controversy is good for the mind. Let's stir up some now! Read the complete article on T-Nation (http://www.t-nation.com/findArticle.do?article=06-208-training) Functional Training Articles - Articles by a Coach for Other Coaches Mon, 29 Jan 2007 22:21:42 +0100 http://www.michaelboyle.biz/joomla/content/view/100/34/ I like reading Testosterone. The nutrition and training info is top notch and so are the writers. I really enjoy Eric Cressey, Mike Robertson, Dan John, Alwyn Cosgrove, Charles Staley, Chad Waterbury, and Christian Thibaudeau. I've read much of what they've written. Like Dan John, I've been in the game for coming up on three decades. I've actually been lifting weights or teaching others to lift weights (in case you've seen me lately) for over thirty years. In fact, I've worked at Boston University in one capacity or another for as long as Eric Cressey has been alive. Read the complete article on T-Nation (http://www.t-nation.com/findArticle.do?article=06-178-training) Functional Training Articles - Articles by a Coach for Other Coaches Mon, 29 Jan 2007 22:19:21 +0100 http://www.michaelboyle.biz/joomla/content/view/76/60/ The method Sue Falsone (Athletes Performance) uses to improve thoracic mobility. Videos - Lift and Exercise Demos Mon, 01 Jan 2007 19:59:28 +0100 http://www.michaelboyle.biz/joomla/content/view/60/34/ INTERVIEW COURTESY OF Alwyn Cosgrove - www.alwyncosgrove.com (http://www.alwyncosgrove.com) Mike Boyle has been in the field working with real athletes and real people long before it was trendy to do so. Mike was a competitive powerlifter who took his real world experience into the strength coaching realm and has helped the industry advance our theories ever since. One of the industry's good guys, Mike has taught me a lot and I really appreciate his giving his time to do this interview. Functional Training Articles - Articles by a Coach for Other Coaches Mon, 11 Dec 2006 20:14:08 +0100 http://www.michaelboyle.biz/joomla/content/view/56/34/ Everyone wants to be able to do a chin-up or a pullup. Just walk in the gym, grab the bar and bang out ten. The problem is most of us are short by about ten. A simple investment in a few bands can give you the Gravitron you always wanted. Read Deloading Your Way to 10 Chinups Functional Training Articles - Program Design Articles by Michael Boyle Thu, 23 Nov 2006 13:06:06 +0100 http://www.michaelboyle.biz/joomla/content/view/55/34/ I need to take a moment to apologize to all the personal trainers who have ever attended a seminar I spoke at or read either of my two books. Why do I feel the need to apologize? Because up until two years ago I had never done personal training. My entire career until two years ago had been spent training groups of athletes. Unfortunately my lack of experience in the field didn’t stop me from telling personal trainers all over the country how to do their jobs. Why shouldn’t I, I’ve trained some of the worlds greatest athletes haven’t I? Functional Training Articles - Articles by a Coach for Other Coaches Thu, 23 Nov 2006 13:00:44 +0100 http://www.michaelboyle.biz/joomla/content/view/54/34/ The Most Important Operation You May Ever Have I’ve got a newsflash that will change the world of fitness and training forever. I discovered an essential new operation that be life-changing. The operation is called an addanasstomy. Luckily you can perform this operation on yourself with out the aid of a doctor. In an addanasstomy we take the average gluteless bench press addicted trainee and we begin an intensive program of squats and lunges to attempt to add increase the size of the glutes maximus. Hence the name. ADD AN ASS TO ME or in this case really to you. Functional Training Articles - Core Performance Articles Thu, 23 Nov 2006 12:17:14 +0100 http://www.michaelboyle.biz/joomla/content/view/53/34/ “Telling Lies in America” was a 1997 movie about the seedy side of the movie business. The movie boasted an all-star cast including Kevin Bacon, Calista Flockhart ( there must be some symbolism here) and Luke Wilson. I was shocked. When I saw the title I was positive it was a fitness documentary like Pumping Iron or Stay Hungry. Telling lies in America is what fitness in this country is all about. Functional Training Articles - Articles by a Coach for Other Coaches Thu, 23 Nov 2006 12:14:42 +0100 http://www.michaelboyle.biz/joomla/content/view/52/34/ News flash. MSNBC reported once again that exercise is good for you. Someone call the ancient Greeks and Romans. They will be so happy to know we finally caught on. MSNBC reported on Aug 22nd that the new fad in exercise is called Gyrotonics (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14402429/ ). Functional Training Articles - Core Performance Articles Thu, 23 Nov 2006 12:11:08 +0100 http://www.michaelboyle.biz/joomla/content/view/51/34/ Professor Joe Signorile is a man on a mission. Joe wants to change the way we train our older clients. He scored with me. After listening to Joe talk I realized that training older clients for power was not only a good idea, it was essential. Check out these stats lifted straight from Professor Signoriles presentation at the NSCA Caribbean Clinic in 2003. Read Power and Aging Functional Training Articles - Core Performance Articles Thu, 23 Nov 2006 12:09:39 +0100 http://www.michaelboyle.biz/joomla/content/view/50/34/ I tried to make a little joke on an internet forum the other day. The question was posed as follows. “What is the best exercise for weight loss?”. I posted what I thought was a humorous answer. I answered that the best exercise for weight loss in my mind is called a table pushaway. Surprisingly enough, the next post on the forum was “Does anyone know how to do a table pushaway?”. I guess most people don’t get my sense of humor. What I was trying to get people to understand was that the simplest way to lose weight was to simply push away from the table. This act alone will do more for weight loss than both running and weight training put together. Bottom line. Most people eat too much. On top of that they eat at the wrong times and they eat the wrong foods. It is really simple. Change your behavior. Eat less food and eat more often. Sounds contradictory but, it’s not. We need to eat less and spread less out across more meals. Now I’m not a nutritionist but, I know a lot about human nature. Read The Best Exercise for Weight Loss Functional Training Articles - Core Performance Articles Thu, 23 Nov 2006 12:07:37 +0100 http://www.michaelboyle.biz/joomla/content/view/49/34/ I was listening to Paul Cheks’ nutrition CD’s the other day and Chek used the following quote from a nutritionist. “Most people are dead at thirty-five, they just walk around for another thirty to forty more years.” The quote was intended to apply to most adults from a nutritional standpoint. I find the point both amusing and accurate from a physical standpoint also. By thirty-five most of the damage is done and without an intensive program of exercise, the damage is difficult to reverse. Functional Training Articles - Core Performance Articles Thu, 23 Nov 2006 12:04:52 +0100 http://www.michaelboyle.biz/joomla/content/view/48/ Don’t miss a full-day workshop with world famous strength and conditioning coach, Mike Boyle. Author of the best-seller, Functional Training For Sports voted “Best Trainer in America” by Men’s Health Magazine Advanced Program Design Concepts for The Personal Trainer With Michael Boyle, MS, ATC, CSCS Sun. November 19th 8 AM - 4 PM @ Equinox 44th Street (Graybar) .7 NSCA CEUs Registration Fee = $95 News - Latest Thu, 09 Nov 2006 15:24:37 +0100 http://www.michaelboyle.biz/joomla/content/view/47/ Mark your calendars -- Coach Boyle has just released his 2006-2007 speaking schedule. See where Coach Boyle is speaking... News - Latest Mon, 06 Nov 2006 00:36:32 +0100 http://www.michaelboyle.biz/joomla/content/view/45/34/ In response to the Anterior Knee Pain (Read Medial Knee Pain (dmdocuments/medial_knee_pain.pdf) Functional Training Articles - Injury Prevention Articles Thu, 26 Oct 2006 21:42:17 +0100 http://www.michaelboyle.biz/joomla/content/view/44/34/ Got some great feedback on our first newsletter that I’d like to share. It actually gives me enough for another issue. It’s great to have smart friends. Read Just Some Thoughts from the Forum October 2006 Functional Training Articles - Articles by a Coach for Other Coaches Thu, 26 Oct 2006 21:34:03 +0100 http://www.michaelboyle.biz/joomla/content/view/43/34/ Top 5 Ways to GAIN Body Fat by Rachel Cosgrove Are you looking to put on a little extra pudge to keep warm? Maybe your boyfriend or husband wants to see more of you? How can you put on that extra layer of fat you've always wanted to fill out your jeans? Follow these five recommendations and you'll be on your way! This article appears courtesy of www.rachelcosgrove.com and www.f-heit.com Read How to Gain Body Fat Functional Training Articles - Program Design Articles by Michael Boyle Thu, 26 Oct 2006 21:31:47 +0100 http://www.michaelboyle.biz/joomla/content/view/42/34/ Look at any current popular fitness magazine or journal and you’re bound to find an article raving about the benefits of functional or “mutli-dimensional” training. Specifically, what these multi-dimensionalists are referring to is performing exercises in the frontal and transverse planes in preference to the typical gym exercises performed in the sagittal plane. To make sure we’re all on the same page, let’s have a quick review over what these specific planes are and how they are defined. Read Defending the Sagital Plane Functional Training Articles - Articles by a Coach for Other Coaches Thu, 28 Sep 2006 21:39:12 +0100 http://www.michaelboyle.biz/joomla/content/view/40/34/ Anterior knee pain goes by a large number of names but unfortunately seems to have relatively few effective treatments. Chondromalacia Patella, Patella Tendonitis and Patella-Femoral Syndrome are all names used to describe various types of often debilitating anterior knee pain... Read Anterior Knee Pain Functional Training Articles - Injury Prevention Articles Thu, 28 Sep 2006 21:13:22 +0100 http://www.michaelboyle.biz/joomla/content/view/38/34/ Read Choosing Functional Exercises Functional Training Articles - Program Design Articles by Michael Boyle Fri, 18 Aug 2006 13:10:25 +0100 http://www.michaelboyle.biz/joomla/content/view/37/34/ A Bad Program Done Well is Better Than a Good Program Done Poorly. Read Starting a High School Strength Program Functional Training Articles - Program Design Articles by Michael Boyle Fri, 18 Aug 2006 12:28:45 +0100 http://www.michaelboyle.biz/joomla/content/view/29/34/ Michael Boyle has been training athletes for the NFL Combine since 1985, and is credited in some circles as being the person that established the concept of the Combine camp and the formal preparation of players for the NFL Combine and pro timing days. Sports Illustrated credited Boyle with helping produce a workout by Mike Mamula that is still regarded as the greatest single day performance in Combine history. Discuss the article on Coach Boyle's Forum (http://www.michaelboyle.biz/forum/viewforum.php?f=7) Functional Training Articles - Program Design Articles by Michael Boyle Thu, 17 Aug 2006 19:26:46 +0100 http://www.michaelboyle.biz/joomla/content/view/27/34/ I can say one thing with confidence about training an athlete to bench 225 for reps. Throw your coaching techniques out the window. What does that mean? Lets take a look. Discuss the article on Coach Boyle's Forum (http://www.michaelboyle.biz/forum/viewforum.php?f=7) Functional Training Articles - Program Design Articles by Michael Boyle Thu, 17 Aug 2006 19:08:14 +0100 http://www.michaelboyle.biz/joomla/content/view/23/34/ Reprinted from Perform Better - The Magazine Volume 1 #1 April 2006 I am often confused when I encounter opponents of functional training. The concept of functional training seems so common sense and intuitive to me that I used to struggle to find what could be objectionable to others. It was not until I read Charles Staley's description of functional training in his new book that I realized why so many people seem so anti functional training. Staley describes functional training in his new book Muscle Logic as exercises performed on various devices -such as exercise balls, foam rollers, and wobble boards - that are designed to create a more challenging environment for the purpose of involving more of the smaller and more deeply located stabilizer muscles. Staley goes on to state that functional training advocates purport that greater stabilizer involvement is the key to enhanced performance and overall training results . As the author of Functional Training for Sports (Human Kinetics,2003), I can see that I obviously failed in my first attempt to describe functional training because an intelligent and well-read man like Charles Staley, himself a widely published author, does not appear understand the basic concept of functional training as I see it. Discuss the article on Coach Boyle's Forum (http://www.michaelboyle.biz/forum/viewforum.php?f=7) Functional Training Articles - Articles by a Coach for Other Coaches Thu, 17 Aug 2006 14:51:17 +0100 http://www.michaelboyle.biz/joomla/content/view/2/ New DVDs now available: Michael Boyle's CNS Intensive Training Newsflashes - Newsflash Mon, 09 Aug 2004 08:30:34 +0100