It Isn’t About the Weights
By
Josh Heenan
Strength and conditioning has a historical, hard nosed attitude toward
training and change. Most strength coaches of the past have been football
coaches who had been relatively strong in the gym and thus found themselves
coaching in the gym for better or worse for their athletes.
Over the past four months, I was lucky enough to have an internship with
Brijesh Patel, the head strength and conditioning coach at Quinnipiac University
(QU). On the first day, I walked in and went through one of his warm ups. I
didn’t like how he set up one of the stretches. After speaking with Brijesh for
a moment about why I didn’t like the execution of the stretch, he tried it
himself. To my surprise, he agreed that my way seemed to get a better stretch
than the way he used, and on the fly, changed it that day while coaching his
athletes. I immediately knew this internship wasn’t going to be anything like
what I had expected.
Brijesh’s strength and conditioning program is more of a culture than a
strength program. Every athlete is taught to be accountable for his or her
actions in and out of the weight room. It isn’t uncommon to hear teammates
yelling “watch your tempo” during the middle of lifts to ensure everyone is on
pace. Trust and teambuilding is incorporated into every workout from simple
things as individual warm ups pre-workout to making sure everyone makes a given
time during conditioning drills. These qualities not only build camaraderie in
the weight room, but they also transfer well to the playing field where
teammates must be able to rely on one another.
Demanding perfection out of every set, rep, and exercise is a prerequisite at
QU. Maximal intensity is always required during every aspect of training from
cheering on teammates to post-workout stretching. Everything is done with a
purpose. Some may think from reading this article that Brijesh is some crazy man
who expects an absurd amount from his athletes. Well, he does expect a lot from
his athletes. Excuses don’t make champions, and that is his job—to develop
champions. He also takes it upon himself to educate his athletes that this is a
lifestyle and that they should expect the most out of themselves in all facets
of life. He teaches every individual about the reasons why they’re lifting a
certain way or doing specific exercises and why they need to fuel their bodies a
specific way to get the most out of it. These are skills that each person can
take away and apply to all aspects of life.
Brijesh expects constant improvement from his athletes and from himself. If
there is a way to develop stronger, faster, healthier athletes, it will find its
way into a QU program. I’ve learned so much more over the past four months
working with such an amazing coach, but the biggest lessons I’ve learned have
more to do with people than training. Brijesh is truly an innovator in the
industry and just as much of a life coach as a strength coach.
If I had to sum up what I’ve learned, I’d say, demand hard work, and strive
for perfection. Intensity and passion can overcome anything, and you have to
have some fun. Strength and conditioning is an essential part of every athlete’s
development, but I can assure you, it isn’t just about the weights.
Josh Heenan is the founder of Maximum Output (http://www.maxoutput.net),
a personal training, strength and conditioning, and baseball training
company. Josh holds his bachelors degree in exercise science from Sacred Heart
University and currently runs the strength and conditioning for the university’s
baseball program. As a competitive weightlifter and former collegiate baseball
player, Josh offers a wide array of athletic experience to each of his clients.
Along with coaching both teams and individuals for the past nine years, he
understands the value of proper strength training and conditioning to optimize
performance on the field. By combining his personal and academic experiences,
Josh is able to offer each of his clients a balanced and efficient approach to
achieving any and all athletic, physique, and health goals. He is certified by
the NSCA as a certified strength and conditioning specialist.
Elite Fitness Systems strives to be a recognized leader in the strength
training industry by providing the highest quality strength training products
and services while providing the highest level of customer service in the
industry. For the best training equipment, information, and accessories, visit
us at www.EliteFTS.com.
