Ray Zingler - PA Chalk Up Breakdown
Image created by Regina Franca
Introduction:
Ray Zingler is a private strength and conditioning coach who operates Zingler Strength from his own facility. At Zingler Strength, Ray trains world-class athletes who have reached the pinnacle of their respective sports. Ray emphasises interpersonal skills and provides personalised training programs tailored to each athlete. With decades of experience, he draws on the expertise of industry pioneers to deliver exceptional results.
Knowing your Athletes:
It should come as no surprise that coaches benefit from knowing their athletes. Because our work involves so much complexity, there are moments when we lose sight of the human in-front of us. There is a reason why the saying, "You could write the best programme in the world, but it will not work if the athlete doesn't like you or the programme," is used as an example. The athlete needs to know that you care for them. They must know that you are aware of their difficulties and that you will support them during them.
One useful method to approach this is to ask yourself, "What does the session look like if they are having a good day?" What then happens when they are experiencing a difficult day? How do you handle it?
Managing these emotions is essential for being a genuinely good coach; it won't always be simple, and you may make mistakes along the way. However, an effective coach will set aside their egos and take the time to understand their athletes and what motivates them truly. Participating in the PA Chalk Up has taught me a variety of techniques for assessing my athletes' progress. You can learn a lot about your athlete from fist bumps. Is there some energy behind it, or is it just half-assed?
Resource - A book that helps you to understand more about your athletes and their behaviours and TRULY achieve buy-in with them, I recommend reading “Conscious Coaching”. It has been a staple in my career and one of the reasons I have managed to connect with all my athletes.
Note - If you want an in-depth dive into Conscious Coaching, leave a comment.
Athlete Load Management:
Ray states that he develops a certain degree of trust with his players during the course of the episode. For his plan, striking the right mix between pushing and raining them back is essential. Ray explains in the episode that his athletes often don't need to be reminded to calm down or to push harder. This implies that if they are in the jump test and have jumped three times and are almost at their PR but have jumped three times already. Ray can tell them, "You're fine, don't jump anymore," and they'll accept it. Despite their competitive nature, they will nonetheless accept what Ray says and rest. They are aware that Ray will listen to them and will act in their best interests.
Having gone through a similar situation myself, I believe it is our responsibility to set these limits with our athletes. We have to be aware of their perspective. They want to be the best and keep getting better, which is fantastic, but we also have to realise that if they attempt another jump, rep, or max effort, we could be jeopardising their performance in another area. Additionally, injuries might result from this, which is never what we want to happen. Building load management trust and understanding how much they can absorb without hitting the point of diminishing return are consequently essential.
Athlete Max Selection:
Ray despite being heavily invested in the athletes' numbers and loads, as his programme heavily implements progressive overload method. Despite this, Ray allows his athletes to choose their own weight dependent on how they feel.
Now, this may sound unusual, and you may be thinking that it gives athletes a chance to slack of. Despite this, Ray adds that his athletes often deviate just 5–10 lbs from the prescribed weight for the session. The discussions around weight, Ray explains the required goal for the session and athletes feel out the weight. Ray discusses this in depth and how this trust is built within his athletes.
As previously mentioned, this comes with a high-level of trust and knowledge of the coach-athlete-relationship. Athletes training age highly depends on how accurate they will be.
Setting Hard Tasks:
One of the roles of S&C coaches is the ability to prepare their athletes the trials and tribulations of their athlete's sports. There comes a time where your athlete is going to dip into the “Dark Side” of their sport. As a coach it is useful to know what that is and how you can take your athletes there. In a previous episode with Thomas Newman we discussed the dark side and his method of dipping his athletes into it. Ray has a carry rule with his athletes, meaning that after a session, athletes are required to take a heavy set of kettlebells and take them for a targeted carry.
Personally, I love taking athletes into the “Dark Side” this is important as your athletes will have matches, comps, or performance where their ability to perform will get challenged. They will want to give up or allow the opponent to overrule them. Having this ability to dip into the Dark Side, allows them to dig deep and find a gear they did not think existed. It is our jobs to install this button and let them know they have access to it whenever they need it.
Note – If you would like to know more about the Dark Side and how you can introduce it into your athletes training, leave a comment below!
Advice for New Strength Coaches:
Ray offered some valuable advice for new strength and conditioning coaches entering the industry: "Become a sponge." This means actively listening to and learning from seasoned, successful coaches rather than relying solely on TikTok videos. These quick fixes can be misleading and don’t paint a complete picture of what it truly takes to succeed in the field.
Ray also highlighted the importance of embracing the "ugly stuff" for your growth in the industry. This includes tasks like sweeping floors, arriving earlier than everyone else, and ensuring all the weights and equipment are organised. These tasks might seem trivial, but they are essential for maintaining a smooth-running gym environment. For example, if you tidy up the equipment after each session, you’ll know exactly where everything is for the next one, making set-up much easier. And if your next session isn’t until the following day and no one else is using the gym, you can set up in advance, making your start the next day much smoother.
From my own experience, I’ve learned the significance of handling these seemingly minor tasks. They might be tedious, and no one particularly enjoys them, but becoming proficient in these areas often leads to more important responsibilities. Over time, this can mean setting up for sessions, leading warm-ups, or even managing your own group. It’s a step-by-step progression where completing each task well earns you more trust and responsibility
Note - This does vastly differ from internship to internship and how each head coach runs their sessions. The best coaches and programmes will have something similar, identifying these programmes can be challenging but it is all about the research you do prior to reaching out
Next Step:
Watch the full interview here.
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Email mannysilveira@primitiveathletix.com for any enquires or any further questions you may have.