Marv Marinovich was the coach who told his athletes to stop lifting weights.
He trained NFL players and UFC fighters like they were ballet dancers.
No deadlifts. No bench. No BS.
Here’s what he knew that most coaches still don’t 🧵
He trained NFL players and UFC fighters like they were ballet dancers.
No deadlifts. No bench. No BS.
Here’s what he knew that most coaches still don’t 🧵
Marv was a standout athlete: captain of the USC football team and pro player for the Raiders.
He didn’t just theorize training, he lived it.
He studied, found what worked, and fine-tuned his programs from decades of experience.
He didn’t just theorize training, he lived it.
He studied, found what worked, and fine-tuned his programs from decades of experience.
His son Todd was raised like a science experiment: every move, every meal, every drill was designed for control and precision.
No weightlifting, just movement drills, neural control, and recovery.
Todd became a first-round NFL draft pick, and a living example of Marv’s system.
No weightlifting, just movement drills, neural control, and recovery.
Todd became a first-round NFL draft pick, and a living example of Marv’s system.
Marv understood athleticism isn’t brute force: it’s precision, reactivity, and grace under pressure.
He trained the nervous system, not just muscles.
Most programs chase fatigue, but Marv chased clean movement under chaos.
He trained the nervous system, not just muscles.
Most programs chase fatigue, but Marv chased clean movement under chaos.
Eastern Functional Strength Training, popularized by Marinovich, rebuilds how your body moves: focusing on fascia, strength, fluidity, and compound movements.
It resets the nervous system with TRE holds that loosen hips, glutes, and back, releasing fascia tension and trauma.
It resets the nervous system with TRE holds that loosen hips, glutes, and back, releasing fascia tension and trauma.
He didn't completely ban traditional lifting.
He used barbells, but only if they fit the athlete’s movement profile.
Form over load. Function over tradition.
Marv’s legacy lives on through his brother Gary, who works with athletes to this day.
He used barbells, but only if they fit the athlete’s movement profile.
Form over load. Function over tradition.
Marv’s legacy lives on through his brother Gary, who works with athletes to this day.
Enter BJ Penn.
He was already a phenom, but he was also inconsistent and under-conditioned.
Marv fixed that with barefoot reaction drills, elastic bands, cognitive circuits.
Because in the cage, raw strength doesn’t win. Speed, precision, and reaction time do.
He was already a phenom, but he was also inconsistent and under-conditioned.
Marv fixed that with barefoot reaction drills, elastic bands, cognitive circuits.
Because in the cage, raw strength doesn’t win. Speed, precision, and reaction time do.
Biomechanics was Marv’s obsession.
Posture, foot angle, hip load, breathing: he studied every detail with precision.
His athletes moved like panthers: lean, fast, and razor-sharp in body and mind.
It wasn’t just muscle he built, it was intelligence in motion.
Posture, foot angle, hip load, breathing: he studied every detail with precision.
His athletes moved like panthers: lean, fast, and razor-sharp in body and mind.
It wasn’t just muscle he built, it was intelligence in motion.
Every athlete got a custom blueprint.
Todd didn’t train like BJ Penn. Neither did NFL wide receivers.
Marv built programs tailored to each nervous system.
And the real weapon? Mind-body integration.’
Drills that made you react, adapt, and think fast under pressure.
Todd didn’t train like BJ Penn. Neither did NFL wide receivers.
Marv built programs tailored to each nervous system.
And the real weapon? Mind-body integration.’
Drills that made you react, adapt, and think fast under pressure.
He wasn't anti-strength, he was pro-intelligent strength.
No ego lifting. Just mastery of the nervous system.
Other coaches mocked him, until his athletes started dominating.
Cleaner cuts. Faster reactions. Fewer injuries.
He didn’t build athletes. He rewired them.
No ego lifting. Just mastery of the nervous system.
Other coaches mocked him, until his athletes started dominating.
Cleaner cuts. Faster reactions. Fewer injuries.
He didn’t build athletes. He rewired them.
If you want to unlock your potential, stop chasing weight PRs and start training movement intelligence.
Master control, not just power. Upgrade your nervous system.
Be the panther, not the powerlifter.
Master control, not just power. Upgrade your nervous system.
Be the panther, not the powerlifter.
That’s a wrap! Hope you enjoyed this. I appreciate you :)
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
