Moving Better > Looking Better. Here’s Why That Changes Everything.
A strength coach’s take on movement, mindset, and why real progress has nothing to do with before-and-after photos.
The missing link in most people’s training isn’t effort — it’s efficiency. When you move better, your body has no choice but to respond
Let’s Get Honest About “Transformations”
Most people think a transformation happens in 12 weeks.
Or six months.
Or maybe a year, if they’re really committed.
But here’s the thing:
The real transformation isn’t what you look like. It’s how you move.
You can lose fat. You can build muscle. But if you don’t know how to move well — efficiently, with control, intention, and confidence — none of it sticks. You’ll plateau. Or worse, get hurt.
You can download a program, join a challenge, or copy a workout off Instagram. But until you learn what to feel, and how to execute with precision, you’re just guessing.
Skill-based strength training is the real foundation of long-term results.
And it’s a process — not a quick fix.
We Don’t Just Start With Squats — We Build Them
Whether you’ve been squatting for years or are just getting started, a squat should be part of your program, but most people don’t have the mobility or body awareness to squat well right away. That’s not a flaw — it’s just the truth.
I use the squat as the example in this post because it's a universal pattern.
✔ It’s a compound lift.
✔ It’s a longevity movement.
✔ It tells me everything I need to know about how you move.
Sitting down and standing up without pain at 65? That’s a squat.
Building glutes that actually do something? Also a squat.
Moving with confidence in and out of the gym? Still comes back to a movement like a squat.
No— we don’t throw a barbell on your back on Day 1.
We start with:
✔ Ankle, hip, thoracic, and shoulder mobility
✔ Gait and posture assessment
✔ Core control and bracing (which alone may take multiple sessions)
✔ Deep squat holds, bodyweight work, and goblet squat variations
✔ Teaching you what to feel — glutes, hamstrings, adductors, lats
You’ll hear your body say:
“I think I finally felt my glutes.”
“That felt easier, but I really had to think about it”
“I didn’t know I was shifting all my weight to the right.”
That’s not regression.
That’s coaching done right.
As I always say:
“I’ll take you three steps back — before we go leaps and bounds forward.”
You’re Not Broken — You’ve Just Never Been Taught
I coach powerlifters, bikini athletes, general lifters, to parents in their 60s. Every single one of them has said some version of this:
“No one ever taught me how to squat.”
Instead, they’ve heard:
• “Don’t let your knees go past your toes.”
• “Push your butt back.”
• “Screw your feet into the ground.”
And when the weight gets heavy, we default to what we know — even if it’s inefficient. Or harmful.
Undoing those habits?
That’s the work.
We slow you down. We rebuild awareness. And we retrain your nervous system to do the right thing under load.
Efficiency > Intensity
Most clients show up in a rush.
On a work break.
Anxious to “get the workout done.”
But just getting through a workout isn’t the goal.
Executing the movement well is.
If you do less but do it better, you’ll make more progress.
More isn’t better, heavier isn’t. Better is better.
So we stop rushing.
We stop spinning wheels.
We build control.
We teach your body how to move efficiently — even when you’re short on time.
Not Every Lift Needs Coaching Forever — But Some Do
Once I show you how to bicep curl, you probably don’t need me to cue it again.
A curl is simple. It’s safe. You’ve got it.
But a squat? A deadlift? A bench? Barbell movements?
That’s different.
These lifts demand:
✔ Foot pressure and stance
✔ Pelvic positioning
✔ Core bracing and breathing
✔ Shoulder stability
✔ Balance, tension, tempo, depth, and setup
Each client picks up different lifts faster than others. That’s normal.
Some need months to feel their glutes. Others struggle to brace.
Some are quad-dominant and don’t know it. Some shift weight from side to side.
This is why real coaching isn’t just programming.
It’s observation. It’s adaptation. It’s teaching.
Anyone Can Write You a Program.
There is no lack of programs out there. ChatGPT can write you a program. But Who’s Teaching You What to Feel?
This is where I have strong opinions.
There’s no industry standard for what makes a coach.
You can get certified in a weekend and start charging people.
But that doesn’t mean you know how to:
• Teach someone to hinge
• Spot pelvic rotation
• Fix quad dominance
• Coach tension, not just throw a program at someone
• Cue glutes or lats in real time
A real coach doesn’t just assign sets and reps.
A real coach teaches you how to own them.
“When You Think You’re Tight… You Probably Need to Get Tighter”
That’s not just a slogan — it’s a neurological truth.
Your nervous system has to adapt to heavier weight.
✔ Learn to brace under load
✔ Stay calm under pressure
✔ Maintain control through fatigue
✔ Generate drive without losing position
This is what I mean when I say:
“We don’t just send it.”
At American Strength Training Center, we program with intention.
We progress the pattern.
We load your nervous system.
We teach the lift from every angle — so when it’s time to go heavy, you’ve already earned it.
Movement Isn’t Memorization. It’s Rewiring.
Most people don’t realize:
When weight goes up, your old habits are likely to come back. We revert to what we know.
That’s why I spend more time undoing bad movement than just adding weight.
Clients show up with:
• Past injuries
• Old-school cues
• Years of compensation
• No real feedback
• Too many internet cues and no idea how to apply them
So I slow you down.
I make you think.
I ask you to “pat your head and rub your belly at the same time” — because that’s what rewiring your movement requires.
Mechanics. Mobility. Mindset.
Whether or not you think you care about mechanics, I promise —
You will care when you feel your body working in harmony:
glutes + lats + hamstrings + adductors + brace = confidence.
We’re training:
✔ Joint position
✔ Muscle awareness
✔ Coordination
✔ Recovery
✔ Real strength — without guesswork
Nervous System Training = Real Training
Here’s what people miss:
You don’t build strength just by adding more plates.
You build strength by improving your body’s communication system.
We train:
✔ Bracing under load
✔ Control through full range
✔ Timing and tempo
✔ Explosiveness with stability
The first time you hit a new weight? That’s cool.
But the first time that same weight feels easy?
That’s when you know it’s working.
Repetition > Results
Here’s what real transformation looks like:
✔ One clean rep
✔ Becomes a confident triple
✔ Becomes part of your warm-up
✔ Becomes your new baseline
We don’t chase numbers.
We chase consistency and confidence under the bar.
Because that’s what translates outside of the gym — into parenting, aging, hiking, lifting groceries, or catching yourself from a fall.
Your Shoes Matter. Your Position Matters.
Low bar? High bar? Flats? Lifters?
Everyone has an opinion.
Here’s what matters more:
✔ What are your ankles doing?
✔ Where is your pelvis?
✔ Are your feet stable or collapsing?
✔ Are your muscles working or coasting?
Your shoes matter.
Your setup matters.
Your awareness matters more than your PR.
The Gym Is the Only Place People Think They Can “Figure It Out Alone”
Why?
Because personal training has been diluted.
Because most people have only been told what to do — not how to do it.
Real coaching teaches you:
✔ How to move
✔ How to think
✔ How to feel
✔ How to train on your own
I don’t want you to need me forever.
I want you to be efficient on your own — and tap me in when you need support.
Your Position Matters More Than Your PR
I’ve seen injuries happen from poor positioning — broken bones, tweaked backs, long-term setbacks.
Not because squats are bad.
But because they weren’t taught well.
The gym should be the safest place you move.
Because outside the gym — life will test you.
So let’s get it right now.
Let’s fix it.
Let’s stop guessing.
Strength Is a Skill — And It Lasts a Lifetime
Whether you’re 16 or 70:
✔ You need to squat.
✔ You need to hinge.
✔ You need to press, pull, carry, and brace.
And you need to do it well — so you can keep doing it for life.
Virtual Coaching Has Its Place. But Nothing Replaces In-Person Coaching.
Online coaching offers access and structure.
But if you’re just reading cues or watching demos?
You’re still guessing.
In-person coaching gives you:
✔ Real-time corrections
✔ Micro-adjustments that stick
✔ Answers when you need them
✔ Confidence that you're moving well
You don’t need forever. But a few good sessions can change how you lift for the rest of your life.
If You Resonate With This… You’re My Kind of Client
✔ You want to learn — not just sweat
✔ You’re done with random workouts and no feedback
✔ You want longevity, not just aesthetics
✔ You want your body to work — not just look good
✔ You’re willing to slow down to move forward
You’re who I coach.
Final Thoughts
This post used the squat as the example.
But this coaching approach applies to every movement that matters:
✔ Bench
✔ Deadlift
✔ RDL
✔ Rows
✔ Overhead Press
✔ Lunges
✔ Hinging, bracing, stabilizing — all of it
Because at the end of the day, this isn’t about “exercise.”
It’s about movement efficiency, strength that lasts, and a body you trust.
You don’t need to commit 3x/week forever.
But a few focused sessions can save you years of frustration, wasted time, or injury.
Do yourself a favor and learn what makes each lift efficient.
Then build from there.
📩 Want to Learn How to Lift Efficiently?
✔ In-person coaching in Maplewood, MN
✔ Strength, mobility, technique and movement-based training
✔ Built for beginners, busy professionals, and serious lifters
👉 Let’s clean up your lifts — and build something that lasts.
