$30/month
($15/month if also signed up for Throws Programming)

Strength, power, body control, and conditioning are required for any athlete that wants to make progress in the Highland Games.

Program Options

Equipment Required:

  • Barbell & Plates
  • Dumbbells or Kettlebells
  • Pull Up Bar
  • Med Ball/Slam Ball
  • Plyo Box or Equivalent
  • Jump Rope

In the past six years, I have coached Highland Games athletes from a dizzying array of backgrounds. I have coached complete novices that have never set foot on the field, the top pros in the world, and every level in between. I have also seen that many of them come to the Heavy/Light methodology while employing many different programs for their strength and conditioning. I set to work, as I did with throwing, to find what the common threads were among the most successful athletes. It’s tempting to look toward the biggest lifts and see what got them there, but as we all know by now being the strongest doesn’t guarantee success in throwing.

However, being strong never goes out of style. All things being equal, the stronger thrower wins. I couldn’t ignore the results of athletes training in methods beyond “classic” block periodization. Thus, Heavy/Light Lifting will supply the strength, power, and physical preparedness that the Heavy Events demand. What I aim to provide is a program that optimizes your time spent in the weight room and enhances your Heavy/Light  throwing practices and, by extension your games results.

We Lift Weights in the Real World


I have really enjoyed the addition of the lifting program that Mike created.  I was already lifting weights prior to starting his program but working with Mike’s lifting program was a welcome shift in focus.  The structure and exercise choice that he put into his program really let me continue to work on strength but also added additional components of dynamic work, jumps, and throws that really helped my highland games performance.  I noticed an increased awareness of my body’s athleticism and increased explosiveness within the first few weeks.  Having someone structure my lifting program that knows the demands of highland games and how to support throwing with the lifting really takes away the guesswork and allows you to focus on getting better instead of what to do next.  In the day and age of information overload it is nice to have a way to simplify my efforts and put my energy into lifting and throwing instead of planning what to do next. 

Nick R.

I’m really glad I got on board with Heavy/Light lifting. It was extremely helpful to get those emails when my gym opened back up. I didn’t feel like I was floundering for what to do in the gym everyday. The exercise selections were challenging, but felt great. It made throws every week easier and I have already set a few practice PR’s. I feel super confident going into to games this year.

Tim P.

The Quick and Dirty of Heavy/Light Lifting:

  • Program Emailed Weekly
  • Exclusive Video Content and Community
  • Based in Conjugate Periodization
  • 3 Days Per Week, 2 Week Microcycles, 8 Week Mesocycles, 0 Unicycles
  • Bench, Squat, Deadlift (and variations)
  • Olympic Lifts (and variations)
  • Bounding/Jumping
  • Med Ball Throws
  • Bodyweight Work
  • Conditioning Circuits
Program Options

Choose your program options from the pull down menu above. Click ‘Subscribe,” enter your payment info, and you will receive an e-mail from me within 24 hours with instructions how to begin working together.

Growing up as a baseball player, Mike transitioned to fencing and chased the Olympics for a decade. Since then, he has competed in Powerlifting, Strongman and CrossFit. He is now a Highland Games Athlete, and won the 2016 U.S. Highland Games Lightweight National Championship, and in 2019 he won a Master’s World Championship. In 2017, Mike published ‘Heavy/Light: Periodized Throwing for the Highland Games.‘ Mike is also a CrossFit Level 1 Certified Coach, creates dedicated strength programming for Highland Games athletes, and trains youth athletes in baseball and track & field. Mike’s core philosophy is that in order to become a better athlete, you must gain strength, but you must also learn how to apply it with speed and precision.