Episodes

In this episode, Eric and Mike break down and discuss the current state of fitness education, including the following: • Academia vs For-Profit Education – Letters after your name vs real-world experience – Variety of paths and opportunities in the field • The Impact of the Pandemic – Changeover of the industry – Shift to online courses – Loss of communication skills – Lack of hands-on training • The “Old School” Model – Weekend courses and certifications – Methods vs Principles – “Choo...

In this episode, Mike and Eric break down “Functional” training and what that means in 2025: • Defining “Functional” – The Webster’s Dictionary definition – Is it defined by what it is or what it does? • History of “Functional” – Pre-bodybuilding – Late 90s / Early 2000 – Current state • Why does it matter? – Is your training contributing to or taking away from your function? – What is the scale or measure? • Are function and performance the same? – Robustness, Adaptability and Resil...

Isabella Mainwaring is a former strategy consultant to FTSE 100 and Fortune 500 companies, including global leaders at the World Economic Forum and clients at the forefront of scientific research. She advised CEOs on growth, positioning and transformation at the highest levels of business. Alongside her corporate career, Isabella spent 18 years immersed in her personal hormone and fertility journey – eventually leaving consulting to study psychology, trauma recovery, hormone science, and nervous...

Dr. Stephane Gregory is the Director of Sports Rehabiltation for the Chinese Weightlifting system as well as the founder of Dynamis. Links: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drstephperformance/ Twitter: https://x.com/stephanegregory LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephane-gregory- 62992135/?originalSubdomain=ca — The Principles of Performance is proud to be recognized by FeedSpot as one of the Top 30 Fitness Podcasts: https://podcast.feedspot.com/fitness_podcasts/ We have also been ...

Steven Terry is the creator of the Body Lever. After his own battle struggling with my chronic pain, Steven acquired a broad knowledge base of movement skills and self-care know how from a great number of yogis abroad. He has been able to instruct thousands on how the use of the Body Lever and Handy Lever massage tools can improve the feeling of bodily space, quality of movement, and the internal experience of the human form. Links: https://www.thebodylever.com Instagram: https://www.instagra...

Dr. Chris Koutures earned his B.S. in Kinesiology at UCLA and then went on to obtain his medical degree from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and spent three additional years in Madison for his pediatric residency working in one of the first pediatric sports medicine programs in the United States. After returning to California in 1997, Dr. Koutures completed a one-year sports medicine fellowship with UC San Diego. He is a team physician for USA Volleyball, the U.S. Figure Skating ...

Elevating the Profession Guest: Ron McKeefery Bio: Ron McKeefery is currently the Special Assistant to the Head Coach – High Performance Culture at the University of Alabama. Prior to Bama, Coach McKeefery was the Head Strength and Conditioning Coach for Football at the University of Washington. Coach McKeefery has served as a Strength and Conditioning Coach at both the Professional and Collegiate level. Working with such professional organizations as the: Cincinnati Bengals (NFL), Kansas City R...

Dr. John Rusin is an internationally recognized strength coach, speaker, and writer, whose work has appeared in Men’s Fitness, Men’s Health, Testosterone Nation, Bodybuilding.com, Stack Magazine, and Muscle & Strength, to name a few. His innovative PPSC courses in-pain-free performance training systems have been taught to thousands of personal trainers, strength coaches and rehabilitation professionals from across the world. John holds advanced degrees in both exercise science and physical ther...

Dr. Mark Kovacs is the founder of the Kovacs Institute and is a globally recognized expert in human performance, sports/executive science, and leader in the health and wellness sector. Mark is a former professional athlete and All-American and NCAA doubles champion in tennis at Auburn University. Now turned performance physiologist, he holds a PhD in Human Performance (Exercise Physiology) with more than two decades of applied research and field experience. Dr. Kovacs is a Fellow of the America...

Mike Robertson is one of the most highly sought-after coaches, consultants, speakers and writers in the fitness industry today. Known for his “no-nonsense” approach to coaching and program design, Mike has made a name for himself as a go-to resource for professional athletes from every major sport, but especially in the world of basketball. Mike is the President of Robertson Training Systems and the co-owner of Indianapolis Fitness and Sports Training (IFAST) in Indianapolis, Indiana. IFAST has...

Jill Miller is a pioneer in forging relevant links between the worlds of fitness, yoga, athletics, massage, and pain-management, having studied movement and the human body for more than 30 years. She is the author of the best-selling books, BODY by BREATH, and THE ROLL MODEL, and creator of the fitness formats Yoga Tune Up® and The Roll Model® Method. Miller is also a contributing author to the medical text, FASCIA, FUNCTION and MEDICAL APPLICATIONS. Known as the Teacher’s Teacher, Jill has bee...

Dr. Don Wood is the founder of the Inspired Performance Institute in Orlando, FL. Dr. Wood has spent years researching how trauma affects our minds, lives and performance and from that work he developed a patented solution that has helped thousands heal from the limiting effects of trauma and perform at their highest level. TIPP is a neuroscience-backed program that clears the effects of past traumas, reshapes thought patterns, and primes individuals for peak performance. Dr. Wood uses his back...

Don Saladino is a coach & fitness expert known for his work with celebrities & athletes. He opened his first NYC Gym in 2005 and after operating gyms for 15 years, he expanded to a global online fitness business. He has developed a reputation for training some of the biggest names in Hollywood. Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Annie Hathaway, Emily Blunt, Liev Schreiber and Hugh Jackman are among his roster of clients. He has been tapped as a fitness expert in publications such as Men’s Health, Wom...

Building a Legendary Career in Fitness & Performance Guest: Joe Defranco Bio: Joe DeFranco is a world-renowned strength & conditioning coach and the owner of DeFranco’s Gym. Joe’s training techniques have been featured in and on ESPN, Spike TV, NFL Network, WWE Network, Men’s Health Magazine, Men’s Fitness Magazine and in the NY Times best-selling book, The 4-Hour Body. His resume includes NFL players from all 32 teams, MLB & NBA players, WWE superstars, UFC fighters, Olympic athletes and high ...

Nick Winkelman is the head of athletic performance & science for the Irish Rugby Football Union. His primary role is to oversee the delivery and development of strength & conditioning and sports science across all national (Men and Women) and provincial teams (Leinster, Munster, Connacht, and Ulster). Before working for Irish Rugby, Nick was the director of education and training systems for EXOS (formerly Athletes’ Performance), located in Phoenix, AZ. As the director of education, Nick oversa...

Gwen Lawrence has been named Best of Westchester, and featured in ESPN Magazine as “The Best Innovation In Sports Medicine” and to date has personally trained over 3,000 MLB, NFL, NHL, MLS, LPGA and NBA. Gwen’s unique combination of dance, massage therapy, and yoga training experience, coupled with her extensive knowledge of anatomy and nutrition, provides her clients and athletes with overwhelming results. Gwen is the yoga instructor for many teams over the years including the NY Giants, NY Kni...

Jon Torine spent 17 years as a Strength Coach in the NFL starting with the Buffalo Bills and then 3 years later became the youngest head Strength & Conditioning Coach in the NFL when he was hired by the Indianapolis Colts, where he spent 14 years culminating with a World Championship in Super Bowl XLI. After his time with the Colts, he continued his work with NFL players with EXOS where he was the Director of Pro/Elite Sports with the NFL Players Trust Program, a service for former NFL players ...

Alex Pleasic is the Athletic Performance Director for Varsity House Gym. She attended the University of Rhode Island where she completed her degree in Kinesiology and Health studies, as well as played 5 years of collegiate softball. Links: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alexpleasic/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-pleasic-b45a12286/ Business of Strength Event: https://us.businessofstrength.com/attend

Mike Lyon is the Co- Founder of Pedestal Footwear. Pedestal Footwear is a company that specializes in ultra-durable, barefoot- style training footwear designed to enhance natural movement. Their products are made in the USA and have been featured in outlets like Men’s Health and MSNBC and are used by athletes of ages. Since 2014, Pedestal Footwear has been on a mission to get people out of their traditional shoes and into Pedestals for their training sessions. Links: https://pedestalfootwear....

In this jam packed episode, Eric and Mike discuss the topic of “periodization” in training and how it’s principles can be used (or not) with modern day athletes: •Defining “Periodization”, Popular models and Phases •Challenges in real life •Adjusting for Adaptability and Resiliency •Time allotment for skill acquisition •Maintenance and Preservation of Physical Attributes •Seasonal “Prioritization” Model •The “Totem Pole” approach •GPP vs SPP

In this episode we discuss the considerations that trainers and coaches need to make in order to build high level training sessions, including: Pre-Session Planning -The restaurant with no menu or recipes -Logistics / Format / Layout / Equipment -Timing and Duration -Forecasting and Backcasting -Don’t be obligated to the session chart Testing and Adjusting for Readiness -Readiness Screen & Metrics -Communication and Key Questions -Red / Yellow / Green Light Day adjustments Warmup / Prep ...

Angelo Gingerelli has helped thousands of student-athletes compete at the highest level of Division 1 athletics. As the Strength & Conditioning Coach at Seton Hall University since 2005 he regularly works with hundreds of men & women each year from a variety of sports and has been a key factor in the Pirates’ success in the extremely competitive Big East Conference. He has held similar positions at Virginia Tech, North Carolina State and the Pittsburgh Pirates as well as training numerous elite...

Frank Dolan is the owner and founder of Sports and Fitness Performance in Islip, NY and has been a sports performance coach since 2001. During that time, he has trained youth, high school, college, and professional athletes from the ranks of MLB, the NBA, and the NHL. In 2014, he was named to the Nike Training Network and is currently a NIKE Master Trainer as well as a presenter for Functional Movement Systems (FMS). Frank is currently an adjunct professor at Hofstra University and Suffolk Coun...

Zac Cupples graduated from St. Ambrose University Doctor of Physical Therapy program in 2011, completed an orthopedic residency in 2013. He has taken well over 100 continuing education courses and the bulk of his career studying and becoming certified in various lines of thought in fitness, rehab and performance. Zac has had many professional eclectic experiences, from being an NBA Therapist, a D League Strength Coach, a traveling PT, a clinic director, education director, and more. He now off...