8 things you might not know about your coaches
As coaches we get to meet a lot of people. We train athletes of all ages, fitness levels, and personality types. It’s a unique and awesome experience that allows us to really get to know what makes people tick and have some insight into their lives. We spend the majority of our time helping others try to improve. It can actually make it difficult for athletes to get to know us beyond the role of coach. So here is list of things you might not know about your coaches.
1: We don’t always want to train either!
Just like you we get tired, stressed, lazy, burned out, and deal with injury, aches, pains, and soreness. We also spend long hours inside the walls of our facility and like any other job when it’s time to go, we want to get gone quickly! So what’s the difference? Well…for coaches that take their jobs seriously and believe that they need to walk the walk, we train anyway! We train like it’s our job because….well……
2: We like cheeseburgers and beer!
People frequently ask me what I eat. They’ll say “Man I bet you eat chicken and broccoli all day long!” Incorrect sir! Yes, we eat to perform, but we also like to be human. Perhaps we just exercise more moderation than most or train with more intensity, but I know that a few slices of pizza or a burger feed my soul and I rarely let my soul go hungry!
3: We get deeply invested in YOUR progress.
This shit REALLY matters to us! We want nothing more than to see you succeed. We are emotionally invested in you. There is no better feeling than seeing an athlete crush a PR or hit a fat loss goal etc. It’s what we live for. It’s why we do what we do.
4: We spend A LOT of time outside the gym working on what happens inside the gym.
Any owner or coach worth their weight has a plan for their athletes. Training shouldn’t just be thrown together. It should make sense over both short and long term cycles. Trying to keep it fresh is important too. It’s tougher than you think. Nobody needs to reinvent the wheel. The same fundamentals of training have been working for a long time. Finding new and creative ways to implement basic movements is challenging!
5: We won’t always have the answers.
I actually love getting stumped by a question. I’ll be the first one to tell a member that I don’t know the answer, but they can bet I will the next time we see each other. This presents a learning opportunity for coaches. Any coach who thinks he/she is done learning will cease to be a good coach. New information surfaces frequently and it is our job to stay informed and be ahead of the curve.
6: We aren’t good at everything.
There is a good chance that we gravitated to this profession because we are pretty darn fit and we move our bodies well. That by no means that we excel at everything fitness related. You may very well be better than us at several things. I love strength training. Cardio and conditioning?….not so much. I recognize the benefit and implement this training frequently, but I’m certainly no engine! I have 2 ruined shoulders. I can’t put weight overhead very well. These are facts. We work around our deficiencies and try to bring our weaknesses. Just like you should! So…can I out deadlift you? Yeah, probably. Can I outrun you? Maybe in a sprint….not likely in a distance run. Don’t even get me started on overhead squats or double unders!!! The main thing to understand is that you come to us for our expertise and ability to coach. If you wanted to watch someone who is the best at training then go to the Crossfit games! Our job is to make YOU awesome!
7: We geek out on weird things.
New training clothes, shoes, gym gear, new equipment, supplements etc. I got excited about athletic tape a few weeks ago. “Ooh….a nice fresh roll of tape.” We get amped up about this stuff! We are like tech geeks who can’t wait for the newest phone or bluetooth device with tungsten and kevlar based ball bearings and teflon coating! Did I say a thing? Is that a thing? Sounded techy to me!
8: We want to please everyone.
It’s an impossible task, but we wish we could. In the same day I have had 2 people tell me that they loved the workout and that they “despised” the workout. I’ve been told how awesome the playlist for the day was, while simultaneously being asked to “not play that crap anymore.” Schedule changes and new programs being implemented or old ones being taken away makes some people happy and others unhappy. Making everyone happy is simply an impossible task. The best we can do is try to please the largest amount of people with both the big and small decisions we make, but it stresses us out!
Well I hope this gave you some insight into the sometimes quirky minds of your coaches and trainers. We hope you love this stuff even a fraction as much as we do. Carry on and lift all the heavy things!
J.K.Hopkins