The Impact Show

Election Day is here!  Finally!!!  This election cycle has been  absolutely crazy, but it got me thinking about parallels between how we  make political decisions and how we make decisions about strength &  conditioning and business.

First things first, this episode is NOT about politics.  It’s all  about exploring the ways in which we make our decisions, and I’ve seen  so many things seep out into other areas of our lives, that I felt  compelled to talk about it.  So, while the election has driven people  crazy, there is a lot we can learn about ourselves as professionals from  the way we make political decisions.  Sometimes it’s good.  Sometimes  it’s bad.  But, it’s interesting to see how one area of our lives  affects another.

Again, I promise this isn’t about politics, and I hope you enjoy this  episode.  Leave a comment below explaining the parallels you’ve seen.

Mark Watts is one of those rare guys who has been a college coach,  worked in a business setting, and eventually realized what he was born  to do – teach and coach youth sports.  Mark spent years paying his dues,  surviving on low wages and learning from great coaches before he  finally got his chance to be a college strength coach at Denison  University in Ohio.

After many years chasing the “strength coach dream,” Mark accepted  what many would consider a dream job as the Director of Education at EliteFTS.com.   During his time at EliteFTS, Mark authored dozens of articles, spoke at  conference around the country and hosted the EliteFTS Sports  Performance Podcast (which was absolutely fantastic).

With a stacked resume, you might expect Mark Watts to be arrogant and  opinionated, but he is a genuine, open-minded, first-class person who  is making a huge impact on a lot of kids these days.

How much strength is enough?  This question has probably been  discussed by every strength coach in the world, yet there still isn’t a  definitive answer.  West Virginia University Associate Head Strength  & Conditioning Coach for Football, Darl Bauer, and I have talked  about this dozens of times, so we thought it would be great to discuss  it on The Impact Show.

Even more importantly, we’d really like to continue this discussion  with you and hear your thoughts on how much strength is enough.  Leave a  comment below, or hit us up on social media.  The Impact Show has it’s  own Facebook page, so type that into the search bar and join the  conversation.

You can also find Jim Kielbaso on Facebook and share your thoughts.   There’s really no right or wrong answer, but it’s always interesting to  hear different coaches’ perspectives on the topic.  Darl and Jim  certainly don’t agree 100% on this topic, but they’ve both slightly  changed their minds through the years.

Before your totally surprised, the show opens with a short discussion  on having “good bad days.”  If you are familiar with this concept,  definitely take a minutes to hear more about it, and try to apply it to  your life.  Even better, teach your clients how to have good bad days.

Again, let us know your thoughts on how much strength is enough and visit our sponsor at IYCA.org.  Use promo code JK30 to get 30% off all of their certifications.

Lon Record has been a college strength & conditioning coach at  the highest levels (Notre Dame, Villanova, etc.) and is now the National  Athletics Manager for Hammer Strength/Life Fitness.  He has been able  to utilize his knowledge and experience as a strength coach in more of a  sales/consultant role to help schools create outstanding facilities.   These facilities end up making an impact on hundreds, or even thousands,  of people, which turns into Lon’s “ripple effect.” Lon is also responsible for organizing the Hammer Strength strength & conditioning clinics all over the country.  These  clinics bring together incredible coaches from a wide range of schools,  and attendees gain information they can take back to their schools.   This creates another ripple effect for Lon that has allowed him to make a  huge impact on the entire industry.

Lon helped me and Novi High School (MI) put together an incredible  new strength & conditioning facility that now serves hundreds of  students and faculty members every day.

High-quality strength & conditioning coaches and personal  trainers have always tried to separate themselves from low-quality  professionals.  For years, there have been discussions about creating a  government-regulated license that would keep poorly qualified or  uneducated people out of the profession.  There has never been a great  way to make this happen, but it has become pretty obvious that some sort  of distinction should be made.

In this episode, I discuss this topic with Michigan State University  strength coaches Red Wakeham and Molli Munz.  We would love to hear your  thoughts on this topic, so please leave a comment below or hit me up on  social media to share your ideas.