IGCT Episode #106: Dr. Mike Martino - Three Dimensional Thinking

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Dr. Martino came to Georgia College in 1997 and has been an advocate of wellness, human performance, sports medicine, nutrition, and weight loss. He is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) with Distinction through the National Strength & Conditioning Association, a certified Functional Movement Screen professional, a Master Instructor through the Evidenced Based Fitness Association, a Certified Battling Ropes Coach, and a Cancer Exercise Specialist through the Rocky Mountain Cancer Rehabilitation Institute.

Dr. Martino received his Bachelor of Arts from Furman University in Health and Physical Education in 1988. From 1990 through 1995, he completed his Master’s and Doctoral degrees in Exercise Physiology at the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, with emphases in Molecular Biology, Statistics, Nutrition, and Health Promotion. During his tenure at Alabama, he served as an assistant coach to the nationally ranked varsity swimming team and also served as a research lab assistant in the Human Performance Laboratory.

Dr. Martino has been involved with wellness for nearly 30 years. From 1983 to 1988, he was a scholarship athlete at Furman University and developed into a world class swimmer. His unique combination of swimming, coaching, and educational background has allowed him to work with a variety of groups including Olympic Gold Medalists, world record holders, collegiate athletes, geriatric and weight loss clients, and youth athletes. Dr. Martino served as a United States National Team Swimming Coach from 1990 to 2000. He was a member of the 1992 and 1996 Olympic Advisory Coaching Staffs in Barcelona and Atlanta. He has traveled the world for athletic competitions and speaking engagements in 15 different countries including Russia, Spain, Iceland, and Cuba.

He has played a major role in the NSCA’s State Provincial Director program where he began his professional service back in 2002 as the Georgia State Director and then became the Southeast Regional Coordinator in 2006. He has also served as the Vice Chair and Chair of the entire SPD program from 2010 to 2013. In 2012, he was recognized as the NSCA Educator of the Year, one of his highest professional accolades to date.

Currently, he is co-owner of Bodyplex Fitness of Milledgeville, a 38,000 square foot facility with nearly 4,000 members and over 200 personal training clients. For his full time job, Dr. Martino serves as a Full Professor in the School of Health and Human Performance at Georgia College, the public liberal arts university in the University System of Georgia. He is the Coordinator for the undergraduate Exercise Science program and Graduate Coordinator for the Human Performance program. He also coordinates and oversees a staff of three Graduate Assistants and twenty undergraduate practicum students who assist with the strength and conditioning programs for ten different Division II varsity athletic teams at Georgia College. His current research focuses on the physiological effects associated with the Battling Ropes system and Barefoot training.

In this episode we discuss:

His journey into the Strength and Conditioning field.

How he balances multiple roles.

Benefits of incorporating barefoot training into your program.

Importance of life balance and how he has used Jiujitsu

His favorite interview question.

The best piece of coaching advice he has received.

His favorite quote, Book/App/Website recommendation