The TRANSITION

I want to take a second to thank all of our current clients for welcoming me into The Strength Feed community. You all made my transition to moving and working down here a smooth as possible and I am grateful for it.
 
Transitioning into the private sector after spending almost five years in the collegiate field was nerve racking. It is a completely different dynamic and I was worried that doing it wouldn’t be as rewarding. My whole life I had always been involved with team sports, whether I personally was playing, or I was coaching. To be converting from coaching in a team setting to a more individualized setting made me worried about missing the team dynamic. There is something about working with players, and trying to win a championship that makes you hungry and strive for greatness.
 
When I started working at The Strength Feed, there was culture shock. The pace of the weight room is much slower. I don’t mean that as an insult to private training, I am just used to having 50 kids in the weight room at a time. You hardly have time to breathe between coaching cues, loading plates, or directing athletes where to go. Lower that number down to 12 and add another coach, your job becomes a lot less hectic.
 
At first, I missed that rush. Yet, as the more sessions I coached, I realized the beauty in being able to really breakdown a movement with someone. Spending the additional time to evaluate people’s movement patterns and imbalances took me back to my time working as an Athletic Trainer and as a Physical Therapy assistant in high school and college. During my time spent working with physical therapy patients, I struggled with an internal conflict: why are we waiting for someone to get injured? There had to be a better way. That’s why I got into strength in the first place.
 
Another aspect of the private sector that is different from collegiate coaching is the attitude towards lifting. I have had so many athletes over the years that weren’t interested in lifting. They hated the weight room. I would have to put in so much energy every day convincing them why they needed to be there or why they needed to do a movement a specific way. That’s not to say that there weren’t kids interested in learning. Some athletes were extremely passionate about getting stronger and improving their performance in the sport. Working in the private field now, it seems like everyone is there because they want to be there, not because it is a requirement. Everyone knows the benefits, they know they are there to learn, and are motivated people.
 
I can’t wait to see the strides that our clients will make as we continue to push forward in our training. Some have already made great improvements in medical and physical ranges that are absolutely stunning and exciting. I am sure more and more will come as our Strength Feed family continues to grow, and I am so excited to be a part of it. 


Win The Day,

Joe Vella