This week I want to go into some detail about how I selected my trainer and why I think it’s so important to do something like that right.
First, let me say that I have nothing against sweaty gyms and musclebound meatheads. They have their place in the world, especially if you just want to get into a little better shape. They’re just not for me. I want true professionals who take the time to customize workout routines and really help you do something special.
The other thing is that I’m on the road all the time. This business is nothing if it’s not constant travel. I don’t want a program that’s all about fancy, specialized gym equipment. I need a program that I can do in my room or on the dock before or after I go fishing. I don’t have the time to travel someplace to work out and I don’t have the room in my truck to carry a lot of stuff. It’s filled to the brim as it is.
Those are a couple of the things that impressed me about Dan Burns. We get together three or four times a week as of right now. That’s fine. I’m home and doing less travel than normal. But it won’t be that way for long.
He’s going to fix me up with a system that uses small, light weights and a set of straps or pulleys that I can hook to a door or to the back of my truck. Heck, he’s even working with me on how to go up and down stairs so that I get some exercise when I do that. It’s perfect for the lifestyle that I live.
Like I said last week, I can already feel the difference after about six or seven weeks. I can only imagine how much better I’ll feel when the Classic rolls around in February.
This is really what I call the third part of professional bass fishing. There’s the equipment part, the psychological part and the physical part. I’ve worked for years developing tackle and equipment. That’s gone pretty well.
Last year I worked hard with a sports psychologist — I’m still using the things she taught me — and I think that’s gone pretty well, too. I mean, I’m not as calm and controlled as I want to be but I’m a heck of a lot better than I used to be. And now I’m working on the physical.
I’m not here to tell anyone how or what to do with their fishing lives. That’s a personal decision each person has to make for themselves. We all have our own goals and aspirations, and we all define success differently.
All I can say is that this is what I’m doing and, so far, it seems to be working. Take what you can use from what I’ve said about these three topics and throw away the rest.
Next fall, or maybe about this time of the year, I’ll let you know how it all worked out.
Mike Iaconelli’s column appears weekly on Bassmaster.com. You can also find him on Facebook and Twitter or visit his website, MikeIaconelli.com.
