The best coaches use nuance. The marketers deal in absolutes. It's...
Steve Magness@stevemagness
117 views
Nov 29, 2025
~1 min read
Advertisement
1
The best coaches use nuance.
The marketers deal in absolutes.
It's why the best rarely say..."Never go on distance runs" or "stay away from lifting" or "Only do HIIT..."
Coaches know: everything is a useful tool. You need to learn when to use each & when not to.
The marketers deal in absolutes.
It's why the best rarely say..."Never go on distance runs" or "stay away from lifting" or "Only do HIIT..."
Coaches know: everything is a useful tool. You need to learn when to use each & when not to.
2
The best example comes from sprint maestro Tom Tellez.
He'd equally tell someone to focus on sprinting and running mechanics...and tell them they need to run a ton of miles...
Depending on event, individual characteristics and more.
He'd equally tell someone to focus on sprinting and running mechanics...and tell them they need to run a ton of miles...
Depending on event, individual characteristics and more.
3
I saw it in strength coaches Dan John and Vern Gambetta
Who equally learned from the masters of strength and the eccentric distance coach Percy Cerutty.
I saw it in Leroy Burrell and Dan Pfaff, who saw multiple paths to developing various capacities.
Who equally learned from the masters of strength and the eccentric distance coach Percy Cerutty.
I saw it in Leroy Burrell and Dan Pfaff, who saw multiple paths to developing various capacities.
4
I saw it in my high school coach, who one year had the fastest 100m sprinter in the nation, and a few years later had the fastest miler and DMR team in the nation.
The best coaches don't have one absolute paradigm. They flexibly adjust given the situation in front of him.
The best coaches don't have one absolute paradigm. They flexibly adjust given the situation in front of him.
5
So whenever I see someone say, "NEVER do long easy running" or "stay away from lifting" or "Only do HIIT..."
They are almost always a marketer first.
When you're in the arena, you realize you've got to expand your toolkit, instead of eliminating tools.
They are almost always a marketer first.
When you're in the arena, you realize you've got to expand your toolkit, instead of eliminating tools.
