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In this episode we dig deep into the NCAA Recruitment Process and find out what every athlete should know in applying, registering and deciding on what school to play for. There’s plenty of pertinent information in this episode, enjoy! Transcript: Feel like a wall of like air change in the office. Yeah. It is horribly […]

Daniel Shanley, All-American Boy, goes way back in history with the OPTC crew. Dan met Thomas before Thomas was even coaching, so he’s been in the program from the very beginning before it was even “Freak Faktory”. Listen to his journey in lifting, sports, and life. Enjoy! We’re going welcome to optimal performance training center […]

Thomas and Alex go deep with a wide range of questions for the office guy as a “get to know you” with the operations manager at Optimal Performance Training Center. Some of the athletes refer to Eric as the office guy, buried deep in paperwork and files on his desk, and the nickname stuck. Your […]

Fascial stretch therapy (FST) is a form of table-based assisted stretching that focuses on the fascia and joint capsule to achieve optimal strength, flexibility, pain relief, and performance. It is a pain-free method of stretching, typically performed on a massage table, that can provide almost instant results. Fascia is a specialized system of the body […]

Colton Kloote is leaving OPTC to pursue his dreams of joining the National Guard and becoming a Firefighter. Colton is one of the best coaches in West Michigan! We approach today’s topic with an air of sadness and a touch of excitement for what’s to come for Colton. It can’t be overstated how much we […]

Trevor has served as our summer coach intern during the ’20 season and done a phenomenal job learning the OPTC culture and being a leader to the athletes. As a part of his graduation from Intern to coach, we have to put him through the ceremony of Public Roast. So, without further ado, please enjoy […]

Thomas and Eric sit down with Mike Vanderlaan to discuss misconceptions around what really is pain, CrossFit, training athletes, and how to maximize longevity. Both Thomas and Eric came away from this podcast with new insights into pain management and training. Enjoy this jam-packed episode! Transcript: Yeah yeah I said every time like we I […]

Thomas, Eric, and coach Colton discuss mobility & flexibility as it relates to athletic performance. As OPTC introduces a yoga option on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday mornings… the coaches and Eric underwent a sample yoga class to demo and generate feedback for the program to perfect it for the OPTC members. Is it OPTIMAL? Listen […]

Today, Carley Schroeder joins us to talk movement and mobility and how she has implemented training into remodeling her home. Carley is a Hatha Yoga instructor, personal trainer, house flipper, wife, and mom. Make sure you check her out on IG: Consciousfitcarley and YouTube: Carley Schroeder Transcript: Welcome to episode number 10 of the optimal […]

5 Reasons To Train Speed Year-Round  Speed training is the single most beneficial thing that any developing athlete can take part in. Forget the laundry list of reasons why it’s the one thing all kids need more of, I thought I would simplify things down to why it should be trained year-round in order to get the […]