Skill of Strength

06/11/2026

Need to switch up the breakfast routine?

Try overnight oats (especially awesome if you train in the morning and this is your post-workout meal!)

Bonus: there are gluten and dairy free options here!

This easy overnight oats recipe only needs 2 ingredients oats and milk! A healthy simple breakfast for busy mornings. Customize with add-ins and toppings!

06/11/2026

Three of the scariest letters for many athletes: A-C-L.

An anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury can be frustrating — especially because it often requires surgery and a long rehab process.

👇 FOUR FACTS ABOUT ACL INJURIES 👇

1️⃣ Knee injuries are common in athletes.
High-level athletes experience a significant number of knee injuries, and ACL injuries in children and adolescents have been rising.

2️⃣ Most ACL injuries are non-contact injuries.
About 70% happen without contact from another player.
Just 30% occur from direct contact. Most injuries happen when a sudden force from a twist, cut, pivot, or landing causes the ligament to tear.
Think: quickly changing direction in soccer ⚽ or landing awkwardly after a rebound or layup 🏀

3️⃣ Recovery takes time.
Returning to sport can take anywhere from 6–12+ months depending on the athlete, sport demands, surgery, and rehab progress.
A successful return-to-play process usually involves a great physical therapist, strength coach, athletic trainer, and patience.

4️⃣ Female athletes are at higher risk.
Young women are estimated to be 2–8 times more likely than young men to suffer an ACL injury depending on the sport.
Why? It's likely a combination of factors including anatomy, strength, movement mechanics, landing/cutting strategy, hormones, and training history.

➡️ THE GOOD NEWS
Research strongly supports ACL injury prevention programs.
Well-designed prevention training has been shown to significantly reduce injury risk — especially when athletes consistently practice landing mechanics, deceleration, cutting, strength, and movement quality.

At our gym, we love helping athletes learn to absorb force, decelerate properly, change direction efficiently, and build the strength needed to move well in sport.

A few ways to help reduce ACL injury risk:

✅ Work with a great coach and follow a quality strength and movement program.
✅ Practice landing, deceleration, and cutting mechanics.
✅ Prioritize recovery and avoid excessive overuse.
✅ Build strength and movement quality that supports your sport.

Strong, resilient athletes aren't built by accident.

06/10/2026

You don't need motivation to start training again.
You need a habit small enough that it doesn't require motivation.

We think 10 sessions is more than enough to remind you how amazing training can make you feel.

Enough to feel the difference.
Enough to decide you want to keep going.
Enough to remember you can do this.

This is just a starting point, but a very important one. Everyone has a day 1 and this can be yours.

SOS Strong in 10 is open through June 15.

👉 Link in bio and below.

06/09/2026

Some basic guidelines on training around low back pain.

🛑 Before you do anything, take the advice of an experienced medical professional and try to determine the source of pain. Make sure it's nothing serious like cancer, tumors etc. 🛑

1. Avoid the mechanism of injury.
If you got hurt deadlifting, avoid deadlifting for now. No idea how you got injured? Avoid painful positions for the time being.

2 . Stay moving.
Find exercises and activities you can do with minimal pain.

3. Slow everything down.
It's not the time to focus on plyometrics or ballistic work. This doesn't mean you cannot maintain your strength. Changing tempos in your lifts can be beneficial.

4. Avoid lower back stretching in the morning.
Discs absorb more fluid overnight and you will have limited spinal mobility in the AM. If you do train in the morning, go for a walk first.

5. Focus on hip mobility and thoracic mobility.

6. "Grease the groove" with low-level core work
Bird dogs, McGill curl-ups, planks, breathing drills.

7. Walk more.

8. If pain-free but still shifting or asymmetrical, see a good physical therapist ASAP.
Don't ignore persistent movement patterns.

9. Don't rush the process of getting back to the old you. It's not worth it.
Most setbacks happen from returning to full load too soon.

10. Add in more total body isometric work.

11. Try to determine what caused the injury. Here are some considerations.
- poor movement
- excessive load
- excessive volume
- poor programming
- lack of recovery
- poor lifestyle choices
- daily habits and postures
- overall training mileage

12. Improve sleep quality and quantity

13. Figure out what positions bother you and avoid them for now.
- flexion
- extension
- compression
- rotation
- side bending

14. Improve your overall nutrition quality.
Consistent, whole-food based intake supports recovery.

15. Get tested for food sensitivities and allergies.
Many people have GI issues and low back issues at the same time.

16. Do your best to manage your overall stress.
This includes training, work, family, friends, and finances.

17. Check your ego at the door.
Don't chase PR's right now.

18. Take rest days when needed
They are part of the process, not a setback.

19. Stop your training session when you still feel good.
Don't train into irritation or flare-ups.

20. Learn how to brace and breathe properly.

Train smart. Play the long game.

06/09/2026

We love when our members are ready to not just renew their membership for another year, but ready to ROCK it even more. :-)
"This is a 100% positive review of Skill of Strength (SOS).

I'm a masters athlete at the local, regional, national, and world level. My needs and expectations are not typical - I don't go to the gym because I want to lose a few pounds, I go because it helps me compete.

I have specific goals and SOS provides the kind of expert performance coaching that I need in order to thrive. Mike Perry and his team understand my goals and mentality and as a result I'm incredibly well prepared. I remain injury free with little or no pain, my physical capacity seems to keep increasing, and I can perform at a level that most people… can't.

I've been an SOS member for years and I joined after a thorough search of the Boston area for a high performance, technically oriented gym staffed by expert coaches who are on the cutting edge of their field.

If you have specific competitive goals and want coaches who work with high performance amateur and professional athletes, all packaged in a gym where standing on the gas is encouraged, you'll be right at home at SOS."

- David P.

06/08/2026

SOS Strong in 10 is officially open. 🏋

➡️ 10 coached MOVE group sessions
➡️ $350 ($35/session)
➡️ Use sessions anytime through August 31, 2026
➡️ No membership required
➡️ No long-term commitment

Have you been meaning to get back to the gym?
Complete 10 sessions to start rebuilding your training habit this summer.

👉 Link in bio.

06/08/2026

In this article, you'll learn about three of the main reasons you're likely hitting those frustrating strength plateaus:

✅ Poor movement
✅ Suboptimal technique
✅ A subpar program

Remember, strength is a skill—and like any skill, it takes time to develop.

Be patient. Move well. Dial in your technique. And invest in a quality program from a coach who has put in the time to master the craft of strength training.

Read more here:

https://bit.ly/47KLpkI

06/07/2026

We've never done this before.

This summer, we're opening up a 10 pack of our MOVE group sessions.

No membership. No commitment. Just a way to ease back in to workouts.

We're opening this up today for our newsletter subscribers and friends and family on social.

Keep an eye on your inbox for details or let us know and we'll send everything over.

06/06/2026

Want to help youth athletes eat healthier without turning every meal into a battle?

A few things that matter:

1️⃣ Put them in the right environment.
2️⃣ Advocate for better habits at school.
3️⃣ Be prepared (healthy options available = better choices).
4️⃣ Allow treats daily — restriction usually backfires.
5️⃣ Ask questions that build self-awareness.
6️⃣ Take action as a coach or parent.

Healthy eating habits don't happen overnight, and perfection isn't the goal.

Small, consistent habits matter.

Here’s a hard truth: most youth athletes are malnourished and dehydrated. It’s shocking because, we live in a privileged society where we have unlimited access to free water, organic produce, 100 different electrolyte drinks on the market, shelves of healthy bars and snacks in Trader...

06/05/2026

Your diagnosis is not your identity.

Too many people walk around saying:

"I have bad knees."
"My back is shot."
"I can't lift anymore."

And because they believe that story, they stop moving.

At SOS, we believe strength training should meet you where you are right now, not where you used to be.

We modify.
We coach.
We build confidence.

Because staying active, strong, and capable matters WAY more than training perfectly.

You are probably capable of more than you think and we'd love to prove it to you!