Pro Athletes have Pro S&C Coaches, but our teenagers can do it on their own?
“A Strength & Conditioning program is more than exercises, sets, & reps.
That’s actually the easy part.
The art is found in the accountability, cutting learning curves, safety, adjustments, & making it fun.
This is why it is critical for our youth to have sound S&C Coaches.”
-Ray Zingler on X
I’ve really been obsessed with training since I was 12 years old.
It’s a construct I’ve been participating, learning, and growing in weekly, for the last 21 years now.
Even as a young guy, I knew there was an art to it and a lot to learn so I committed very heavily to this learning thing.
Not only would I spend a ton of time training 14-18 years old (usually 2, sometimes 3 sessions per day. I was so obsessed with training I increased my calories so high for no other reason than to “create fuel” just so I could train more.) I would spend an immense amount of time trying to learn.
I committed to, for many years, an “article a day” these came from either elitefts, Joe D, bodybuilding.com, the magazines, you name it.
And while I recognize not all of the articles I read were “the best”, there were probably at least a few that carried some real value.
It’s safe to say that training was a top priority in my life, and as much as I hate to say it, there were times when I prioritized training over my family, friends, and faith. It was the lord of my life when I was younger.
As you can probably assume I was not your average teenager. Who chooses squats on a Friday night over hanging out with their friends? I did.
Despite making a ton of progress during my trial, err, and learn phase, when I look back on my younger years, I laugh about how much I truly didn’t know. Even with the immense amount of time I had invested into it, and passion and vigor for training like no other, I still didn’t know what I didn’t know.
Fast forward to our kids today.
They are living in high pressure environments, with year-round sports, and screens in front of their faces all day, feeding them false information.
Do you think “going to the gym” and “doing that work out” is best for the kid who is short on time and doesn’t know what he doesn’t know?
Of course not.
Our kids DESPERATLEY need real coaches in the weight room for a variety of reasons.
Hire a coach, today. It will provide an ROI like nothing else.
