So the other day I got a blistering email response to an email I sent out titled “Should You Sit Back and Arch Hard?”
Needless to say, this guy put me through the ringer.
He told me about all the movement issues I suffered from…
…he told me about all of the potential injuries I could expect…
…and basically told me I was a worthless trainer and coach.
Now the old me (back 15 or so years ago) would’ve responded and summarily dismantled each of his arguments.
But that’s the old me… 🙂
Instead, today I want to use my thoughts from that email and give you three things that you can do right now, TODAY, to make yourself a better trainer or coach.
So let’s get into it!
#1 – Be Kind
When I first started coaching, I was a lousy trainer.
I didn’t know much about lifting technique.
I definitely couldn’t write a program.
And I was probably more of a liability than an asset to the team I worked with.
But one thing I could do was be incredibly kind to my athletes.
When they were down, I could pick them up.
When they were struggling, I could give them support.
And when they faced fear or self-doubt, I could help them face those fears and get over the hump.
YOU can do the same with your clients and athletes.
You don’t need to be the most skilled trainer or coach on the planet to be a good human.
And frankly, that’s what most of our clients and athletes need more than anything…
#2 – Focus on What They CAN Do
Very few people come to you looking for a laundry list of things they CAN’T do.
If they show up to workout with you and you tell them the 20 exercises they can’t do, that’s disheartening – if not downright frustrating.
So don’t make a big show about what they can’t do, and instead, focus on what they can do.
I’m never going to be the world’s best back squatter, for a lot of reasons.
But if I put the load in front of me – say a goblet, 2-KB, or Zercher squat – it gets a heckuva lot better.
So put your emphasis and focus on what your clients can do, and build them up from there.
They’ll not only improve faster, but enjoy the process a lot more as well.
#3 – Right Cue, Right Client, Right Time
When you first get started in the training/coaching game, it’s normal to want to steal cues from other successful trainers and coaches.
After all, if you don’t have a toolbox it only makes sense to pull from someone else’s!
But the longer I do this, the more I realize you constantly have to fit the right cue to the client standing in front of you.
If I’m training a young female athlete and during her squat she sits straight down and her knees cave in, telling her to “sit back and push the knees out” works great.
However, if you’re like me and patterned to sit back and push the knees out hard, that would be the absolute worst cue to give.
As you stay in this game longer, work harder to truly understand what you’re seeing from the client/athlete standing in front of you, and then determine what cue will best give you the result you’re looking for.
Summary
Training definitely isn’t rocket science.
But that doesn’t mean you can’t find ways to get better each and every day.
Whether it’s being kind, focusing on what your clients can do, or giving the best possible cue, when you go in the gym today make it a goal to be just a little bit better as a trainer or coach.
Because the world needs more people like YOU who are focused on getting better every day!
All the best,
MR
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Focus on what they can do is a key! sometimes trainers try to put the client under extreme pressure and does not consider what they really can do! Do you provide online training?