Back in 2005, I presented at my first “big” event – about 120 coaches and trainers. I spoke right after Mike Boyle, and right before lunch; it was the very epitome of being stuck between a rock and a hard place. You see, Mike was a super polished speaker with many years under his belt, and lunch was pulled pork barbeque, which provided a fantastic scent that easily distracted a hungry audience.

To say that my presentation could have gone better would be an understatement. I believe I used the word “umm” and “okay” a combined 1,500 times in the hour. I had about 75 slides for a 60 minute talk. After the presentation, Mike gave me some great advice; paraphrased, it was: “Relax, have fun, and just be yourself; it’s more entertaining if you’re talking with them than if you’re talking at them. And use more videos.”

Needless to say, it was helpful advice that was rooted in a lot of experience, as Mike is one of the more entertaining presenters in the fitness industry. One of the things he’s noted for on this front is some good one-liners, so as I went through his new DVD set, Functional Strength Coach 5, I wrote down these gems, which I think you’ll appreciate:

1. “It [Training] all comes down to anatomy and physics.”

I loved this one because I’m constantly hammering home the importance of having an anatomy foundation. If you don’t understand structure, you can’t understand function or dysfunction.

2. “We want to be simple, not just safe.”

Mike went on to discuss how “safe” alone doesn’t get the job done, as a lot of people would argue that machines are “safe.” “Simple” implies safety – but with an appreciable training effect.

3. “There are a lot of poor people out there who just want to train athletes.”

I cracked up when he said this, as just about every young fitness professional only wants to work with athletes. As my business partner, Pete Dupuis, wrote in this great guest blog almost two months ago, the adult clients you encounter not only help pay the bills, but also have some of the greatest potential to teach you about training and life. Very few people “make it” in the private sector by training athletes only.

4. “The intervention matters more than the monitoring. You’ve got to train.”

This was a great point. So many people are wildly focused on monitoring athletes now that the actual training seems to be getting back-burnered. I’m all for monitoring, but if you are willing, able, or qualified to get quality work in, monitoring doesn’t really matter.

5. “In culture, there is an asshole-to-good guy ratio.”

Mike went on to discuss that if more than 20% of the people in a team setting are hard to deal with, it’s going to be difficult to be achieve your training goals with everybody.

6. “You never see anyone who can run or jump who doesn’t have an ass – in any sporting activity.”

You need to train ass to haul ass. Enough said.

7. “The two most profitable areas of hospitals in the United States are bariatic surgery and spinal surgery.”

Well, this certainly is a sad commentary on our society to wrap up this article, huh?

Looking to learn more about Mike’s thought processes – and be entertained with more one-liners like this? Check out the newly released Functional Strength Coach 5, which is available at $50 off through the end of the week.