Mike O'Connell

About

Born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, athletics and sports have always been a big part of my life. A competitive athlete in my formative years, playing baseball, American football, and basketball, as well as skiing and karate, a series of injuries resulted in very early onset problems with my shoulders and back in addition to postural issues requiring correction. This forced me to rethink everything I knew about fitness and what it meant to truly be "healthy". I started practicing Yoga and Pilates, going to spin and cross training classes, eventually leading me to interval training and the study of biomechanics. I had broadened my perspective and methods, and learned the importance of core training. Still active [mountains have always been a deep passion], I've focused primarily on adventure sports for the past 15 years, and train using techniques from bodybuilding, weightlifting, and athletic conditioning, making my programming mountain functional. I always make time for stretching and mobility, meditate and incorporate a mostly-organic flex dieting approach to my food consumption regime.