Strength

Key takeaway: Effort and adherence to the program are key factors in making an athlete coachable.

What makes an athlete coachable? I think that number one is that that athlete has to put in the appropriate effort for for what is required. So if you're looking at certain metrics, whether it's wattage or, or whether it's a percentage of 1rm in the gym, you know, having that athlete, come to this session 100%, ready to put in the effort. That's required. You know, if they're not putting in the effort that you need that you need. Need to see them improve. Then that athlete becomes a little bit less coachable because I'm not actually listening listening to you. The second thing is is following the plan and following the program, alright, if you use training Peaks or any other kind of diary, keeping for that athlete, you know, if you see that athletes, not not following what you're right out, and you put a lot of time into writing that that plan for the athlete, that athlete, then becomes less coachable and you're not actually coaching them because they're not listening to what you're doing. So I think those are two to Maine. Main main aspects of an athlete to make them coachable.

An athlete needs to put in the appropriate effort and follow the plan/program in order to be considered coachable.

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What makes an athlete coachable? The first important aspect is the athlete's willingness to put in the necessary effort. Whether it's meeting specific metrics like wattage or percentages of 1RM in the gym, the athlete should come to each session fully prepared to give 100% effort. If they don't put in the required effort, it becomes challenging to coach them effectively.

The second crucial factor is the athlete's ability to follow the plan and program outlined by the coach. If the coach provides a training plan through platforms like Training Peaks or any other diary-keeping method, it's essential for the athlete to adhere to it. When an athlete consistently fails to follow the prescribed plan, it hinders the coaching process as they are not fully receptive to the guidance provided.

In summary, an athlete's coachability is determined by their commitment to putting in the necessary effort and their willingness to follow the coach's plan and program.

Do you believe in the maxim 'hard work beats talent, unless talent works hard, and if so, what's your secret to motivating the talented?

Unleashing the Talented: A Trainer's Secret to Motivation

Yes, I do believe in hard. Work beats Talent. Unless Talent works hard. What's my secret demotivating? The tell The Talented, you know, The Talented are very lucky because things come easy to them. And they're, you know, I generally really good at something, something right away. But you notice, I have an example of one athlete that I trained and she was extremely, extremely talented, and she was young at the time and just wasn't wasn't giving giving it. All she had in the gym. Do I saw that? She had more? I saw that she had, she had, she had more to give but it just, it just just wasn't there. So, you know, as a trainer. I was getting a little bit fresher and like that. I know this person has more, I know she has more. So, one day I took her into the office and I sat down with her and her mom actually and just, just, just kind of laid it out. I said, you know, listen whatever way, there's a long time ago, I was like, you know, I need more from you, you know, I need anybody. See that you have a lot of talent and I just had it basically like a really good one-on-one down-to-earth and it wasn't meant to turn out this way but it is struck a chord and I've never made an athlete cried before but that was that that happened and from that day on I somehow struck some cord from that day on. There was no looking back and she'd completely turned her mind shift and now she's a multi Olympic medalist and is going on for her third, third. Olympic appearance. So, everybody's different. You're all, you really have to, you know, read your athlete really well to experiment to see what that athlete needs. Because I went through a series of, you know, I'm gonna call them failures to, to try to motivate her in further. And that's what it took for that particular athlete. So, everyone's different and, and, and good luck.

I believe that hard work beats Talented. As a trainer, I had an extremely talented athlete who was not giving it her all and I needed to motivate her. After sitting down with her and her mom, I struck a chord with her and she completely changed her mindset and is now a multi-Olympic medalist. Everyone is different and you have to read your athletes well to figure out what motivates them.

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Yes, I do believe in the maxim hard work beats talent, unless talent works hard. When it comes to motivating the talented, my secret lies in recognizing their potential and pushing them to give their all. Talented individuals often have things come easily to them, and they may excel right away. However, I've encountered cases where a highly talented athlete wasn't fully utilizing their abilities.

I remember one athlete I trained who had immense talent but wasn't putting in the effort in the gym. I knew she had more to give, so I had a one-on-one conversation with her and her mother. I expressed that I believed in her talent but needed to see more dedication. It wasn't intended to make her cry, but it struck a chord with her. From that day on, she completely shifted her mindset and went on to become a multi-Olympic medalist, currently preparing for her third Olympic appearance.

Motivating the talented requires understanding each individual athlete and experimenting with different approaches. In this particular case, a heartfelt conversation was what it took. However, every person is different, and it's essential to read and connect with athletes to find the right approach for them. It may take some trial and error, but with perseverance, you can find what motivates each talented individual.

Are amateur or professional athletes more challenging to work with?

Pro athletes: The unique challenges of working with the best.

Hi, Michael. If I were to pick one out of both of them, I they're both, you know, everybody is challenging to work with on a certain level, but if I were to pick one, it would probably be professional athletes. And the reason why is because, you know, oftentimes they would come back during season or post season and they come back broken or overtrained or injuries. And with with, with fatigue and injuries sometimes come compensations movement patterns, and, and or pain that they're trying to work through. So, you know, with with professional athletes, often times we're holding the reins back and kind of clear, you know, cleaning up cobwebs. So I say, you know, with with with with, with issues that they've had, during the season. So with that pot become becomes a process of sometimes. Relearning movement patterns and we, you know, kind of reteaching, the body. How did, how to move efficiently? Whereas the amateur athlete, he kind of started. Off from a fresh fresh slate. And that's not all not always, but sometimes a fresh slate and you can, you know, ingrain proper movement patterns and techniques much more easily. So, in the short of it, I think a professional athlete is probably more challenging to work with.

If I had to pick one, I would say professional athletes are more challenging to work with because they often come back with fatigue and injuries that need to be addressed. Amateur athletes may have a clean slate to start with and make it easier to ingrain proper movement patterns.

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If I had to choose between amateur and professional athletes, I would say that professional athletes are generally more challenging to work with. This is because they often come back during or after the season with injuries, fatigue, and overtraining. These issues can lead to compensations in movement patterns and pain that they need to address. With professional athletes, we often have to hold them back and help them recover, relearn movement patterns, and teach their bodies how to move efficiently again. On the other hand, amateur athletes usually start with a clean slate, making it easier to ingrain proper movement patterns and techniques. In summary, while both groups present their own challenges, professional athletes tend to require more attention and effort.

In what ways do you help an athlete to adopt new behaviors?

Unlocking Behavior Change: Tailoring Strategies for Athletes

Haley. I love this. This could be a really great discussion coming up and what ways do you help an athlete or all and or client adopt new behaviors. You know, and working with so many people as yourself. Everybody is so different in how they respond to change and how they're willing to track that change. So, you know, for example, some of the clients I work with our aging or the older client and they aren't so Adept at With technology. So they're not into the apps and training, Peaks and etc, etc. And logging logging new behaviors via technology. So sometimes I set up a Google sheet for some of my clients with a spoken or a conversation on what categories. They want to track in the new behaviors. Maybe they want to drink more water. Maybe they want to drink less. Maybe they want to eat healthy. So some basic things. Yes. Or no. Could Be as simple as that and then you track them or connect with them every week. So pencil and paper is another option. So Google Sheets, I use pencil and paper, I would just print out an Excel or Google sheet for them and they check it off or ask or, you know, say, for example a 1125 hey I was really good five or wasn't so good one, so pencil and paper and then also tracking in specific apps like training Peaks or whatever. Other app is out there. R. So it really is a discussion I think and you getting to know your client and and feeding off of how they feel that they are best to be accountable to adopting a new Behavior because I think adopting new behaviors takes accountability and that accountability can be with your with with us the coach to help them progress towards their goals. Let's talk about this.

In order to help an athlete or client adopt new behaviors, it is important to have a discussion and get to know the client. Depending on their level of comfort with technology, there are various methods that can be used to track progress such as Google Sheets, pencil and paper, or apps like Training Peaks. Accountability is key when adopting new behaviors, and the coach can help the client progress towards their goals.

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When helping an athlete or client adopt new behaviors, it's important to recognize that everyone responds differently to change and has varying preferences for tracking progress. For instance, some clients may not be tech-savvy or comfortable with using apps and technology for behavior tracking.

In such cases, I often set up a Google sheet or provide a printed Excel sheet for them to track their desired categories of new behaviors. This could include simple actions like drinking more water or eating healthier, with options to mark yes or no for each day. We then connect on a weekly basis to review their progress and discuss any challenges or successes.

Alternatively, using pencil and paper can be an effective method for tracking behaviors. I would provide a printed sheet for clients to check off or make notes about their progress.

For those who are more inclined to use technology, specific apps like Training Peaks or other tracking apps can be utilized.

Ultimately, the approach to helping clients adopt new behaviors is a collaborative discussion. It's important to understand their preferences and find the best method for them to be accountable and make progress towards their goals. Accountability plays a crucial role in successfully adopting new behaviors, and as a coach, I strive to support clients in their journey.

What’s the most impressive thing you’ve seen from an athlete during a session?

Unbelievable Transformation: Athlete Overcomes Injury and Fear to Achieve 26-Inch Box Jump

This is a really fun question. What is the most impressive thing? You've seen from an athlete during a session? You know, I've worked with world champions of work with Olympians word, with the mom and the pause. I've worked with the Aging athlete. You know, there have been many, many great things. But this one, one thing stands out in my mind and this woman comes to me and she's in her late 40s, early 50s, and with ankle, ankle history. And she says I just just thought, you know, I can't jump and from injury and fear excetera from injury and she couldn't she didn't even want to jump onto a squat squat platform. And so anyways, after a year and a bit, she is now jumping a 26 inch box jump and she did this in a group session and it was the look on her face. I still get goosebumps her joy and her satisfaction and her confidence level, which is boosted right through the roof. So that was, you know, see a lot of impressive Olympic events and Olympic victories from athletes. But this was one not to remember, not to forget, I should say.

The most impressive thing I've seen an athlete do during a session was a woman in her late 40s or early 50s with ankle issues who, after a year and a bit of work, was able to jump a 26 inch box jump in a group session. The joy and confidence on her face was inspiring and something that I will never forget.

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One of the most impressive things I've witnessed from an athlete during a session stands out in my mind. I had the opportunity to work with a woman in her late 40s or early 50s who had a history of ankle injuries. She initially believed she couldn't jump due to her past injuries and fear. She was even hesitant to jump onto a squat platform.

However, after about a year of training, she accomplished something incredible. In a group session, she successfully completed a 26-inch box jump. The look on her face was unforgettable. Her joy, satisfaction, and newfound confidence were evident and inspiring. It was a remarkable achievement that boosted her confidence to new heights.

While I've witnessed impressive feats from world champions and Olympians, this particular moment with the woman overcoming her fears and achieving such a significant milestone is one that will always stay with me.

Do you teach Olympic weightlifting to athletes in other sports? Why or why not?

Unlocking the Power: Olympic Lifting Benefits Athletes in Varied Sports

Do I teach Olympic lifting to athletes in other sports? Why, or why not? I definitely do teach Olympic lifting to a lot of different sports. It depends on this board, but even for I'm going to give an example of triathletes. Okay? I love Olympic lifting for triathletes when, you know, if they had the opportunity to learn, learn the movement and build up to, to do the movement proficiently. Why number one Olympic lifting can get get you into A nice extension. It's a compound to compound exercise. So we're moving working more than one more than one muscle group, but I think that the the load acceptance for Olympic lipid lifting is really important for triathletes for, and for running, okay? So you know, your body's ability to accept that load and eccentric Lee essentially control control control, the absorption of for. So if that person has enough time to work and to learn how to do, On the people of properly, I think it's a great exercise to include in a number of different athletes training programs, anywhere from soccer, to baseball to, to endure an Endurance. Sports even, even, even, even for cyclists, I use Olympic lifting,

Yes, I do teach Olympic lifting to athletes in other sports. It is a great exercise to include in their training programs because it works multiple muscle groups and helps with load acceptance and control.

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Do I teach Olympic weightlifting to athletes in other sports? Why or why not? Absolutely, I do teach Olympic weightlifting to athletes in various sports. Let's take triathletes as an example. I believe Olympic weightlifting can be highly beneficial for triathletes if they have the opportunity to learn and master the movements.

There are a few reasons why Olympic weightlifting can be advantageous. Firstly, it promotes good extension and engages multiple muscle groups as it is a compound exercise. Secondly, the ability to accept and control load is crucial for triathletes, especially in running. Olympic weightlifting helps develop this load acceptance and eccentric control, which can enhance performance.

Given enough time for proper learning and technique development, I believe Olympic weightlifting can be a valuable addition to the training programs of athletes in various sports, including soccer, baseball, endurance sports, and even cycling.

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Gina Grain answers your Strength questions. See all the advice Gina Grain has and get answers to your own Strength questions.

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Gina Grain is a Canadian Strength & Conditioning coach and a retired professional road and track cyclist. She won a silver medal in the women's scratch at the 2006 UCI Track Cycling World Championships and later represented Canada at the 2008 Summer Olympics. Throughout her career she raced with U.S. and Canadian teams and Hong Kong's Giant Pro Cycling. She earned a number of titles, including the U.S. Pro Tour Championships and the Canadian Championships in Saint-Georges, Quebec. She also scored stage triumphs at the Grand Montreal Cycling Tour, Tour de Gastown, and Tour of the Gila. After retiring in 2010, she focused on her kinesiology career. Gina has her masters in Exercise Science. Gina volunteers with various soccer clubs around Vancouver including the Phoenix Women’s Soccer Team helping with pre-game physical preparation and post-game recovery. 