Goals before Methods

Eric Cressey wrote a great post about putting your client's goals ahead of your methods - you can read it here. Emotional Detachment for Training Success

He makes a great point - you want to be emotionally attached to your client's goals, not the route to the client's goals. Not your goals, either - if your goal is maximum fat loss but your client only cares about weight on the bar, your goal doesn't matter. You need to train around what the client needs.

In fact, you can (and probably should) build your operation around your client's goals, not your methods. If you had to either fire a client or let them do something you don't normally do (say, avoid squatting, or do slow cardio, or do sit-ups) that fits their likes and goals, which would you choose? As a trainer, I feel the answer must be "let them do it." It's about them. If it's something that, as a trainer, you just can't do well, then speak to them and see if they want to adapt to what you can provide or change trainers.

For a trainee, this is equally important advice:

Marry yourself to your goals, not your methods.

If you like, say, lifting heavy weights or running sprints or doing slow cardio, that is great. Do it when it makes sense for your goals and enjoy it. But don't do it when it doesn't meet your goals.

If your goal is to just enjoy the workout, then choosing what you like to do is fine. It's the journey not the destination, so choose the journey you like. But if it's about the destination, pick the route that gets you there, not the way you most like to travel.

What kind of Training Partner Are You?

I commonly run into a couple kinds of training partners, in the gym and especially in martial arts. They are "the competitor" and "the teammate."

The competitors are the partners who go hard and try to win at sparring. They want to get in more reps than you and lift heavier than you. They are driven to succeed and outdo. They want to chase you if you're ahead and stay in the lead if they're in front.

The teammaters are the partners who try to go as hard as you need them to. They'll try to train at your level and within your needs. They're much less driven to outdo, and see success by either you or themselves as success by both. They'll encourage you when you need help.

Both are very useful training partners - but they aren't always the one you need at a specific moment. Sometimes you need someone who'll drive you and sometimes you need someone who'll support you. Sometimes you need someone who'll smoke you at every lift to drive you to work harder. Sometimes you need someone who'll encourage your successes or pitch in to help you get where you need to go even if they aren't up to your level.

Prowler Sale

My favorite piece of equipment, the Prowler, is on sale for a short time at EliteFTS.

I highly recommend the EconoProwler. A lot less expensive, and no less effective.

Here is the link:

Sleds & Prowlers

If you need to know what to use a Prowler for:

Prowler-Only Workout
The Thomas Finisher
Slow Prowler Pushes
Prowler EDT