Strong Bodies, Strong Minds: An Inside Look at Coach Nick Gifford’s Approach to Training
The Twin Cities Amazons are proud to welcome Nick Gifford as our new Strength & Conditioning Coach for the season. While Nick’s background isn’t in rugby, his passion for working with determined, hard-working athletes fits right in with our team’s DNA. From day one, he’s been impressed by the grit, drive, and “never enough” mindset that comes with playing rugby and he’s ready to help take that to the next level. We sat down with Nick to talk about what drew him to the Zons, how he approaches training for contact sports, and what he’s most excited to bring to the pitch this season.
What drew you to working with a rugby team specifically?
I have always gravitated to the hard workers, the “try hards”, and the determined. To be good in any sport, these are all required traits. Sometimes those types of athletes are difficult to find in more main stream sports. But in a sport like rugby, it seems that these values come with the territory. I love that. From my first day working with the Zons to present day, everyone wants some more. Who wouldn’t want to be around that?
What are some key areas you focus on when training contact sport athletes?
Training different athletes requires different training. Training heavy, fast, and training grit is important for any contact sport athlete. But practicing sound movement and training in a way that is kind to the body is also key, given the mileage that athletes are putting on in a given season. Avoiding wear and tear on joints, skin and muscles is key in-season. Prioritizing how to work hard, chase the W where you can and fight for more when you’re tired is at the core of what we do with any contact sport athlete.
How do you approach building trust and connection with a new team?
I think that it’s important to show that you walk the talk. That you’re empathic and that you’re here to learn. Admittedly, I was never a rugby player. So I need to learn from our athletes and let them guide me. I do know as a coach how to win medals and achieve goals, so I will bring my knowledge and experience to the table the best I can and collaborate. It is important to show that you are not afraid of exchanging roles between teacher and student.
I think that as long as a team knows that you have their back, are willing to adjust course, are flexible while also maintaining a standard for work and results - everyone can trust each other.
What’s something you’re excited to bring to the athletes this season?
I’m excited to help show athletes how strong their bodies and minds are. I think that most of our athletes are in a stage of life where the positive effects of fitness and training can move the needle more than most. I know that hard training with people that you care about can be life changing. My hope is that I can help facilitate an experience that is safe, potent, and leaves our athletes curious and hungry for more.
I know that if our athletes take every opportunity that we give them to train and push themselves, they will note only be very prepared for the season, but they will be incredibly fit.
How do you tailor training for a team with a wide range of experience and fitness levels?
Making fitness and training approachable and appropriate for all in attendance is a balance. It’s not just about how many burpees you can do and what variation of a pushup should you do, but it’s also about where is your head at today? What are your goals? How many of you actually want to get to the next level of play, truly? Some really, really do. Some would like to. Some have no interest and they just want to maximize where they’re at. All are ok.
Proper training for a group with all of the above (which is what any team has) is open ended. It leaves room for possibilities and more or less on the day. It maybe brings multiple options for the workout in terms of physical, mental or emotional limitations for the day, but I find that more often than not, it really just comes down to providing everyone the support that they need to be successful.
More beginner levels of athlete maybe need more movement instruction, while higher levels may need more mental targeted guidance. Beginners may need lessons on how to properly recover, and higher level athletes may need reminders that they need to recover more. All athletes need to be pushed. It just depends on what their needs are on a given day.
What’s one thing you want athletes to feel when they show up to a session with you?
I want them to feel ready, and I want them to feel safe enough to try and take advantage of the opportunity that is in front of them. Fitness is built upon a foundation of consistency and effort, and those two are heavily impacted by athlete preparedness. Eat well, make sleep a priority and show up ready train hard.
When an athlete finishes our session, I hope for nothing more than for them to want more. That might mean “wow, I just got smashed. I don’t want that to happen again. I want to train more and get more out of this.”
It might mean “yeah, I crushed that. Give me more!” Both are good with me - as long as we trend in the direction of taking on a little more over time, then I feel like we’re on the right track.