What Makes a Great Athlete Great? -

Join Coach Mash and the Mash Mafia Team Saturday March 12th for the “Mash Squat Every Day” Learn 2 Lift Seminar at the Mash Compound. We will be discussing:

-Programming
-Exercise Selection
-Olympic Weightlifting
-Powerlifting
-Mindset
-And More

Check it out here: >>>Mash Squat Every Day Seminar<<<

What Makes a Great Athlete Great?

Parents ask me all the time to make their son or daughter like one of my other great collegiate athletes or champion weightlifters, and my response is always the same. I tell them that their child will be given the same opportunities that all of my prior athletes were given. The question is always, “Will the athlete take advantage of all of their opportunities?” Sorry to say that most will not! I am going to list the key ingredients that make Great Athletes Great.

1. They become “Masters of the Mundane”. This means that they do the little things to get better. Some of these little things are sleeping right, eating right, stretching, giving it their best on every rep of every set, and prioritizing their life. First sleeping right means that they are getting at least 8-10 hours per night. This might mean skipping parties or not going out on dates, but greatness does not come cheaply. They learn about nutrition, and they apply it. They don’t skip meals, and they become careful of what goes in their mouths. They stretch the muscles that are identified as tight by me. They also work on stabilizing the weak muscles that are identified by me. They don’t cheat reps or sets! That means that they run through the line, and they will probably give me 12 reps when I asked for 10. Last they prioritize their life! If they go on a vacation, then they ask me for a workout to do while traveling. Our athletes have access to unlimited amounts of knowledge because they have coaches that live Exercise Science. Now we have online clients that have the same on our website www.MashElitePerformance.com in the store section.

2. They set goals! All of my great ones have set concrete goals that they have written plans set in stone to reach said goal. We teach them to dream it, write it down, formulate a plan, commit to the plan, and follow through. It’s a plan that works!

All of my great athletes set goals for all of their dreams. Cade Carney, who is now playing football at Wake Forest University, set goals for everything. When we were on the way to one of his combines, he would be setting goals for his 40y dash and vertical leap.

Nathan Damron has a goal of beating all the Junior American Records in the 85k weight class. He has specific bench marks that he needs to hit to give himself a chance. He is consistently chopping away at those.

3. They do not need to be pushed! A lot of parents tell me to push their child, and I do exactly what they ask. My goal is always to teach them to push themselves. To do this I have to find out what drives them, and then I get them to visualize reaching that one thing. Cade Carney is arguably one of the best athletes that I have ever coached.. He is considered one of the top recruits in his class, and I can tell you that no one had to push him. This kid was driven, and he still is. There is no way that he will not earn a starting spot because he is driven more than any of the other kids. An athlete should strive to be self-motivated. Now I did push him further than he thought was possible, but he had his own motivation.

My team of weightlifters is one of the best teams in America. Our team is comprised of men and women determined to be the best in America. My main job is to tell them to rest. I don’t have to do a lot of motivating mainly just guidance.

4. Genetics! Now this one I have nothing to do with. This is totally up to the parents, but don’t get me wrong. I have seen undersized athletes work hard and earn scholarships. They just have to be a lot better than the bigger ones.

5. Visualization! All the greats can see, taste, hear, and literally feel what their idea of success is because they have visualized it a million times before they ever reach it. When they walk out on the World Championship Stage, they have already been there in their minds. When Cade is about to receive the football with the game on the line fourth down, goal to go on the one-yard line, he has already been at that situation in his brain. He knows what the crowd sounds like. He knows what the beat of his heart feels like.

Now it’s out there! I just wanted all children and adults to know what it takes to be great. All of my great ones possess all of these qualities, and I simply push them over the edge. I take their drive and make it better. I take their strength and make them stronger. My kids have a lot of tools at their disposal because we have an amazing staff. If you would like to know more about Mash Elite, contact us on www.MashElite.com.