Tuesday, May 28, 2019

I'm Allowed to have a day....and YOU are too!


Sometimes when life gets crazy, I tend to drift away from what’s important. Work, stress, and constantly feeling like I need to be doing everything and be EVERYWHERE and help everyone who I can makes my brain go into overload.

I want to be the best husband, dad and trainer/coach to all my followers and clients. 

✔️I want to push through tough grueling workouts that sometimes even leave me drained 24-48 hours. 

💪🏾I want to be Superman to my wife and Noah. 

👉🏼I want to give my team and gym members the best of me, my knowledge and my heart as I try to be the best representation of fitness and health in the industry.

I mean, yesterday was one of the best days of the year being in company of over 60 OAF crew members and watching them reach personal bests and goals they never thought possible! It's my TRUE love to help others. My passion is training others and seeing them reach things they NEVER dreamed possible!



Sometimes all this gets overwhelming, as it does for many of you who try to do to much.📖

🙏🏽Today, my wife looked at me dead exhausted and tired herself, and told me “it’s okay” and to “slow down” and “enjoy the moments” because hard work is in my blood. There will always be time for it. But what there won’t be time for is my beautiful baby family growing little by little and the small moments that I should appreciate. Time is everything, and I am never one to waste a second of it, but what I need to do is be better at allowing myself to slow down every once in a while and let life happen as we know it. 



I am worthy of being Superman most days, but some...it’s okay to be human and let my inner emotions show. 

👍I’ve always been hard on myself, very demanding of my own work and time I put into everything. To a point in my life I used to shun away towards looking at myself in the mirror. I was ashamed at times and always wanted to be perfect...

✏️But what these three have taught me is that life isn’t perfect, and there is no book on perfection...only the way you live each and everyday with a 💝heart full of love, laughter, and gratitude for life’s simplest pleasures!



So if today was a tough day for you, guess what...

IT’S OKAY...😉

Make tomorrow great! 



#alwaysinthegrind #greatful #lovemywife #lovemyfamily #brea #noah #lifelessons #dontsweatthesmallthings #youreperfectthewayyouare #alwaystryingtobebetter #myeverything #entrepreneur #worklifenotsaltlife @ Fayetteville, Pennsylvania

Wednesday, May 22, 2019

WOW! My Sisters Results....INSANE!

Meet Alissa....She is a NEW mom of Nolan Woods & My Loving Sister!

After battling through a tough delivery, Alissa managed to bounce back and get in better shape than ever using my training methods with PLAYBOOK​. 



She has a HUGE knowledge base with nutrition being a NASM FNS and works with MANY clients in Over-Achieve, so I was eager to help her with the training portions to get herself back!

Her C-Section left her unable to train for 6-8 weeks post baby and it was a difficult time for her as she battled raising a little one, a job, and keeping herself healthy.

She will be FIRST TO TELL YOU that you need to be able to TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF before you take care of someone else.

So her #1 priority was getting herself back in shape and she took pride in her workouts right from home using my playbook channel to get the most of her short gaps of time she would have!

A few months later and she is rocking her flat stomach and now is super excited to start seeing even more progress and she begins adding volume and intensity to her sessions!

I am super proud of you SIS!



You are a true role model to everyone in the nutrition industry and now your results speak volumes to those moms out there who are looking to make a change and get themselves back!

YOU deserve it! Just like Alissa did! And you can start now 100% FREE​ and join in to be coached and trained by me!

If you are looking to apply for my coaching, click here​ and submit the survey to get started!

Way to go sis, and for all you moms out there wanting to get started like Alissa....send me a message. I will be eager to help!

Coach Mikey

Monday, May 20, 2019

Stable Shoulders Part II

How was everyone's weekend? 

Did you enjoy the HOT weather or the thunderstorms more? 

I don't know about you, but I am a MUCH BIGGER fan of the storms and cooler weather. Brea and I HATE sticky hot, buggy weather....and apparently...that's what we are in for this year!

Ugh.

Anyways, I am sorry for the delay on the shoulder part TWO portion, but life gets ahead of me, and Noah and OAF can keep me quite entertained these days on-top of my online clients and programming. 

But needless to say, I am ready to help and have a few exercises to add to now STRENGTHEN those shoulders, especially since you all read part one here and are ready for ways to take the mobility and stability you created and build strength to end that nagging pain!

So without further delay, give these exercises a try!

This Shoulder Flow includes 5 different exercises:
  1. Shoulder External Rotation with arms at side
  2. Shoulder T’s 
  3. Shoulder External Rotation with arms elevated to 90 degrees of abduction
  4. Shoulder Internal Rotation- Don’t forget Subscapularis is the strongest rotator cuff muscle
  5. Resisted Wall AngelI 
Now you can see each exercise below, and you can perform them as a circuit for 12-15 reps each.

Also, I want to include a few important kettlebell exercises you can do to strengthen the stabilizers, which are:

1) Kneeling Bottoms Up Single Arm KB Press


2) Overhead Single Arm Kettlebell Farmer's Walk

How: Lift the kettlebell up to your shoulder. Wrap triceps in towards your armpit, this will help stay engaged at the scapula. Maintain this overhead position for the entirety of the walk.

Compensation: Excessive shrugging of the shoulder, keep a window between the arm that is elevated and the ear on that side. If you find yourself pushing your neck out with this exercise perform a slight chin tuck as you go walk.



Now to the shoulder series: (*note* DO NOT use a strong resistance band as I did in these videos. I did not have one readily available) 

1) Shoulder External Rotation Arms at Side:


2) Shoulder External Rotation Arms Bent 90


3) Shoulder Internal Rotation


4) Resisted Wall AngelI - Love these for the external demand into horizontal adduction. 





5) Shoulder T's or Band Pull Aparts





I hope these exercises help! Remember, building a strong foundation requires patience, time and effort! Staying consistent with your exercises and programs will ultimately get you the best results, so above all....KEEP WORKING.

Hope you all have a kick ass rest of the week and get those workouts in!

Until next time, 

Coach Mikey


Saturday, May 11, 2019

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day!

Today I want to make sure I give a shout out to the two moms who have made the largest impact in my life.

As you all know, a mom's job is tough! Raising children quite frankly is the HARDEST job known!  Trust me, I am 4 weeks into seeing Meg in motherhood, and I ALREADY vow to this statement and completely melt every-time I see her with Noah.

There job is tiring, relentless, painful, stressful, never-ending.....yet ALL so wonderful in so many ways.

In fact, I even had Meg tell me her favorite part about the past month with Noah, in the mist of all the crying, screaming, pooping, changing and no sleep....

IS HER ONE-ONE TIME IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT SHE GETS TO FEED BABY NOAH....

Isn't that incredible? Out of all this chaos...her worn out body, milk supply(haha), and mind....her favorite time is feeding her son in the wee hours of the night when he is just looking up at her and getting the nutrients he needs to grow.



Special, right?

Something ONLY a mom would say. Something ONLY someone loving enough to have children, raise them, and be there every step of the way for them!

 I mean, mom's are crazy....they have this unconditional love for their children....even when they can't give anything back yet.

They give their heart and soul into them....carrying them for 9 months then raising them for life! They never ask for anything in return, other than for them to grow up and be happy and successful.

Moms are the award winning people in my book. Not only do they look after and care for their children but then they also have their whole family to look after!

I knew the parenting game would be tough.....but what I didn't know is how "useless" I feel in the infant stage compared to what Meggy has to deal with.

Meg has sacrificed her work, her fitness, her diet and eating food she enjoys, her sleep, her tailbone, her social life and even a lot of her finances to help Noah enter into this world with the best accolades.


My Meggy....

She deserves ALL the credit and all the love on this Mother's Day, as do ALL the moms out there! Along with my MAMMA, they are the cornerstone of my life. 

The light when all I see is darkness. They brighten each and every day for me. They make me happy in every way possible and do anything they can to help me succeed.


Mother's Day is one of those holidays that we truly need to value and appreciate.  So many guys get stuck in the normal rut of flowers and taking them to dinner....but not me.

I take it to my words, my actions, and my writing to help them see just how important they are to me! That is something money can't buy. Sure, I will spoil them with a pedicure and a meal....maybe a shoulder rub if they are lucky, hehe....

But in all reality, I think most moms just want the everyday appreciation they deserve and not just a "ONE DAY" shout out to acknowledge the fact that they are amazing in every-way.

You should be showing it day in and day out.

Then on Mother's Day make them feel extra special with something they love to do!

Whatever those plans might be...I hope you guys all enjoy them and take that time with your loved one to help them have a wonderful holiday celebrating everything they are!

These women are my life, my loves, and everything that is to me! 

Everyday in the past month I have seen Meg do things I never thought I would ever see in my life....I knew she would love Noah....but to the extent I see day in and day out is just so spectacular, giving that he can only see 3 feet in front of him right now and she is a virtual feeding tube.

Same goes for my mom.

I've seen her smile more times in the hours she is with Noah than I ever have. Knowing that she wants to be apart of his life after raising three great kids shows a lot about her unconditional love for us and being a mom!

Her smile LIGHTS up the room when I see her with him.



And on this day....my only hope is that I can bring HALF of that smile with some great food and relaxing down time together!

Now, please comment on this post and give your mom that shout out she deserves if you feel the same way about her!

They deserve MORE than a day, to be honest.

Which is why I vow to do my very best at showing it as a father and husband!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY MARI & MEG!

PS - I also need to give a shout out to two NEW mommys as well....my Sister in Law Colesha and my sis, Alissa. TWO wonderful mommys who are just helping my Meg each and everyday while caring for their own newborns!


Sawyer & Callen


Lis and Nolan

Thursday, May 9, 2019

🔑Keys To Beating SHOULDER Pain....Part ONE

After much thought and many requests from fellow gym members, I have decided to make a quick post on my thoughts for should health and care.

It will be a two part post where this one focuses on pinning the problem for where MOST go wrong....

MOBILITY of the lumbar and thoracic spine!

As our country has aged and developed....we have become more accustomed to desk jobs and sitting for long periods of time which, in return, wreck havoc on your shoulders and posture, leaning you stiff as a board and basically "setting yourself up" for injuries if you try to train hard without doing your drills.

Mobility is KING when it comes to health. Plain and simple. You need it, I need it...EVERYONE needs it.

So if you don't take 5-10 minutes a day to work on it, don't be surprised if you start getting bodily aches and pains.

Besides the point, lets get back to the back and shoulders. Most injuries that flare up shoulders stem from a lack of movement in areas surrounding the lumbar and thoracic spine, which is why these drills can be life savers for you when trying to re-hab or even just keep yourself healthy! The glenohumeral joint sits on the scapula(shoulder blade) which moves in accordance with the thoracic spine(mid back). 

Taking the time to complete a well rounded approach to improve motion in ALL these areas are key, and below I have just a FEW exercises you can do prior to your training.


MOVEMENT of the Lumbar and Thoracic Spine Come FIRST!


Lumbar Spine Work:


Quadrupled Overhead Reach - https://youtu.be/x-_SET25CmE



Helps with Lumbar spine control and stability. Less flares and winging. 

Begin on your hands and knees; hands under shoulders and knees under hips. Spread your shoulder blades by pushing your body away from the floor. Find a neutral pelvis, you may need to arch and tuck your low back to find neutrality. While keep a neutral low back elevate one arm out to your side into a 90/90 position, then slowly reach over head. Attempt to keep the arm as close as you can towards the ceiling. As you reach overhead rotate your thumb towards the ceiling. Return to starting position and repeat!

Compensation: Avoid allowing your shoulder blade to sag during this exercise. Make sure to keep your torso directly towards the floor, avoid trunk rotation especially to the side your are reaching overhead with.

Shoulder Supine Wall Slide: https://youtu.be/JrtyNkxsszg



Lumbar support and control with OH motion

How: Begin on your back with your hips and knees bent to a 90 degree position. Make sure to keep your core engaged while you perform this. I have a foam roller between my knees to keep my legs aligned. Tighten your core by pushing the small of your back towards the floor, this may be easier if you squeeze the roller with your knees. Now bring your arms out about 90 degrees then slide your arms overhead as high as you can overhead. Return to starting position and repeat. If you can’t place your wrists flat against the floor, it’s ok- work within what you have.

Feel: You will feel the muscles of the shoulder blade and shoulder working, you may also notice a stretch in the middle of your back as you push into the overhead position.


===============================================================

Thoracic Spine Work: 

Key for shoulder motion and without proper mobility it will limit the motions to the shoulder. These begin extension and rotation. 

Foam Roll With OH Reach: https://youtu.be/EKgrYtRz93A



How: Place the foam roller perpendicular to your spine onto a segment which you want to work on (personally I like to work from bottom to top). Now elevate your arms as far back as you can-in an attempt to touch the floor. This movement is very similar to a wall angel. Spend a few repetitions on each segment-then move up toward the next.

Feel: You will feel this in the middle of your back, specifically the area that is hinging over the foam roller.

Compensation: Don’t allow your but to come off the floor or your ribs from flaring out, this is typically due to excessively hinging at the lumbar spine. This exercise is designed to target the Thoracic Spine.

T Spin Open Book Rotations: https://youtu.be/ifz6BjR7gfA



How: Begin on your side, then bring the leg that is elevated over and across your body. Hold this leg onto the floor with the opposite arm. Make sure to keep the knee close to your chest to avoid motion coming from the low back. With the arm closer to the ceiling alternate between reaching in front of you and reaching back towards the floor. Perform slowly and attempt to reach as far back as you can towards the floor. Exhale as you are rotate. While laying on my left side shown here, I am working on my right rotation.
Feel: You will feel a stretch in the middle of your back, specifically the thoracic spine. You may additionally feel a stretch in the front of the shoulder while reaching back towards the floor.

Spider Climb With Reach: https://youtu.be/dIeyCN01fP4



How: Setup in a kneeling position and simply open your right leg forward first, take your right arm and open it in towards the right leg and follow your eyes with the movement of your arm. Repeat 8-10 reps per side. 

Compensation: Do not keep your head straight, move WITH the hand motion. Keep back straight and flat. 

Supine Banded Shoulder Flexion:  https://youtu.be/VDAj2yoLfH0




I got this one from Eric Cressey who is the master of the shoulder! It gives great feedback for a posterior pelvic tilt, a neutral spine and t-spine extension.

Gravity assists to overcome stiffness in the lats, triceps and pecs.



There you have it!

In addition to these you can try exercises like(simple searches can help you find them): 

1) Wall Slides
2) Lat/T Spine Mobilizations 
3) Scapular Pro/Re Tractions 
4) Back to Wall Shoulder Flexions
5) Deadbugs


Stay tuned for part TWO as I show a few exercises to help STRENGTHEN the shoulders to make them virtually BULLETPROOF.

Remember, please like and share this post with someone who may suffer from shoulder pain and need this! I am always looking to help people when I can!

Happy Thursday Friends!

Remember, if you are having pain...STOP what you are doing and find the culprit. Don't continue training through pain and using drugs and creams hoping it will someday go away!

Figure out the root cause, and if you are not sure, message me and I would be more than happy to set up a session to go over your history with you.

Now, go crush your workouts tomorrow!

Coach Mikey




Wednesday, May 8, 2019

5 Reasons Your Workout is Failing You

The crunch time is here...

Everyone is instagramming their perfect meals and workouts in order to get the body they want for summer.

It's more comical than watching the lines at Dunkin' Donuts on days they give out FREE coffee.  People are doing all sorts of bizarre diets, exercises, and routines in order to cut some fat from their belly for bathing suit season.

Which is where I come in! I LOVE helping these people and those with ANY fitness goals in general, so I am here to give you 5 reasons WHY your workouts are not working.

1) You don't warm up properly.

Look, if you don't prime your muscles for exercise, you risk injury, DOMS, and your workout will suffer.

Ever feel like it took you half the workout to get the juices flowing and feeling warmed up?

Case in point...You need to be starting your workout FULLY prepared for what you are about to do!

This means active isolated stretching(not static), mobility flows, and maybe some SMR if you feel like it helps you.

Then start doing basic bodyweight movement flows that will be prepping you for the type of workout you are doing.

For example, lets not be doing a full blown jog/shuffle/broad jump and high knee warm up for a upper body day....instead lets focus on t-spine mobilizations, band pull parts, semi's, and spider climbs with reaching.  

2) You don't go heavy enough.

Being the owner of the largest bootcamp facility in the tri-state, I see this one more often than not. There are times and places to go heavy, and certain workouts that can be great for that are those with longer rest periods.

The key to a balanced workout regimen is one that uses both high and low volume training and intensities that are inversely proportional.

So don't get comfortable using 10 or 15 # dumbbells every day and think you will progressively "overload" your muscles and build strength or get ripped.

At the same time, do think throwing 300# on your bar and performing heavy triples for your sessions will help you reach your goals also.

It is all about balance, so if you feel stuck in your routines, more often than not....you are not pushing the weight your body is capable of.

If you are stuck in group classes that go off intervals, try choosing a heavier weight and focusing on get a few solid reps and stopping before the interval. There is no shame in cutting short if you are busting out 100# goblet squats while your counterparts are using 30's.

3) You don't push yourself.

If you want to get results, you need to be pushing yourself. Plain and simple. Half ass workouts will give you half ass results. This reminds me of the times I worked in global gyms and would see guys spending more time looking a themselves in the mirror than they would under a load.

Same goes for women. If you can read that magazine word for word and learn more from the book you're reading than the intensity of your training....you shouldn't be sticker shocked to see the same body frame 3 years from now.

Anything great in life doesn't come with an "easy button."

Now this doesn't mean that "light days" and "deloads" are crap.

There is a time and place for recovery and days off. However, if you are not pushing yourself 3-4 times a week....then don't expect to change much, especially if you are not eating near perfectly clean.

At least 2-3 days a week I make sure I end my workouts with NOTHING left in the tank. I love metabolic training for this and/or finishers.

The same goes for your heavy lifting sessions. If you are pushing the thresholds on heavy lifts and leaving 1-3 RIR's and RPE's of 8-10 then you are doing work.

But if you are "lifting heavy" every week and leaving 5-6 reps left in the tank on every set and then plopping your ass on the benches and counting the clock for your 3 minute rest more closely than your form with your deadlift....then you may need to have a reality check to where you want to be goal wise.....

4) You don't prioritize your nutrition.

It's not related to your training, but it's THAT important. I can't tell you enough how upsetting it is to see people forgo their training nutrition.

By this I mean fueling in the RIGHT ways for your body to perform. There is no "one size fits all" for the equation.

Your custom meal plan may NOT be the best "for you."

You have to find what works BEST for your body. Some are better training on an empty stomach. Some need fuel.

But there are a few laws of leanness I obey and highly recommend you should if you are looking to get the best results:

A. Eat a majority of your carbs around your WORKOUT WINDOWS(1-2 prior and/or 1-3 post).

B. Limiting fat intake post workout(slows absorption of other nutrients)

C. Stick to QUALITY protein sources. Grass fed Beef, Lean Turkey, Fish, Grass Fed Whey Powder/Isolate and/or QUALITY vegan/plant protein(I like pea for its high amino acid profile).

My favorite WHEY combo is Body Nutrition's Trutein....You can order here and save 15% on your order!

D. Stop being a 5 year old and EAT YOUR VEGGIES. If you can't, at least use a solid greens powder. I HIGHLY recommend using Athletic Greens if you haven't. You can get 20 FREE trial packs with your first order here

E. If above everything else, EAT MORE PROTEIN. 9/10 you are not getting enough. Aim for your desired bodyweight in grams if you are active and training 5-6 days a week. 

F. CUT OUT FAKE FOOD and artificial sweeteners and processed garbage. Eat real food!


5.) You do the same things.

Variety is key to any training program. Now, with that being said...it doesn't give you the green light to be doing the bogus balance and circus acts you see being done in gyms these days.

What I mean is if you do 4x10 on DB Bench on Mondays and 4x8 on BB Deadlift on Thursday and do this same thing every week you will not see the results you could if you varied your tempo, volume, intensity and effort.

Not to mention the exercise choice. If you are stuck doing conventional deadlifts since you came out of the womb then you would be AMAZED if you began adding phases of sumo stance, romanian, or even single leg variations.

They all go long ways in completing your training, so start thinking about adding new variations in your next program!

I love mixing up bench presses for:

1. Squeeze Presses
2. 1.5 Rep Presses
3. Incline/Decline
4. Alternating DB
5. Forced Negatives
6. Explosive
7. Ring/TRX
8. Deficit

....The list goes on!

So don't be stuck in the same monotonous training methods and start thinking about these things and if you can tweak and add to get the most out of your sessions!

Until next time,

Train hard, Be Smart, and PAY it forward!

Coach Mikey

Sunday, May 5, 2019

Are your Kids Ready?

Are Your Kids READY?
The nicer weather has to make you all start thinking about your kids and their summer plans, right?
We all know as a parent, that the summer time is the MOST important time for them to train, get better and stronger for their sports!
Last summer we saw over a dozen college athletes and EACH one left OAF with insane results!




SEE VIDEO BELOW

Look, we are no newbie when it comes to working with athletes. Between Justin and myself, we have trained hundreds of college and even semi professional kids 1-1 and in group settings to help them achieve their goals over the years...
And actually, Justin's most recent client....Cameron Gaskill set NEW records with his performance training! In under 6 weeks with just 2x training weekly, Justin got Cameron's vertical up over 2 inches and also boosted his speed and strength in nearly ALL aspects!
He even did this all with a bad arm!

AND HERE IS HIS VERTICAL:





The time has come for you all to start taking a serious look at your kids and asking yourself if you are willing to put the time and effort into their futures in athletics!

If I could go back and do ONE thing differently it would have been to be on a solid strength program BEFORE I left for school.

College is no joke when it comes to the size, strength and speed of their counterparts and if they are not prepared, it can be a long career full of injuries and never reaching your full potential.

So if you are ready to learn more about training for your son or daughter this summer just reply or send me a message to get our summer athlete rates....

Here is what is included:
  1. ​Initial Evaluation and Screening
  2. Baseline Testing 
  3. Power and Strength Development/Learning
  4. Customized Programs FOR INDIVIDUAL. 
  5. Meal and Nutritional Support for Athletes
  6. OAF Athletics T-Shirt 
You never know what what training is the "right training" for your kids these days....and 9 times out of 10....you have already been somewhere and paid the money to see mediocre results.

If you are ready to take action and finally get your kids some dialed in help and assistance with their training....you need to message me and ask about our rates for summer. We are ready to take on your kids, give them the tools they need to succeed, and provide them with a FUN and encouraging environment to train in...

WHY?

Because you can have the BEST trainer and program in the world but if your kids are not enjoying what they are doing....it will be pointless and they will end up hating the fitness whelm by the time they are 20.
It is NOT a one size fits all method.

Let us show you and your son/daughter the keys to training while making it a lasting relationship for them that they enjoy!