Had a couple quick thoughts on sports performance training that I wanted to share, so here it goes….1. Advanced athletes don't always need Special Developmental Exercises (SDE) One of the more popular trends in the fitness industry is "sport specific training". While the training of advanced athletes must always consider the specifics of their spor...

It's time to understand what training for an athlete is all about. Parents and athletes are seeking out training services in great numbers and are confronted with more options year after year.A real problem for people is that they see stuff like P90X, Crossfit, bodybuilding style training, or any kind of general fitness training and they get confus...

The controversial subject of individuals assuming and accusing other individuals of using PEDs has been brought up once again.It's comical to me because I always here about these assumptions or accusations from a second hand source. I never hear it directly from the source. But, that's another story.At this point in my life, I've heard it since I w...

Muscle has a great importance to the body beyond being stronger and looking better. So what's the best way to build muscle? Learn more in this short video.

What is the purpose of the warm-up? How important is the role stretching and mobility during the warm-up process? Plenty of clinicians and trainers preach mobility, mobility, mobility. Is mobility truly the answer? We answer those questions in this short video

The Olympic Lifts of the clean & jerk and snatch, as well as their variations, are commonly used to develop power and even as metabolic conditioning. What exactly is their role in training? We address our views in this short video.

The age old debate on squat depth. How low should you go? This is our take on the subject of squat depth.

When it comes to writing and keeping up a blog, demands of life and business can make it challenging to find time to sit down and put some good thought into something you hope your readers will either find a degree of value or connection with in reading. Sometimes the best inspiration for writing comes through simple conversation. In this case, I w...

This short video discusses the reality of overtraining as it relates to human performance when it matters most. Overtraining is not a myth. Learn more here.

 Often I am asked, "What is the best exercise?" or "What is the best type of exercise?"To answer that question, let's set the stage of what exercise really is - movement.Teaching patients not only about chiropractic but how to move better all comes back to function and understanding how all the intricate parts of our body make up a highly comp...

In this video we discuss the necessary steps it takes to optimize athletic development and "build an athlete". Key points discussed are: The importance of practicing your sport skills and practicing with intentTaking the necessary steps to stay healthy in a strength & conditioning programUnderstanding the process of long-term adaptations in ath...

In this short video we discuss a commonly performed exercise in some group exercise or fitness classes as well as sport performance training programs - the pistol squat.The pistol squat is a challenging exercise. For some it is a competitive exercise and one that they must train and improve.However, what if you aren't training to compete in an even...

In this video, we discuss exercises aimed at training proper hip dissociation - an often overlooked and undertrained function of the hips. Poor hip dissociation is commonly a reason for pain and poor performance. Some key points discussed in this video: What hip dissociation means. Hip dissociation is the ability to independently move the hips with...

[embed]https://www.instagram.com/p/Bcsrzr2jLxq/?taken-by=gallagherperformance[/embed] In this video, we discuss the dumbbell press and how the position of the wrist impacts pressing strength and shoulder stability. Wrist position is often overlooked during the dumbbell press but is a critical part of ideal mechanics. The wrist should maintain a neu...

In this video we discuss two deadlift variations that will build rock solid functional core strength - the suitcase deadlift and pitchfork deadlift.The suitcase deadlift and pitchfork deadlift are two deadlift variations that will expose energy leaks and strength imbalances real quick. Building a functional core often requires unconventional method...

The combination of chiropractic/manual therapy and massage therapy paired with smart training can make a profound impact on any musculoskeletal condition you may be dealing with. There's tremendous value in care and training that focuses on the goals and outcomes you care about. You place a value on your health or performance and you should receive...

There's no single blueprint coaches follow when building an athlete. There are no shortcuts. Those cool looking, cookie-cutter programs found online, they often result in failure. In the training world, athletes aren't built by copying the same program and applying it across the board. At GP, we are in the business of individualized architecture – ...

April 2017 marks four years since Gallagher Performance opened and with another anniversary passing, I thought it was time to start reflecting back on our fourth year in business.

All our services from chiropractic to massage to personal training to sports performance training continue to experience steady, consistent growth since we first opened. Growth that led us into our own facility in December 2016. The move has been a very positive and necessary one for our continual business development.

On January 2, 2017, Gallagher Performance opened in our new location. After long hours and lots of work we ended up looking like this:



The new facility has enabled us to widen our reach, both within the community and online. Being a community resource is tremendously important to us. We are now able to hold classes, lectures and have been asked to speak to area sports teams and organizations. We are also now able to provide more educational videos on our social media and YouTube channels.

Even with the transition to a new facility, we remain loyal to providing quality of service over quantity. Gallagher Performance is about individualized attention in all our services. This is why our chiropractic and rehab patients are with their doctor every minute of every office visit. This is why Gallagher Performance isn't a gym; it's a training facility. We don't offer an open gym membership, but rather different levels of training services to meet the needs of our clients and athletes. The reason why we set it up this way is because we want people to experience how supervised training by qualified professionals yields amazing results. And our clients are achieving remarkable results in private and semi-private settings that enable individual considerations to be made appropriately.

In regards to our services, it has been another great year. GP’s chiropractic and rehab therapy was recognized as one of the best in the Pittsburgh area for a third consecutive year. The results we achieve through our chiropractic, manual therapy and functional rehabilitation have helped people get out of pain and return to the activities they enjoy. There have been literally dozens of patients who have come to us after a doctor has told them they needed surgery, but we’ve helped them avoid these procedures. We've helped them understand the importance of not only getting out of pain, but why changing the function of their body is the key to a successful outcome and long-term recovery.

Our personal and performance training services continue to generate tremendous results for our clients and athletes. The results keep our clients loyal and the referrals coming in. We have truly cared about delivering quality in all services since we opened. It’s a great feeling to see how much our clients appreciate the attention, know-how, and confidence they receive while working with us. When you focus on quality of service and improving the consumer experience, only good things can happen.

During our four years, we have seen tremendous growth in our distance/online training services as we have gone international. Now while we are growing and our reach may not be that impressive by some industry standards, it is humbling to see how our distance services are being sought after by people beyond the state of Pennsylvania. We have seen the reach grow to 12 states (AZ, CT, GA, IA, IL, MT, NJ, NY, NC, OH, TX, WI), into Canada (Alberta, Ontario), and into Portugal, Italy, and Japan.



The reason for our growth isn't a big marketing budget. Rather, we work hard to set up everyone we work with for success in any way possible –  trusting that those efforts will lead to referrals and retention. At Gallagher Performance, we don’t try to just “factory line” our clients/athletes through the same program with a "cookie cutter" approach.  This is because we understand training and rehabilitation is a very individual experience and everyone we work with needs very individual considerations made for them. That's what it takes to produce lasting, meaningful results.

Our sports performance training services continue to be utilized by a variety of athletes from a growing list of amateur/club organizations, high schools, and colleges. In addition, GP continues to direct the Strength & Conditioning program for the Franklin Regional Hockey Club as we move into our fourth year.

During the past year, we've seen new names join of list of athletes who have reached the collegiate level. This is tremendous accomplishment on their behalf and we are privileged to work with such determined and hard working athletes. Here's the list we have worked with, from sports performance to chiropractic and rehabilitation, and where they are coming from:

 Collegiate Athletes

• Wes Ashley, University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point (NCAA DIII) - Hockey
• Andrew Brncic, Alderson Broaddus University (NCAA DII) - Football
• Colin Childs, California University of Pennsylvania (NCAA DII) - Football
• Ben Dipko, Slippery Rock University (NCAA DII) - Football
• Noah Dipko, Indiana University of Pennsylvania (NCAA DII) - Football
• Justin Gismondi, Robert Morris University (ACHA DI) - Hockey
• Ryan Grieco, Seton Hill University (NCAA DII) - Baseball
• Carter Henderson, Duquesne University (NCAA DI) - Football
• Evan James, Penn State University Greater Allegheny (NCAA III) - Baseball
• Colin Jonov, Bucknell University (NCAA DI) - Football
• Katie Kimmich, Seton Hill University (NCAA DII) - Soccer
• Dante Luther, Washington & Jefferson University (NCAA DII) - Football
• Jake Roberge, Northwestern University (NCAA DI) - Soccer
• Mike Roberge, Northwestern University (NCAA DI) - Soccer
• Charan Singh, University of Massachusetts (NCAA DI) – Football
• Todd Summers, Villinova University (NCAA DI) - Football
• Ryan Watson, Lake Erie College (NCAA DII) - Soccer
• Christian Wilson, Mount St. Mary’s (NCAA DI) - Track & Field

What you need to know: Neural efficiency is the key to becoming a better athlete, this is known as athletic mastery.Mastery requires time, intelligent programming, hard work, and dedication to consistency. Consistency Matters  The primary goal of any athletic and strength development program should be neural efficiency. Fact of the matter is t...