5 Things Trainers and Coaches Can Learn from Curt Cignetti

I’m wired to HATE Indiana University (IU) sports.

As a young hooper growing up, I absolutely loved basketball.

I was that kid that who was out from morning until night, getting buckets, and doing the little 3, 2, 1 countdowns in his driveway.

The problem?

My high school coach LOVED Bob Knight.

So needless to say I got yelled at, screamed at, and raged on more than I’d care to admit.

And the result?

My hate for basically all IU sports has run strong for a looooooong time.

But over the years, I’m proud to say the hate has started to wane.

After all, I’m older and wiser now…😬🤣

I’ve been lucky enough to work with IU athletes from every major sport (basketball, football, soccer and baseball), and they’re legitimately some of my favorite human beings.

But the thing that’s really pushed me over the edge here lately?

IU football coach Curt Cignetti.

When he came on board, I was a little put off by his brashness and confidence.

But now?

Let’s just say – as a coach – he’s really hard not to like.

So when I saw this little video from him, I knew it was something I needed to share with you.

There’s so much value packed into this little 1:22 clip, so let’s break down a few things that I think can benefit all of us.

1. You Stay Until the Work is Done

I think this is such a great life rule.

In this day and age it’s really hard to lock in and focus.

To get 💩 done.

And I know a ton of trainers and coaches on social media there that wear their “work” like a badge of honor.

• “I put in 10 hours today.”
• “12 hour split-shift bro!”
• “Team no sleep is real – I was here from 6 am-8 pm!”

And while that all sounds great, here’s my question to those coaches:

Okay cool – but was that time productive?

• Were you actually coaching?
• Programming?
• Or using that time to get better?

I see this all the time in college athletics, especially with up-and-coming coaches.

And don’t get me wrong – you NEED to put in that work.

You NEED to get those hours and those reps.

But instead of the sheer time, focus on making that time meaningful.

Coach with intention.

Be present and attentive with your clients and athletes.

And if you’re writing programs, block out all distractions and really focus on the task at hand.

Because just “being in the gym” doesn’t automatically help you level up.

2. When You’re Working, It’s All Business

Here’s a little motivational messages to all my trainers and coaches out there:

If we want to be treated like professionals, then we need to ACT like professionals.

Imagine you’re hiring a an account, and your first meeting goes like this:

• They’re 10 minutes late to the meeting.
• When they DO get there, they know nothing about your business or what you do.
• And of course, when you’re asking questions, they’re looking at their phones and appear distracted.

Is that someone you would hire?

I sure hope not!

But how many trainers have we seen who are:

• Late to every session?
• Never have planned programs ready to go? And
• Are staring at their phone every single minute of the workout?

Trust me friends, it’s not that hard.

Show up to your workouts on time.

Have planned programs ready to go.

And act as though the time you spend with your clients and athletes is the best part of your day, and that’s there’s nowhere else you’d want to be.

If you do this, I guarantee you’ll not only get better results with every client and athlete you train, but your retention will go through the roof as well!

3. Keep ‘Em Fresh and Healthy

As a strength coach for 25 years now, I’ve seen the slow degradation of athletics as we know it.

With 12-year-olds playing schedules comparable to that of an NBA or MLB athlete, it’s no wonder athletic injuries are constantly on the rise.

So what’s something simple we can do?

Find ways to keep our athletes fresh and healthy!

As physical prep coaches, it’s on us to be the sane person in the room.

When the sport coaches want to work in all that “extra conditioning”…

…when the high school weights coach is maxing them out every week…

…and when the parents want to take them for EXTRA skills training on off days…

…sometimes YOU are the only sane person that can intervene on a kids behalf.

That’s why when I work with athletes, we try and do a few things:

1. Let development happen naturally, and at it’s own pace. We can’t (and don’t) force the process.
2. We’re always building towards a technical movement model – both with our resistance and movement training.
3. I’m trying to fill in the “movement gaps” that are created via traditional S&C programs and early-sport specialization.
4. And last but not least, I’m trying to keep things FUN!

This could be an entire article in-and-of itself, but for now, I’d highly recommend checking out this podcast.

4. Your People Should WANT to Work With You

Over the years, I’ve been lucky enough to watch 100’s (if not 1000’s) of coaches coach.

Whether it’s right here at home at IFAST, or at any number of gyms across the world, I’ve seen people coach literally across the globe.

And you want to know what arguably the biggest predictor of success is?

The people who train with you WANT to be there.

They’re not being forced to be there.

They want to work out WITH YOU, because they LIKE YOU.

They know you care about them.

That you want to see them succeed.

And they know that you’re a skilled coach who can help them achieve the results they desire.

Again, this is a really big topic, but there are some key moments in this podcast that can help as well.

5. The Right People Believing In Your Process and Blueprint are Key

This ties in nicely with our previous point, and will help bring the whole thing together.

I’m often reminded arguably the most important discussion I had with my good friend and mentor Alwyn Cosgrove earlier in my career.

In this convo, he described the 4-levels of clients: A, B, C and D.

For maximum contrast, I’ll just share A’s and D’s:

So now I have two follow-up questions for you to ponder:

1. Which type of client or athlete really believes in your process and blueprint? A or D?
2. And perhaps more importantly, if you did a client/athlete audit right now, which one do you have more of?

As Alwyn taught me all those years ago, when you’re just getting started, you’ll take anyone who is willing to work with you.

But the longer you do this, your goal should be to ONLY work with A-Level clients.

And of all the pieces of advice I’ve gotten over the years, this one (in retrospect) might be the most impactful.

The reason I can still get up and coach at a high-level every day, and it rarely feels as though I’m “working,” is because I get to work with amazing people every time I’m in the gym.

That’s the real secret sauce.

Sure I have days where I’m tired.

Less motivated.

Maybe a little distracted or preoccupied with things going on outside the four walls of IFAST.

But once I step on the gym floor, it’s really easy to lock in because the people I’m coaching are amazing human beings.

So that’s my final goal for you.

If you’re just starting out and getting started, you might have to take a few C- or D-Level clients initially to get the ball rolling.

(Hint: When you’re young you might not even be able to tell their C’s and D’s anyway, so this is part of the process!).

But the longer you do this, strive to prune away those people who don’t believe in your process or your blueprint.

You’ll be shocked at how much your energy changes as a result.

Summary

Whether you’re an IU football fan or not, I really hope the messages covered in this article were helpful for you.

Even though a lot of it isn’t “new,” the older I get, the more I realize sometimes we just need those gentle reminders to nudge us back onto the right path.

Thanks so much for reading and let’s MAKE IT a great week!

All the best,
MR

P.S. – Ready to make 2026 your best year EVER?

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