It’s not how much you know, it’s how well you’re able to adapt (in real time).
“The value of a Strength Coach is not found in his ability to write a program.
It’s found in his ability to auto-regulate in real time, to make the necessary adjustments required to guide his athletes training sessions to success.
It’s not what you know.
It’s how you adapt (what you know).”
-Ray Zingler on Twitter
Anybody with gym shoes, sweats, and a spreadsheet thinks they can call themselves a strength coach.
However, let me tell you, as much as I love cranking up the music and getting after the kids in the ironworks, there is no easier part of my job than telling the kids what exercises to do, how many sets and reps to perform, and how much weight to use.
The real art of coaching, which will NEVER be able to be replaced by AI or a coach who lacks expertise only EARNED through experience is the ability to read in between the athlete’s lines, in real time.
I’m evaluating my kids all day, every day, even (especially) when it doesn’t look like it.
“How are they walking up to the gym? What’s their posture look like? Are they carrying themselves with their typical swagger?” I can answer these questions without them saying a single word and just about predict how their session will go and what adjustments I need to make.
“How are you feeling? Busy day at school? What’s going on?” This is the second level of assessment. Verbal feedback. I’m paying attention to not only what they say, but how they say it. Tone tells all.
Beyond our initial conversation, we get the training session started. I’m paying attention to how they are warming up. “How do there jumps look? Bouncy?” Or are they lacking their typical spring? “Are they running on the sprint mill or are they sprinting?” Again, I’m making mental notes here.
Finally, beyond the initial interactions/warm-up/explosive componentry of our training session, I can just about, with 100% accuracy tell EXACTLY how the session is going to go (or needs to go) based on how their first warm up set of their main lift goes.
It’s hard to explain (unless you’ve been there to assess for tens of thousands of hours) but I just know how that warm up set it supposed to look.
Now, less than 12 minutes into the athlete’s session, I am full of plethora of feedback that will help me guide that session to success.
This is why the human element will forever be the most valuable aspect of coaching.
There aint no app for (REAL) Auto-Regulation. That can only be purchased with a keen eye and time in the saddle.
