I knew when I
decided to open up my performance center, I would have to give a few of my
hobbies considerably less attention than I have in the past. My jump shot has
taken a bit of a hit lately and my writing has unfortunately taken a back seat
as well. I wanted to be sure that other than my friends and family, the gym
took first priority. It being successful and growing steadily is something
that’s extremely important to me. Right now there is a means to an end product
that I am in the heart of and I don’t feel comfortable resting until that
product is achieved. That burning desire makes for a real predicament when
you’re trying to decide to either play a pick up game or clean the bathrooms.
That being said,
things have gone well so far. Since I opened I’ve managed to design programs
for and train just under one hundred individual athletes in the privatized
sector. I’ve also picked up a couple of contracts from the local university to
design and coach two teams through their Strength and Conditioning for the
year. It’s turned into a nice little mix of challenges so far. One aspect
includes a multitude of different sports and athletes needing individual
attention while the other requires a rock solid team program filled with
regressions and progressions readily available to ensure all are accountable
for their work but can still progress at their own pace. Since May 5th,
things have gone as well as I could hope, but finding a balance between most
efficiently using the hours you’re given in a day and taking on so much that
you damage your product is something I’m gaining a better understanding of
every single day.
Now that I think
I’m in a bit of a rhythm with my fall schedule I’d like to try and revitalize
my blog… The jump shot will just have to be what it is for now. Instead of
searching for some deep-rooted controversial topic, I think it’s more
appropriate to just keep it simple and write about the things I’ve learned so
far. Hopefully I can give some insight into what other hopeful young entrepreneurs
can expect in their first half year of pursuing their dream career.
1. There will never be a replacement for
sweat equity.
I know I’ve said this in my past
blogs, but I refuse to believe there is a more important aspect to success in
any walk of life. Work ethic is something that my mother and father made me
aware of early in life and I wish I could thank them every day for it. There
will always be people smarter, more talented, and flashier than you in
everything you do. But the one thing you can always control is your work
output. I’m still young, and I don’t know everything, but I know this: There is
no one more important aspect to continued growth and improvement than work
ethic. Start today, I dare you. Do everything you say you’re going to, follow
through, outwork every single individual around you, and watch your life
change.
2. You have to have a
plan.
Ok. I’m sure there are a lot of you
reading this that are thinking, “You’ve gotta be shittin’ me.” Seems blatantly
obvious right? Not to everyone. You have no idea how many people in this
business have absolutely no plan for their athletes until the minute they walk
into the weight room. Some just mindlessly announce 4 or 5 exercises to the
group while others stand in front of a white board for 5 or 6 minutes trying to
remember what the athletes did the days prior and what they haven’t worked on
for a while. I’m not saying that my programs are some kind of revolution to the
strength and conditioning realm, but at least they exist. Sitting down and
laying out a road map for the continued progress of an athlete or team is what
we get paid to do, not show up and throw random exercises at them that may or
may not produce results.
3. You have to be
willing to deviate from your plan.
I know this may sound slightly
contradictory, but hear me out. One of my favorite coach quotes comes from Herm
Edwards. He says, “You have to have a plan, but if the plan can’t be changed,
it’s not a good plan.” This couldn’t be truer in the strength and conditioning
realm. Sometimes when you sit down to plan out macro and micro cycles for a
given or athlete or team, your ideas seem like gold. You can come out of a
program design session feeling like you just put together something the Yankees
would pay for. When you get into the real world, however, you realize that your
idea wasn’t the most realistic, or applicable. It happens, and you can’t be too
stubborn to adapt. Be aware of what’s working and what’s not, and don’t be
afraid to add/drop something from your program. Just remember, like a fantasy
football roster, if something is to be added, something also should be dropped.
Be sure to choose exercises that give you the most bang for your buck.
4. You have to create
an atmosphere everyone can benefit from.
Every day at Heilman’s Performance
there is a mix of different clients, with different goals, different programs,
and different levels of fitness. Some want to be the best basketball player in
the city. (Adult and Youth), some want to look great for their significant
other and some just want to not feel guilty hammering pizza while they watch
football on Sunday afternoon. Everyone that walks into my gym knows that they
are there to train and are expected to take their training seriously. However,
I think you would be hard pressed to find someone who is uncomfortable making
progress while they’re there. And even more so, someone who is afraid to have a
little bit of fun while they’re there. Allowing your athletes to feel
comfortable with their training is one of the most important aspects to handle
early on.
5. You can't let the "business stuff" scare you off.
I think a lot of people would like to chase their dream career, but never get the ball rolling because of the fear of the unknown. When I started out I had no idea
what I was doing from a behind the scenes business standpoint. I had taken two
accounting courses in college, one human resource management course, and read countless blogs from the most successful performance center owners in the nation. As
far as “formal education” is concerned, I had more experience teaching pickle
ball than I did running a small business. There are still a lot of things that
I have to learn but trust me, If I can figure it out, you can figure it out. You can't be afraid to ask for help. Just keep things as simple as possible. You’ll
learn as you go.
Apparently I’ve learned even more
than I thought, because this is starting to get pretty lengthy and I feel like
there are numerous topics I still haven’t covered. I may have to turn it into a
series. I sure would hate for any readers to get bored reading about the fine
intricacies of a heart-pounding topic like Strength and Conditioning. That
being said, I’ll sign off for now. Thanks for reading.
Caleb Heilman
“The only thing I know is I’ll
never know everything.” – Jason Green
