February Spotlight Coach: Joel Smith

This month’s Spotlight Coach, Joel Smith, is a well rounded coach with an excellent blend of relevant schooling and in-the-trenches experience. He primarily works with powerlifting clients in person, in Dubuque, IA, but has also moved in to working with online clients, as well. During our time together throughout the certification course, he was one of the first to throw his hand up with thoughtful questions. And he made a very clear attempt to gain a more robust understanding of the moving parts within the method; the hows and whys of it all. I’ve already seen evidence of his effective use of 5thSet with clients, coaching multiple clients to PR lifts and totals. It is with great pleasure that we have selected him as our Spotlight Coach for February. Let’s learn a bit more about him, from him, in his own words.

Tell us a little about your background, and what got you interested in coaching.

I graduated with a bachelors degree in Kinesiology in 2011, and shortly thereafter passed my Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist exam; at the time, my goal was to eventually work as a strength and conditioning coach on a college or professional team, or run my own private training facility for elite athletes. However, within my own training, I often found myself at the local YMCA for 4-5 hours a night answering people’s questions, doing technique analysis, or just handing out general training advice; during this time, raw powerlifting was really gaining popularity within my community, and I realized I didn’t have to go anywhere to still be a positive impact on people.

What does your training business look like? Do you train out of a private studio or commercial gym, or online? Where is it located?

I was fortunate enough to have a great job completely separate from the training world when I started in coaching, so I coached for free for the first 7-8 years as I was still getting a more solid feel for powerlifting and I didn’t feel I had the time to justify running a business. It was right around the time I attended the 5thSet Certification Course that I was finally ready to commit to coaching as a viable career path forward; I’m primarily training out of our local powerlifting gym in Dubuque, IA, but very soon I will have a website up and running and be available for online coaching as well.

What aspect of the coaching certification course most benefited your business, or the services you offer?

I had been using 5thSet and it’s principles in my coaching prior to the certification, so the best thing about the course for me was getting a fully cohesive understanding of the reasoning behind the method, as well as getting to ask questions about some of the finer points. It was also great to be surrounded by other coaches who are using the method with great success and getting to bounce ideas off each other.

What demographics do you typically work with?

I primarily work with powerlifters, but have also used 5thSet principles to coach a handful of strongmen competitors. I’ve coached both male and female lifters, and to date I’ve worked with ages ranging from 16-40, but am open to working with anyone who I think would would work well with the method and my coaching style.

Testimonials

“Coach Joel, since knowing him, has always sought to better himself and others by learning what methods work. He has coached me for a few strongman meets stepping outside of the powerlifting norm. Using the 5thSet method and Joel's guidance, I have set PRs in most of my lifts. He listens and adjusts according to the lifter and doesn’t just hand out a cookie cutter program. Thanks for all you do.”

-Tim Wunder, Men’s strongman

“Where do I even start?!?! I have been lifting for over 2 years, and it was finally time to really commit to having a coach, not only to teach me more about the sport, but also to help me take my strength to the next level… and I am beyond thankful that Joel had a spot! Going into my last meet, I felt the best I had ever felt, not only strength wise, but mentally. I had a confidence in myself that I had never had before. And with that confidence I was able to smash some pretty awesome goals! Joel is one amazing Coach, and I am so thankful to have him through my powerlifting journey! And I can’t wait to see what more we can accomplish!”

-Ryan Jenny, Women’s powerlifting

Interested in working with Joel?

Reach him by email at joel32.smith@gmail.com or @joel32smith on Instagram.