10/30/13

AWESOME second day!!

Before I get started with this post, let me just say a few things that every intern should learn before going into a internship that should help them out like it has help me so far...

1.   Work your ass off and take pride in your work.  This should be obvious but I have heard from multiple business owners and managers saying how some of their interns were lazy and constantly being told to get their butts in gear.  Big no-no.

2.  Be self motivated and always try to learn.  Always be looking for something for to do or trying to learn from the employees and pick their brains.  Make the most of your time that you have with these people.

3.  The rules that apply to the employees DO NOT apply to you.  Just because the employees can sit or talk on their cell phones at times does not mean you can.  You haven't earned the same privileges they have.

4.  Be respectful and introduce yourself to everyone.  Do this with a nice firm handshake and look them in the eye.  Its their house not yours, you go introduce yourself.

That being said I think I have earned most of the coaches and athletes respect by following these simple rules.  I was asked to come in an hour early today so I could do all the cleaning and other intern duties the staff had laid out for me.  Four hours later I was wrapping up cleaning up the gym.  From there I got to get started my learning process.

I thought I had read a lot of information on the training and programming of athletes.  A few questions into talking with one of the coaches (I'm sure he wouldn't mind but for now I will keep it anonymous like everyone's name at this point) Coach M, I realized I had SOOOO much to learn.

Watching Coach M go through an evaluation and determine that shoulder pain was coming from the athlete's right arch collapsing was pretty amazing.  From there we went into advanced programming in how an athletes intensity level (true intensity level that will actually break the CNS threshold).  I also got to see him work on sprint mechanics and compare two athletes with different types of general weakness at different stages of the sprint, starting sprint strength vs. the elastic/reactive ability.  My mind was blown to say the least.

The coolest part though was that as I was thinking, "Oh crap I am so far behind what the hell was I thinking becoming a Physical Preparedness Coach?" Coach M described that even though he was pretty well versed in a lot of fields and beginning to get pretty good at coaching, everything he had done didn't really start clicking until this past summer (4 or 5 years of serious training and many, many, many hours of reading and researching).  He went on to tell me how everything he had been studying seemed so distant and he couldn't make the connections.  This is how I feel now, reading so many different authors and coaches and trying to piece it all together seems pretty overwhelming.  However, he said it finally all "clicked"  and that the trick was to keep reading and researching.  Someday it will all click.  This calmed me down a lot.  If this coach who is one of the smartest people I have ever talked to regarding training told me how much of a struggle it was, I don't feel so lost anymore.  By the way this coach works his ass off to understand and grasp everything he can, usually waking up at 4 am just because that is when he can get all his reading and learning in for the day.  That's dedication and passion!!!

I'll update with another post possibly going into my notes from today more in depth.  Or I may begin talking about all the new material on the reading list courtesy of Coach M (seriously got a lot of great books, pdfs, videos, and audios from this guy today).  But I'll leave you with a pic of the gym in case you have never seen.  And the guy in the pic is Joe D. himself, 38 years old running a hugely successful business and the guy is still a beast!  Love being in this atmosphere; beasts and truly passionate/genius guys everywhere you turn in this place.