So much changes in one year. I’m on a new coast, working in a new clinic with a new patient population, and now I know (for the time being) where I want to take the blog. I’m still only about 18 months out of school, but I have seen a huge change in my thought processes and my career goals. For your reading pleasure, and mine, I have put together a very special OQMA. Please read and enjoy.

When you were starting off your career, did you ever feel overwhelmed that you did not know “enough”? What were your career goals when you graduated and have they changed over the years? What is your best advice regarding reaching your goals for students, new grads, and those just starting out in the rehab/fitness industries? And finally, is there one theory, or stance that you held when starting your career that has changed since, and what caused this shift in thinking? (This question relates to my sign off of always evolving, whether it be your thought processes, or your own physical conditioning).

Mike Reinold:

When you were starting off your career, did you ever feel overwhelmed that you did not know “enough”?
I remember my early years fondly.  I am sure I was just like everyone else,
but felt that I had no clue where to go with my evaluations and treatments.
Every exam was just throwing everything I knew at the patients and seeing
what stuck!  Treatments were very basic and didn’t incorporate a lot of
“function.”  This drove me crazy and made me want to explore and learn more.
I am a pretty good self-learner so I read a lot and tried to bounce ideas of
co-workers as much as possible.  Over time, you start to see what works and
what doesn’t, and then you adapt.  I look at every patient as a learning
experience.

What were your career goals when you graduated and have they changed over the years?

In regard to my career goals, I have been all over the place.  I always
wanted to work with sports.  Once that happened, I narrowed it down to
baseball.  Once that happened, I narrowed it down to working for a team.
Now that that has happened, I don’t have a future plan just yet, still
enjoying the ride!  The only thing I want to do with my career next is a
4-day work week!

What is your best advice regarding reaching your goals for students, new grads, and those just starting out in the rehab/fitness industries?

I regard to student advice, I have actually written two really good posts on  my website on my advice for students
(http://www.mikereinold.com/2010/08/best-career-advice-for-students-and.html) and what I call my Essential Reading Lists of books to expand on your learning and skills (http://www.mikereinold.com/2010/09/2010-essential-reading-list-update-on.html).  In both, I polled many experts in the field of sports medicine and fitness and put it all together to serve as great resources.  There is a lot more info in these posts but always focus on 4 things:

   1) Surround yourself with the best – that is what I did. If you like
tennis rehab and you want to get into tennis, seek out the experts in that
field, learn from them, work with them, and become one of them.
   2) Work harder than everyone else. That is the American way, isn’t it?
Our society will allow those that want to outwork others to do so, and this
always results in good things. It comes down to the Pareto principle. You
can apply it in many ways, but basically 20% of the people do 80% of the
work. What percentage do you want to be in?
   3) Always have a sound scientific, and hopefully evidence based,
rationale behind each and every thing that you do. Every exercise, every
set, every rep. Everything. Not only to provide rationale for your patients and clients, but also to challenge yourself to always update and enhance what you do.
   4) Shape your practice on as many different thought processes as
possible.  Or, better said, don’t get locked into one treatment pattern.
That is tunnel vision.  Take the best out of everyone and become yourself.

www.mikereinold.com

Mike Boyle:

 When you were starting off your career, did you ever feel overwhelmed that you did not know “enough”?
 
Funny, I never felt that way. I have always felt that I read and study a lot and am very much ahead vs behind. Besides in college my dorm director was Mike Woicek ( 6 SuperBowl Rings) and my teacher for Weight Training ( yes, that was the course name) was a guy named Bruce Buckbee, an original student of Bill Starr. I had already competed as a powerlifter for 2 years prior to graduation so I think I was well versed.
 
What were your career goals when you graduated and have they changed over the years?
 
I’m not sure I had goals. I just wanted to get a job. MY father was a high school teacher/ principal so I think my goal was to work in college.
 
What is your best advice regarding reaching your goals for students, new grads, and those just starting out in the rehab/fitness industries?
 
The best advice is to write down your goals. Then start figuring out how to achieve them. My best advice is to start volunteering ASAP. If you really want to achieve something think about this quote “ the best time to plant a tree was three years ago. The next best time is tomorrow”.
For the best in Boston area sports and personal training go to www.bodybyboyle.com. Recently named one of America’s Top 10 Gyms By Men’s Health Magazine
For the best in performance enhancement information go to www.strengthcoach.com

Charlie Weingroff:

When you were starting off your career, did you ever feel overwhelmed that you did not know “enough”?

 
I know this probably won’t sound humbling, but no, I never really felt like I didn’t know enough.  But that’s definitely not to say that I felt like I knew everything.  What I was doing clinically at that time was not a package I would consider contemporary for my standards today, but I felt like I had an efficient package that complemented my facilities, my skill set, and the athletes and patients I was serving.  Also please consider that in the minor leagues, my job title was Head Athletic Trainer, but I was also the Strength & Conditioning Coach, the Equipment Manager, the Travel Coordinator, the Head Coach’s Executive Assistant, and overall Team Mother and Chief Babysitter.  As I look back my growth as a clinician was always in check with these other equally important roles in the overall success of a professional basketball team.

What were your career goals when you graduated and have they changed over the years?
 
When I graduated undergrad, I went right to PT school, so that didn’t change.  I’m not even sure I had a backup plan if I didn’t get in.  I probably would have worked as a personal trainer at a gym somewhere at home. After PT school, I was set on 3 choices, none of which turned out be where I wound up.  I wanted to either join the Navy, get a full-time internship in the NFL, or be a pediatric physical therapist.
But as it turned out, the September after graduating, I had an Intern Assistant Athletic Trainer position with the New Jersey Nets.  I had 1 year of minor league basketball under my belt, but working in the NBA was never something that I was pining after.  12 years later, it’s still the dream job that I am chasing still with a lot of fire.  After getting in with the Nets to this day, my career goal is to work the rest of my life in NBA or D1 basketball.
 

What is your best advice regarding reaching your goals for students, new grads, and those just starting out in the rehab/fitness industries?

Some recent advice I have given to young trainers and therapists recently centers around trying to stratify your goals.  What you ultimately want may not in reach at the moment, but everything you do between now and then should have some kind of pointed direction towards that goal.  At certain points, it will be of a directed effort.  Other times it will be indirect.  When I was trying to get back into the NBA, from September to April I was in the NBDL.  From April to end of June, I was in the USBL.  I went home for a week and spent July as an intern with the Celtics.  In August, I worked as a PT to improve those skills, but there wasn’t any basketball to be worked.  Always try to fill in a personal quality that is somehow related to your ultimate goal.
 
The other thing that I think is important is to not worrying about knowing everything about everything.  Coming up in college and PT school in the middle and late 90s, there was no Strengthcoach.com or Internet blogs.  My point is that when there is formal education that you know if directly going to feed your goals, put that ahead of the “real world” information that you may not get in school.  Please don’t ever not get a formal level of education that will give you credibility and a foundation in the workplace because the quality of education may be backwards or dated.  The contemporary information will always be there.  The masters degree will get you a D1 GA job, or the PT degree will get you ahead of everybody else in line for that job you want.
 
Lastly, read Coach Boyle’s article Should You Stick to The Recipe.  It’s okay to be a cook.  And it’s okay to be a Chef in some things and still applying to be a cook in others.  “The idea is that eventually we all can become chefs but, we all start out as cooks.”
 
 
Is there one theory, or stance that you held when starting your career that has changed since, and what caused this shift in thinking? (This question is in regards to my sign off of always evolving, whether it be your thought processes, or your own physical conditioning).  **Yes, I forgot to ask the other two guys this question!**
 
I’m not sure there’s anything I still feel strongly about now from when I started as a professional other than the remand to train with heavy weights.
I used to do leg extensions.  I used to do crunches.  I used to think warmup was taking an empty bar for a couple sets.
Obviously the training methods of Gray and Coach Boyle are what I use for others, and from Westside for myself are far cries than what I would have done 10-12 years ago.
I just hope I can look back 5-10 years ago and say that everything I do then is different than what I do now.

www.charlieweingroff.com

Gray Cook:

So I sent the same e-mail to Gray amd weirdly enough he had just written an article for his own website regarding the same topics! I have been able to read the article and now you can too at Gray’s site! Here are some snippets.

“My formal education in exercise and physical therapy taught me how to not hurt people, and how to be responsible. My practical education, still in progress, teaches me how to help people, and how to become wiser. My practical education improves my efficiency and effectiveness. My practical experiences create my professional confidence and momentum.”

“Don’t make the mistake and think that my hand was held by a kind, nurturing sole. Paul is a demanding teacher and coach, and this was exactly what I needed. He is definitely a kind person, but he knew I needed systematic structure and practical skills. He showed me the pursuit of knowledge and truth is about early mornings, late nights, and lots of feedback—mostly constructive criticism. If I hadn’t have wanted this, the path was designed to quickly show me the exit.”

The link to the article: http://graycook.com/?p=452

Well there it is guys. Three of the top guys in the business telling us where they came from, and a little on how we can get there. For those of you who seemed to miss the message, it seems to be all about putting your head down and working as hard a possible.

Always Evolve,

Mike