What Really Motivates Me

I love training athletes, the competition, the ferocity of football, the tenacity of wrestling, the pure athleticism of basketball, the elegance of baseball, the perseverance of distance running and endurance auto racing.

 

All of those things drive me to be the best strength coach possible and that is why I do what I do. The most JOY I get from my profession is working with individuals with special needs. They are a true blessing of perspective and purity that I don’t get from any of those things that “drive” me.  Not that I’d ever give up the competitive side of what I do because that is just part of who God made me to be. I just seem to smile a lot more when I’m training guys like Chris Sullivant who never failed to make me laugh in our sessions. The more fun you have the harder he worked.  I wish I were that way. I usually have to get all ticked off at something to work to my full capacity. I mean who quotes movies and plays practical jokes on their clients to get them to work harder? Trust me it worked with Chris and it works with the other special needs clients. Being a goofball trainer is what they respond to and often times guys like me take their personal training job a little to seriously.

 

We lost Chris a few years ago and I miss training him dearly. I still see his mom at the gym from time to time and I find myself struggling to keep myself together. I still have the privilege of training clients like Chris and I always look forward to it. It’s so rewarding when you see them making progress.

 

Check out my friend Lee Jones who I trained for a bit. Lee is also a certified personal trainer and is quite a bit more serious and advanced in his training but proves as you can see for yourself that he doesn’t have many limitations. Try and keep up with him if you can…

 

Becoming a good Coach and Trainer

After 14 years of training experience, I’ve finally decided I’m educated enough to put some of my ideas out there for people to see. Although an overwhelming number of those ideas are not in-fact mine…like 95-99%… not mine. However this idea is in-fact mine.

The best coaches and trainers are the best communicators, not necessarily the innovators or even the nationally known experts. They are the fitness professionals who can discern who the true experts are and which ideas have validity and relevance. Understand and utilize this principle to the best of your ability.

There is a long list of strength coaches who I worked for and have been influenced by. Some I’ve reached out to personally but most have been through clinics, workshops or just reading and buying almost everything they put out. Spending one on one time with these pros is invaluable. Watching them train and how they go about their business should be priority number one for a young aspiring strength coach or personal trainer.

I understand this can be a bit intimidating for a someone just starting out and until it’s time to coach I’ll admit I can be a bit reclusive and introverted. I’m not naturally inclined to network and my worst nightmare is to be called or perceived as a butt kisser. But that doesn’t mean you don’t get out there and go to clinics, workshops and conferences and ask questions of the presenters.  Just make sure they’re well researched and relevant. Contrary to the information you got from your 3^rd grade teacher there are stupid questions, especially when you position yourself as a professional at a clinic.

Strength and conditioning is a glamorized profession that many want to be in. And there tend to be a lot of people who like the idea of being a strength coach or personal trainer more than actually putting in the proper schooling, research and gaining the right experience to do so. I believe if you get into this business you should invest in being the best. There is also the other side of the coin where there are a lot of trainers (mostly guys) who it’s all about ego and testosterone and need a little more humility to truly achieve their at their best. The professionals who have the heart of a teacher and want to share their expertise to help others are the one’s who have the most impact on our profession.

So separate yourself from the crowd; get humble, get a degree and then get a reputable certification. But most importantly find the right research and experts who fit your training niche and read, attend workshops, buy cont. ed. products and ask good questions. Then use the people skills that are a must in this business and coach em’ up.