I've spent more than 20 years coaching people in Athens, Georgia, and I've learned that strength is about a lot more than what happens inside a gym.As the owner of Team Williams Training, a husband, a father, and a coach who still has plenty to learn, this is where I share lessons about strength, health, coaching, family, and building a life with intention.Some lessons come from the gym. Others come from life. And plenty are lessons I'm still learning myself. Simple, NOT Easy. Intentional. Deliberate. And always getting stronger.
Nine Years. Nine Lessons.
Lesson Five: Everyone Starts SomewhereOne of my favorite things about coaching has nothing to do with what happens after someone joins. It's what happens before they ever walk through the front door. I've lost count of how many conversations have started with some version of the same sentence. "I'm probably the most out of shape person you've ever met." "I'm nervous." "I don't even know where to start." "I just don't want to embarrass myself." The interesting thing is... Almost everyone thinks they're the only one who feels that way. They're not. I've learned that taking the first step is almost always the hardest part. Not because the workout is difficult. But because it requires us to believe something we haven't experienced yet. That maybe we really can change. That maybe this time will be different. That maybe we're capable of more than we think. One of the greatest privileges of the last nine years has been watching that belief slowly grow. I've watched people who were once intimidated by the gym become the first to welcome a new member through the door. I've watched people who doubted themselves become the ones encouraging someone else not to quit. I've watched confidence replace fear. Not overnight. But one workout at a time. That's one of the reasons I've always believed that coaching is about meeting people exactly where they are. Every person has a different story. A different starting point. Different fears. Different goals. Different obstacles. None of that changes how they're welcomed. Because everyone deserves a place where they can begin. Looking back, I've realized something else. None of us ever really outgrow being beginners. Life keeps giving us new opportunities to start again. A new job. A new season. A new challenge. A new chapter. And every time, we're reminded what it feels like to take that first uncertain step. Maybe that's why I've always had such a soft spot for first days. Because I've learned they often become the stories people are most proud to tell. So if there's one thing these last nine years have reinforced for me, it's this: Everyone starts somewhere. And sometimes the hardest step is simply believing you're worth taking the first one. Yours in STRENGTH, Coach Rhuben |
The Rhuben Williams Newsletter
I've spent more than 20 years coaching people in Athens, Georgia, and I've learned that strength is about a lot more than what happens inside a gym.As the owner of Team Williams Training, a husband, a father, and a coach who still has plenty to learn, this is where I share lessons about strength, health, coaching, family, and building a life with intention.Some lessons come from the gym. Others come from life. And plenty are lessons I'm still learning myself. Simple, NOT Easy. Intentional. Deliberate. And always getting stronger.
Hey Reader, Yesterday was a pretty special day. 🫶🏾 The journey of building Team Williams Training has been a roller coaster, to say the least. There were moments when I genuinely wasn't sure it was going to happen. Moments when things didn't go according to plan. Moments when I questioned whether I could actually pull this whole thing off. But thankfully, I didn't quit. I didn't give up. And yesterday was one of those days that reminded me why it was all worth it. Yesterday, Megan got to do...
Lesson Eight: People Matter More Than Programming When I first became a coach, I spent a lot of time thinking about programming. Was this the right exercise? The right number of sets? The right percentage? The right progression? Those things matter. They always will. But over the last nine years, I've realized something. The workout has never been the most important part of coaching. People are. I've learned that no program—no matter how well it's written—can replace listening. No perfectly...
Lesson Seven: Intentional & Deliberate If there's one phrase that's probably become synonymous with my coaching over the years, it's this: Intentional. Deliberate. You've heard me say it before a lift. During a workout. After a missed rep. And probably more times than you can count. The funny thing is... Those two words have come to mean just as much to me outside the gym as they do inside it. When I first started coaching, I thought my job was to help people work harder. Over the years, I...