It is my personal observation that people live in a fantasy world. This was made even clearer as I listened to the advice of my friend who went through being an athlete to a gym owner, a pioneer in the industry, and a coach. He shared to me his observations since I can’t understand why people buy very expensive, but less efficient “exercise regimen & equipment” while they ignore the “more effective hardcore training.” There is a discrepancy between what people want versus what they are willing to work hard for. I blame the twisted facts being advertised for distorting how we view this world. They made people want instant results with minimum effort.
As I work with more and more variety of athletes and their Sports coaches, I noticed that we may have the best intentions for them but the way it is presented may not be what they expected. Other Strength Coaches also have this observation. Then I remembered what one senior Strength Coach said to me: “The athletes come to you to have quality training. They need to be in the best possible condition for their sports training and ultimately for competition. But they may not completely understand the science behind. It is your job to design an effective training program that they are happy to follow.” OK, that is not exactly how he told me but that is what he means. It is also so much easier said than done. I feel Strength Coaches are fighting an uphill battle. We have to state the facts which are not viewed in the same way by some athletes and some Sports coaches. You can’t really blame them since there are always some fitness “experts” who advertise a “revolutionary exercise equipment” & “exercise routine” that burns off fat and keeps you in shape with minimal physical effort, “sports specific” exercises, “core exercises” that improve performance, blah blah blah…And on the other side are Strength Coaches who emphasize that a particular training system and equipment is far superior than the brightly colored “fitness equipment”, which is true of course…
Athletes should have good work ethics in the gym if they want to be better at what they do. But I now realize that this is also sometimes a fantasy. One day, a kettlebell must have fallen on my head. I suddenly had this moment of enlightenment. All the while I was judging people who do not want to train hard but want to get good results quickly. And who am I to judge when I myself am having a fantasy of my own? I had been dreaming expecting that anybody who comes to the gym trains really hard without questions. But the reality is that people generally shy away from hard work and prefer to do things where they are already good at. It can be a challenge for a Strength and Conditioning Coach to make athletes accept a Strength and Conditioning training program that may not be so glamorous. But we have to present the facts that to cause positive change, the stimulus (training) should be at a sufficient intensity (see GAS). It is a challenge to make people change what they are comfortable doing. But it is a fact that for one to change and improve his or her level, one has to change the usual routine which is not usually comfortable especially in the beginning.
It is also a fact that there is no superior training equipment and regiment that will improve all components of fitness and sports performance. I realized that I should get out of the fantasy world, that it is but natural for people to resist change. I must accept reality and the reality is that most people live in a fantasy world. So for now, I have to go and teach a new member of the Justice league how to squat. Then I can fly back to Krypton.
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