The fitness industry is filled with rockstars. Or at least a bunch of assholes that think they're one.
We've all seen them, parading around in front of their classes as if the 20 people in attendance were simply there to witness their magnificence. Or maybe they show up as social media “coaches” hawking their proprietary spin on some bullshit methodology that they have personally used to sculpt their abs, lose 50 pounds, grow 4 inches taller, AND eliminate all stress from their life. Never mind the workout. Never mind coaching or queuing or any of those other pesky details that only stand to bog down gilded individuals such as these. This show is all about them, and we could only be so fortunate to be a part of the spectacle.
Unfortunately, the spread of these easy-bake fitness “gurus” is rapidly becoming the norm. Studios and gyms are filled with instructors that demand unflinching fealty after having done little to earn it. They appoint themselves experts, and ultimately, forget the single most important concept within the coaching paradigm. As coaches, it is OUR privilege to have anyone who is willing to entertain our ideas about what they should be doing with their own bodies. We are in complete service to those people that are entrusted to our care, and anything less than that is an affront to the rest of the coaching world that actually gives a few fucks.
To those on the receiving end, I implore you to demand nothing less than a coach who is quite literally all about you. Don't waste your time with someone who spends more time flapping around in front of you than they do actually providing lucid feedback to the endeavor at hand. Superficial motivation and gassing someone out are the low-hanging fruit of the fitness tree; associate yourself with someone that strives to reach a little higher.
The concept of the “anteambulo” is perhaps the single best descriptor for what a coach should be. The term literally means “to walk in front of” and was a figure in Roman history that cleared the way for their patron . Or to put it another way, someone that explores new ways for others to achieve their own successes. The anteambulo is there to help you move in a direction you were already going, they simply attempt to get you there faster.
So ask yourself, is your coach chasing their goals or yours?
