When someone joins the program, I am the happiest guy on Earth.
When someone leaves, my world crumbles.
My wife tells me that I take all of this too personally.
But to me, everything is personal.
When someone leaves, my immediate reaction is to question myself.
Is my program not good enough?
Why does he want to leave?
Will someone else make him a better athlete?
After all this time in the game, you'd think I'd be immune to this.
Unfortunately, it's not the case.
I take pride in being the best, so when someone leaves, it stings.
I go back to the data to see if what I am doing works.
The self-doubt quickly leaves.
My confidence is restored by seeing data showing years of athletes making HUGE gains.
Gains big enough that I would stack them up with any trainer in the country - even guys like Joe D and Jason Ferruggia.
(Actual data can be seen HERE and HERE)
Deeper thought reminds me of what happens to 99% of the athletes that leave.*
It's usually one (or more) of the following:
- They quit football
- They get injured**
- They come back to Advanced Training
My self doubt turns to sadness.
Sadness for the athlete always looking for the next best thing.
Sadness for the athlete too soft to train with us.***
Sadness for the athlete who will never reach his true potential.
I know I want Advanced Training to be exclusive.
I don't want it to be for everybody.
NO PRETENDERS!!!
On the flip side, it tears me apart when someone walks away from this opportunity.
Once again, my wife steps in.
She reminds me to spend more time focusing on the guys still in the program than the guys that left.
She's right.
To those of you that put your career, your strength, and your health in my hands, I am honored.
I truly Thank You.
Notes:
* I could say 100%, but a handful are still officially playing ball. As a man who cares deeply about any athlete I have trained, I hope they can finish their careers healthy and happy - with or without me.
** I am not saying that any athlete who has trained with me has never gotten injured. While my goal is to bullet proof your body, I cannot completely eliminate the risk of acute injuries during sport, chronic problems incurred before training with me, or dopey things an athlete chooses to do on his own outside of the program. Given all of those variables, my track record is still exceptional.
*** These feelings are not directed toward the athletes that no longer compete in legitimate organized sports. If you are not a college or pro athlete, I don't blame you for walking away.
In fact, I encourage it - especially if your main goal is to look good at D'Jais.
For those of you crazy-men who want to do this for fun, I tip my hat to you.
6 comments:
Unfortunately I am one of those who left advanced training it wasn't by my own choice, but was Forced into leaving. Me leaving did also result in me not playing college football, which is; something I deeply regret everyday. When I trained with you coach I saw massive gains. Between the first test day in the Winter and the second test day In the spring I gained 20 pounds and with only a 2% body fat increase, my bench press increased 90 pounds!, pull ups increased by 4, and dead lift increased 35 pounds. You truly care about Everyone you train and you are always available to answer question and solve any problems we have. You didn't train us for quick results, but for long term strength and injury prevention. With numbers and Ethics like that I can say undoubtedly your are the best trainer around. Even though I am no longer with Advanced training I still took everything I learned from you and continue to use it in my daily work outs like bw warm ups, the dreaded band warms, Jumprope pre/post workout, stretching, and every rep with perfect form after all I wouldn't want to throw paint on the Mona Lisa. Though I no longer train with you I want to let you know what you taught me has had a great effect and I will take it to the grave with me because I will never get to old to lift, I will get old if I don't lift. So Coach Mahoney Thank you for Everything you taught me and I hope to train again with you one day.
I really appreciate the deep and insightful response to this post.
From what you wrote, it looks like you absorbed everything this program is about.
More importantly, you didn't let it leave you once you walked out of the gym.
We will be waiting for your return.
Any man who does not want to throw paint on the Mona Lisa and who is still willing to do the band warm-up is more than welcome.
- Coach Mahoney
I am also someone who had to leave AT after moving away from Staten Island for work. If it were up to me, I'd train with Coach Mahoney and the guys 365. I've never had sessions like we had in the gym, and even though I try to train in the AT style, I've never gotten the same gains since leaving. I miss it every day.
We miss you Trunzo.
Your intensity during our sessions made everyone around you better - even me.
- Coach Mahoney
I walked on to a division one baseball team and was the third string catcher as a freshman. I knew I was better than both guys in front of me but I wasn't playing because I didn't have scholarship money. Sure, I was pissed because I knew I was better but I kept working. I trained with Coach Mahoney all summer before going and that was a big reason for me making the team because I was in better shape than most of the guys. Then I trained again with Coach Mahoney in the winter to get ready for the upcoming season. What happened? Both guys ahead of me got hurt about a third of the way through the season and I was the next man up. When they were healthy again I remained the starter because I could catch four games in three days every weekend. Coach kept me on the field and won me a conference championship by the time I graduated. Coach Mahoney basically made my college baseball career.
Steve,
You made your own career brother.
You were the one that got up at 5AM to train.
You were the one that out-trained your competition.
You were the one that would not let anyone else around you wear sleeves while training. (I am not smart enough to know how this helped, but I am certain it did).
- Coach Mahoney
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