Interview with Greg Gibbs, CSCS of Muscular Sports and Skin Therapy

The Advisor sat down with Greg Gibbs, the director of strength and conditioning at Muscular Sports and Skin Therapy Center in Wakefield and Marblehead MA and asked him a few questions about the facility and training in general.

Greg is former college strength and conditioning coach at Division I programs and holds certifications from NSCA, ACE and USAW.  He has worked with athletes at all levels – elite to recreational.

Included in this article are a few audio clips of Greg commenting on intensity and discipline, the “too much soccer” issue and a summary of training at Muscular Sports and Skin Therapy. 

Q: What are the criteria for you have for hiring personal trainers

A:
1) Education –in the field of sports medicine, exercise physiology, physical education, athletic training, nutrition, and health related degrees for example. Ll of these will give you the basic foundation needed.

2) Certifications – NSCA (CSCS or NSCA Certified Personal Trainer), NASM (National Academy of Sports Medicine). USA Weight Lifting is something I have and would be nice to have for trainers we hire.

3) Experience – a bonus, but will only come with time and age.  Everyone at MSST has been working with athletes at the HS or College Level, or was a former athlete themselves and is possibly interning at a college program. Experience is great, you can’t put a price on it. But I am a 15 year vet in the industry and I am still learning every day.

When looking for a trainer, anyone who says they know it all is raising a red flag, nobody knows it all. 

Q: WHERE IS TRAINING NOW COMPARED TO 10-15-20 years ago?

A:
1) Continued knowledge – proven research that is current is being applied to training is more prevalent.  People used to see Lou Ferrigno and think that was what you needed to do to get strong. Magazines like muscle and fitness were littered all over the gym. Athlete’s and Body Builders could not be further apart in terms of training approach and we have the science to back it up and apply.

Speed, quickness, strength, flexibility and power are what we develop. Not mass. Some mass will come with that, but it is not the focus at all.  This is what’s important at the college level and with high school level.  We try to look at how the body works anatomically and functionally and teach the athletes about more than just how to do the exercises correctly. Sure we want it safe and to produce results, but we want you know why the exercises are important to your performance. 

Of course the athlete needs to do things on their own to make this work a success: proper sleep, nutrition. I sent a kid home recently who had not eaten prior to the session. He had no energy and was going to hurt himself. I said “Go home and this is not helping you.”   

Kids struggle with Nutrition and the school lunches are a big part of that. All the fried foods that kids eat are hurting their energy and performance.  “Fried foods stunt the development of the nervous system in an adolescent! And it seems that is all that is out there! This is why we have an obesity crisis.” 

Q: Do you train more than just competing athletes?

A: Yes, we don’t close our doors on anyone.  Be it an 8 Year old , sedentary child or a 45-50 year old weekend warrior who is now inactive and is embarrassed to walk into a gym, and maybe they sill have an ego, and now they feel like they are lost. Not only are they embarrassed about where they are physically but they are concerned about hurting themselves. Or they fear embarrassing themselves because they just don’t know what to do. We welcome that individual

Yes the big focus is on youth because that is the next generation, but if mom and dad are healthy that will transcend to the kids.  If the family is healthy, everything else will work better.

Q: What do you notice about your athletes who are Division I caliber that makes them different from others their peers. Do they approach things differently?

A: Their intensity level. A lot also come from a good gene pool and their parents were great athletes.  So in a sense they are bred, not only physically, but also the expectations.  Intensity and disciplined can be instilled in all aspects of life. That is one of the reasons I think athletics is great. Discipline spills over to the classroom and also the social aspects of life. It makes them stronger individuals.  We can see in these kids that they are more focused. 

Really it does not matter what level people play athletically, the intensity level is their in those who reach their potential, not just Division I kids. The god given traits are often what make the difference in the level you play.

This past summer I trainer kids at all levels and they are all committed: D-III, I-AA, IVY. It does not matter.

Thanks to  Greg Gibbs and MSST for their time and hospitality.