After having set an all-time PR on my equipped bench press with 457lbs, I'm now in off season mode getting back to some heavy training while running my gym, THIRST.
For programming and coaching inquires, please email SmitleyPerformanceSystems@gmail.com or visit brandonsmitley.com
I've been fortunate enough to now be involved in the fitness industry for over a decade. I by no means have done it all, but I've seen a plethora in my time that just makes me sit back, scratch my head, and wonder if I was guilty of some of the same mistakes myself.
Luckily when I started training, cell phones were beginning to get popular in high school, and they didn't have internet access. Facebook was around, but I can't imagine what effort it would've taken to upload a video to Facebook in the early 2000's. But I digress. Fortunately though, I didn't get the chance to consume my high school friends and family with social media posts and filming all my working sets. Our eyes and ears were our coaches - the people actually training and helping people in person, stacking up wins, and doing their best to make better athletes for their rosters.
With all that aside though, I feel that I grew up in the golden zone of when all this started, and we all know how it's influenced the fitness industry as a whole. I've coached university powerlifting teams, been a personal trainer and strength coach for over a decade, coached at Elitefts seminars, done speaking engagements, and even worked in recreation centers for extended periods. But I continually see the same common mistakes. So I'm going to break down those mistakes, and how you can fix them if you happen to be guilty.
Looking For The Perfect Program
A vast majority of college aged kids that train, just pull bodybuilding based workouts off the internet. I did it, you did it, we all know someone that did it. In today's internet world though, there are incredibly simple programs and templates that are for free (or damn near it), that will take you amazing places.
First, there is no perfect program. Sit any five people from Elitefts down in a room and give them the same background information about a client, and you'll get five different programs. None of them are right or wrong, but if you tell them they have less than 2 years of lifting history, I bet you they aren't programming reverse band floor press for a supplemental movement (and yes, I've really seen this one).
Stick to the basics, and find simple programs that you can do for over a year. Programs like 5/3/1, The Cube, 5th Set, 5x5, and basic linear and block approaches will do you a world of wonder.
If you have questions on this, contact me personally and I will help you get things going at no charge.
Offering Advice and/or Selling Services
When you're in college, I get that you need money to eat (and drink) and somewhat have a life. I worked all through college myself, but I'm glad I did. Now though, after you've done one or two powerlifting meets or bodybuilding competitions, you'll see people offering their "services", as if they've made it. Congrats, you won a novice show with three people in it, or you totaled 1300lbs at 242. No one cares. And quite frankly, if that was what a lifter is proud of, that's fine, we all have our own journey. But if you can't get yourself strong, how are you going to get others strong? You can't talk from experience, trials, being patient, knowing how certain programming and theories work if you haven't had the time to do them on yourself.
Dave Tate has his own coach bullshit detector that you can read to see how you compare. The sad thing is, most of these people are in it for the wrong reasons. Being in college is the time where you do this stuff for free, make your mistakes early, learn how to refine your methods and systems, so when college is over, if this what you want to do for a living, you're ahead of the game. The other sad thing is, most of these people have the Dunning-Kruger effect. This is never good for the fitness industry.
As someone that started doing coaching online in my graduate school years, I will be the first to tell you that I had people coming to me WANTING to pay, and before I did this, I talked with Dave Tate about what I should do from a legal stance to cover my ass. So if anything, do your homework on what you need to do from a legal standpoint. Once you see what that costs, you'll quickly change your mind.
If you're wanting to become a personal trainer, that is great! Do your homework, go get your certification, liability insurance, and try to get a job at a local gym or the recreation center. If you're training people and don't have AT LEAST the stuff I've mentioned above, just wait until you hurt someone and a lawsuit is coming for you.
Taking Performance Enhancing Drugs
Okay, time to get the elephant in the room out of the way. We all know the legality of PED's, so let's just agree right now that you shouldn't take or have them from that regard. However, I want to talk more about the college kid that thinks they need to get "on".
I'm not going to go into all the science stuff regarding the health, but as someone that's in college, you're at the peak of your hormonal profile of your life. The gains you'll make, the sexual arousal you have, the amount of crappy nutrition and sleep you can out run is at it's absolute peak. The body is in a prime-time stage for growth and progress. But, it never fails, you see that 21 year old dude, juiced to the gills barely squatting 500 pounds or benching maybe 315.
What a freaking waste of steroids. The video below of Dave talking about this exact thing is worth it's own weight.
Ultimately it also comes down to your health, though. You never know what complications you might have in the future. I'm neither pro nor con PED's myself, but you should do A LOT of education on this topic before you make this decision, and ideally it will be into your thirties before you do so.
Training In the College Recreation Center
While it's incredibly convenient to train in the college rec, if training is something you're highly passionate about, you need to go find an outside gym that is going to have a positive influence on you. It's not that you can't get strong in a college rec (because you can), but you'll get stronger and make better progress in a real gym.
As a new gym owner, I have very few college age lifters. I don't offer a college discount, and I'm the most expensive gym in my town. But I do have a couple of these lifters that pay the price to come to THIRST, and they are all great lifters, even those that have already moved on to bigger and better things in their careers.
Success breeds success. Training centers, elite athletes, successful business owners, expert coaches, they all do whatever they can to go be the worst or dumbest person in the room. As a college aged kid, that is one of the best things you can do for you future if you want to make training, coaching, or competing a high level of your life.
Hiring An Online Coach
Now this one I know might be controversial, but hear me out.
As I mentioned in the first point earlier, it's important to learn some basic training skills, Hiring a coach is a similar problem in that someone is doing all the thinking for you, so when you go back on your own, in most cases you're only accustomed to that one method or style of training. What will you do when it stops working? You're going to have to learn, which you could have done earlier in your career.
Are there exceptions to this rule? Of course. But unless you're already at an elite level, this is probably a waste of your money. Take the money and use it to go to the real gym down the street and learn from the lifters doing this for 15-20 years.
BONUS: Burning Bridges
I wouldn't say that this is a huge issue, but it can come back to bite you in the ass. Being a college aged kid, you make some really dumb mistakes - relationships, jobs, class decisions, etc. If you're really set on having a long lifting career, do your best to not burn any bridges.
Will you meet people you don't like? Are stupid? A hinder to your training? Of course. But, you never know what can hit them and change them for the better a couple years down the road. You'll stay in touch with people you probably didn't think you would, and you may even find a way to help each other in the future. The fitness industry is all about networking. Without your network, you are nothing. Keep those networks alive. It doesn't mean you have to kiss ass, but don't lose a connection over some simple mistake like getting your feelings hurt (suck it up).
In Summary
If there is a local gym nearby, go there, get a mentor to help you, learn some stuff, and pay your dues. It will be the best thing you do during your college time-frame of your lifting career.
Like the post? Have questions? Can I help you at all with anything? Just let me know in the comment section.
I find so many post-college people that decide to train with the barbell making these same mistakes. Trying to find the "perfect" program, or hiring some IG trainer who's had a year of consistent training under their belt and amazing genetics so they look like they know what they're talking about.
This needs to be posted everywhere!
Thanks man! I agree that this doesn't only apply to college lifters, but I would say that's just where I've seen most of these mistakes taking place. But you're absolutely right, that anyone relatively new to training will be tempted by some of these simple mistakes. If one person reads this and makes a better informed decision, that's all I can ask for.
Thanks man! I agree that this doesn't only apply to college lifters, but I would say that's just where I've seen most of these mistakes taking place. But you're absolutely right, that anyone relatively new to training will be tempted by some of these simple mistakes. If one person reads this and makes a better informed decision, that's all I can ask for.