A few weeks ago, Conor, Chris, Kyle, Michele, and I travelled to Saco, Maine on a Saturday for an all-day seminar. Presenting were Eric Cressey and Martin Rooney, two of the top names in the strength and conditioning world. Cressey spent half the day presenting on assessment and re-conditioning of joint injuries. I'm not sure I've seen anybody more knowledgeable in how the shoulder works. It was a great presentation and we all got a lot out of it. Then Rooney came on and completely blew our minds. His first talk was "The Art of Exceptional Training", an incredibly motivational presentation. Coming out of there it was like being a little kid on Christmas morning and you just got the toy from Santa that you wanted more than anything and you couldn't wait to tell all your friends. We couldn't wait to get back in the gym and start working with people. It was that inspirational.
In part 1 of "What Makes a Great Coach" I talked about educational background and a commitment to higher learning. In part 2 I am going to talk about a commitment to excellence. As a coach, a commitment to excellence means that you are committed to improving your knowledge and understanding through constant research, experimentation, and continuing education.
When I interview anybody for an internship or coaching position, the first question I ask them is what they are currently reading. If the only book they are reading is some Steven King novel then the interview is going to be relatively short. Regardless of educational background or years experience coaching, if a person is committed to excellence as a coach then they will have at least one book going at any given time that they are reading for the specific purpose of getting better as a coach. Ask any one of the trainers at Dynamic what they are reading and they will absolutely have at least one or two books they are reading for the sole purpose of becoming a better coach. Books on training methodologies, scientific studies, nutrition, personal development. There is no shortage of books out there written by the very best in the industry.
Seminars, webinars, DVDs, trade journals, and the internet are also valuable resources. I personally attend somewhere between 60 and 80 seminar hours per year and will also watch several training DVDs. I make sure that each of the trainers at Dynamic have the opportunity to also attend seminars that are of interest to them and are directly applicable to the training that we do on a daily basis. When we get a useful set of training DVDs you can be sure that everybody will watch them. The internet can also be an incredibly valuable resource as long as you are able to decipher the good from the bad. Honestly, there is a ton of garbage out there and it's important not to waste time on anything that isn't going to be helpful. I like to find the top 2 or 3 coaches in a specific area that I'm researching and focus on their information. Each of us at Dynamic follow coaches that we really get a lot from and when we find something that really hits home we share the information amongst each other.
Each of us experiment with what we learn before it finds it's way into one of your training program. I am not going to put something into a program that we have not done ourselves to prove it's effectiveness. I will not put anything into a program that does not have a positive effect on the training program and yields the results that I am looking for. The programs at Dynamic are always under careful scrutiny and are always evolving.
At Dynamic, I have created an atmosphere that allows all of my trainers to have the time and means necessary to do what it takes to become the best coach they can be. I have talked to trainers from other gyms that spend 50-80 hours per week on the floor running sessions. Tell me this, where do they find time to become better? They can't. They never evolve, they burnout, and they become ineffective. You see it in the fitness industry all the time. My trainers spend between 20 and 30 hours running sessions so that they have plenty of time to do what it takes to get better. They have time to read and do research. They have time to workout and experiment with new techniques and training programs. They continue to learn and reflect on how they can be better every time they run a session. They stay sharp and upbeat. They thrive on getting better. My trainers are committed to excellence so that you will have the best experience and get the best results possible when you come to Dynamic.
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