Why coaches love assessments ❤️, but clients hate them 🤬

Happy Thursday Three!

Here are this week's coaching tip, exercise tutorial and question to ponder for the week.

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I. My love/hate relationship with tests.

A common saying in coaching is, "If you're not assessing, you're guessing", and I couldn't agree more...unless I'm the one being assessed 😱

As a coach, I assess everything, from flexibility, stability, and strength. I look at food journals and sleep trackers. I test cardiovascular capacity. Additionally, I take body measurements and body fat, and I've used wearable tech like Whoop and Garmin to take things up a notch.

However, most clients aren't too fond of assessments and tend to avoid them.

Point #1 - When starting a programme, time is of the essence, and tests seem like a waste of time. - I know I'm always in a rush to get going!

But for coaches, assessments are a great way to learn about the client's strengths and weaknesses, which helps us determine the best starting point. After all, if you can't swim, you wouldn't want to jump off the high dive, right?

Assessing helps determine the optimal starting point, which saves more time than it takes.

Point #2 - It's not fun to do things you're not good at or be poked and prodded with a tape measure.

However, for coaches, knowing the client's restrictions (hint hint we all have them) helps us choose the best exercises to improve them. Likewise, it's essential to have a comparison point to track future progress.

You might struggle initially, but how will you know you're improving unless you have something to compare it to?

Point #3 - Reassessing when things aren't going well isn't anyone's idea of fun.

If you've been crushing it in the gym, sticking to your nutrition habits like a champ, you'll be looking forward to reassessments. But what about when things aren't going well? It's not easy to face the facts then.

Whether we retest or not, the outcome is the same, but seeing the results makes it real, and that's not always fun. However, facing reality is necessary to bring about further change.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: change is messy, hard, and requires courage.

Reassessments are the result of your previous actions, and facing the truth can sometimes be unpleasant, but it's necessary.

Subjectivity isn't always reliable, either. I've avoided reassessments, fearing that I wouldn't see any change only to find I've made great progress.

As a coach, I love assessments! But when I'm on the receiving end, not so much. It's usually because I'm in a rush, avoiding the truth about where I'm at or feeling like I’ve not done enough to reassess yet.

Don't guess; assess.

II. Two-Handed Kettlebell Cleans

A tricky aspect of the kettlebell clean is getting the correct timing of hip extension, and upper body pull. Essentially we need to harness the power of our hips with the swing and sync it with a strong pull to keep the kettlebell close and our cleans sexy.

No one likes a dirty clean.

The two-handed clean is a great place to practice this timing, and it can certainly save a few bruised wrists.

Tip: the arms want to stay straight until the hips fully extend to help snap and drive the bell into the goblet position. Check it out here...

III. Quote to ponder

"Don't be upset by the results you didn't get with the work you didn't do.”- Zig Ziglar

Ohhh that one stings but it's a necessary truth we all get hit by at some point.

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P.S. If you enjoyed this week's Thursday Three, share it with a friend.

Thanks,

Jamie