The interview is over, and I’m jumping into week one headfirst. We have over a dozen athletes here from many major schools representing almost every conference in the NCAA.

On the first day, we brought everyone into the conference room. Martin told them to close their eyes and point to the north. Everyone pointed in a different direction and some even pointed straight up. They were asked, “Would you have done better if you had a compass?” Well, for the next few months, we are the compasses for these players and will help guide them in the right direction.

On day one, the athletes were put through an assessment that included a “before” picture, medical/injury history, body composition test, and an in-depth discussion on why they needed to make it to the NFL. Obviously, every football player “wants” to make it, but it’s those players who need to make it that usually do the best. Martin recalled that when he trained former Rutgers and current Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice, he asked him, “Ray, are you hungry for this?” Ray responded with “Martin, I'm starving!”

You can see the fire in each of the players' eyes because they know that this is their last chance to make a good impression before draft day. This program is giving them their best shot at their one shot.

All the athletes were put through a nutritional consultation and were assigned specific instructions for their diets. Meals designed for their every nutritional need are prepared in advance, and every single bite that goes into their mouths these next two months is accounted for. When some of these players realized they wouldn't be able to have their M&Ms anymore, I thought they were going into shock.

The importance of watching their diets is constantly stressed. These players came from top football programs and have said that for the past four years they've been eating like absolute crap. Consuming chocolate, cupcakes, and fried foods is the equivalent of putting regular no-name gas into a Lamborghini. These athletes are top performing machines, yet they're running on grease. They’re putting this grease into their bodies but not as an alternative for gas. They literally don't realize the importance of a good diet. Coming from such powerhouse programs, they know little to nothing about basic nutrition.

The athletes are staying in a local hotel and are shuttled to our facility in the early morning. They train twice a day six days a week. Our staff is in earlier than they are in order to prepare for the day. We talk about the athletes, how they're progressing, and whether there are any injuries or variables that need to be accounted for. Most athletes seem pretty beat up from their seasons, past strength programs, and current bowl games, making me wonder how this will affect their training.

As soon as the athletes walk through the door, we start them with a strict mobility routine (pre-warm up), which concludes with a motivational story from Martin to get the group fired up. The motivational stories I've heard in the past week have gotten me more focused than I have ever been in my own training and diet regime. The athletes are then put through a rigorous warm up, which is the cornerstone of the program. Every single jumping jack (shout out to the late great Jack LaLanne) is performed to perfection, as they are reminded of the “big test” and their ultimate goal of the NFL.

After the athletes' workout, they go back to their hotel for a lunch break while the staff trains. As a kid, I always imagined an “internship” as doing someone else’s errands like making coffee. But this internship is nothing like I imagined.

I agreed to a challenge with Rich in the beginning of our first workout together. It was a 315-lb “speed” deadlift challenge where we would complete as many reps as we could in eight minutes. It turned into a maximum effort day for me and a great warm up for Rich. As minute eight approached, he held on to the bar and hit ten extra reps with straight legs in an attempt to feel like he had done some kind of workout.

The workout was tough, but I attacked it without any fear. I'm looking forward to proving myself over the course of the next few months. Martin and Rich will be competing in a powerlifting meet in a few weeks so that will be the only focus of their training and mine as well.

I’ve learned so much in just a week, but a few things have really stood out. I learned that success starts with a goal and a purpose. Without setting goals, people just float through life. You need to set the bar high. Real high. A friend once asked me, “Why are you trying to work at such a high level? It’ll be too hard to break in." If you don’t set the bar high or even set a bar at all, you will be like every other Joe Shmo floating through life without any purpose.

Martin told me an inspiring story about people who never really went after their dreams. He told me that the next time I pass a cemetery to think about how many people in there never ended up reaching their goals, never lived up to their potential, or never even had a goal in the first place.

Tips for achieving your goals

  • Goals need to be realistic and measureable with an end date. These athletes have set some pretty specific objectives for themselves. They're realistic and measurable and they have an end date to reach each goal.
  • Support. You need a support group. Right now, we're a major part of the athletes' support system. We plan on building a solid relationship over the next few months.
  • Put your ego aside! You can't be an expert in every field. Take a step back, admit that you aren't any “expert,” and seek out advice from someone who is. You will learn a lot!
  • “Get comfortable being uncomfortable!” I knew for a fact that my deadlift wasn't anywhere close to Rich’s deadlift. I could have thought of a million excuses to back out of it and feed my pride—“bad back,” “not part of my routine,” “not a fan.” Instead, I chose to trust him and kept my goal in mind.
  • Set the bar high. Aim for the best results that you could hope for in a goal. Focus, try your best, and then focus some more. When people fail to achieve a goal, most of the time it’s because they lost focus somewhere along the way.

There are 1500 spots in the NFL and only the starving athletes will earn a spot. I can relate this to getting a job in the strength and conditioning/fitness field. I could settle for a job that would be “easier” to get or just say forget it. I’ll be a Zumba instructor (no offense to them). That might be a great goal for someone who wants a snack, but man, I'm starving and I refuse to settle for anything less than a five-course meal. I have the first week under my belt and I'm looking forward to the gains both physically and mentally that are about to come.