Those of us that work in the fitness industry know that training can easily become the most important part of your life. Whether it’s training your body, mind or whatever. We work in the gym, train in the gym, sometimes even eat in the gym. When not in the gym, we spend our time talking about training, preparing for training. I definitely do what I do because I love it, but it’s easy to become side tracked with training and forget to learn and explore other things that can help you become a better coach, intern, business man, whatever it is that you strive to be better at. The lessons learnt through sports are so valuable and can be applied to so many other endeavours.
One of the biggest things I have learnt from my time here has been the importance of leadership. Leadership can be applied to so many different situations and that’s why it is so important. If you want a raise in the office, you’ve got to show your boss that you’ve got what it takes to mange the new responsibilities that come with that pay rise. That will take some degree of leadership, whether it’s of your team or of your yourself.
Last week the tennis players had their first session in the weight room. Having seen Brian everyday for 3 weeks now I’ve had the chance to see how he manages his different teams and how he manages his role as a leader. Having been with women’s basketball the longest Brian has established a relationship with the seniors on the team and is really pushing for them to become the best role models they can be. We had a meeting with a couple of the older players on the team, all about leadership. How could they be seen as a leader by the rest of their team mates? We spoke about the different types of leadership. Shouting in someone’s face to finish their reps isn’t leadership. If you can build a relationship with athletes on your team, you can establish who you think would make a good leader. Time invested into developing these people is paramount for the success of the team. After all, the team is going to listen to their team mates, more than they are going to listen to you. It also means that the team is able to develop and grow as a unit when you’re not even there. You have the players doing the work for you.
Motivation and discipline are also huge components of college sports here at USF. As a smaller university and not having a football team the community at USF is very close knit. That’s great as everyone can come together to motivate a team, everyone knows what’s going on between departments and within athletics. The athletic trainers, strength coaches, sports coaches and nutritionist all work very closely together. With everyone working so closely it also means that accountability is instilled easily and the pressure is on to be prepared at all times and throughout everything you do.
Something I try a do whenever I have a new opportunity, take a new test or exam is to think about how it will benefit me in the future. I’m always trying to think ahead to what my future-self would think. So, when I heard about the opportunity to head out to SF I just thought about where I wanted to be in 3 years. What would I think in 3 years' time if I don’t go to SF, would I really be able to achieve everything I want to achieve if I had never worked in the USA before; probably not. The point is I’m always trying to think ahead, trying to give myself deadlines. In America most things are organized into quarters, 90 days where you have a goal, and by the 90th day, if you haven’t achieved what you set out to do, you need to backpedal and re-evaluate where you went wrong.
If you don’t have a goal to aim for, how do you expect to score, you’re wasting your time shooting for something that isn’t there. So I find it really helps me to focus if I have something to aim at and work towards. Brian has been programming for a long time, so it’s something he no longer needs to worry about. His new focus is leadership and motivation. Taking more of a managerial role and letting others correct form and deliver workouts. The same way a boss acts as the ‘figure head’ of the company, and they employ people to work in the office. So it’s given me a different perspective on strength and conditioning and just how many doors it can open up later on. I love coaching and programming, but it made me realise there are so many other roles available; , that’s really important for me wanting to one day own a business.
So to summarise, this week was all about lessons outside of the gym. Leadership, discipline, motivation. This week was about me looking forward to what I want to achieve within the next few years. Like I said last week, 3 years ago I wouldn’t have imagined that after my first year at university I would be going to San Francisco on a strength and conditioning internship. However, I didn’t doubt it would happen, and therein lies the difference. It was something I had set my mind on 100% and I wasn’t going to stop till I achieved it. I just didn’t know it was going to happen this quickly.
Whenever I tell people I’m 20 years old, the normal response is “oh, you look much older”. Maybe I have a mature face, but maybe some of it is down to where I am at this age. I’m am very fortunate to have been presented with all the opportunities that have gotten me to where I am today. Without the help and support of so many people around me I would not have been able to come to San Francisco. It’s amazing how much I have learnt in the last few weeks and such a shame it is almost over!
Something I try a do whenever I have a new opportunity, take a new test or exam is to think about how it will benefit me in the future. I’m always trying to think ahead to what my future-self would think. So, when I heard about the opportunity to head out to SF I just thought about where I wanted to be in 3 years. What would I think in 3 years' time if I don’t go to SF, would I really be able to achieve everything I want to achieve if I had never worked in the USA before; probably not. The point is I’m always trying to think ahead, trying to give myself deadlines. In America most things are organized into quarters, 90 days where you have a goal, and by the 90th day, if you haven’t achieved what you set out to do, you need to backpedal and re-evaluate where you went wrong.
If you don’t have a goal to aim for, how do you expect to score, you’re wasting your time shooting for something that isn’t there. So I find it really helps me to focus if I have something to aim at and work towards. Brian has been programming for a long time, so it’s something he no longer needs to worry about. His new focus is leadership and motivation. Taking more of a managerial role and letting others correct form and deliver workouts. The same way a boss acts as the ‘figure head’ of the company, and they employ people to work in the office. So it’s given me a different perspective on strength and conditioning and just how many doors it can open up later on. I love coaching and programming, but it made me realise there are so many other roles available; , that’s really important for me wanting to one day own a business.
So to summarise, this week was all about lessons outside of the gym. Leadership, discipline, motivation. This week was about me looking forward to what I want to achieve within the next few years. Like I said last week, 3 years ago I wouldn’t have imagined that after my first year at university I would be going to San Francisco on a strength and conditioning internship. However, I didn’t doubt it would happen, and therein lies the difference. It was something I had set my mind on 100% and I wasn’t going to stop till I achieved it. I just didn’t know it was going to happen this quickly.
Whenever I tell people I’m 20 years old, the normal response is “oh, you look much older”. Maybe I have a mature face, but maybe some of it is down to where I am at this age. I’m am very fortunate to have been presented with all the opportunities that have gotten me to where I am today. Without the help and support of so many people around me I would not have been able to come to San Francisco. It’s amazing how much I have learnt in the last few weeks and such a shame it is almost over!
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