Strength Notes with Coach Vincent (March 2025)
Coach Vincent wanted to connect with our community outside of coaching so he decided to put pen to paper as they say. Check out what he has to say below and be on the lookout for more of these throughout the year.
Throughout high school (and as far back as I can remember), I had two goals: Have a six-pack and get "BIG."
Easier said than done.
I was 145lb, fully clothed and soaking wet when I graduated high school. My strength was less than average for my age, and my physique could be described best as "skinny fat."
Yet, I was OBSESSED with trying to build muscle. The allure of programs "guaranteed" to grow your arms in 6 weeks and the burn of "10-minute abs" kept me in the gym for two hours a day, six days a week.
Even after all the drop sets, partials, clusters, and "barf bucket" leg days, I still did not see any real improvement in my physique.
The harder I tried, the farther away my goal seemed to be.
What changed?
I stopped working out to achieve my "fitness goals" and began training to achieve my performance goals.
This change occurred in April 2022, when I discovered the kettlebell and began working towards achieving the "Simple Standard" of Pavel's program, Simple and Sinister.
The goal was this: 100 swings and 10 getups with a 32kg kettlebell.
Simple, not easy.
I began working with the only bell I could access at my local gym, a 16kg. At first, the swings made my lungs burn, and the getups smoked my shoulders.
And then, after a few weeks of daily "practice," the 16kg began to feel REALLY light.
So, I invested in coaching (shoutout to Coach B!) and repeated the process with the 24kg. It was the same deal at first: The swings killed my lungs, and the getup was a wobbly mess.
And then? It got easier! The more I practiced, the more explosive my swings and the stronger my getups became.
What was better? My shirt started to get tighter in the chest and shoulders, my legs felt stronger, and my grip strength improved. But best of all...
I COULD SEE MY ABS!
How was this possible?! I was spending less time in the gym than ever before, doing fewer exercises, skipping my "cardio," and somehow getting the best results I've ever had.
A few weeks later, after just three months of nothing but swings and getups (almost) every day, I attempted Simple...
AND I DID IT!
Was it pretty? No. Was it to the StrongFirst standard? Not even close. But I had set out to accomplish a goal, and achieved it, through no one else's hard work but my own.
The by-product of this achievement was the best physique I had ever had at that point in my life. I filled out my shirts, my midsection was visible for the first time, and the people around me began to take notice.
Performance goals are now a major cornerstone of my training plans, personally and with my students.
I'll give you a few examples of common "fitness" goals and how you can easily shift focus towards a performance goal while achieving the former as a simple by-product of your training.
Get Leaner = Sprint 200m in __ amount of time (depending on age/gender)
Get Stronger = Deadlift 2x your bodyweight
Build More Muscle = Clean & Press double 24kg kettlebells for a set of ten reps (a specific goal that will result in hypertrophy)
Chasing a fitness goal such as more muscle, less body fat, bigger biceps, more muscular shoulders, etc., will only waste your time.
This is why some folks train for YEARS and never see the results they want.
Giving yourself a concrete goal creates a strong why and eliminates the countless hows that pull us in different directions.
Simply shifting your mindset from looking a certain way to performing a certain way can make all the difference.
It's time to eliminate the "fitness fluff" you've been sold on social media. Set a performance goal for yourself, grab a kettlebell (or whatever tool you need), and put in the work.
"But Vincent, I just don't know where to start!"
You're not alone. I was in your shoes once, and the best advice I ever received was to hire a coach and get serious about my training.
So, for a limited time, I'm accepting 1:1 students interested in taking themselves to the next level. You can find more information by clicking this.
But I understand 1:1 training isn't for everyone.
So, as a bonus offer, I'm also opening up a limited number of 6:1 Small Group Personal Training spaces! This is half the price of 1:1 and groups you with other like-minded individuals, each working towards their own performance goals. For more info on SGPT, click here!
Thanks for reading, and as always...
Stay Strong!
Vincent