I am your strength coach. Do you trust me?
I know that it will take time, and I am patient. I know that our ultimate progress will be determined by our level of mutual trust. I know that trust has to be earned, and earning your trust is often my first and most persistent hurdle.
How do we build trust? Maybe you are too guarded and you are afraid to listen. I could be overzealous and maybe I overwhelm you. Clearly, neither of these options will work for very long. Let’s find a middle ground. We’ll find it with honesty and communication.
I’ll start.
I care less about your past than you think. I am sure that you have heard me tell you or one of my lifters that I don’t care. Taken at face value, this can seem pretty harsh. The truth is that while I do care about you and your life, none of it is immediately relevant to your lifting. I know this because I have been paying attention. I do understand if you have had a crazy day at work, but I don’t care because I don’t want it to affect your training. If you can let it go, then you will have a productive training session.
Trust me. I know how you work. After a while, you will understand.
I know you are getting better because I can see it. I’m happy that you keep coming back and you are willing to work on your technique. The incremental improvements are adding up. Like I said, I can see the difference. You are getting better and you are getting stronger.
Can you feel it? Trust starts off as tiny speck. It’s so small that is invisible. In the right environment, trust will grow and flourish. The trick is that you must give trust to grow trust.
Don’t worry about me. Show me you trust me by just showing up and doing the work. We don’t have to talk about it. Or do we? I’ll talk about trust if you want. Kind of. You might not get a direct answer. I’ll probably answer your question with my own question. There you may find the answer.
To me, trust is the elimination of walls and objections. If Coach tells me to do it, then I will do it. You don’t have to ask me why because you know that I have your best interest at heart. I believe in you, and I want you to succeed. How far do you want to go? We’ll do it together. I celebrate when you make a lift, and I feel your pain when you fail. I am with you, 100%. I trust you.
There is no shortcut. I work as hard as you do to earn your trust. I know your strengths and your weaknesses. I care about your goals, and I am aware of your fears. Sometimes that means telling you I don’t care, because the only way to your goals is through your fears. I see things that you can’t yet see, but I will always respect your trust and I will protect your trust.
I am your strength coach. Do you trust me?
Editors note: This article is an op-ed. The views expressed herein are the authors and don’t necessarily reflect the views of BarBend. Claims, assertions, opinions, and quotes have been sourced exclusively by the author.
