This is a personal entry which will relate to many coaches whom are competitive athletes, some even athletes amongst the same team they compete/coach with. This is my personal opinion how a coach/athlete should operate. This may be different to your own opinion, feel free to start a discussion in the comments below (or on Facebook).
I was competing at the Irish National Championships (2016) this weekend (February 29th). Before this meet (about 6 weeks prior) I was hitting some nice PB's and feeling very strong all the prep work going well. Unfortunately due to me participating in a fellow students sports science project I got injured. This was a grade 2 injury hamstring tear from 20m max effort sprints
For hamstring rehab see link: http://strengthtrainingforyou.blogspot.co.uk/2015/07/hamstring-heaven.html
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| IrishPF |
Really silly thing is, I shouldn't of been doing sprints as I have an insane pelvic tilt due to the amount of squatting I have been doing. Its in the past so I moved on, I did all the rehab and 4 weeks post injury it looked like it was nearly 100%. On the day of the comp I did a very easy opener of 230kg (squat) but when I performed full leg extension my hamstring didn't feel "strong". So I made a tough call I pulled out of Irish Nationals which meant I wouldn't be going to IPF Worlds in Texas as an athlete.
Gutted was an understatement.
If I continued to lift the hamstring may of stayed the same and not gotten worse, who knows. By pulling out this allows to for a full recovery and come back stronger than ever before.
What this article will now go into the mental battle I had of doing the "coach" route and not being an idiot and do the "athlete" route.
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| Tom Landry |
This will be explained with the use of Elitefts very own Clint Darden
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| Clint Darden |
Video I am referring to is linked: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQVEDJKYlls
Please watch the video and let it play in the background while you read the rest of the article.
Coach Route (Tortoise):
The sensible route. Long term approach for success wont do unnecessary risks. If my athlete had a suspect injury I would tell them to not compete, being a coach I have to lead b y example. Be a good role model to those whom are under my wing. I cant be seen to be doing silly things that jeopardise my health. I know this time next year I will be well over 700kg total, yes I didn't set out to what I wanted to achieve (700kg and competing at IPF Worlds) but, I am young and I have much to develop as a coach/athlete.
As Clint said the coach would tell you to take the 5 pound PR not the 50 pound PR. Why? So you can keep getting 5 pound PR's after every cycle. Long term plan accumulates many 5 pound PR's, one year (52 weeks) you do 4 training cycles in a year (each 13 weeks) you are going to get many PR's and aiming to improve by 5 pounds every time.
If I was to try and improve by 50 pounds every time I will eventually crash and burn. Or make smaller PR's and be disheartened that he/she isn't making the 50 pound PR.
Coaches set realistic targets so athletes can make them based upon their own abilities.
Athlete Route (Hare):
All in or not. Risk it all for the 15 minutes of fame. Yes its the most appealing and feeds into everyone's ego. It looks glamourous if you succeed but if you fail it has the most dire consequences. I will only risk it knowing I have nothing to lose (as I am sure most people would), but some people, have that trait where when the odds are against them they don't care. They will put their head down and risk it all to be the best.
As a coach they can be the best and worst athletes to work with. These athletes usually want to progress the quickest regardless of how hard the programme really is (or how realistic the programme is). These athletes like driving Ferraris yes they will get their first but they will be more likely to burn out (fatigue) or crash (get injured).
If they manage to make the trip (training cycle) with no injuries I doubt they would of worked on any weaknesses just focused on the sporting demands. So by doing that they have left themselves more open to injury.
But as a coach we have to speak for the athlete and tell them what is best for them. They may not agree but we as coaches have the athletes best intentions in the front of our minds. We want to see an improved performance but not at the detriment to their health.
The Coach and the Athlete in me was in a constant battle leading up to that comp. I am glad I am a better coach than I am an athlete as I made the right call. Didn't feel like the right one at the time but I know now it was.
The silver lining is I am going to Texas not as an athlete but as Assistant S&C Coach to the Irish National Powerlifting Team. When I was 18/19 in a PE class as part of an individual exercise we where asked what two things do you want to achieve in your sporting career/job career. I remember writing down
1. Compete at a World Championships for my sport
2. Coach my National Team at an International Event.
Considering I am only 21, I have already achieved both of these (not in the same year) but I am doing alright hahaah. Put things in perspective is competing as an athlete going to get me a job or is coaching mu National Team. The latter most definitely.
Thanks for Reading;
Andrew Richardson, Founder of Strength is Never a Weakness Blog
I have a BSc (Hons) in Applied Sport Science and a Merit in my MSc in Sport and Exercise Science and I passed my PGCE at Teesside University.
Now I will be commencing my PhD into "Investigating Sedentary Lifestyles of the Tees Valley" this October 2019.
I am employed by Teesside University Sport and WellBeing Department as a PT/Fitness Instructor.
My long term goal is to become a Sport Science and/or Sport and Exercise Lecturer. I am also keen to contribute to academia via continued research in a quest for new knowledge.
My most recent publications:
My passion is for Sport Science which has led to additional interests incorporating Sports Psychology, Body Dysmorphia, AAS, Doping and Strength and Conditioning.
Within these respective fields, I have a passion for Strength Training, Fitness Testing, Periodisation and Tapering.
I write for numerous websites across the UK and Ireland including my own blog Strength is Never a Weakness.
I had my own business for providing training plans for teams and athletes.
I was one of the Irish National Coaches for Powerlifting, and have attained two 3rd places at the first World University Championships,
in Belarus in July 2016.Feel free to email me or call me as I am always looking for the next challenge.
Contact details below;
Facebook: Andrew Richardson (search for)
Facebook Page: @StrengthisNeveraWeakness
Twitter: @arichie17
Instagram: @arichiepowerlifting
Snapchat: @andypowerlifter
Email: a.s.richardson@tees.ac.uk
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-richardson-b0039278
Research Gate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Andrew_Richardson7
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