Drop down and give me 500! One hundred squats in ten minutes! One hundred-yard Prowler pushes now! Legs tired? Thrown up yet? No? Then repeat! If you've ever said this, please kindly move on to the next article.

I've often heard that “in order to be the best, you need to surround yourself with the best.” I first heard Martin Rooney speak during a Perform Better seminar in December 2009. His lecture was not about selling the newest gizmo or gadget that can really kick your client’s butt. It was on the missing piece of most trainers’ playbooks—the art of coaching. Any trainer can make someone feel like they’re going to throw up during a workout. The ability to connect with, influence, and motivate a client or athlete can be far more valuable in the long run.

There is a science behind training, but unfortunately, the trend of the industry has moved away from this. To feel like you got the crap kicked out of you or to be extremely sore after a workout shouldn't be the only indicators of an effective workout. Too often, trainers and coaches are looking for the next big thing to help their clients lose weight or improve an athlete's speed or strength, but the real results lie in the coaching. If new trainers continue to shift their focus away from coaching, this industry will go downhill.

The athletes in this combine program are coming from top schools, and some have reported that their strength hasn't improved since they’ve been in college. One of the rules of strength and conditioning is to increase in strength. Most problems have come from their coaches overworking them and not giving them time to recover. Granted, there are a ton of other variables—the season, head coach scrutiny, timing, and others. I've been learning from the athletes that they were just physically burnt out throughout their college careers. The more I'm here, the more I question current training philosophies. When is the last time you could actually do a workout that you put your athletes through?

These athletes aren't only getting world class training here, but they're in a world class environment. I don't want to name schools, but we have athletes here that are representing many different successful programs. Professional NFL players and UFC fighters are popping in every now and then to train. Former Super Bowl MVP Phil Simms has even made some appearances to throw with the athletes. On New Year's Eve while most people were stuffing their faces with Christmas leftovers, Martin, Rich, a UFC athlete, a UFL athlete, an Olympic Trials champion, and a D1 athlete did a workout that had me sore just watching them. Their goal—to end the year strong. The really unique thing about this was that the combine athletes witnessed the whole thing. What have you done in your last workout that would motivate one of your athletes?

Every day during lunchtime we're getting a workout in, trying to better ourselves. We talk shop the whole time and review how the athletes are doing.

Martin and Rich recently competed in a powerlifting meet. The idea of competing in this meet came up when I first started there. They prepared as best as they could and both set records while at these meets. No cash prize, no trophies, and no $390,000 minimum contract. Their drive was fueled by their competitive nature. What was interesting to me was that this happened to be the day that the great Jack LaLanne had passed. LaLanne was a pioneer in the “art of coaching” and practiced what he preached until the day he died. LaLanne was the same way—constantly challenging his body to push it to the limits.

This is a motto I plan on living by. Since the program has started, I’ve been on a similar diet and strict routine to really get an inside look on how the athletes are feeling throughout all this. My diet and workout regimen will be extremely strict. Because Rich and Martin are preparing for their next meet, that will be the focus of my workouts as well (increasing my squat, deadlift, and bench). Also, as a personal goal, I will work on my 40-yard dash and vertical jump. This is one of the most motivating environments I've ever been in.

Players are improving rapidly. We have had some players already gain eleven pounds of muscle while losing body fat. Two players—Buster Skrine of University of Tennessee Chattanooga and Justin Rogers of the University of Richmond—have had the most success in their 40-yard dash times, both running in the low 4.3 range with 4.2 right around the corner. Ollie Ogbu, Abraham Kromah, and Randall Hunt have shown off their strength with over 30 repetitions on the 225-lb bench press. The athletes are seeing some great results and building a great bond with us along with each other in the process.

When our lunchtime workouts are done, it’s back to coaching the athletes. Constantly thinking of the “big test,” the athletes are always reminded to stay focused and perform every step of the workout perfectly, including the dynamic warm up. Each step taken during each drill is choreographed as if it was a routine on Dancing with the Stars.

This combine program is meant to build an athlete up, not designed to tear one down. Martin often asks, "You could run a bunch of 40-yard dashes, but would that really make you faster?" The goal of the program is to shave time or add inches/reps. Video analysis of all tests, precise breakdowns of the body’s position during each inch of the drill, and unique metaphors for the athletes to visualize during the tests are just some of the things that make this the top NFL combine program in the nation.

I have learned many lessons these past few weeks here.

  • Sometimes “less” is “more.” If an athlete is too beat up or sore from their workouts, maybe a recovery session is better than another heavy squat day.
  • “Make your biggest weakness your biggest strength.” My squat and 40-yard technique need a little work, so I'm really going to focus on improving it. It will be 1000 times easier to coach an athlete up if I have been through it myself.
  • “Don’t get frustrated. Get fascinated.” Martin said that champions get most excited when something gets difficult. The job market is scarce and you might be trying to land your dream job right now. Instead of getting frustrated that you aren't training professional athletes yourself, use this time to learn from the best people in your field who are training these professionals.
  • Consistency and focus equal success. Not only do you need to be focused on the goal that you're trying to achieve, but you also need to be consistent. It’s said almost every day here—“Practice doesn’t make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect".

Whether directly or indirectly, incompetent coaches will plague the industry. I've been in the fitness industry for six years now and have tried to be as open minded as possible. Here I am a young strength coach like a sponge when it comes to learning but a filtered sponge. There are young coaches out there who are learning from incompetent coaches and absorbing every line of BS that they are told. I think you must do three things well to make it in this industry—read a lot, listen a lot, and then filter a lot. Don't listen to everything you hear. Question everything and find a mentor.

Now that I'm surrounded by the best, I truly believe that my training and coaching will be elevated to a new level. I'm trying to be as focused as the athletes in this program. I'm looking forward to these next few weeks to see how these athletes develop athletically and how I develop personally. Rich told me a story about how on New Year's Eve his family eats ham because a pig can't look back. If you feel like you aren't growing personally or professionally, cook up the ham and start getting focused on what’s going to move your forward. Don't look back.