Tim Adams has gone where few professionsl strength coaches have gone
Tim Adams has gone where few professional strength coaches have gone before Tim Adams, a few years ago when he was the head strength coach of the Oakland Raiders.
When we first visited Tim Adams in our Fall 2003 issue, he was very busy as the head strength coach of the Oakland Raiders. A lot has happened since then. He still works with professional athletes, but now as a private consultant. He is now one of the most financially successful and sought-after coaches in his profession, so we thought we’d check in with Coach Adams and see what it takes to reach the top in this highly competitive field. To understand what joining the Oakland Raiders meant to Adams, you have to understand what came before.
Several years after graduating from the Air Force Academy in 1991 and serving his military commission as a financial manager at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio, Adams was able to return to the Academy to serve as an assistant strength coach for the Falcons.
However, in 1998 Adams faced a tough decision. To continue coaching meant making two sacrifices: Adams would no longer be able to remain in the military, as he would soon be reassigned to another base; and he couldn’t stay on as a strength coach at the Academy, as the head coach had offered the civilian strength coaching position to another coach. Adams’ choice was either to take a secure, well-paying job in a career field that did not interest him or to start from scratch by coaching in the private sector. Adams’ passion for coaching won out.
When Adams gave up his military commission, he moved to Denver and began getting work as a performance enhancement coach for all types of clients – athletes and non-athletes alike. Several times a week Adams would make the three-hour round trip drive to Colorado Springs to work with figure skaters at the famous Broadmoor Skating Club; he also worked with local Denver athletes at several health clubs in the area. All the while he volunteered his services to several professional sports organizations, such as the Denver Broncos, to try to break into that market.
“It was a tough period, going from a secure job in the military to exchanging my time for money and making about half of what my pay had been in the Air Force,” says Adams. “I was married at the time, and the financial strain and the stress of trying to make it in this field were definitely factors in the breakup of my marriage.” All Adams could do then was look toward the future. “Everything you do is an opportunity to learn and enhance your skills,” says Adams. “Working with those figure NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2007 with got traded to different teams, I began working with players from other teams.”
He also got the opportunity to work with draft prospects, and in 1991 he had trained six players who were picked in the first round of the draft and four who In addition to playing halfback at the Academy, Adams were picked in the was also a top collegiate weightlifter who could clean second! 130 pounds over bodyweight. In 2003 Adams always judge athletes by their on-field was hired as the head strength coach of antics or on-field personas. “These aththe Raiders, but eventually he returned letes have to put on a show – they are to the private sector to achieve even entertainers. You’ll find that many of more success. How much?
Adams does not like to drop names but says that his these athletes who are labeled as characters are often great people off the field clients are “topnotch” and admits he and, for those with kids, great parents has coached Olympic medalists, world who spend as much time as possible champions, Super Bowl champions, with their kids. There are exceptions, NFL Pro Bowlers, Heisman Trophy of course, as some young professional winners, X-Game champions, colathletes can’t handle sudden fame and legiate All-Americans and Hollywood money; but I know that professional entertainers.
organizations such as the NFL and “My clients respect my job and NBA are very proactive in trying to appreciate what I am trying to do for help young people from abusing their them; otherwise I wouldn’t work with success.” them,” says Adams. “I’ve unfortunately had to fire several clients because, well…there are some real jerks out Words of Training Wisdom there.” That being said, Adams also One of the things Adams has says the media and the public shouldn’t learned is that being a strength coach is much more than teaching athletes how to do exercises properly.
“I started believing everything was about cleans, but if an athlete had tendonitis and couldn’t do cleans, then my job became about therapy and cleans. Next, I found that although an athlete can be explosive and powerful, if they can’t move, then they can’t make a play – so now my job was about cleans, therapy and speed of movement. But then I found that you just can’t be fast; you also have to be able to change directions Adams is a graduate of the United States Air Force Academy and has earned two graduate degrees. quickly. One thing just led to another.
skaters, who were some of the most highly ranked skaters in the nation, was a great opportunity – I was privileged to work with the best of the best. At the same time, I was working with athletes on an introductory level, so I had to refine the programs accordingly; and that was useful in helping me hone my skills as a coach. Yes, it was a struggle, and yet it was also an extremely great learning experience.” Adams saw the value in working with all types of athletes, but soon it became clear to him that he was most interested in working with professional football players. Now he had to get a job in the field, and that wasn’t easy.
“I was sending letters to every NFL organization, and I didn’t hear back from any of them; but I was persistent and eventually got some work training some of the Denver Broncos in the off-season. “Now that my foot was in the door, my goal was to position myself in such a manner that the players could see I was different from the other coaches and knew what I was talking about.” As a result, when Adams’ contract expired, there were a half-dozen players asking him to continue working with them.
“That really started off my career in working with professional athletes, because when the guys I was working In addition to training athletes, Adams also has had the opportunity to train many celebrities. Here he is shown with Rob Schneider and some of the crew that worked on the movie Benchwarmers.
When I got to working with pros, my job was more about the mental side of sports – everyone in the pros is genetically gifted, so what distinguishes one great athlete from another is really their mental capacity.” The factor that is a source of the biggest problem with athletes is “early specialization,” says Adams. “It’s not so much overtraining, because as a young adult your ability to handle stress is significantly greater than at any other time of your life. But I’ve found that for a lot of the kids coming from high school into college, their ability to handle work is horrible; and I attribute that to spending too much time specializing on one sport.
Yes, there are certain sports such as figure skating and gymnastics that you need to specialize in at a young age, but with the core American sports such as football, basketball and baseball, your training in high school should be as generalized as possible.” Another problem is nutrition. “The diets of American athletes are getting worse,” says Adams. “Here’s my take on it. I hate supplement bars, as they are basically modified candy bars and as processed as anything else. And I believe too many of our young people are dependent on fast foods; they are not getting enough vegetables and good-quality meats. They are often relying on supplements and protein powers, Adams with J.J.
Thomas, a snowboarder he trained who won a bronze in the 2002 Olympic Games. which is a huge mistake because they are missing out on the nutrient-dense foods that you need to really grow and sustain proper function.”
The Bottom Line If Adams had to do it all over again, this is the advice he would have given himself at the time he left the Adams was trained in an aggresmilitary: “I would have looked for a sive soft tissue treatment called Active Release Techniques®, and he mentor to help me manage the busiis shown here working with a client ness aspect of my job. I spent those who is obviously enjoying himself! first three years struggling to grow my to get beat. Great athletes will have a business, often giving away my services way to impose their will upon their while working my butt off.
I wouldn’t opponents and find an edge, a way to trade that experience for the world; intimidate them and wear them down. but had I understood a business model more effectively, I would have been able It’s a game within a game. That is the most important key to success in sports. to position myself more effectively and Period.” get to where I am now sooner.” On a personal level, Adams is now happy and successful, and he recently became engaged.
He also wants to share his success with others and has found a publisher for his book, Punch It In.Says Adams, “I’ve always been interested in learning what separates one athlete from another, and Adams book on the answer is in the mastering the mental aspects mind. I don’t care of sports will be how good a strength available soon. coach you are, if Check out his website, your athletes don’t Punchitin.com have the will to for more information. win, they are going NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2007 Custom Platforms!
Shown in Custom Call BFS for Custom Pricing 1/4 Inch Protect-All 1/2 Inch Rubber Mat 3/4 Inch Rubber Mat Protect-All is a rigid, durable all-vinyl product designed for enduring protection of your existing flooring. Our Rubber Mat is a 100% solid rubber flooring mat that reduces noise and absorbs shock. Your perfect platform surface will never rot, warp, splinter, peel or separate. McPherson College, KS Elite Power Clean Platform $799 • Stock platform, no logo with black paint
From BFS Magazine — November/December 2007. Part of the BFS Magazine Archive (1980–2014).
