Be Your Own Coach
Looking for a trainer? Be sure he/she is creating an independent athlete and not a dependent client.
Independent Training
Can we admit there are a lot of poor personal trainers out there? Maybe you’ve run into one. Maybe you’re the victim of some bad coaching. Perhaps you’ve “fallen off the wagon” because of some poor instruction.
Far too many believe that a trainer is necessary at all times when they are in the gym or when they want to get back into shape. Few are motivated and even fewer educated when it comes to what to actually do inside of a gym.
Rather than educating the public with simple and plausible programs and solutions, much of the fitness industry exists as a series of “magic bullets” promising ground-breaking new exercise programs with never before seen results …
Many personal trainers are more salesmen than coaches. Rather than teaching and re-enforcing the fundamentals, they create dependent clients with complex, ineffective programs that look sexy but lack substance.
The coach’s role is education, not dependence. A coach should empower athletes to the point where they are comfortable adjusting protocols and methods to fit their own needs. Any program must focus on four key areas:
Health – Are the movements safe for you to comfortably perform? If you’re injured, you’re on the sidelines. Athletes should NEVER become injured as a result of training—that’s insane! A training program should prepare an athlete to perform more effectively, not prevent or hinder him/her from competing.
Functionality – Does your program address the physical demands of your sport or lifestyle? Can you perform the movements that are required in your chosen activity?
Injury Prevention and Longevity – Will the program prolong your career or is it so intense (and inappropriate) that there could be long-term consequences from training? A training program must address the demands of the future as well as the present.
Power Development – Will the program make you a faster, more powerful athlete? Are you performing explosive movements? Are complex, multijoint power movements a part of your routine? The older we get, the more rapidly we lose the ability to produce power. Power development and maintenance must be a central part of any athlete’s program.
Athletes should develop the absolute simplest program that meets the physical demands of their sport.
