We need not revisit where we are right now in the world's history. In challenging times it is more important to remember that there IS a future beyond this. Although the other side may present a slightly different landscape, there IS a hope and a future for all of us.
Despite any of our popularity and accolades, we have all collectively and essentially been placed in the WAIT room for now. A time for training, building and developing. Here are a few simple tips that I'm sure can help.
TIP #1:
Maintain a schedule:
As a trainer or coach, your people need you now more than ever before. So, you must operate at the top of your game.
Maintain a consistent sleep and work schedule that allows for you to remain busy preparing for your remote sessions, and interactions with you clients and athletes.
During remote sessions, set aside five minutes or so to reflect upon their personal lives and make inquires as to the things that you know are most important to them. This will assist in demonstrating that we really do hear and care for our clients, while keeping them close to our thoughts and hearts.
You need to serve as an example of discipline and continuity in order to encourage and motivate your people during these challenging times.
TIP #2:
Reinforcement NOT “Maintenance”:
This is not the time to sell the idea of “maintenance”. Maintenance is a pretty bogus term anyway, because; you are either getting better or getting worse. Terms that indicate mediocrity or acceptable states of flux are indicative of an expected and eventual downturn.
This is a time to paint a positive, progressive picture. So, please join me in using the term “reinforcement”.
Help your clients and athletes to understand that although remote training might not be the norm for them, you will focus upon supporting the objectives of their programs by reinforcing proper biomechanics and technique, functional movement and stability, speed, balance, agility, metabolic and energy systems.
In a time when your clients or athletes may find themselves stuck in their homes with little more than a single dumb bell and two resistance bands, consider linking up with Perform Better to design cost effective, in-home training kits.
Further, you MUST begin to build new, in-home training baselines to utilize for painting a picture that your clients or athletes can actually make progress by comparison.
For example:
Create and bring some in-home variables. If your clients or athletes have no way of monitoring their heart rate via app, HRM or pulse oximeter; merely teach them how to take their ceratoid pulse for fifteen seconds then multiply it by four.
Additionally, now may be a great time to engage in the concept of repetitions over time (Reps/time) as a comparative variable. Keeping in mind that velocity-type lifts demand impeccable technique and biomechanics in order to avoid injury.
Lastly, utilizing a metronome app can also serve to set a pace variable that both you and your client can refer to when setting a tempo for training sets. (i.e. training at or above the prescribed tempo, yet not below) Allow the client to run the app as to avoid any internet lag time.
So simply determining how many One-Legged Rear Elevated Split Squats can be performed with efficacy, over thirty, forty-five or sixty seconds with a beginning and ending heart rate can now serve as a new comparative by which to determine progress.
For more tips, please reach out to Coach Massi at mmscny@gmail.com