Buying into the System

I had a discussion with Jason Long, the Director of Performance at KP, on the following topic:

Many trainers are obviously migrating to a more functional approach to strength and conditioning, but the athletes are still two steps behind.  Bicep curls and bench presses are still the big ticket with many of them.  Educating the athlete on what they are doing, why they are doing it, and how it will help them is the key.  It should be done the second he or she walks into the facility.  The same idea applies for a team setting.  I’ve heard stories of trainers dealing with animosity from athletes because the focus wasn’t simply on muscle building (which there is nothing wrong with if a need is present).

Any method of exercise or any training philosophy should be well thought out and well articulated to the athletes… bottom line.