Overwhelming interest in bringing in a strength coach to my workplace.

[Polishdude20]

So I work in an engineering office. We've got about twenty employees of various age ranges skewed towards the older population. We're a small but old company. We've recently had renovations done and with this, a small room was converted into a little gym. During the renovations, I quickly jumped on the opportunity for us to acquire a squat rack and barbell. The president of the company agreed and was very into the idea. I found a very good deal on craigslist and went to pickup everything we needed the next day. Since the gym wasn't finished yet, we had it stored in an unheated warehouse area. During this time, I started SS. Everyone knew we had this equipment but I was the only one using it. When the reno was finished, we installed the rack in the official gym and I thought, this will surely be used by others and not just me. Unfortunately, this wasn't the case. I was still the only one using it and probably the only person using the gym at all.

So I heard the president discussing bringing in a yoga instructor to teach any willing participants and I suggested we also bring in a strength coach. Particularly, a local SSC. So I wrote up an email to everyone in the office hoping to find some interested trainees. If you're interested, here it is in all it's glory:

Hey Everyone,

As part of the gym activities, you may have heard of plans to bring in a yoga instructor to teach a class or two to any willing participants.
We’re also looking into the possibility of bringing in a strength coach for a session one evening. So I’m sending out an email to see who would be interested in attending such a class. This would require every attendee to chip in a small reasonable amount.

I am personally biased in favor of strength training but I hope a few of these points might interest you to investigate further.

1. Barbell training is the best way to get strong.
2. Barbell training is basically normal human movement patterns which are loaded with a gradually increasing weight.
3. Since you're standing on your feet while you lift, barbell training teaches balance.
4. Barbell training is the most effective way to increase bone density.

Source Cardell and Dr. Coleman | Mark Rippetoe)

Despite the fact that heavy weights are being lifted, strength training is actually one of the safest sports. The injury rate of weight training is lower than that of tennis or even badminton. (Strength and Prevention of Injuries | Mark Rippetoe).

In this strength class, you’d learn how to properly perform the four most important barbell lifts in a safe and effective manner. You can choose to just watch if you so desire.

If this has piqued your interest, check out some of those articles I’ve linked above. If you have any questions let me know!

If you want to attend this class, send me an email so we can get a head count.

Thanks for getting this far,

After this, I went home and thought I might have been too eager. Might have been too pushy. But lo and behold. I come back in the morning the next day and I've got eleven willing participants emailing me that they're in! It looks like I've led the horse to water and he's taking a sip. Now it's just a matter of waiting a few days for other takers and finding out how much it'll cost to teach eleven people how to squat,bench,deadlift,press. Might need to spread it out over a few sessions even.

The SS articles have helped me make my case and I hope a few people clicked on and read them! Thanks!

[Mark Rippetoe]

Who is the local SSC?

[Steve Hill]

IF I remember correctly, I think it's Bearss

[Mark Rippetoe]

Bring him in.

[Polishdude20]

Yup it's Bearss alright. I've had a single session with him before. Great guy.

Bring him in.

That's the plan! Hopefully nobody tries to suggest a cheaper non SSC...