Being a great person who people want to be around, who gets people results, is.
“Understanding anatomy, physiology, energy systems, exercise selection, & program design (I just wiped out 90% of your trainers) are the entry level requirements.
But relying on the bare minimum will lead to your demise.
How you make people feel is what makes or breaks you.”
-Ray Zingler on X
It’s hard, unrelenting work, it really is.
Our field is not only a field where you need to learn (what can be) rather complex concepts and develop competencies regarding training, ranging from most importantly, keeping humans safe to understanding injury history, joint angles, and sporting demands to prescribe optimal exercise selections for a wide range of clientele with differing needs.
It’s not rocket science, but you’re damn sure not going to learn it by watching some dumbass in a Medium GymShark tank on TikTok flexing his small arms in manipulated lighting.
It’s scary that is where the majority of the up and coming generation is getting their “training education”.
But the evolving, fundamental competencies that should be required (more on that in a minute) are the bare minimum. The baseline. They only yield you a chance to compete in the arena.
What makes or breaks a trainer or coach is not his or her ability to win and A&P contest.
Nah, knowing the most about energy system development doesn’t automatically translate to higher income.
And most certainly your ability to program nuanced exercises and package them neatly on a spreadsheet does not make you a great fitness/strength professional.
What makes or breaks you in this field is how you make people feel.
Do you have stable energy?
Are you a fun person to be around?
Do you have the innate ability to relate to people and make them feel good?
Let’s just call it what it is, are you fucking cool?
And here’s how I know this is the most important part.
The VAST majority of trainers out there in the wild aren’t competent.
They aren’t qualified.
They can’t even pronounce the words in the anatomy books, much less know what any of them mean.
Do you think they know how to write and prescribe progressive energy system focused training models to improve multiple athletic qualities, simultaneously?
Of course not. They’re out there making people do random bullshit that doesn’t even work, while some HS dropout with a camera films their “grind”.
But they can (unfortunately) be successful, why?
Because people want to be around them because they make them feel good.
Combine competence and high-level people skills and you’ll win BIG in this field.
