Mindless Masochists Need Not Apply

"So, are you just killing that big kid?" Grin. Hehehe....

Someone asked me that the other day, as PB&J was getting ready to train. I am not the dominatrix type; nor do I just prescribe exercise for punishment. I don't derive any pleasure from making people suffer. I do find it gratifying to help people succeed, whether it is getting that first good push up or making a college team.

I motivate people to work hard and do things correctly because I earn their trust and I get them to invest in themselves; on a physical and intellectual level. I let them know why we are doing what we are doing, and how it will impact their performance goals. I document daily/weekly successes and give them positive feedback. They start to get it. I don't have to intimidate or call anyone derogatory names to get them to work hard. I don't yell. Mindless masochists need not apply for my assistance.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Tracy, Come on...I've seen you walk in with whips and chains!!! haha. I get comments like that alot. They see my clients working hard and they have no idea what we are doing. I try to find a blend of calm instruction and encouragement through tougher workouts. I agree that teaching instead of just training is so much more and feedback is so important. You do a great job with the big man.
8:53 PM
Fitness Insights said…
Hey Tracy - just wanted to say good for you - it is obvious you take this very seriously but even more obvious that you care enough to be focused on people more than their pb's - kudos to you sister!

Jamie Atlas
Author: Fitness Insights
11:54 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Form and Function

Image
Way back in 2002, I scanned these images by Howard Schatz from Sports Illustrated (October 14, 2002). A fascinating array of elite female athlete physiques, heights and weights, eh? These are some of the women featured in his book Athlete --a very cool pictorial essay that celebrates athletic form and function.
Read more

It's About Preparing People, not Preventing Injuries

ACL injuries do not happen in a void. People sustain injuries when their infrastructure is unable to manage a specific set of physical circumstances. To describe the mechanism of the injury without the context of the person and their level/type of sport, is to miss valuable insight. In sport, we prepare the person, to the best of our understanding, to meet the physical demands of that sport. We do not just work to prevent one particular injury; we prepare athletes to navigate the total sport physical environment. By "we" I mean the coaching and support staff -- specifically the athletic development staff.  Athletic development (AD) coaches prepare athletes through the development of physical literacy and movement competencies via movement progressions. It is more than strength, power, agility; it is the acquisition of knowledge, skills, abilities and behaviors to manage themselves within the entire sporting environment. At the higher levels of sport, AD coaches coordinate wit
Read more

The 411 on Back Angles and Torque When Squatting

The angle of the torso, when squatting, is not a function of whether or not the bar is high or low on the back. The angle of the torso (and thus torque on the spine) is primarily determined by the angle of the shin, a.k.a how much the ankle dorsiflexes. AND IN MY BOOK, THIS IS THE KEY TO BEST BACK TRAINING PRACTICES. GET IT??? MAKE YOUR QUADS, HAMS AND GLUTES DO THE WORK. If your shin is perpendicular to the floor, then your torso will incline forward to keep the CoM over your BoS, regardless of how low the bar is on your back. And your back will be forced to handle higher torque. A good, general rule of thumb, IMHO, is to keep the shins and the torso parallel, from an inclination standpoint. This could change with femur/torso length issues (tight adductors and hips in general can cause issues too), but this method is pretty good to help someone figure out whether or not they have decent ankle flexibility when squatting. And this will minimize torque on the back, as we will d
Read more