Learn Everything You Can, Then Choose What Works
Written by Tino Marini
When I first started working with CJ [Martin, owner of Invictus] we went to a Perform Better Convention. My first instinct was, “Why the heck were we going there?! This has nothing to do with CrossFit and what could we learn from this?!” His answer was simple; 99% of this may not be applicable to what we do but there may be that one gem that could totally change your approach to a method of training or programming for an athlete.
I was always told to be open to all avenues of information as you don’t know what you may stumble across. Read everything and anything, even if it is unrelated to fitness. It could be a book on business or psychology but you may come across one paragraph that could totally change your training or coaching methods. Go to as many seminars as you can afford and learn from as many of the top people in the industry as you can. You don’t need to believe or apply everything they say but your continued expansion of knowledge will only give you more tools to work with. Its then a case of taking what you have learned, experimenting with it, then applying what you have found to work.
I have noticed that some of the leaders in the fitness industry have become so consumed in their own methods and work that they lose track of what’s going on outside of what they do. They become so self-obsessed that they are not open to listening and exploring other methods. This will usually lead to them losing their following as they become stagnant and refuse to think outside of the box. The ones who continue to excel and progress are those who look to other avenues and ideas. They’re open to all forms of information and have a willingness to learn and experiment. Be the person who strives to learn from others and always look for opportunities to gain more knowledge.
One of the awesome things I have been able to freely do is experiment, whether that be with myself or an athlete. I have been given the license to try new things as long as I can back up my theory through practice and success. Sometimes your greatest successes will come from methods previously ignored (or even ridiculed).
The internet is full of contradicting methods of training and programming. One website will guarantee through extensive research that their program is the best and it works. The next website will have 100 pages worth of proof that this is not the case and that they have the best training program.
So, who is right?
The only way to answer that is to try it yourself or with another client. Neither may be right, and neither may be wrong, but you will never find that out if you don’t apply it and test it out for yourself.
Stay humble and be open minded.