How many trainers have you seen lately on Instagram posting photos and videos highlighting their clients doing insane workouts? Social media has been a great resource for sharing ideas and knowledge, but unfortunately it has been a great resource of what not to do as well. Don't believe me? Just look at @gymfuckery on Instagram. People are now posting things hoping to be the next viral profile; worrying more about likes and engagement that their posts receive rather that providing a quality product for their clients. And sadly this happens more and more with trainers training the general and special populations. 

Olympic lifts are being programmed for people that struggle with basic movement patterns and by trainers that also aren't certified to coach them. It is also becoming popular for trainers to try and create a new complex exercise for their clients to do, which often are inefficient and can result an injury to their client.

If you are a trainer, remember that it has all has been done before. Chances are that you are not the first one to think of that "awesome" new exercise and that the basics are the basics for a reason; they WORK! Instead of focusing of being the next viral sensation on IG, focus on providing a quality service to your clients and keeping them safe by providing proper progamming. 

One of the very first pieces of coaching advice I received from @coachphil21 my first year coaching college football was that, "There is something to be coached on every rep." That holds true whether it's on the field or in the weightroom. It's your job as a coach to increase certain behaviors, while decreasing others, to get the desired results from your athletes. This is done through reinforcement.

Learn what types of reinforcement your athletes respond to. It may be different for each one of them, but please don't passively coach and only put them through a drill or weight program.

Remember, there is something to be coached on every rep. Be an active coach. Your athletes deserve it! 

Photo Credit: Mary Rebekah Moore 

​Our buddy Marcus has been coming to see us at our Vancouver, WA for some time now. Emily Hatch, our Vancouver facility manager, asked Marcus what he enjoyed about his visits with us.
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​Words cannot express how much we love the community that we have been able to create at Specialty Athetic Training. Here is a clip of our buddy Patrick attempting a PR with the support of his Specialty family at our Lewis & Clark College location.