“I want to work with a pro team” is a common desire I hear from trainers. One question… WHY?

They don’t pay shit.

Even if you know something of value (i.e. your understanding includes but extends well beyond standard NSCA coaching traditions, quasi-research, numbers based measurements of success, and massive voids) there are a dozen other influences in what pros do, many of which will negate, limit, or prohibit the implementation or effects of your intelligence, wise decisions.

All too often pros don’t care and got to that level in spite of their training.

While the outcomes of a season will be influenced by hundreds of factors, losing seasons often lead to cleaning house and its not uncommon for training staff to be impacted. So for many reasons your best efforts, even if you improve one guys ability on paper, you can get canned.

With the level of tolerance, skill, and current conditioning of these players, you are unlikely to impact competitive performance. EVERYBODY seems to think improvement is a never-ending process and that regardless on ones current physical status, there is room for improvement. Well… grow up! I would go so far as to say that at that level your efforts are extremely likely to have only have one of two effects: benign or injurious. Having worked briefly with Tim Grover, Michael Jordan’s trainer in the 80’s, I heard him wisely state that his primary job was to not hurt him. At the level of demand often imposed, extra work can be the proverbial straw that broke the camels back. What you do or add to whatever they are tolerating and barely recovering from week to week may be more than their immune system can handle. and while they may or may not have a negative localized orthopedic outcome, there is almost certain to be a systemic cost.

I would argue that the vast majority of those who want to work with pro athletes have a wannabe, workshipy motivation behind their goal.

Many grow out of that once they have the opportunity to live that dream. It ain’t all roses. In fact it’s mostly thorns. But maybe your ego can sustain you despite the impotence the situation befalls.