Last week I ran the last Level I Internship for the year. I had a great week teaching, who I must say was, the most enjoyable group I've had the pleasure to teach. At the end of each day, I ask the group to write down the top 5 things they took from the day. One of the students who travelled from Perth, Lucy Morris, just sent me the top 25 lessons she learnt from the entire week. She's given me permission to post them here. It was great for me to see what people take from a week's worth information overload!
The Top 25 Things I learned after 1 week with Tony Boutagy
(in no particular order)
1. There is no such thing as a stupid question
2. If you can’t squat then you are not ready to train – still in the preparatory phase
3. How to use the Klatt Test results to address weaknesses in the lower body
4. Importance of calf and ankle flexibility in order to squat correctly
5. Strength training is the easiest part of a trainer’s job
6. How to perform a deadlift correctly
7. The importance of unilateral training in the structural balance phase
8. The process to follow in writing 3 consecutive programs
9. The effect of rest time on growth hormone production – 60 second rest
10. Increasing the load is the most important variable in strength training
11. Creating balance between both sides of the body is the first thing that must be addressed
12. The spotter should be heard but not seen
13. Always count reps backwards so the client knows where they are going
14. The weak limb rule – always work to the capacity of the weaker side in order to create a balance
15. If you can’t bench 15% more than your own body weight then you should not be doing dips
16. Isolation work is not dead – it is necessary because even though compound lifts will activate smaller muscle groups they do not exhaust them
17. In order to gain strength you must work to failure – for the first time I now truly understand what failure means
18. In the absence of sugar saturated fat will not have a negative impact on cholesterol levels
19. One of the highest concentration of resveratrol is in red wine, especially Pinot
20. Do not conduct your business via text message or facebook – if you want to be considered professional then you need to behave professionally
21. Keep your programs simple – use the best exercises in all their variations rather than being fancy for the sake of it
22. Abs are heavily involved in preventing movement not causing movement so think about how they need to be trained
23. Just because an exercise isn’t bad doesn’t necessarily make it good either – if there is a better way of doing something then do it
24. Understand the rationale behind every aspect of your own programming
25. Even though I have learned a lot in a short space of time I still have a vast amount to learn, and always will
