Sam Johnson

Founder, StrengthFarm® & StrengthApp™⚡️💪Helping people get stronger anytime, anywhere.

[Sam Johnson @samjohnsonpdx]

After 10+ years working in the trenches as a private strength coach/business owner working with athletes from middle school on up through the pros..Began fresh off active duty military in 2013 with free training for athletes to “prove” results & slowly increased pricing to reflect the true value that’s gained training with a professional strength coach. I’ve noticed a few things working with highly talented, average, and not so talented athletes regardless of sport, age or gender:

Performance of athletes long term, regardless of talent, is dependent on their mindset within & outside of their time with their coaches/trainers..

Anyone can do the work in front of others. But is this work even done well or to our full focus & effort? Some are able to do it well, some not so well. Some can be shown, directed, and taught the proper form to perform and they want to improve so they focus and push themselves toward limits in all they do. Others will falter due to disliking discomfort so much that they’re not able to see value in the efforts required to improve. The juice is worth the squeeze for some, others not at all.

Some athletes are focused most of the time, some sometimes, and some have to be convinced to lock in occasionally. Some pay attention to detail in every movement, others are simply going through the motions jokingly as if they’re ’too cool’ to sweat the small stuff..

Some pay attention, some don’t. Some care about nutrition, some don’t. Some care about stretching, rolling, and resting - some don’t. Some want to do whatever it takes, some don’t. Some are hungry for the simple shit they can do repeatedly that others won’t, some think it’s bullshit when given 3-5 things they can do on their own to improve their performance long term.

It’s the athletes able to focus on their work and maintain a long term outlook most of the time that have long term success in sports and life.

Success is simply accepting what the process requires and learning to take action regardless of how we feel in any given moment.

Some get it, some never will. Some win, some lose. Some love truth, some hate to hear shit that doesn’t soothe their ear.

Some need another coach to be their friend and hold their hand. Some don’t.

The game remains the same, whether in sports or life.. Win or lose, focus & effort are really the only things in our control.

Effort & focus = long term success.

Never give up.

[Sam Johnson @samjohnsonpdx]

@stevemagness I suppose what I’m getting at is maybe something doesn’t really work to begin with if at some point it stops working?

If at the beginning there’s an illusion of it working, then it doesn’t work long term, so maybe it never really worked at all?

[Sam Johnson @samjohnsonpdx]

Respectfully disagree sir. Everything works until a certain point. Many teens refuse to adhere to a system or program that is designed by experts that came before them, made many mistakes along the way, and have figured some things out that will save them time, effort, and pain.

[Steve Magness @stevemagness]

Everything works. All different types of training.

Especially for novices, high school athletes, or athletic freaks.

Doing just about anything will get you better.

Don't let that fact fool you into thinking that something is the best training system. It isn't.

[Sam Johnson @samjohnsonpdx]

@lime_crush @stevemagness Yes, just felt it needed to be expanded on. May only disagree with a small nuanced aspect that was missing or maybe needed to be expanded on.

[Sam Johnson @samjohnsonpdx]

@stevemagness All my point is doing is taking the other side of the point - there are in fact, better systems.

Many young athletes do random shit and get marginal or suboptimal results as an indicator of not having a periodized system in place.

[Sam Johnson @samjohnsonpdx]

@stevemagness Many HS athletes do dumb shit and get hurt.

[Sam Johnson @samjohnsonpdx]

@stevemagness I’m not arguing, just disagreeing. It’s not personal, it’s just expanding off the topic as it is something that is actually worth expanding on.

[Sam Johnson @samjohnsonpdx]

@lime_crush @stevemagness God forbid a discussion on a topic that’s fun to discuss!

[Sam Johnson @samjohnsonpdx]

This is my only point. It’s a bit misleading to say everything works leaving out the fact it’s all conditional and relative. There is nuance in training, especially athletic performance.

Many young athletes need to be taught nuances of training instead of doing whatever works.

[Steve Magness @stevemagness]

@samjohnsonpdx I think we’re saying a variation of the same thing. I’d suggest you reread.

Everything “works”, as in gets you better. But that doesn’t mean what works initially is best for the long term.

[Sam Johnson @samjohnsonpdx]

@stevemagness There’s a lot more to this.

Dumbing down training for the masses is why many people think doing “anything and everything” works.

While disregarding that there are actually better systems and methods for athletic performance.

My point is simple - there are better systems.

[Sam Johnson @samjohnsonpdx]

@stevemagness It’s misleading to say everything works and leave it at that. I am simply pointing out the nuance in the reality of training vs your simplified and incomplete synopsis.

[Sam Johnson @samjohnsonpdx]

These issues may lead these athletes toward having glaring holes in their structural stability, which may lead to injury. Many youth sports injuries are preventable with a structured and periodized strength & conditioning system designed by a coach. Instead of some random stuff.

[Sam Johnson @samjohnsonpdx]

Ex. Many teenage athletes will focus on how much they bench press vs mastering the push up. Many young athletes will focus on plyometrics to jump higher / run faster prior to building foundational lower body strength through training deadlifts, squats, etc.

[Sam Johnson @samjohnsonpdx]

@stevemagness These issues may lead these athletes toward having glaring holes in their structural stability, which may lead to injury. Many youth sports injuries are preventable with a structured and periodized strength & conditioning system designed by a coach. Instead of some random stuff.

[Sam Johnson @samjohnsonpdx]

@stevemagness Respectfully disagree sir. Everything works until a certain point. Many teens refuse to adhere to a system or program that is designed by experts that came before them, made many mistakes along the way, and have figured some things out that will save them time, effort, and pain.

[Sam Johnson @samjohnsonpdx]

@stevemagness Ex. Many teenage athletes will focus on how much they bench press vs mastering the push up. Many young athletes will focus on plyometrics to jump higher / run faster prior to building foundational lower body strength through training deadlifts, squats, etc.

[Sam Johnson @samjohnsonpdx]

STRENGTH COACH 101: If & when possible, refrain from telling people how much they're lifting prior to a relatively heavy lift. Most people will complete the lift and surprise the hell out of themselves with how strong they actually are after you tell them how much they just did.

[Steve Magness @stevemagness]

I'm not impressed by the "I did this marathon on no training" folks.

To me, that sends an opposite signal:
1. You self-sabotaged so you had an out handy. You didn't risk seeing what you could do.
2. The prep is the meaningful part. You didn't have the discipline to do it.

[Sam Johnson @samjohnsonpdx]

@CoachKevinCarr @mboyle1959 What if they’re lifting a weight they could do for more than 5 reps but staying in the 3-5 rep range focusing on form, power, and efficiency? This seems to be a sweet spot for most IMO.

[Sam Johnson @samjohnsonpdx]

Once we accept the pain as part of the process making progress, we settle in

[Sam Johnson @samjohnsonpdx]

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[Bleacher Report @BleacherReport]

"I would dominate this era... I caught passes in the midst of pain."

Michael "The Playmaker" Irvin goes OFF on the notion he wouldn't succeed in today's NFL 😳🔥

(Via @michaelirvin88)