Victor Martinez talks about the importance of constructively questioning coach protocols… and how many coaches don’t want to be questioned
Health has been a heavy topic of discussion in bodybuilding as of late. This is due to an unfortunate string of deaths that passed through the industry over the past few months. While there is no real connection or deep evidence as to how many of these deaths happened – the specter of death looming over the sport has put health on a lot of people’s minds. So how do bodybuilding coaches play into this conversation? Are they responsible for the health of their clients? We asked this very question to pro legend Victor Martinez. In our latest GI Exclusive interview, Victor Martinez warns of coaches that want to be dictators over their athletes… and the importance of asking questions.
Over the years, there has been questions raised about the ethical relationship of coaches to athletes. It’s no secret that coaches provide protocols, not only of nutrition and training, but also recommended drug use. Some of these drugs are legally obtained without prescriptions… others are not. Coaches are not doctors though – so what happens if a protocol leads to health issues both long term and, potentially tragically, short term in the form of sudden hospitalizations or death? Is a coach responsible if something bad happens to an athlete under their supervision?
During our latest conversation with Victor Martinez, we asked him this very question. He believes that, while coaches are partly responsible, putting the full ethical blame on them is a scapegoat. His reasoning being that athletes know what is being recommended to them. They also know these coaches are not doctors. Martinez believes that athletes need to be responsible for themselves by doing their own research and asking questions. If an athlete blindly follows a coach’s protocol – they have no one but themselves to blame for bad outcomes.
“If a coach says ‘do this’ and you don’t question it, it’s your fault,” Victor Martinez states during our interview. He goes on to stress just how important it is for athletes to constantly ask questions.
Of course, he also understands that the system is not perfect. Victor Martinez admits that many coaches see themselves as dictators over their clients. They don’t want to be questioned. They are experts who should be trusted based on their reputation and name alone. It’s also part of the reason why some coaches get angry when an athlete leaves them for another coach.
“I know some coaches can be a little… a lot of coaches want a dictatorship. If you train with them, you’re great. You follow them. You leave them… they’ll fucking call you the worst athlete ever. Listen, if you’re training the athlete for free. By all means. Air out your grievance. But if the athlete is paying you. No. He’s allowed to leave you.”
Victor Martinez uses the word “dictatorship” to drive the point home. He’s not being literal but he does want to warn athletes that they shouldn’t feel trapped by their coach. If they think something is wrong in how they are being trained, for their health or otherwise, they should be able to leave without issue in a business relationship.
You can watch Victor Martinez talk in full detail about the ethics of coaching in our latest GI Exclusive interview segment above.