Let me start by stating the obvious: training in an online format is a whole lot different than training in-person. But that doesn’t mean you should skip any steps, and it certainly doesn’t give you permission to leave any stones unturned. TrueCoach has been the special sauce—the je ne sais quoi—that has positioned each coach in the driver’s seat on the path to success. The TrueCoach platform has helped athletes …
Matthew Ibrahim
Presentability, Professionalism & Accountability as a Coach
Flip roles for a moment. You’re the athlete now, and no longer the coach. What are some things that you would look for in your coach? How would you want him or her to coach you? What would your expectations be? These are just a few of the common questions and thoughts that run through the mind of each and every athlete that you end up coaching. They’re all thinking the same things, and to a certain …
A Step-By-Step Push-Up Progression List
The push-up is a classic exercise and a staple in nearly all training programs. It’s easily one of the most popular upper body exercises of all time due to its simplicity and effectiveness. The problem is that most people tend to bypass many of the necessary steps in the process of building a pristine push-up from start to finish. There are several ingredients that go into push-up mastery, so it’s important to …
Building Single-Leg Strength from the Ground Up: Part 2
Single-leg strength is a highly-coveted physical quality when it comes to advancing your health, fitness, and performance. It’s important to build durability in single-leg exercises so that your lower body can be strong enough to withstand the demands of playing sports, going for a run, and lifting weights. We are going to break down single-leg strength with respect to the deadlift (hip hinge) pattern …
Building Single-Leg Strength from the Ground Up: Part 1
Being strong and durable on one leg bodes well for all aspects of health and performance. Whether you’re an endurance athlete who runs a lot, an athlete in a field or court-based sport, or just looking to get stronger on one leg in the gym, this information is for you. In part 1, the focus will be on building single-leg strength with respect to the single-leg squat pattern. Then, we will tackle the single-leg …
Programming Strategies: Eccentrics, Isometrics, and Tempo
Coach: “Hey, [insert athlete’s name], let’s slow those down a bit.” Athlete: “I am going slow, Coach.” Coach: “Your training program calls for a five-second eccentric. You’re doing more of a two-second eccentric.” As a coach, I bet you’ve been here before. I bet there’ve been times, too, when you’ve questioned the why behind using eccentrics, isometrics, and tempo in your training programs. Let’s be …
Career Path Advice for the Up-and-Coming Coach
Every up-and-coming strength coach or personal trainer I come in contact with seems to be in a rush. Why? I can never understand this. They want to go to every course and seminar offered, obtain every certification, and achieve instant success. Nothing is wrong with wanting to educate yourself and improve. But there’s no need to rush it. I hate to burst your bubble, but success is neither instant nor easily …
5 Communication Skills to Improve Your Coaching
Unfortunately, academia hasn’t caught up with the human element in coaching yet. Coaches are simply not going to learn ideal communication skills on their way through the typical school curriculum. As a consequence, you’re going to need something more than what’s found in the classroom to help you fill out your coaching toolbox when it comes to communicating with your athletes. To that end, here is a list …
Future Lessons for Fit Pros
You can learn from anyone, from anything, and at any time. This is true now more than ever. Consider this: We’ve had to step out of our comfort zone as in-person strength coaches, personal trainers, and fitness professionals. No more high-fives, fist bumps, or congratulatory pats on the back with our athletes and clients. No more being able to spontaneously chat, interact, and catch up. This is all …