Wednesday 27 April 2016

Stop Treating Your Gym Training Like Home Improvements.... Quit DIY And Ask For Help



If you find that you don't have the time or even the knowledge to get what you want to get done, ask someone for help - an expert - someone you trust, its what they're there for.

Ive been working as a strength and conditioning coach since 2012 and since then I have continually learnt more and more. I have many people who I look up to as experts in my field; these include my university lecturer, Ian Jeffreys, my first boss, Nick Ward, my current boss, Spencer Brown, as well as some top American strength coaches, Mike Boyle, Dan John, and Eric Cressey, and FMS (functional movement screen) co-creator Gray Cooke. Each of these has provided me with great insight into how to train an athlete, each with their own philosophies. Thanks to all of these mentors, I am a better coach. Having this wealth of resources has been fantastic to me as a coach. However, as an athlete myself, and some who's looking to keep on training, it hasn't been fantastic at all.

Needless to say I have allowed my own training to fall to the wayside...

Running a business and making sure I can pay my bills each month has made it very hard to focus on me. This as well as having so much information available to me to create the perfect training programme for my needs, has meant I have literally got nowhere. I write myself the perfect programme to follow and within a week, Ive changed it beyond recognition and/or Ive overloaded it with too much for me to do, Im cramming in too much (yes even though I know better, Im guilty of trying to do too much in one training session).

Sometimes when we have so many responsibilities in life to deal with, work, paying bills, looking after children etc... other areas of our life that are, maybe, lower down on our list of importance, fall to the way side. These things include, but are not limited to, our nutritional needs and how we train and whether either of these factors is helping towards your long term health and fitness goals/needs.

Something that has taken me a long time to realise, or admit to myself is...

Something that has taken me a long time to realise, or admit to myself is, I shouldnt be afraid to ask for help. I believed I had to do it all myself, after all I am an expert in this stuff. The truth is I need someone to take on the responsibility of managing my training for me, someone to plan and outline how my training will pan out over the coming months. Doing this has already freed up so much mental energy for me, all I do now is make sure I have an hour free each day and follow the programme, and if anyone asks why Im doing something, I just say because coach said so. This is extremely liberating. Now I have delegated responsibility for my training to a trusted expert my stress levels have dropped and I know I will get where I need to get to.

If you find that you just don't have the time or even the knowledge to get what you want to get done, ask someone for help - an expert - someone you trust.it's what they're there for. You immediately feel a weight lifted off your shoulders, and maybe, you'll finally reach your goals.

All The Best, Paul