And it’s not even close.
“I was doing a private workout with one of my athletes the other day.
It was a great workout, but it was clear that the workout was the supplementary value that day.
It was the conversation and the connection that will likely have more compounding value than the deadlifts.”
-Ray Zingler on X
The biggest evolution I have made in my coaching business over the years has been placing an even bigger emphasis on the people side of training.
I recognize that anytime you emphasize any one aspect of a craft, it comes with a cost.
And in this case, the cost I pay for (heavily) prioritizing the people side of training is the lack of zeal or nuance placed upon the X’s & O’s side of training.
But I’ve learned over the years that this “cost” is not only affordable, it’s well worth it.
Not only do athletes benefit from simple training, but they also desperately need it, and they need far more than the razzle dazzle garbage you see littered all over social media.
And the beauty of this simple training, beyond the fact that it works extraordinarily well, is that it frees up a lot of coaching bandwidth to be dynamic where it matters most.
You guessed it.
The people side of training.
After this training session with this athlete, which consisted of: Sprints, Deadlifts, RDL’s, Rows, Shrugs, & Belt Squat Hinges (again, damn good work out) she sent me the following text:
“Hey, I just wanted to say thank you so much for working with me today. Your support means the world to me, really. It wasn’t just a workout, it was a good talk, too. It calmed me down for the next interview. Thank you!”
I sent her a text and just shot her straight.
I didn’t give a single flying fu*k about the work out that day.
I tried to use “training” for what I have always used it for and that is a vehicle to access, impact, and encourage young people.
I cared about the time spent and the connection that I knew would help her that day far more than her trap bar deadlifts (that she smoked).
What continues to affirm my “doubling down” on the people side of training is the feedback I get from former athletes who I constantly stay in contact with when their training time with me is finished.
Rarely do I get any, “Do you remember that work out!?” texts.
I get a whole hell of a lot of “real life stuff” that has nothing to do with barbells.
