With the opening of our brand new facility in Freehold NJ we felt that this was a great time and opportunity to share the story of how and why Mach 1 Barbell started.
The coaches found a common interest in the sport of Weightlifting when we all sat for the Level 2 USAW Coaching course. Following that course and a few competitions, the M1B weightlifting team was formed. We left our full time jobs to start a business amidst the start of a worldwide pandemic immediately following that. We wanted to bring our sport performance coaching mindset and our backgrounds as personal trainers and fitness professionals under one roof.
The foundations of Mach 1 Barbell's coaching philosophy as well as it's driving force today are The 3 E's: Empathy, Education, & Excellence. To fully understand our story we have to show you where The 3 E's come from and what they continue to mean to us.
Left: The Original 7 (OG7) Mach 1 Athletes, 2019
Right: The coaches at their first weightlifting meet as Mach 1 Coaches, 2020
The 3 E's: Empathy
The most important E of the three is the first one, Empathy. We all learned the value in putting empathy first with our clients early in our careers, however, not from anyone in particular but rather our experiences. Our jobs as coaches is to create the best plan for you to help you reach your goals and to help motivate and keep you accountable to working towards them. This requires us to understand not only why each of our members want to reach their goals, but how to work with each person to effectively get there. We put a great effort into to building relationships with our members for this reason, but where did this initial spark come from?
Our first national level weightlifting meet was in September 2019. Having spent 9 months training towards this event, the coaches were thrilled to have the opportunity to compete and coach one another! While we were having the time of our lives enjoying every minute of the big stage environment, we couldn't help but notice the tension between other coaches and their athletes. Now, we understand the pressure these high level competitors can bring, but what we couldn't wrap our heads around was the fact that there were stressed athletes not getting attention from their coaches because they were busy handling 3-5 other athletes at a time. At this moment we knew, there had to be a better way.
To this day, and for all those to come, we implement a member first environment. The first step to achieving this is by getting to know every member and truly understand not only what their goals are, but why they have these goals. And as life goes on these goals may evolve; which is why we also put an emphasis on weekly, monthly, and quarterly check ins with our members. Sometimes they are short ten minute chats, and sometimes they become 60 minute "therapy" sessions. At the end of the day, we want to make sure everyone's voice is heard, needs are met, and goals accomplished.
The 3 E's: Education
Like we mentioned at the start our journey, M1B really started when we found common ground at the USAW coaching certification course. The epicenter of our beginning circles around the common value of continuing our education as coaches. Even though education is one of our 3 E's, it is not only a reflection of the coaches, but also an effort to educate you too!
Our educational environment starts with any new member's first day, which is usually the M1B movement assessment. We take all new clients through this assessment not only to help establish a baseline, but to show people how and why we are going to design their program the way we are. Trust begins with honesty and openness. Unfortunately, when it comes to the fitness industry there are a lot of people who sound like they know what they are doing, but in actuality may not. By opening the gateway to our methodology right off the bat, our hope is that you can feel more confident in entrusting us with guiding you towards your goals.
Another way we established education into our programs was in the start of our, "Intro to Weightlifting" class. We started this class in 2020 with hopes to share the fun of the traditional barbell lifts in a non-competitive and non-intimidating setting. Since doing so we've introduced dozens of individuals to weightlifting from many different walks of life, and who have since taken their own paths. Some continued Weightlifting, joined the team, and still lift with us today! Others took the education and applied into their own training, but now are equipped with the skills to perform the movements efficiently and with less risk of injury.
The ultimate goal in education for us is to help you and establish that trust!
The 3 E's: Excellence
The final piece of The 3 E's is Excellence. Similarly to the Education component of the 3 E's, this is a street that goes two ways.
On one side of the street, excellence is the standard we hold ourselves to for you. Whether it is out coaching services, the gym's environment, and all other ways of interacting with us, we promise to provide the highest quality experience we can, always.
When you look into a coaching service or a gym you're likely looking for results. The other side of the street, is our expectation of excellence from you. Now, don't confuse excellence with perfection - no one is perfect, and we would never hold unrealistic standards for anyone. We expect excellence in your work ethic, your camaraderie with your peers, and your respect for yourself.
At Mach 1 Barbell we strongly believe in our community. The only way our community thrives, as it has been, is by supporting one another and pushing each other to new heights! We are a team. A family.
The Mach 1 Method: Send It
If the 3 E's is the body of the Mach 1 Barbell jet, then "Send It" is the engine. It's a mantra that's on the back of every shirt and said aloud probably ten times a day. What does it mean?
Send It means a lot of things. It can mean,"Give it your all!" "Go for it," "Remember 'x, y, & z.'" Those are only a few examples, but "Send It" can mean so much more. It's a situational phrase, but the value of is that it's concise, simple, and easily understood. It helps us focus without being distracted by too many thoughts or cues. Perfecting an exercise or building a new and healthier habit requires learning and applying lots of little pieces. By wrapping all of those thoughts an lessons into one short phrase is helps over-thinkers find ground and the easily distracted find focus.
Our Mission
We at Mach 1 Barbell set out to give you the fitness, health, and performance experience that is reflective of our core values, "The 3 E's." We are striving to continue developing a strong bodied, strong minded, and supportive community of like minded people.
Thank you!
To all of our members, whether you started Mach 1 Barbell 4 years ago or 4 days ago, you are the reason we are able to continue our mission today. All of the people we have and will help couldn't be done without your support! From the bottoms of our heart, THANK YOU!
Love, The Coaches ❤️
