511: Mike Guadango on First Principles of Building the Total Athlete

About this episode

Mike Guadango discusses his systems-based approach to building the total athlete, focusing on long-term development and performance.

Today’s podcast guest is Mike Guadango. Mike is a performance coach and founder of Freak Strength, known for developing athletes from youth to the professional level across sports like baseball and football. A former All-American collegiate baseball player, Guadango blends strength, speed, and movement quality into a systems-based approach focused on long-term development, resilience, and high-level performance. In this episode, Mike breaks down his evolving approach to athletic development, emphasizing general preparation as the foundation for long-term performance. He discusses building capacity through high-volume med ball throws, tempo work, and progressive strength layers, alongside the role of isometrics and elastic training. Guadango also shares his perspective on fascia, intent, and movement quality, highlighting how simple, well-executed principles drive adaptation more than chasing trends or overly complex methods. Today’s episode is brought to you by Hammer Strength and Lila Exogen. Use the code “LILAJUSTFLY10” for 10% off any Lila Exogen wearable resistance training, including the popular Exogen Calf Sleeves. For this offer, head to Lilateam.com Use code “justfly10”…

People in this episode

Host: Joel Smith

Guest: Mike Guadango

Topics covered

• athletic development
• strength training
• movement quality
• long-term performance
• resilience
• high-volume training

Keywords

• athlete development
• strength
• speed
• movement quality
• isometrics
• elastic training
• fascia
• training mindset

Sponsors

Hammer Strength, Lila Exogen

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Freak Strength

Products: Exogen Calf Sleeves, Vert Trainer

Places: Lilateam.com

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