Want to Be a Strength Coach? Read This First.

[anthonymychal]

Is the Strength and Conditioning profession is in your destiny? Think wisely. I didn’t. That’s why I’m behind the computer screen writing this.

For ease of my fingers and your eyes, I’m just going to refer to “strength and conditioning coach” as “coaching” in this article. You can call it whatever you want when you read it, because I know people are picky with their terminology.

PATHWAY

There are two ways to become a coach. The first is by starting your own business, the second is by joining an athletic team. I’ve haven’t looked into the business route that much, so I only have a little to say about it. But the athletic team route is one that’s well traveled.

DECISION

Becoming a coach sounds cool. You wear warm up clothes and work in a laid back environment with slabs of metal surrounding you. Pretty hardcore.

But ask yourself if you love lifting weights, or if you love the profession of lifting weights. Will you be mad if these paths cross? Will clanking iron become redundant?

My friend loved cars growing up. He modified every vehicle he had, owned bikes, and was your typical mechanic junkie. Any spare time was given to the automobile industry. He truly loved it.

After graduating high school, he followed the American Dream of pursing his passion and became a mechanic. It’s been five years, and since then, he drives a hoopdie, and he hates cars. What happened?

He flooded his passion with his profession.

OUTLOOK

Landing a job is difficult. I don’t care if you know it all, if you don’t know the right people you’ll be looking for a long time. But if you do know the right people, you might not even need a college degree.

The lowest form of coaching is at the high school level. In most states you’ll need a teaching certification and your job title will be an assistant coach, unless you work for a big time athletic school. Earnings are small, and the hours suck. If you’re already a teacher it’s a good supplemental job. But if you’re going through your life dreaming of becoming a high school coach, your head is in the wrong place.

As you jump up the ladder, the politics increase. Become best friends with those that are high up in the industry (both college and private industry) and you better be willing to relocate. At the collegiate level, salary is decent if you’re the head of a team. Six figures in most DI Universities. Assistants make less.

Football positions will treat you better than Olympic Sport positions. Sometimes, though, you’ll have to do it all.

If you set your sights higher, at the professional level, well, I doubt it.

DEGREE

In most cases, you’ll need a college degree. It varies, so do your homework. Fitness degrees are masked under different names at different Universities. Kinesiology. Exercise science. Wellness. Health and Physical Activity.

The degree is a formality. It won’t get you a job, even outside of the industry. My graduating class sat through multiple speakers that told us not to expect the money in this profession.

It’s a lot of time and loans invested in nothing. A lot of people at the top don’t have a related degree. At the DI University I interned at, of the three coaches there, none had a degree in the field.

Your college classes will suck. They’ll tell you about Fatass, and what to do when Fatass walks in your door and can’t stop eating ice cream cake. There’s no focus on strength, conditioning, physical conditioning, or anything athletic for that matter. It’s all obesity.

It may not sound bad from behind the computer screen, but I have a good story of how rattling this can become.

A professor told my class that there was a 99% relapse rate with her clients. A student revolted. “Why are we spending so much money on them?” And really, how can you possibly justify it?

What’s funny is that Fatass knows how to lose weight. Eat better and move a bit. Yet millions of dollars gets poured into this.

It can be frustrating, but put your head down and get good grades. Don’t expect to learn how to squat. Don’t expect to discuss anything you want to discuss. Your degree will only show people that you were willing to invest time and money into a dead end, meaning you’ll be slavish enough for some mind-numbing labor.

The hard sciences are much better from an educational standpoint. Biomechanics is good. Physics, Biology, and Chemistry will teach you more about the body. But you won’t be able to get away with it, because employers like to see that Exercise Science bull that should really be named, Adventures in Obesity.

I’ll talk about this soon, but sometimes you can get credits for interning. Find any way to get credits that way, be it teaching classes or shadowing. I woke up at 5am to commute to 6am lifting sessions. It was only worth one credit, but it’s your education so you have to make hard decisions.

JOB PATH

If you know someone:

Friend – Job

If you don’t know someone:

Student – Intern – Graduate Assistant – Assistant Strength Coach

Personal industry:

Intern – Talk to someone – Business

HOPES

Don’t hide from a bleak future. Come to terms with blowing thousands of dollars on tuition money. Society expects it anyway. It’s fun getting that $500 bill every month when you’re unemployed.

Personal Training isn’t a backup plan. Don’t do it. Ever. Sometimes the fancy, thousand dollar diploma gets ousted by a $300 weekend certification. It’s a slap in the face. Have pride in yourself. You’re better than that.

VOLUNTEER

Interning with a coach is a life changing experience. Do your research and don’t intern with a slob. If you craft a well rounded and passionate e-mail, a good coach will sympathize. It’s rare to turn down an unpaid pair of hands.

Do it right.

If the athletes are going to be there, then be there. Don’t make your own hours. Plan on using their weight room. It’s a dishonor if you don’t. They need to know where your heart is, and there’s no better way of showing it than lifting besides them.

Be sure to bulk up. Athletes are jackasses when they don’t know you. When one of them asks how you can be so skinny and coach, you’ll understand. Trust is earned, not given.

PRIVATE INDUSTRY

You have to be credible. DeFranco started in a basement. You will too. If you’re set on this, study your business books. College is optional.

Intern and make money on the side if possible. Get in touch with coaches that have desirable business models. This may require a down payment. Time is money, as they say. This is where that side job helps.

You’ll never want to fork over the dough, but you have to learn from those that have lived in the trenches. I’m sure Zach Even-Esh will tell you the money he spent to talk to DeFranco was worthwhile.

And don’t forget, you’ll to have to clean the **** off of your toilets.

TEACH

Your athletes will always be the priority, even if you’re an intern. Money doesn’t matter. Being a good coach is being a good teacher. Performing the exercises and teaching them are totally different. You’ll want to yank your hair out, it’s normal. You’ll get better, so relax and have fun. Practice on family members, it helps.

NAME

Strength and Conditioning is antiquated. Physical Preparation Coach is a much more holistic term. Start using it.

DEMANDS & PAYOFF

There are long hours. When I was an intern I worked from 6am-6pm without pay. The coaches were still there when I left. They came in on the weekends too. It’s no 4 hour work week.

You have to be engrossed in it. You have to live it. Breathe it. Your athletes will come before your family in a lot of situations. But if you’re the kind of person that is ready for it. You’ll thrive. And that college loan bill will bring you nothing but smiles as you live the joy it brought you.

So relax, and take it one step at a time.

It’s only the rest of your life we’re talking about.

[bbforlife1991]

fffff

[Bradster101190]

If I guessed ,your critical mistake was working out beside the people you should be training and giving your full attention to. Did you think they are paying you to workout?..

Also your a STRENGTH coach why does your SIZE matter to a client. If they ask you why your skinny tell them.




"Im getting paid to make you stronger because I am a STRENGTH coach of you want to gain weight eat some oreos. If you want to become a 220lb missle on the field come back to me."

But you did give it a shot and that's more then most people do. Keep at your goals man you'll find a way.