TrentZor
Member
Coaching
A coach is a mentor, training partner, motivator and leader. There are many other functions
the coach will fill but the most important is this:
The coach should strive to make you better than he is.
A great strength coach will be one who’s lived in the trenches and has paid his dues with
blood, sweat and iron. If you want to squat 800 pounds, why would you ever listen to
someone who has never squatted 455?
Ask yourself this question and you’ll see my point. How much do you bench press? The
answer doesn’t matter that much, but let’s say it’s 400 pounds. Now ask yourself, how
much more did you have to learn about training to bench 400 as compared to when you
pressed 200? Would you also agree that there’s much more to learn to take your bench
from 400 to 500? I think so.
Now, how much more training did you have to do to go from 200 to 400? Did it come
overnight? Or did you have to work hard and work smart to get there? Nobody will ever be
able to convince me that no knowledge was gained in the 200 pound process!
The next question would be, could this same under-the-bar-knowledge be learned from
a book? In other words, is there another way to gain this same knowledge? I don’t think
so. I feel the best coaches are the ones who’ve attained both under-the-bar knowledge
and book knowledge. If you had to only choose one, it would have to be the under-the-bar
coach. He knows how to get you where you’re going because he’s been there.
After all, how do you know what really works if you never put it to the test? I see tons of
new programs on how to get strong and the first thing I ask the author is, “Have you done
it? What did it do for you?”
I could go on and on about coaches, as it’s one of those topics that drives me nuts, but
it would become a huge rant article. I’ll leave you instead with this short story. Years
ago I came to train with Louie Simmons at Westside Barbell. He was semi-retired at the
time. We had a big group of lifters, but only two or three were elite and most were below
average. I believe there was only one 900 pound squat. When Louie decided to make a
comeback and begin training hard again, the entire gym changed and a few years later, we
were all elites and had over six 900 pound squats. The rest was history.
Tell me a coach who trains isn’t a better coach! If you’re a coach, get your ass in the gym
and get strong again. You owe it to yourself and your team.
Agree or disagree..?
A coach is a mentor, training partner, motivator and leader. There are many other functions
the coach will fill but the most important is this:
The coach should strive to make you better than he is.
A great strength coach will be one who’s lived in the trenches and has paid his dues with
blood, sweat and iron. If you want to squat 800 pounds, why would you ever listen to
someone who has never squatted 455?
Ask yourself this question and you’ll see my point. How much do you bench press? The
answer doesn’t matter that much, but let’s say it’s 400 pounds. Now ask yourself, how
much more did you have to learn about training to bench 400 as compared to when you
pressed 200? Would you also agree that there’s much more to learn to take your bench
from 400 to 500? I think so.
Now, how much more training did you have to do to go from 200 to 400? Did it come
overnight? Or did you have to work hard and work smart to get there? Nobody will ever be
able to convince me that no knowledge was gained in the 200 pound process!
The next question would be, could this same under-the-bar-knowledge be learned from
a book? In other words, is there another way to gain this same knowledge? I don’t think
so. I feel the best coaches are the ones who’ve attained both under-the-bar knowledge
and book knowledge. If you had to only choose one, it would have to be the under-the-bar
coach. He knows how to get you where you’re going because he’s been there.
After all, how do you know what really works if you never put it to the test? I see tons of
new programs on how to get strong and the first thing I ask the author is, “Have you done
it? What did it do for you?”
I could go on and on about coaches, as it’s one of those topics that drives me nuts, but
it would become a huge rant article. I’ll leave you instead with this short story. Years
ago I came to train with Louie Simmons at Westside Barbell. He was semi-retired at the
time. We had a big group of lifters, but only two or three were elite and most were below
average. I believe there was only one 900 pound squat. When Louie decided to make a
comeback and begin training hard again, the entire gym changed and a few years later, we
were all elites and had over six 900 pound squats. The rest was history.
Tell me a coach who trains isn’t a better coach! If you’re a coach, get your ass in the gym
and get strong again. You owe it to yourself and your team.
Agree or disagree..?
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