Wednesday, June 20, 2018

Importance of Education


Importance of Education


I am a friend with two of the most incredible exercise scientists in the field of strength.  Dr. Andy Galpin is on the cutting edge in regards to research related to strength and conditioning.  Greg Nuckols interprets research for the rest of us making it understandable and more applicable.  These two are shedding light on the importance of education.  If you think that you are educated enough, you will quickly get left behind. 



From one year to the next my programming evolves, my verbal cues evolve, and my overall approach to coaching evolves.  Does that mean what I was doing was wrong?  No way, I was producing incredible athletes a year ago.  All that this means is that what I am doing now is even better.   Guys, that is the world that we live in now.  Education lies at the click of a button, and someone out there right now is learning something new that you don’t know.  I refuse to be the coach that’s slipping.  My athletes deserve better.

Your athletes deserve better.  All of this can be quite overwhelming when you start adding education to your already busy day of duties.  Look I get it.  We all have:

·      Classes to coach
·      Athletes to program for
·      A business to run
·      Drama within the gym
·      Equipment to take care of
·      A gym to keep clean
·      Marketing to keep the doors open
·      Advertising for the same reason
·      Bills to pay
·      Nutrition to teach
·      Events to attend
·      And on and on


You are probably saying to yourself, “And now Coach Mash wants me to spend time learning each and every day!  I quit!”  I get it guys, but there are several ways to learn that aren’t so time consuming.  Let’s look at a few:

1.  Audible Books and EBooks- you can now listen to your favorite authors on your way into work or while you are working on programming.  I normally listen to a book during my 20-minute drive to the gym and 20-minute drive home.  That’s 40-minutes of reading/listening per day, which can quickly crush a book every week or two. 

2. Network with the Experts-  This doesn’t mean that you can automatically be friends with Dr. Galpin just because you like his work.  Heck we all like his work.  However, if you hang around people that love the industry as much as you do, you will make friends with people that are experts in the areas of nutrition, Olympic weightlifting, and programming.  I am a part of a platform called Stronger Experts that opens the door to coaches like Greg Nuckols, Dr. Mike Israetel, and me, so check them out for sure.

Once you build a network of friends that are also experts, you will keep each other informed on the various aspects of fitness.  I am constantly learning from

3.  Seminars and Clinics-  At my gym LEAN Fitness, we pride ourselves in education.  We host coaches like Dan John, Dr. Andy Galpin, Doug Larson, and of course our own group of incredible coaches.  Weekend seminars or camps allow you to get away and focus on education.  You will also be surrounded by other coaches that love strength and conditioning just like you do.  I have never walked away from a clinic or seminar empty handed.

If you are anywhere near the Lewisville/Winston-Salem, NC area, here is a list of seminars and clinics to be held at LEAN Fitness (Home of Mash Elite Performance):  


·      Coach Dan John and Coach Travis Mash “Strength and Movement” Seminar Saturday July 14th  

·      Comp Camp with Dr. Galpin, Doug Larson, and Coach Mash discussing everything that you need to know about Olympic Weightlifting August 25th and 26th  

·      Weightlifting 101 Progressions of the Clean & Jerk taught by Coach Travis Mash Saturday September 22nd, 2018 

·      Our FREE Nutrition Seminar “Nutrition Strategies: How to Eat Your Favorite Foods and Not Get Fat” Saturday October 20th  


Guys it’s all about making things a priority.  Yes the world has upped the ante when it comes to education, but the Internet has also make things more readily available in very simple ways.  One thing that I have learned is that you have to schedule these things just like an appointment. 

I don’t believe that education is an option anymore.  It’s something that you will do, or you will quickly get left behind.  I see coaches in Olympic weightlifting that are refusing to learn new concepts, and they are getting left behind. Instead of getting on board, they would rather sit around complaining and making excuses for why they are failing.  The worst things that you can do is blaming other people or make false claims about other successful coaches.  Don’t be this coach!



If you want to kill it in the strength and conditioning industry, you have to set yourself apart.  The coaches that are doing well nowadays are the coaches that are spending the most time sharpening their skills.  I want all of my readers to be the coaches sharpening their skills.  Obviously on my website www.mashelite.com we do our best to offer lots of free content in the form of articles, podcasts, and videos, so that’s a pretty good place to start.  I hope that this article fires you up to go out there and become the best coach ever.

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