Get Serious!

Post Written by Mark Ehnis

The back of our t-shirts here at PowerStrength reads “Get Serious”. Nothing more. Nothing less. We brainstormed for which saying we wanted to use but when “Get Serious” was said, it just made sense. Getting serious is what PSTS is all about. It’s what separates us from everyone else. Having the discipline to make training a top priority. Being determined to better yourself and put forth the effort to make sure goals are attained. This is what getting serious for an athlete really means.  

What better place to learn the necessary steps to getting serious about your training than from a professional football player?
Co-owner Jared Veldheer graduated high school at 255lbs. He finally got serious about his training during his freshman year of college when he was redshirted-and hasn’t stopped since. Jared is still making huge transformations. After this past season he was told to put on 10-15lbs (he was 305lbs). He’s walking into his second-year in the NFL at a strong and explosive 330lbs! Our athletes worked side-by-side Jared as he put in work at PSTS this summer.  I would imagine they learned a thing or two from watching his training and nutritional habits.

Personally, I wanted to create a place just for serious athletes. I’m not the type of coach to work with wishy-washy clientele who think just showing up is enough. If my athletes aren’t getting better every day at something then I didn’t do my job. The day would be a waste. It could be a new personal record, pushing the limits on their conditioning, or just gaining mental toughness- we have to improve on something every day. This can’t be accomplished without being serious about your training goals.

Taking your training seriously involves a lot more than most people think. Training, nutrition, recovery, and sport skill practice, are all athletic aspects that must be taken seriously if you want to standout come game day. It’s not just about getting to the gym 3x per week (although that’s a good start).  It’s about doing the little things that the competition is too lazy to do. It’s about being responsible for your actions and holding yourself accountable. Here are just a few:

Ø  Making sure you have the right foods prepared for the day so you won’t miss out on proper nutrition and nutrient timing- such as breakfast or a post-workout shake.

Ø  Getting off Facebook at night and getting enough sleep so you’ll be well rested for your training session the next day (which aides in recovery as well)

Ø  Arriving early or staying late to work on the little things that need extra attention- and not just because a coach told you to.

Ø  Making sacrifices- this could be an entire blog article in itself. Sometimes it means to plan your day around your training. For instance, if you want to hit up the beach with your friends at noon, you better arrange to get your session in beforehand- rather than blowing it off altogether for the beach.

Ø  Train with “game-winning drive” intensity. There is a time and a place when the intensity needs to be held back or re-directed. However, for the most part, when it’s time to train- it’s time to train hard.

At PSTS our athletes sign themselves in every day. They record the workout for the day and the weights they used. They count their sets and reps. They put the equipment back in the right place immediately after they’re done with it. They clean up their empty water bottles and trash. They file their workout cards and folders away. Some may think it’s a lot to ask of them, and sometimes it takes a few reminders (and sometimes more than a few, which usually comes with a strenuous penalty). These little things are expected of them. What does this have to do with getting serious about training? A lot. We try to engrain the responsibility here first so they can take it outside of the gym and apply it to their lives and sports. Once they understand what it means to be responsible, they will have no excuse not to be. But they first must understand.

Our training style and environment is another aspect of the “Get Serious” mantra. We don’t have the equipment for easy workouts or distractions. We don’t have air conditioning to make it “comfortable” for our athletes. Our training is tough. The workouts are fast-paced and our athletes are ready to be done when their time is up. Sometimes you feel like you can’t do another rep, only to find out you have 2 more whole sets left. If you weren’t serious about your sport and your training, this place would be torturous. You wouldn’t care enough to put your mind and body through our program. Good thing this isn’t the case for our athletes. They keep coming back. They made the choice to Get Serious.