"Fail like a professional."
A coaching primer for personal trainers
“Failure is not an option.”
“The only way - is through.”
“Never say die!”
Ok! My inspiration muscles are flexed. But how does any of that translate to coaching?
Failure scares most people, and understandably so. It can be painful, embarrassing, and possibly set us back on our heels. But professionals learn that there is really no such thing as failing at a task, project, or mission. It comes with putting yourself out there to pursue worthy but hard things. Sometimes, plans work, and sometimes, they don’t.
However, one definite way to fall short is failing to learn from what does not work.
Obey The Stop Signs
We must teach our students the signs of failure and insist that they are practiced with respect.
Another way of phrasing this is to - "Obey the stop signs." As the coach, ensure you know the stop signs for a particular movement and clearly highlight them as appropriate.
Some will say that if you fail, then you are practicing failure. That sounds catchy, but the relationship between practice and failure is a far more complex issue than what can be encompassed in a single sentence.
IMPORTANT: To progress, the student and coach must be in alignment. Decisions about the direction of a training program become much clearer once a student understands how fatigue builds and what the stop signs are. With that understanding, the student can now own their program, daily practice, and results.
The Thrill of The Chase
Left unattended, most athletes will often chase PRs or "records" and count any performance toward that end, even if it includes poor technique. That is a totally inappropriate mentality that will often lead to later problems.
Learning how to fail like a professional teaches you how to lower the risk of injury in case you want to explore beyond your limits. In that regard, it is important for students and athletes of all levels to understand and experience failure, no matter their aspirations.
The Importance of Professional Failure
Failure is a part of all worthy endeavors, but failing professionally is something not widely taught. As instructors, coaches, and leaders, we must demonstrate BOTH proper spotting and how to miss a lift.
Missing a lift means simply that you could not perform that lift while maintaining the standards of form. Even with your best effort, you cannot finish the lift properly, so you do not proceed.
A professional failure looks as respectable as a max effort lift—no biomechanical changes, no rounded back, etc.—just that, this time, the lift is missed.
That is the professional way to tap out and the moment where you learn a lot about yourself, your technique, and your current limits.
Thank you for reading!
Resources -
On Instagram @coachnathanwhite
👏🏾👏🏾