I was thinking about what makes TCS different from other spots around town. One answer, and probably the most obvious, is that we implement strongman movements more than any other joint in town....at least that I'm aware of.
Why is this the case?
My best guess is that coaches are afraid of screwing it up. Afraid of failure. Strongman can be extremely intimidating to athletes and coaches that aren't up-to-speed on the techniques and how they can apply it to their current training protocols. These are legitimate concerns, but they can be easily settled with some proper education. Once you've learned the movements, their specific techniques and how to appropriately program, it's an instant realization that you've been missing out this whole time(FOMO much?).
A meathead's attempt at some "Beautiful Mind" shit. Hahahaha!
The BIG 3
Three Factors That Make Strongman F*cking Awesome:
1. Something that many people don't realize is that strongman movements are actually the closest thing to real-life, functional exercises out there. Think about it. Waaaaaaaaay back when, there weren't strength coaches roaming the wild teaching early humans how to pick up logs or stones. That shit was just part of our DNA. They knew how to get the job done in a way that minimized risk of injury while using the least amount of energy possible. (Did you pick up on that? Safety and efficiency.) This is still the case today!
We don't learn strongman techniques - we remember them.
2. As coaches, we must always provide the best service to our clients. That's how we build a successful business and maintain a solid reputation. In general, our athletes rarely need an over-complicated routine with super technical lifts that find the coach and athlete getting frustrated by failure and a lack of action.
Remember: People want to fucking move! If all you do is talk, your clientele will find someone else to make them sweat. It's really that simple.
The balancing act comes into play when you, as the coach, know your athlete needs to build certain positive characteristics that produce results. It's my contention that strongman movements and methods are some of the absolute best when it comes to getting a massive ROI (Return On Investment).
Basically, it boils down to how soon can you get a newb moving with quality and then add the appropriate dose of intensity? That's what will cause positive adaptation - movement and (appropriate) intensity. With strongman, the learning curve is nearly non-existent when compared to other modalities of training. It's simple, not easy. New athletes are able to get up and rolling sooner, which gets them the results they're looking for sooner!
ps. This doesn't make the others bad, wrong or any less important, but it should be a wake-up call as to how you get your people integrated.
3. This shit is FUN! This is probably the most over-looked factor when training the general population. People want to have fun with their training. They also want to do shit that looks cool. And I challenge you to find anything more badass than picking up giant stones or flipping massive tires.
Look, it doesn't really matter if you're the world's best (technique/programming) coach, with all the coolest shit...If you are a Fun-Nazi, people will drop you like a bad habit and go where the fun is. Simple as that. You've got to make it fun!
I mean, doesn't Smitty look like he's having a BLAST with this well-designed workout incorporating the SM log? FUN!
All of this probably sounds amazing by now, right? You're probably just wondering when I'm going to shut up and tell you how to properly education yourself in the ways of Strongman so that you can get started. Well, here it is:
10/9/2016 CrossFit Strongman Trainer Course -- Austin, TX @ Travis County Strength
You'll learn all of this stuff and more during this course. The cool thing is that you will learn by DOING! This is not a sit-in-your-chair-and-listen type seminar. We will discuss the movements, the proper cues, the common faults and then you will practice...and practice....and practice. And when you're tired from all the practice, that's when we perform the movement with a dose of intensity.
This seminar is honestly one of the highlights of my coaching experience. I'd have to say that my absolute favorite segment of the course is the programming lecture. We discuss several ways you can institute Strongman into the programming at your gym and how to do so appropriately.
I love everything about this course and I would love to share it with y'all! Hope to see you there!