Endunamoo Strength & Conditioning: Knowing Where To Swing The Hammer

There is a story that I've heard a few times this week that has seemed to coincide with a few life situations I've stumbled upon.

There was a giant boat that was unable to run. The engine had shut down and without getting it going again the ship was useless. The owners of the ship began looking for mechanics and they started with the newer flashy mechanics who promised great results at a low cost. However, after several weeks and mechanics the owners finally reached out to a well respected, but less flashy mechanic. He showed up with a giant bag of tools and went down to the engine room. After about 30 minutes of inspecting, he pulled out a hammer and swung it at the engine a few times. Like magic the motor turned over and the boat was alive again. A week later the owners of the ship received a bill for 10,000 dollars. Outraged they demanded an itemized bill. This is what they received.

Swinging the hammer $2.00
Knowing where to swing the hammer $9,998.00

The story has a great point at face value, but I also believe that it has great value hidden underneath. For example, the owners of the ship spent several weeks wasting time and energy on fruitless endeavors. Likewise, they hired mechanics who probably charged less money. To them it was the smartest move to make, however, they wasted money on the ill-guided efforts on lesser professionals. Not only did they waste time on flash and pizzazz, the also wasted money on the attempt to save money. This is all counter-intuitive when we see that the end result would have been best to start with.

As I've gotten older I've began to appreciate the value in quality over quantity. Having something that is better typically benefits us longer than just getting what is cheaper. Yet this past week we have been challenged by the idea that our sports performance training is too expensive. Now, I don't mean that people have presented the need to come less frequently or that they would want to create a group to reduce training costs - I totally understand that. I mean I have had several moments where individuals who have not experienced our program first hand have turned their nose up to our prices and have even been offended that we would expect such a payment for "exercise." But as I've said many times before, fitness is not the same as sports performance, and you get what you pay for.

Retailing supplements has revealed that there are two types of individuals when spending money. The first individual aims to get the best bang for their buck, and they aim for the highest quality that they can afford. That's a very practical approach. The second individual is simply a penny pincher - no matter the quality. They would rather pay $20.00 for a protein that is $10.00 quality than pay $25.00 for a protein that is $20.00 quality. To them it's about the bottom dollar. It's the short game.

With supplements and especially training, playing the short game tends waste time and eventually money. However, playing the long game may be more expensive at first, but it brings much more value in the end. You wouldn't want the cheapest football coach to run your son's senior year? You wouldn't hire the less qualified volleyball coach simply because she offered to do it for thousands less than the current coach. You don't want your student being taught by someone who has a horrible track record with passing students because they agreed to a pay cut.