I have been in the iron game for over 55 years as an athlete, coach and writer. As a young lifter I met and watched some of the greatest lifters in the world. I learned the strength strategies of these men and have used them to make gains for myself and others over the last 50 years. This strength and power tradecraft came from master lifters whose only allegiance was to progress. These ultra-basic strength strategies serve as the foundation for the training I champion and represent to this day.

I immersed myself into two parallel athletic universes mentoring under both Hugh Cassidy and Robert Smith. This immersion led to profound athletic and writing lessons. Gallagher sought to “square the circle” and meld aspects of “soft” internal martial arts with “hard” strength training. He discovered numerous commonalities between powerlifting and internal martial arts. Both disciplines were obsessed with technique and paid close attention to posture, balance and stance. There were also highly developed attitudes regarding the role of a centered and psyched mind that emphasized mental recalibration tactics.

As a senior subject matter expert for Naval Special Warfare Development Group (DEVGRU) I currently work with American Tier 1 Spec Ops, British Special Boat Service and the United States Secret Service. A minimalistic time-compressed strength training approach has proven invaluable for military elite.

Since 1978 I have had over 1,000 articles published. My articles have appeared in Milo, Powerlifting USA, Flex, Muscle&Fitness, Prime, Strength Review and other miscellaneous publications. I worked as an online fitness columnist for the Washington Post and in 5 years wrote 230+ columns. I am the author of five books including the master work “The Purposeful Primitive.”

In 2002 I was diagnosed with Crohns disease. I used nutritional strategies outlined by The Weston A. Price Foundation to bring my disease into remission. This gave me a unique perspective on nutrition that I utilized in our transformation experiment in 2004 as well as existing clients.  

In 2010 after my daughter graduated from high school I was offered a position to run a local equestrian facility. This gave me an opportunity to train horses as well as teach horseback riding. Horses had been a passion since I was a child. 

I applied the lessons learned in the gym to create a comprehensive teaching program for my students. Purposeful Primitive lifting techniques perfectly melded with developing balanced, competent riders. I began to cross train my riders teaching them our prototypical squat and deadlift form. My show team dominated the local competitive arena.

In 2012 I was in a terrible car accident where it was discovered that I had a grade 3 spondylolisthesis. After the diagnosis I spent a year working with a physical therapist who unlocked my body using Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilization (DNS).

This therapy can help reset the nervous system improving control of posture, movement and gait. This was another turning point for me in my fitness journey. I learned additional rehab knowledge that I began using with my clients and returned to training. 

My unusual journey has given me a unique education both nutritionally and in remedial exercises that I use in conjunction with Marty Gallagher's minimalistic training approach.