The masses train them for today. I’m intentionally focused on tomorrow.
“For most, the primary objective of training youth athletes is to improve sport performance.
While this is an objective of mine, too, it’s not the primary one.
My primary objective is to build confidence, discipline, and a lifelong positive association with strength and fitness.”
-Ray Zingler on Twitter
Why am I doing this?
Is it because I care about their squat maxes or 40-yard dash times? Not in the slightest.
While obviously I do care about tangibly improving their performance right now, seeing the metrics like the ones mentioned above account for less than 10% of my why.
To be honest with you, helping an athlete improve on spreadsheets really isn’t that hard when you have the education and experience under your belt.
The reason I do what I do is because I am very self-aware and recognize that my impact in the weight room and on the field can dramatically impact the course of a kid’s life.
If I know this to be true and I pour all of my focus into adding 5 pounds to their bench max or 10 pounds to their squat, I will have missed the whole point.
I will have missed out on the opportunity to leverage the lessons that are learned inside the walls of training that can then be taken outside of them and applied to the real world in life beyond training and sport.
Bill deadlifts 375 pounds one week and then 405 pounds a few weeks later. He sees a 30-pound PR. I see improved confidence within himself. Can that improved confidence help him in a job interview later in life? You’re damn right.
Sarah didn’t really feel like coming to training today because she was busy with 100 other things going on, but she still showed up and did the work. She might view this as just “accomplishing another task.” I’m watching her develop resilience and discipline that will transfer into her life as a young adult and eventually a spouse, mother, and a working professional.
Then you have Eric, Eric comes from a background where fitness isn’t a part of his family’s lifestyle, but he learns in Health class at school that a sedentary lifestyle can lead to obesity and health complications later in life. He starts to feel that truth as he looks back at his family history. Eric gets in the gym with us. What if through encouragement and affirmation we help Eric develop a lifelong positive association with health & fitness. What if he passes that onto his kids? That’s generational influence.
That’s why I do it.
That’s why I’ll always do it.
