10 Lessons Learned from a Summer Internship

*Photo Cred goes to Steve and Mighty Mouse

 

As some of you may or may not know, I just spent the summer in Boston doing an internship at AMP Fitness.

It was an amazing experience – and one I couldn’t be more grateful for – as I got to spend every day learning from, and conversing with, some of the top coaches in the fitness industry.

As I look back on this past summer, I realize there are a lot of lessons I learned.

Some about life.

Others about fitness.

And a few about how to pick up women in a gym setting (without the owner of the gym finding out about it).

 

^^that was totally a joke.

 

At first, I was gonna keep these lessons to myself, because, well, I’m a little selfish.

But, I figured I would share them in the hopes that you can apply them to your own life or coaching career, and get something out of them.

I learned a lot more than 10, but I figured 10 would be a good stopping point so that you can actually absorb the information without falling asleep or clicking through to another article.

Without further ado, let’s dig in.

 

Lesson 1: Don’t Be Afraid to Say “I Don’t Know.”

This was huge, and something I knew in theory, but had never had to apply in a real life setting.

When I first got to AMP, the first thing anyone said to me was “start coaching.”

No instruction.

No de-briefing.

I simply walked out on the floor, and started working with clients.

Now, I loved this, and it certainly forced me to adapt and get better at my craft very-freaking-quickly.

But, it also showed me I didn’t know nearly as much as I thought I knew.

I didn’t know half the exercises that were listed on the clients’ program sheets.

I didn’t know half the cues Steve or Eric were using when teaching clients how to perform these particular exercises.

And when asked by the clients why they were doing each exercise, I didn’t always have a solid answer.

Could I have bull-shitted?

Could I have made something up (and hoped like hell they didn’t realize I didn’t know what I was talking about)?

Yeah, I could have.

But where would that have gotten me?

I wouldn’t have learned anything.

And if a client did figure out I didn’t know what I was talking about – and didn’t have the humbleness to go over to Steve or Eric and ask for help – it would have looked really bad.

So, instead of letting my pride get the best of me, any time I didn’t know something (which was A LOT of the time), I went over to one of the other coaches and asked for help.

They didn’t mind helping me.

The clients didn’t think I was a moron.

And, when all was said and done, I learned a whole bunch of useful stuff in the process.

 

Lesson #2: “Shut-Up”

This is something I got from Steve, and although it applies to much more than coaching, it’s especially beneficial when 1.) Trying to figure out what a client wants from you, and 2.) Coaching clients through specific exercises.

Nine times out of ten, a client will tell you exactly what they want.

They may not say it to you directly (or they might).

But either through direct conversation – with you or somebody else in earshot – or through an indirect comment, a client will tell you exactly what they’re looking for.

If you’re running your mouth too much, you won’t be able to hear it.

And if you aren’t giving a client what they want, well…he/she won’t be a client for very long.

On that same note, there’s only so much information a client can take in at one time, especially when trying to learn a particular exercise.

Telling a client to “get tight,” “keep your knees in line with your toes,” keep your chin-tucked,” “drive through your heels,” “keep the logo on your shirt pointed forward at all times,” and “grip the bar as hard as possible” all at once will do two things:

 

1. It will piss them off.
2. It will ensure that they DON’T get better at performing that particular exercise.

 

Instead of bombarding them with information, I started giving them one cue – the most important cue – to focus on first.

Then, once they got that, I would move on to something else.

Or, I would just shut-up all together.

Sometimes clients need to figure out stuff on their own.

You have “one mouth and two ears for a reason.”

Use them accordingly.

 

Lesson #3 – Connection is Everything

You know one of the coolest things about AMP?

It truly feels like you’re one big family.

And not in some lame, cheesy kind of way.

It feels like you’re part of some weight crushing, smack talking, donut eating, country music loving family.

It’s awesome.

Seriously.

And it’s something I can tell has had a major impact on the success of each and every one of AMP’s clients.

I remember at our second in-service, Steve said, “Nobody cares how much you know until they know how much you care.”

And he’s right.

Nobody gives a shit what you’re saying unless they know that you have a genuine care for their success (try to give someone unsolicited advice and you’ll see what I mean).

Once I built a connection with each client, coaching them became infinitely easier.

 

Lesson #4 – People Will Help You If You’re Not an Ass

This kind of ties in with the whole “asking for help” thing.

And it has more to do with people in general than it has to do with AMP Fitness specifically.

When I got to Boston, I didn’t know anyone other than a few local coaches.

I didn’t know how transportation worked.

I didn’t know where the grocery stores were.

I didn’t know where the hot girls liked to hang out.

I didn’t know anything.

Now, part of that was my own doing.

If I had been more diligent about getting information before I left, I wouldn’t have been so “out of the know.”

But, I didn’t get any information.

So I had to ask for help (A LOT).

And what I found was that people – even complete strangers who have no idea who you are – will go out of their way to help you if you’re kind, genuine, and make it a point to be respectful.

On the contrary, if you’re arrogant, disrespectful, and act like an all around ass-hat, people won’t help you.

Probably seems like common sense (and it is).

But until you go somewhere and have to ask people for help that don’t include your mom, dad, or immediate family, it doesn’t really sink in.

 

Lesson #5: Your Imagination Makes Things Seem Much More Scary Than They Actually Are

Kind of branching off of that last point, moving to a new city?

Moving ten hours away from all your friends and family?

Not having a car?

Not knowing your roommates?

Getting thrown in to the ring with some of the best coaches in the fitness industry?

Yeah, that was some scary stuff.

So scary in fact that the night before I left, I was laying in bed with my heart beating at 127 beats per minute (I measured that mess).

My normal resting heart rate is around 60 beats per minute, so yeah… I was a little stressed out.

I had no idea how things were gonna turn out when I got to Boston, and for some reason my brain – like most people’s brains I’m sure – wanted to remind me of every possible worst-case scenario.

I guess it’s a defense mechanism of some sort (“prepare for the worst”), but it definitely sucked while it lasted.

When I finally got to Boston – and got settled in – I realized nothing was even remotely close to as scary as my imagination made it seem.

Everything works out, and you adapt very quickly.

Something to keep in mind when YOU’RE getting ready to make a big decision that scares you.

Just do it!

 

Lesson #6: Reading is No Substitute for Experience

Again, this is something I knew in theory, but had never had sink in until I was confronted with my own inexperience.

Watching Steve and Eric coach, I could tell an immediate difference between their experience levels and my own.

I would miss certain movement flaws.

I would give inappropriate cues.

I would insufficiently explain certain exercises.

I would explain certain exercises too fast.

I would talk (i.e shoot the shit) too much.

Steve and Eric?

They did none of these things (or at least, they did them very rarely).

And that’s because they had a lot more experience than I did, and they’d spent a lot more time coaching people – and mastering their craft – than I had.

Hey, you live and you learn.

And over time, the mistakes I was making went from “a ton” to “slightly less than a ton” (I have a long way to go).

But, it was cool to get slapped in the face with the reality that all of the stuff you read in a textbook – all of the scientific facts you know – don’t mean anything if you haven’t mastered the ART of coaching.

Reading is important.

Seriously, don’t stop trying to improve your knowledge base.

But, don’t forget to step in to the ring – and actually do something with that information – in the process.

 

Lesson #7: Having Fun is Important

So important in fact that it’s a major theme at AMP Fitness (second only to “Being Better Everyday”).

When you really think about it, what we do is a privilege.

We don’t have to get stronger.

We don’t have to get bigger.

We don’t have to get faster, build more endurance, or lose 20+ pounds of body fat.

We CHOOSE to do all of these things, and it’s a privilege that – although hard and extremely challenging – should be fun and something we get excited about.

This doesn’t mean we shouldn’t push ourselves.

And it doesn’t mean we shouldn’t work our ass off to be “Better Every Day.”

But, having fun matters.

And if more places started putting an emphasis on having fun and becoming freaking superheroes like AMP does, we’d have a much more healthy society.

 

Lesson #8: The Grass Isn’t Always Greener on the Other Side

When I made the decision to do this internship, I couldn’t wait to go to Boston because I just knew it was gonna be better than Virginia.

It’s a bigger city (much bigger).

There’s a lot more people.

There’s a lot more stuff to do (or so I thought).

But, once the novelty of Boston wore off, I realized it wasn’t much better than Virginia after all (I actually like Virginia more).

It’s a bigger city, but just because it’s bigger doesn’t mean the amount of space you occupy is going to be bigger (you tend to figure out the handful of places you like to go just like you would at home).

There’s a lot more people, but just because there’s more people doesn’t mean you’re gonna start conversing with more people (again, you find your group and tend to stick with them).

And in theory there’s a lot more to do, but in actuality if you’re working – and not just on vacation for a week doing all of the touristy stuff – you don’t do anything different than what you’d be doing at home (you just don’t have your friends and family around).

Boston is cool, and it’s an amazing city with a lot of amazing people.

But, one thing living there has taught me is the grass isn’t always greener on the other side.

And once you go somewhere else – and are away from your home and all the stuff you take for granted for awhile – you start to remember just how awesome your home really is.

 

Lesson #9: Being Around the Right People is EXTREMELY Important

When I was younger, my dad told me, “You’re a product of the people you hang around.”

And, at the time, I thought he was full of crap.

After all, I’m my own person.

How could anyone have an influence on who and what I become?

But, as I’ve gotten older, I realize he was right.

The people you hang around do have a major influence on you, and that never became more evident until I spent this past summer at AMP.

Steve, Lindsay, and Eric?

They’re amazing people.

Not only are they good at what they do, but they have more passion – and more desire to help people – than anyone I’ve ever met.

Being around them for two months?

It was transformative (to say the least).

And it infected me with a level of passion – and a drive for self-improvement – that I’d never had before.

When it comes time for YOU to choose your crew, make sure you choose wisely.

Because, the people you hang around?

They’re pretty important.

And there’s a lot of truth to the saying, “If you want to be the best, you have to hang out with the best.”

 

Lesson #10: Get an Air Condition Unit

Last but not least, if you’re gonna spend the summer in Boston, make sure you get an air condition unit.

Because, most houses don’t have one.

And although winters get really cold there – which makes you think they’d have pretty mild summers – their summers are freaking hot.

I didn’t get one.

And, as a consequence, I spent every night swimming in my own sweat (before waking up in the morning and peeling my sheets off like a band-aid).

Don’t be dumb like me.

Get yourself an air condition unit, and save yourself the unnecessary torture.

Or don’t.

It’s up to you.

You’re the one who’s gonna be incomprehensibly miserable.