By Meg Burns // August 21st, 2023
As my time interning at Mike Boyle Strength and Conditioning is coming to an end, I have taken some time to reflect on the ways that I’ve grown and the many things that I have learned. I’ve gained so much knowledge and valuable experience. Here are my top 5 takeaways from my MBSC internship:
1 – Culture is Key
One of the first things that I noticed when I arrived at MBSC was the culture here. The coaches are welcoming, kind, positive, hard-working, and high character individuals. Great people make a big difference, and they were one of the main reasons I loved my experience. The culture at MBSC is all about team; everyone contributes, and everyone matters. It surprised me how well I was treated as an intern. I became an active part of the daily operations at the facility and my role was greatly valued and appreciated by everyone on staff. Though I was here for a short time, they made me a part of their system and invested in me as a coach. Whether you are a coach, intern, athlete, adult, etc., everyone feels like they are a part of something special here. MBSC has established a culture that makes people want to workout and that motivates them to get better. All these factors combined create the best possible experience for everyone. The extraordinary culture is one of the many things that sets MBSC apart from others in the private sector of strength and conditioning. My experience here was far greater than anything I’ve experienced in this field.
2 – Risk vs. Reward
When starting my internship, the Risk-to-Reward ratio was a new concept to me in relation to strength and conditioning. We hear the phrase, “no pain, no gain”, all the time and I assumed that a little pain with training was normal; this could not be farther from the truth! The most important goal in training is to do no harm. We are trying to make people better while keeping them healthy. This is done using a low risk, high reward framework. If an athlete suffers an injury while training, they can no longer compete in their sport and help their team. On the other hand, an injury to an adult can be catastrophic if it results in time off from work and loss of money. For adults, it’s especially important to avoid high risk exercises due to the major consequences of injury and their increased likelihood for injury as they age. Most training injuries result from large loads, so we need to find exercises that produce the maximum benefit with minimal load – the worth of an exercise is not determined by the weight lifted. We must ask ourselves, when does the risk outweigh the reward? And is it really worth it?
3 – Build Meaningful Relationships With Your Athletes/Clients
The ability to foster meaningful relationships might be the most important skill to have as a coach if you want to get more clients and make them stay. As an intern, the first two weeks of the summer session our responsibility was to learn every person’s name and begin building relationships with them. Looking back, I realize the impact these couple weeks had on the rest of the summer. When you express genuine interest in someone and show that you care, they are more willing to invest in what you have to say. Not only did building relationships help me build rapport and earn trust, but it made the training environment more fun for everyone. I came in every day excited to see everyone and it was rewarding to celebrate the success of every client knowing all the work they’ve put in to get to that point. The most important lesson that I’ll take away from this is that relationships lead to friendships. As we’ve approached the end of the summer, I’m sad to leave so many great friendships behind. I desire to positively impact countless lives as a coach, so it means so much to me when someone says they are sad to see me leave too. This is confirmation that the relationships I’ve formed are more meaningful than the training we’ve done.
4 – Always Have a Growth Mindset and Never Stop Learning
In only 11 weeks my knowledge of coaching and strength and conditioning significantly expanded. I’ve learned so much in a short time and still have way more to learn. This field is constantly changing and evolving so we should take advantage of opportunities to continue education. Read, ask questions, attend seminars, follow smart people on social media, and seek opportunities to gain educational experience – these are simple ways I’ve found to continue learning every day. Collect as much information as you can and then filter out the bad stuff and implement what you like based on your coaching philosophy. The challenge is to keep improving and learning, even when you think you have it figured out and believe your way is the best way. Mike Boyle always asks the question: “What if the way we’ve always done it is wrong?”. Never grow complacent and be willing to admit there may be a better way. Humility, acknowledging that you don’t know all the answers, is when learning happens. There is always room to learn and improve as a coach.
5 – Be the Hardest Worker
Hard work is a choice and there is no excuse for a lack of it. I love this quote from “Legacy” by James Kerr which says, “Never be too big to do the small things that need to be done.” If you want to be noticed, be the hardest worker in the room and do the little things in a big way. Always look for ways to help, whether than means setting up for the next group, taking a couple minutes to clean up the gym, or organizing equipment; there is always work to be done. Go above and beyond to leave a place better than you found it. Be the first one to arrive, the last person to leave, and never sit down. Don’t be lazy! Consistent hard work stands out and is often rewarded with new opportunities. Additionally, it reveals a lot about your character and shows commitment, humility, dependability, and selflessness, which are all desirable qualities of a good candidate for a job. Great things come from hard work.
Overall, my internship at Mike Boyle Strength and Conditioning has been the most influential experience in my professional development so far. I would highly recommend this internship to anyone who is eager to learn, committed to growing as a coach, and who wants to be a part of something bigger than themselves. This opportunity has been so rewarding and I’m confident its impact will be lifelong and take me far in my professional career.
Meg Burns 