By Mike Boyle
Functional Strength Coach 4
originally printed on TMUSCLE
This year I’ll enter my twenty-fifth year as a strength and
conditioning coach. Last month I watched Barbara Walters celebrate her
thirtieth year with a special called “30 Mistakes in 30 Years.” I’m
going to celebrate my twenty-fifth anniversary by telling you my top
twenty-five mistakes. Hopefully I’ll save you some time, pain, and
injury. Experience is a wonderful but impatient teacher. And
unfortunately, our experiences in strength and conditioning sometimes
hurt people besides us.
Mistake #1: Knowing it all I love Oscar Wilde’s quote, “I’m much too
old to know everything.” Omniscience is reserved for the young. As the
old saying goes, you have one mouth and two ears for a reason. I’d take
it a step further and say the ratio is four to one: two eyes, two ears,
and one mouth.
To continue down the cliché road, how about this one: “It’s what you
learn after you know it all that counts.” When I was young I had many
answers and few questions. I knew the best way to do everything. Now
that I’m older I’m not sure if I even know a good way to do anything.
Mistake #2: Not taking interns sooner
I was so smart that no one was smart enough to help me. (See mistake
number one.) My productivity increased drastically when I began to take
interns.
Note: Interns aren’t janitors, laundry workers, or slaves. They’re
generally young people who look up to you and expect to learn. Take your
responsibility seriously. Remember the golden rule.
Mistake #3: Not visiting other coaches
God, it seems everything goes back to number one! I was too busy
running the perfect program to attempt to go learn from someone else.
Plus, when you know it all, how much can you learn?
Find the good coaches or trainers in your area (or in any area you
visit) and arrange to meet them or just watch them work. I often will
just sit with a notebook and try to see what they do better than I do.
I can remember current San Francisco 49′ers strength and conditioning
coach Johnny Parker allowing us to visit when he was with the New
England Patriots and then asking us questions about what we saw and what
we thought he could do better. Coach Parker is a humble man who always
provided a great example of the type of coach and person I wanted to be.
Mistake #4: Putting square pegs in round holes
The bottom line is that not everyone is made to squat or to clean. I
rarely squatted with my basketball players as many found squatting
uncomfortable for their backs and knees.
It killed me to stop because the squat is a lift I fundamentally
believed in, but athletes with long femurs will be poor squatters. It’s
physics. It took me a while to realize that a good lift isn’t good for
everybody.
Mistake #5: Not attending the United States Weightlifting Championships sooner
My only visit as a spectator to an Olympic lifting meet made me
realize that Olympic lifts produced great athletes. I know this will
piss off the powerlifters, but those Olympic lifters looked so much more
athletic.
I remember being at the Senior’s when they were held in Massachusetts
in the early eighties and walking away thinking, “This is what I want
my athletes to look like.” Understand, at that time I was a competitive
powerlifter and my programs reflected that.
Mistake #6: Being a strength coach
How can that be a mistake? Let’s look at the evolution of the job.
When I started, I was often referred to as the “weight coach.” As the
profession evolved, we became strength coaches, then strength and
conditioning coaches, and today many refer to themselves as “performance
enhancement specialists.”
All these names reflect the changes in our job. For too many years, I
was a strength coach. Eventually I realized that I knew more about
conditioning than the sport coaches did, so we took on that
responsibility. Later, I realized that I often knew more about movement
than the sport coaches too, so we began to teach movement skills. This
process took close to eighteen of my twenty-five years. I wish it had
been faster.
Mistake #7: Adding without subtracting
Over the years we’ve continued to add more and more CNS intensive
training techniques to our arsenal. Squatting, Olympic lifting,
sprinting, pulling sleds, and jumping all are (or can be) CNS intensive.
I think I do too much CNS intensive work, and intend to change that.
My thanks go out to Jason Ferrugia for pointing out this one.
Mistake #8: Listening to track coaches
Please don’t get me wrong. Some of the people who were most
influential in my professional development were track coaches. I learned
volumes from guys like Don Chu, Vern Gambetta, Charlie Francis, and
Brent McFarland.
However, it took me too long to realize that they coached people who
ran upright almost all the time and never had to stop or to change
direction. The old joke in track coaching is that it really comes down
to “run fast and lean left.”
Mistake #9: Not meeting Mark Verstegen sooner
Mark may be the most misunderstood guy in our field. He’s a great
coach and a better friend. About ten years ago a friend brought me a
magazine article about Mark Verstegen. The article demonstrated some
interesting drills that I’d never seen. I decided my next vacation would
be to Florida’s Gulf Coast as Mark was then in Bradenton, Florida.
I was lucky enough to know Darryl Eto, a genius in his own right, who
was a co-worker of Mark’s. In the small world category, Darryl’s
college coach was the legendary Don Chu.
Darryl arranged for me to observe some training sessions in
Bradenton. I sat fascinated for hours as I watched great young coaches
work. Mark was one of the first to break out of the track mold we were
all stuck in and teach lateral and multi-directional movement with the
same skill that the track coaches taught linear movement. This process
was a quantum leap for me and became a quantum leap for my athletes.
This was my step from strength and conditioning coach to performance
enhancement specialist (although I never refer to myself as the latter).
The key to this process was accepting the fact that Mark and his
co-workers were far ahead of me in this critical area.
Mistake #10: Copying plyometric programs
This goes back to the track coach thing. I believe I injured a few
athletes in my career by simply taking what I was told and attempting to
do it with my athletes. I’ve since learned to filter information
better, but the way I learned was through trial and error… and the error
probably resulted in sore knees or sore backs for my athletes.
Track jumpers are unique and clearly are involved in track and field
because they’re suited for it. What’s good for a long jumper is probably
not good for a football lineman. It took me too long to realize this.
Mistake #11: Copying any programs
Luckily for me, I rarely copied strength programs when training my
athletes. This mistake might be beyond the statute of limitations as it
was more than twenty-five years ago.
I think copying the training programs of great powerlifters like
George Frenn and Roger Estep left me with the sore back and bad
shoulders I’ve carried around for the last twenty-five years. What works
for the genetically gifted probably won’t work for the genetically
average.
Mistake #12: Not teaching my athletes to snatch sooner
We’ve done snatches for probably the last seven or eight years. The
snatch is a great lift that’s easier to learn than the clean and has
greater athletic carryover. Take the time to try it and study it. You’ll
thank me.
Mistake #13: Starting to teach snatches with a snatch grip
When I realized that snatches would be a great lift for my athletes I
began to implement them into my programs. Within a week some athletes
complained of shoulder pain. In two weeks, so many complained that I
took snatches out of the program. It wasn’t until I revisited the snatch
with a clean grip that I truly began to see the benefits.
Just remember, the only reason Olympic lifters use a wide snatch grip
is so that they can reduce the distance the bar travels and as a result
lift more weight. Close-grip snatches markedly decrease the external
rotation component and also increase the distance traveled. The result
is a better lift, but less weight.
Mistake #14: Confusing disagree with dislike
I think it’s great to disagree. The field would be boring if we all
agreed. What I realize now is that I’ve met very few people in this
field I don’t like and many I disagree with. I probably enjoy life more
now that I don’t feel compelled to ignore those who don’t agree with me.
Mistake #15: Confusing reading with believing
This concept came to me by way of strength coach Martin Rooney. It’s
great to read. We just need to remember that in spite of the best
efforts of editors, what we read may not always be true.
If the book is more than two years old, there’s a good chance even
the author no longer agrees with all the information in it. Read often,
but read analytically.
Mistake #16: Listening to paid experts
Early on, many of us were duped by the people from companies like
Cybex or Nautilus. Their experts proclaimed their systems to be the
future, but now the cam and isokinetics are the past. Just as in any
other field, people will say things for money.
Mistake #17: Not attending one seminar per year just as a participant
I speak approximately twenty times a year. Most times I stay and
listen to the other speakers. If you don’t do continuing education,
start. If you work in the continuing education field, go to at least one
seminar given by an expert in your field as a participant.
(Note: Mistakes 18-25 are more personal than professional, but keep reading!)
Mistake #18: Not taking enough vacation time
When I first worked at Boston University we were allowed two weeks
paid vacation. For the first ten years I never took more than one.
Usually I took off the week between Christmas and New Years. This is
an expensive week to vacation, but it meant that I’d miss the least
number of workouts since most of my athletes were home at this time. I
think the first time I took a week off in the summer was about four
years ago. My rationale? Summer is peak training time. Can’t miss one of
those weeks.
I think there’s a thin line between dedication and stupidity, and I
often crossed it. I think in my early years I was more disappointed that
the whole program hadn’t collapsed during any of my brief absences. I
felt less valuable when I returned from a seminar and realized that
everything had gone great.
Stephen Covey refers to it as “sharpening the saw.” Take the time to vacation. You’ll be better for it.
Mistake #19: Neglecting your own health
This is an embarrassing story, but this article is all about helping
others to not repeat my errors. Every year in February I’d find myself
in the doctor’s office with a different complaint: gastro-intestinal
problems, headaches, flu-type illnesses, etc. I had a wonderful general
practitioner who took a great interest in his patients. His response
year after year was the same: slow down. You can’t work 60-80 hours a
week and be healthy.
Like a fool I yessed him to death and went back to my schedule. After
about the fifth year of this process my doctor said, “I need to refer
you to a specialist who can help you with this problem” and he handed me
a card. I was expecting an allergist or perhaps some type of holistic
stress expert. Instead I found myself holding a card for a psychiatrist.
My doctor’s response was simple. I can’t help you. You need to figure
out why you continue to do this to yourself year in and year out. I
went outside and called my wife. I told her it was a “good news-bad
news” scenario. I wasn’t seriously ill, but I might be crazy.
Unfortunately, she already knew this.
Mistake #20: Not recognizing stress
Again I remember talking to a nurse who was treating me for a
gastrointestinal problem. I seemed to have chronic heartburn. Her first
question was, “Are you under any stress?” My response was the usual. Me?
Stress? I have the greatest job in the world. I love going to work
every day!
Do you know what her response was? She said, “Remember, stress isn’t
always negative.” It was the first time I’d really thought about that.
My job was stressful. Long days, weekend travel, too many late nights
celebrating victories or drowning sorrows. A part-time job to make extra
money meant working at a bar on Friday and Saturday until 2 AM, and
that was often followed by drinks until 4 AM.
Sounds like fun, but it added up to stress. The lesson: stress doesn’t have to be negative. Stress can just be from volume.
Mistake #21: Not having kids sooner
As a typical type-A asshole know-it-all, I was way too busy to be
bothered with kids. They would simply be little people who got in the
way of my plans to change the world of strength and conditioning. I
regret that I probably won’t live to 100. If I did I’d get to spend
another 53 years with my kids.
Mistake #22: Neglecting my wife
See above. It wasn’t until I had children that I truly realized how
my obsession with work caused me to neglect my wife. I have often
apologized to her, but probably not often enough.
Mistake #23: Not taking naps
Do you see the pattern here? Whether we’re personal trainers or
strength and conditioning coaches, the badge of honor is often lack of
sleep. How often have you heard someone say, “I only need five hours a
night!”
In the last few years I’ve tried to take a nap every day I’m able. As
we age we sleep less at night and get up earlier. I’m not sure if this
is a good thing. I know when I’m well-rested I’m a better husband and
father than when I’m exhausted at the end of a day that might have begun
at 4:45 AM.
There’s no shame in sleep, although I think many would try to make us believe there is.
Mistake #24: Not giving enough to charity
Most of us are lucky. Try to think of those who have less than you.
I’m not a religious person, but I’ve been blessed with a great life. I
try every day to “pay it forward.” If you haven’t seen the movie, rent
it. The more you give, the more you get.
Mistake #25: Reading an article like this and thinking it doesn’t apply to you
Trust me, denial is our biggest problem.
P.S. – Mike Boyle is releasing his new program, Functional Strength
Coach 4 on Tuesday, April 24th. Functional Strength Coach 4 is Coach
Boyle’s most up to date system cultivated from over 30 years of coaching
everyone from general fitness clients to athletes ranging from junior
high to All Stars in almost every major sport, that will guide you to
better results with your athletes and clients.
Click here to be the
first to know about the all new
Functional Strength Coach 4!
