One common complaint shared among strength coaches is the complaint that folks need to take strength coaches more seriously. I say if we want to be taken more seriously as a profession, we need to dress better and behave in a more civilized manner.
On the matter of dress, it is not my place to tell you what exactly you should wear. However, the reality, whether you like it or not, is that your style communicates to the world what you think about yourself and you can’t control what observers think when they see you. Avoid misinterpretations by dressing professionally. What is considered professional varies based on culture and context so you have to exercise your best judgment in all situations and seek advice as needed.
You will see me wearing a suit in the vast majority of my videos and there is a good reason for that. Plus, this is my style.
I can’t talk about style without talking about substance. The best looking and best fitting clothes won’t matter if you don’t behave professionally. Unfortunately, in the eyes of the public, what comes to mind when they think of a strength coach is the emotionally-charged, crazy meathead yelling and screaming on the sidelines of an NFL game who also pushes people back as a “get back coach” who probably needs to “get back” himself too.
Style and substance go hand-in-hand. If you want to be treated like a professional, you need to be seen like a professional and act like a professional.
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