This is Mike. Really.

Ah, memories. In January of 2006 I took out a $1200 loan to fly across the country to a seminar in Washington DC. It was there where I first met Mike Robertson (It was also there where I literally ran into Dave Tate taking a piss in the men's bathroom. But that's another story…)

Mike's been called everything from the "industry nice guy", "the Clark Kent of fitness" and the "ass-master" which probably alludes to his affinity for fixing people's glutes, although he tells me he earned the nickname because he has the nicest ass he's ever seen, which really just makes me feel awkward.

One of the top coaches in the country, Mike's articles, products, and blog entries are chock-full of cool information. Grab a pencil and take notes. You're in the presence of a Jedi.


Nate: People like to throw labels at great trainers and try to pigeonhole them. ("Doesn't Mike Robertson work with knees, hips, and mobility?")

As a coach, you obviously have to be incredibly talented and multifaceted to be effective. But since everyone is so damn adamant about labels and everyone deserves a fair shot, I'd like you to pigeonhole yourself right now. (Yeah, that sounds horribly dirty.)

So, Mike, what kind of "guy" are you?

Mike: If I had to say I'm a "guy" of any sort, I'd say I'm a results guy.

The whole reason I got so into hips, mobility, and posture is because it's netted me great results time and again.

Along those same lines, the only dogma that I'm slave to is that of results. I'll use mobility, posture, yoga, kettlebells, and any medium in between as long as it gets me results.

If it doesn't, it will be out the door quickly.

The Magnificent Mobility DVD really opened my eyes to what I was missing out of my training sessions. Suddenly, words like dynamic flexibility, mobility, foam rolling, and activation found their way into my vocabulary as I realized the drastic changes they could make in my body.

Why did you create Magnificent Mobility? What did people need to learn so desperately and why is it so damn important?

Eric and I created MM to fill a void. Unfortunately, there are still hundreds of thousands of people out there who follow the premise that a cardio warm-up and static stretching is the penultimate way to warm-up. I think we all know at this point in time that that's just not the case. We created MM to not only educate benefit people on the benefits of dynamic stretching, but to give them specific exercises that they could implement immediately into their programming.

Will performing some targeted static stretching pre-workout cause your hammy to blow off the bone? Probably not. In fact, if your goal is enhanced mobility, some targeted static stretching may be a good thing. But again, it’s directly related to your needs and goals, and the key word is targeted.

If your primary goal is to lift heavy shit and perform at the highest possible level, you absolutely must make dynamic stretching a priority in your programming.


I've been working with you for a good seven or eight months and I've got to say I've never felt better, looked better, or performed better. (Just ask my girlfriend. She'll tell ya.)

Now, I've made some great progress on programs I've written myself and programs I got from T-Nation when I first started training. But nothing, it seems, is as good as working with a coach.

Why is it so damn hard to write your own training programs?

It's the worst kind of proximity bias. It's extremely hard to be objective about yourself, and what you truly need to be successful.

I believe Alwyn Cosgrove mentioned this in a recent article, but psychotherapists value the input of others, and thus spend money visiting other psychotherapists. Trainers, in a lot of cases, should do the same.

I've often thought I'm immune to this, because I have the ability to be extremely objective when designing someone's workouts. However, I’ve told myself that if I decide to get back into powerlifting, I'm pretty sure I'm going to have someone else design that part of my programming. I've got Bill Hartman to bounce ideas off of with regards to injury prevention and corrective stuff, so I know I'm good in that regard.

Quite simply, it's too easy to get into your own head and over analyze everything. Find a knowledgeable trainer, tell them about your wants, needs, and goals, and let them do the rest.

If I know my readers like I think I do, I bet nearly three-quarters aren't doing any type of foam rolling, activation, flexibility or corrective work. And I bet all of them are hunched over the computer right now. (Note to readers: sit up straight like your mother told you!) I know how you hate very broad questions but I'm going to throw one at you any way just because I like making you uncomfortable.

If you could make a blanket statement and say nearly all guys should do "X" what would it be?

Here are some of the simplest things I would recommend:

Get your hips in extension!

Chances are you sit all day. If that's the case, your hip flexors are chronically shortened and you need to get your hips in extension more frequently.

To do this, try getting an Airex pad and performing lunge stretches while working at your desk. Or, you could always purchase a stand-up desk and do more work from that position. Either way, your hips (and your entire lower body) will thank you.

Loosen up your feet and calves!

This is one of those stubborn areas that people always forget about. Pick up a lacrosse ball (they're only two bucks, ya cheap bastard) and start working on the soles of your feet and your calves daily. You may be pleasantly surprised at how much better your squats and quad-dominant lifts feel.


Fix up your thoracic spine!

If you want to have a huge barrel chest, cannonball shoulders, or just a friggin' huge back, your shoulder joints have to stay healthy. And the T-spine really is the center of your upper body universe.

Whether it's foam rolling, sitting up straight in your chair, or actively mobilizing your T-spine (which Bill and I covered in Inside-Out), your T-spine is absolutely critical to your upper body health.

That’s enough of being uncomfortable. Now get to it!

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Be sure to check out Mike's blog and leave him any questions here in the commments! And if you haven't checked it out already, I highly recommend you invest in Magnificent Mobility. It's worth ten times as much as they sell it for.

Posted Apr 07, 2009 by Nate Green.
This entry is filed under interview.