As the strength coach for Ponderosa High School in Parker, CO, I was challenged in the spring by our head football coach to help him achieve his summer goals for the team. They were:

Be so good they can’t ignore you! Education is just the beginning!

In this article I will share with you my best practices for Instagram growth, all of which have helped me amass over 30,000 followers across my business and personal accounts.

Whether you are a strength coach, personal trainer, or aspiring athlete who is looking to increase online marketability, connect with companies and other influencers, or simply grow your passion for fitness into something more, this should a good kick-start for success.

We will discuss:

In every venture, there will be vultures.

There will always be people who take credit for things they shouldn’t, as well as those who think nearly every idea they have is original.

There are those who think THEY are the expert, and those who whine incessantly behind closed doors about how they are not getting the recognition they deserve instead of focusing on the task at hand and finding versatile and meaningful ways to contribute.

Like most people in the world of health, fitness, longevity, and performance, I hate New Year's. I hate it.

I get asked a fair amount of questions at parties. If you train people, party go-ers want you to sum up 52 years of experience in one sentence…then, they argue with you using something they read on the internet.

Many years ago I considered suicide as a viable option for ending the pain I was facing. As a young coach I didn't understand how hard this career path would be.

But in the darkest time of my life, I learned that challenges are a gift that are meant to be cherished. And in that moment I made the decision to go all out, stop at nothing, and continue to press forward no matter what.

“Discipline = Freedom” - Jocko Willink

Physical preparation may be one of the most saturated and competitive fields in existence. How do you get the edge? In a word: discipline.  

Discipline for a performance professional is of the essence. I’ve found discipline manifests itself in the realm of getting things done in two ways:

• Motivation
• Productivity Principles

Max effort day; for most athletes, it's a chance to howl at moon, crank up the tunes and test their physical limits (safely, of course). But far too often an athlete can place too big of an emphasis on beating previous maxes and actually end up under performing due to self induced stress.

In order to keep your athletes focused and squeeze out every last ounce of potential, it's your job as the coach to help them keep things in perspective.

GAME DAY! For us mere mortals, game day is a relaxing 24 hours filled with friends, laughter, buffalo wings, and hopefully a victory.

But for NFL athletes, game day represents the most important day of the week. An explosive, drama-filled couple of hours where they put their talents on display in hopes their team pulls out a victory (and they get to keep their jobs).

Much like our job performance depends on a few clearly defined metrics, a professional athlete is judged by how they perform on game day. Live up to the standard set by the coaches and they'll be coming back next week. Make a bone headed mistake and they may be looking for a new job on Monday morning.