Reform Health & Performance, 711 22nd Street South, Birmingham, AL (2025)

09/20/2025

Game Day Team Workout💪 theyardgym__birmingham

11/29/2024

Follows remote program for a year

Visits Birmingham with 10lb more muscle mass and 0% additional body fat

Trains six days the week of Thanksgiving

Runs 18:33 5k on Thanksgiving

Returns home to resume remote program

Enjoyed having you in town for the week 🤝

10/02/2024

Our client successes come from the integral approach to the human body and to healthcare that we take. No one solution is the same; no one size fits all. There is not a “shoulder exercise program” we assign each person who brings their shoulder concern to us. And yet we follow the same process with each of them. And that process begins with this one question:

How do I know what someone needs to get pain-free, healthy, and strong for life?

The Answer

The issue with so many health improvement frameworks, therapies, and systems is that they teach to the ideal. They teach to the word “should”—what you should eat, how you should exercise, and so on. It’s all done with the assumption that you’re going from good to great.

The issue is that most people aren’t going from good to great—they’re going from inadequate to average. They want a problem solved, not information on the problem, or some complex program to optimize their gains. They’re coming because physical therapy hasn’t been working. They have injuries that rehab isn’t dealing with. They can see individual problems, but they don’t see how all the problems link together.

That’s where we thrive - solving problems where specialists have failed

An integral approach to programming, coaching, and working out that makes becoming pain-free, healthy, and strong for life achievable for all

10/01/2024

Since high school, I’ve been involved in athletics. For me, injury problems came earlier than for most. But every specialist I went to said I was fine, but I had to endure pain they couldn't explain. While all of these specialists were great at their field, they missed the big picture, so when I finally got to the root of it, I learned that the specialists couldn't help me because they only focused on their specialty. The best they could do was help me manage the injuries and the pain, rather than give a lasting solution.

Anything that would happen on a foundation of better health doesn't even enter into your reality because you've gotten used to all the pain and chronic conditions, so you say to yourself, this is my limit. Things can only get worse from here. You don't make that trip. You don't pick up your infant grandkid. You can't imagine going places or doing activities you used to do easily. But that's where a lot of the mainstream approaches fail, because they put you in a pessimistic mindset regarding your pain, making you think that all you can do is manage it.

This might be enough for the health insurance accuracy, but it's not enough for us at Reform HP

09/28/2024

“Where does it hurt?” “Here.”

“That doesn’t make any sense.”

I was in pain. Not one medical expert knew what to do about it. I’d seen an orthopedic surgeon. He checked me out. Said nothing was torn.

“Get some rest. Ice it. Some anti-inflammatories. Here’s a prescription.”
Then a neurologist.
“There’s no obvious damage. No nerve or neurological disorders either. Just super tense.”
He suggested injections to kill the pain.

Next in line, a physical therapist.

“You’re so stiff. You just need to be stretched out for a bit.
You’ll be fine.”

Then an athletic trainer. I told him that my hip was hurting.
So he checked both legs. Did his thing. No pain. But when he touched my hip, I lost my breath.
I told him where it hurt. That’s when he said it.

"That doesn’t make any sense."

Let me give you some context:

I was nineteen years old, kicking for the University of Alabama football team. Guys like me did more stretches of more body parts for longer periods than anyone else on the squad.

And there I was, tense and stiff. Just need to ice it. Stretch it. Painkill it. You’ll be fine.

I wasn’t, and I hadn’t been for a long time. I’d been in special teams since middle school, kicking and punting through my senior year. In my early teens, I’d also started for both basketball and soccer, but at that age, every kid has their thing. Mine was placekicking. So I quit everything else, and it showed. My field goal make percentage was 90 percent (that’s comparable to NFL kickers), and I never missed an extra point (which NFL kickers do every Sunday, many Mondays, and the occasional Thursday). I loved football.

But when passion becomes obsession, there are consequences. Mine was pain. As early as my freshman year, I remember it hurting to kick. Not all the time, just sometimes. Enough to notice it. And do something about it...

Find out what I did about it for myself then and what I've been doing about it for others. Check ou my book Forest for the Trees: A New Paradigm for Health, Performance, and Longevity available on Amazon - link in bio/comments

09/09/2024

Congrats to for finishing his first Ironman 70.3 in Wisconsin this weekend!

Elliot trained for this long endurance event while progressing his strength training during his regular sessions with us

He followed our comprehensive, integral training program designed to progress both strength & endurance concurrently

This requires a delicate balance of volume & intensity that must account for disparate disciplines that run the risk of interfering & negating one another if applied incorrectly

We provided the program & coaching; Elliot put in the work & got the results💪

06/24/2024

Is this you?

"I’m in pain; how do I not be?"

If so, you know the drill:

Rehabilitation experts suggest rehab. Physical therapists say therapy. Surgeons, surgery. Yogis, yoga—and bring a friend for half off your first visit.

Obviously, someone has to have the answer for you. Even “an” answer works, if we’re desperate enough.

That’s what brought ME to a strip mall massage therapist of all people, when sports medicine experts couldn’t help me recuperate from lingering football injuries from my youth.

Let’s face it: I needed some luck.

So do you, if you’re to find the exact right medical professional whose training and experience are a one-to-one match with the story of you and what brings you to them.

What are the odds of that? About the same as having you parachute into a tropical jungle and telling you to use the trees as clues to find your way out.

What?

That doesn’t make any sense. If we go to a well-educated, highly skilled professional, we expect to benefit from that education and skill.

Been there. Done that. Still got the pain.

Here’s why—and why you need a new perspective to see your way to the relief and recovery you’ve been seeking for so long now.

In my experience—as a student-athlete playing college football and as a therapist and coach to hundreds of people just like you—the pharmacomedical-industrial complex operates from a faulty assumption. To be blunt it’s an attractive lie because it makes sense.

And it’s the metaphor underlying diagnoses, prognoses, and treatments, from a bone spur to osteoarthritis.

And that metaphor is this: The human body is a machine.

Imagine the implications of this frame. If damage is done, it’s done. If the hip is shot or the joints are worn, you have to manage the consequences, the symptoms—or get you a whole new replacement part. Or prescribe some WD-40 so that the affected area won’t squeak, screech, or squeal. And neither will you, from pain.

There is a better metaphor and a better way to feel better again.

That way is covered in my new book: Forest for the Trees. It documents my groundbreaking system that will help you find relief from pain, achieve your health goals (because you are finally physically able to!) and improve EVERY aspect of your quality of life.

And the best part?

You don't need to spend hours in the gym or deprive yourself of your favorite foods. My system is designed to be efficient, effective, and sustainable. You'll learn how to make small changes to your daily routine that will have a MAJOR impact on your health and fitness.

I am excited to get this book to you. For now, follow my fitness company Reform Health & Performance on social media for more tips, advice, and inspiration.

More news on the book coming shortly.

https://reformhp.com

06/18/2024

Big news - I wrote a book!

I have a question for you.

Have you been struggling with injuries, chronic pain, or lack of mobility?

Has the usual, standard care been unable to resolve what’s ailed you?

OK, that’s two questions.

If you’re a “yes” to either, you’ve probably felt frustrated–to put it lightly.

And you’ve probably noticed that the specialists you’ve consulted seem to contradict each other. Not cool.

There may be a different way–one that works but you haven’t heard of: Integral Healthcare. It’s the holistic path to pain relief and more.

And I’ve written all about it–covering my twenty years of hands-on experience helping myself as a former injured student-athlete AND private clients.

So I’m excited to announce the upcoming release of my new book: Forest for the Trees: A New Paradigm for Health, Performance, and Longevity.

This book is a culmination of my journey as a personal trainer, massage therapist, and Division 1 athlete; it’s packed with counterindustry insights and counterintuitive strategies to help you reclaim total body wellness and just feel better again.

Forest for the Trees is not “another health and fitness book”–it’s a comprehensive guide to make your body work like it’s supposed to.

Whether you’re a healthcare professional, fitness enthusiast, athlete, or simply someone who cares about their health (and getting better!), this book has something to offer everyone.

Stay tuned for more information in the coming weeks. Thank you for your support.

-Michael

05/15/2024

Another half marathon for 🏃🏻‍♀️

Proud of her progress toward her first full marathon in November while still progressing her strength training!

How has she been working toward her longest run event ever without compromising her muscle mass? Here’s how:

Kelly attends her strength sessions with us two days per week

She follows her marathon program written by outside the gym

Because we provide her strength program and her endurance program, she can give her full effort to both without worrying about one interfering with the other

We make sure all of our strength programs and endurance programs are compatible to create a true “hybrid” experience for our clients with bigger endurance goals

With proper programming and proper coaching, you can have it all!

Keep up the good work, Kelly💪

05/13/2024

Why Small Group Personal Training Is Better Than Private Personal Training

I’ve done every type of session from clinical rehab 1:1 to large-group fitness with 30 people tossing barbells around at once

I landed on the ratio of one coach to up to four clients as the sweet spot for personal training. But why?

It’s obvious why small group personal training is better than the chaos and undue risk of large group training (I wasn’t exaggerating about 30 barbells flying at once), but why is working out with a small group better than working out with no one?

Here’s why small group personal training is better than 1:1 private training.

-Energy You feed off other people w/ likeminded goals & they feed off you. It’s not about becoming best friends with your workout cohort, though that happens often. It’s about coming together w/ others just as committed as you are to self-improvement

-Accountability It’s tempting to dismiss your private personal trainers as having unrealistic standards for your health behaviors. Easy for the fitness professional to say! However, it’s difficult to find reasons you “can’t” when three other people who aren’t fitness professionals are working alongside you to improve their health. If you miss a session, it’s not just one trainer asking where you are; it’s your entire cohort

-Workout Quality Everyone gets more out of their workout when others are doing the same or similar exercises. Healthy competition makes people push each other. This gets you lasting results faster than you would on your own or even w/ a private trainer

The key to delivering elite small group personal training experience is selecting appropriate exercises for each member in every session. Proper set-ups preserve 1:1 quality for everyone’s programming. Small group atmosphere adds all the benefits described above. Small group personal training done well is win-win

-Michael

Reform Health & Performance

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