Well, I guess I should start this entry off like every email or message over the past 10 months...these are challenging and confusing times. I’m sure we’ve all heard that in different contexts ad nauseum. Whether it’s genuine from friends and family or someone trying to sell you the latest and greatest air fryer to outfit your kitchen...challenging and confusing times. But for real, 2020 has been WILD, and no matter how many times we’ve heard the terms “challenging and confusing” -- it’s true. For gym owners, coaches, and athletes, I am pretty darn sure that we’ve been challenged and confused. So, from the bottom of my heart, I hope you all are doing well in these challenging and confusing times.
Know what else can be challenging and confusing? Fitness. But does it have to be? Or are we complicit in overcomplicating it for ourselves and for our athletes. Let’s chill for a little on making things so complicated, and let’s just simplify things. Because no matter who you are or what you do, I believe there are some simple rules that can guide your fitness journey. And it doesn’t need to be complicated. It might make us feel smart to make it complicated but that’s just our ego. There, I said it...fitness does not need to be part of the challenging and confusing matrix.
Simple may not be sexy, but you better believe it can be powerful and effective.
I came up with these “rules” in an effort to more easily answer the age-old athlete question...well, what do I need to do? I’m not impressed when someone starts rattling off jargon and buzzwords like ATP production, Kreb’s cycle, aerobic threshold, or heart rate variability. Not to say that stuff isn’t important but it’s not always relevant to the athlete. Coaches should have knowledge of these systems and processes but more importantly you should have an absolute command of the inputs in the equation (workouts, programming, effort, athlete mindset, etc) and the outputs (results, balancing work/rest, change over time, the journey). What happens in the middle is important insofar that it happens; however when you can see the inputs and you can see the outputs AND your athletes are happy...isn’t that all that really matters?
So...what’s it all mean? I think it means we need to become experts in helping clients understand how to navigate the journey. We need to know how to talk to athletes in terms they understand and with rules they can actually apply. We should feel confident in guiding athletes toward simple rules to follow and not necessarily opt for the big words. Get real with your athletes and help them understand that there is a way to think about fitness in a way that doesn’t feel overwhelming. And be honest...simple doesn’t mean easy, your success is dependent upon your consistency and commitment. So, what should I do coach? Well, let’s discuss 10 simple rules to help you out...