The other day I was asked what my training philosophy is and I really struggled to come up with an answer that would summarize my beliefs. A lot of how I train athletes and clients is so ingrained that it is hard to put into words. I wont go into my programming philosophy here but in terms of coaching I believe that:
1) Everyone has an athlete inside of them and we need to do is seek out the competitive spirit in everyone.
2) I believe in slow, consistent and deliberate progress. There are no magic pills on your fitness journey. Love the process and don’t skip any steps. I see too many individuals skipping fundamental motor learning in favor of the “sexy” lifts. If you cannot do a pull up you should not be kipping. If you cannot do a push up we need to start there before we progress to higher skill work.
3) I believe that everyone should have a decent aerobic engine. It doesn’t matter the sport or the goal, having the ability to do more work can only open up greater possibilities.
4) I believe in the old adage “knowledge is power” and that as a strength coach I must teach as much as I coach. I want every athlete to understand why they are doing what I am asking. My goal is for as many people as possible to be thirsty for information. Growing your knowledge will ensure consistent success.
5) I don’t believe in simply discounting any modality. Everything has a place in the fitness world if used correctly. My job is to filter through the tools to make sure you are on the most efficient path.
6) I believe that everyone is unique and a one size fits all solution is bound to stagnate your results.
7) I don’t believe I know everything. Having trained athletes and military personnel for a decade I know that there are still questions that will make me think. What I do promise is that I will help you work through them using all of the tools I have acquired via the success and failures I have endured along the way.
8) I don’t believe in reinventing the wheel. The squat, hinge, press and pull movements have been a staple in programs since the dawn of formal training. Get good at them and you will achieve your goals.
9) Training should always be goal focused. As a coach I will help you set milestones in order to ensure you are seeing quantifiable results over time. Keeping a log book is the fundamental first step for this type of analysis. Everyone I train logs their training sessions.
10) Have fun. Unless you are a VERY competitive athlete coming to the gym should be the highlight of your day. Yes you will have some bad workouts but there should be many more good ones.
See you in the gym.
Coach T.