Mobility & Core Workout
Ben Kenyon
(0:12) What’s going on, everybody? (0:13) My name is Ben Kenyon. (0:15) I’m the head strength and conditioning coach for the Philadelphia 76ers, founder and CEO of the Great Day Squad.(0:20) My whole mission with the Great Day Squad is to make every day great for 15 million people or more out there in the world. (0:26) We do that by helping people find a community to run with, to move, and live a better life. (0:31) Today, I’m in Philadelphia working at Evolve Fitness with George and Yang, and we’re gonna be focusing on mobility and core.(0:39) All right, brother, come on, let’s get to it. (0:41) Let’s get it. (0:42) We got mobility and core.(0:45) So let’s start you actually right here. (0:47) Okay, perfect. (0:47) On this pad.(0:48) We’re gonna go half kneel. (0:52) I need five reaches up, and then five reaches this way, and then you can switch legs. (0:57) Okay.(0:58) Five reaches up, five reaches. (1:01) Perfect. (1:02) Squeeze the hell out of that glute.(1:05) Perfect. (1:05) Love it. (1:07) You should feel a big stretch on that front hip.(1:11) Yeah? (1:13) Maybe?
Georges Niang
(1:14) Yes.
Ben Kenyon
(1:14) Okay, good. (1:15) Love it. (1:17) You’re gonna switch sides.(1:21) Love it. (1:24) So back in the day, when you first got going, when did you first start playing again?
Georges Niang
(1:30) Probably when I was like six or seven.
Ben Kenyon
(1:32) Okay. (1:33) Six or seven. (1:34) What position were you at that time?
Georges Niang
(1:36) I was always a bigger kid, so I was probably like a center.
Ben Kenyon
(1:39) Okay.
Georges Niang
(1:40) Or a power forward.
Ben Kenyon
(1:42) Squeeze that left glute. (1:44) There you go. (1:46) Did you ever play guard?(1:48) Like early on?
Georges Niang
(1:50) You know, that’s funny that you say that. (1:52) I think I was blended in to working out always, whether it was working on all facets of my game, but I was never specifically a guard. (1:59) I always wanted to be a guard.
Ben Kenyon
(2:01) Okay.
Georges Niang
(2:01) Tracy McGrady was my favorite player.
Ben Kenyon
(2:03) Okay, T-back. (2:05) You’re gonna use that weight, and you’re gonna push, keep that heel down. (2:08) Try to get a big calf stretch.(2:10) There you go, perfect. (2:11) Let me get 10 on the right, 10 on the left. (2:14) So you always wanted to be a guard.(2:16) Tracy McGrady was your guy. (2:19) When did you, because now, like watching you play, like you handle that thing, when did you start picking that up?
Georges Niang
(2:26) Like being able to like- I would probably say like high school. (2:29) Okay. (2:29) High school was the time where I really realized I couldn’t just be one dimensional.
Ben Kenyon
(2:34) Yep.
Georges Niang
(2:35) You know, as growth, as you get older, you kind of realize, you know, different things of where I could be limited and where I could continue to grow. (2:43) And that was one of the areas I felt like I could, you know, extend myself and my playing career.
Ben Kenyon
(2:48) Heck yeah. (2:49) Love it. (2:52) Did you ever have a moment early in your career of like, like I can do all things.(2:57) I can be the jack of all trades kind of player. (3:00) Like a lot of guys, young guys in the NBA, they, you know, they come into thinking that they can be a Joel and don’t realize it’s different.
Georges Niang
(3:07) Yeah, there’s one of one. (3:08) One of one, exactly. (3:10) You know, I think my time in Indiana, you know, as much as it showed me what I couldn’t do, it showed me the things that I knew I could get better at and allow myself to grow.(3:21) So then continuing and then getting to Golden State and doing training camp with them was my moment of realizing like, I could kind of be a jack of all trades guy. (3:29) Those guys are valuable in this league. (3:32) And you know, if Golden State is valuing them, then I definitely can, you know, take that somewhere.
Ben Kenyon
(3:38) Take that from you. (3:39) We’re going to go, I’ll show you right here. (3:42) You’re going to go knee down.(3:44) You can put his left leg to that side. (3:46) Okay. (3:47) You know, all you’re going to do is reach forward, reach high, reach forward, reach high.(3:54) Boom, perfect. (3:56) Love it. (3:57) Okay, so talking about like the T-Max of the world, what do you think separates, I feel like he’s probably one of the better wing players out there, right, that ever played.(4:09) Like what separates him from other elite wing players?
Georges Niang
(4:14) I think his ability to score. (4:17) Yeah. (4:17) I think that was something that I was fascinated with.(4:19) He’s just a bigger guard, wing, whatever you want to call it. (4:23) And he just would make tough shots. (4:24) I mean, you know, seeing, I mean, you worked with Damian Lillard, I mean.
Ben Kenyon
(4:28) Elite.
Georges Niang
(4:29) Yeah, where you just on a night to night basis, you’re like, how is this happening?
Ben Kenyon
(4:34) The farther he stepped back on his three. (4:38) So being able to step across half and shoot it at an efficient percentage, being able to actually finish a long season that way, start a long season that way, finish a long season that way, is actually kind of impressive. (4:50) I think that’s the most impressive part.(4:51) Right.
Georges Niang
(4:52) And then, I mean, you can attest, I mean, you’ve seen him and the work that, I feel like he always working on his body and- Dude is different.
Ben Kenyon
(5:00) Yeah. (5:00) Dude is different. (5:01) I feel like the one thing I wish players would pick up is that your rookie year, like, you guys go hard.(5:10) You’re trying to prove yourself. (5:11) If people continue just to actually go that hard and eventually taper it off, you’ll be in a good spot. (5:17) And I think that’s what he did a great job of, does a great job of.(5:19) Yeah. (5:20) We’re going to go 90-90. (5:21) So here, here.(5:24) Okay. (5:26) What, what’s something that you, here, I can move this out of the way. (5:30) Let me move this.(5:31) What’s something that you think you’ve held onto that’s allowed you to have success from when you were younger till now?
Georges Niang
(5:42) You know, I think it’s just my drive to, like, refuse to quit. (5:47) Like, I remember someone gave me, like, a pep talk and I was, like, frustrated in high school of, like, how I wasn’t ranked in, like, the top 100. (5:54) And it was basically, like, if you can show up, you’ll be- I need 10 total of these.(5:58) You’ll beat 50% of America. (6:02) And then if you could show up and work hard every day, like, no matter how much it sucks or it’s not fun, show up and work hard, you can beat out 80%. (6:11) So I feel like my unique talent is just, I just show up and I’m going to give you everything that I got.(6:16) And that beats out more than 80% of my competition. (6:20) And the rest I can live with, you know, having skill to try and beat them. (6:25) And I feel like you’re vocal.(6:27) Have you always been vocal? (6:28) Yeah, I’ve always been a loud kid.
Ben Kenyon
(6:30) But it helps on the court.
Georges Niang
(6:31) Yeah, around the house, my parents weren’t too thrilled about that.
Ben Kenyon
(6:35) Okay, so tell me about that. (6:37) Like, did you have disciplinary problems or issues growing up?
Georges Niang
(6:41) Yeah, when I was growing up, I was always getting in trouble for talking in class. (6:47) Oh, okay.
Ben Kenyon
(6:48) We got here, elbow to elbow, big reach back. (6:52) Elbow to elbow, big reach back. (6:55) Okay, so talk back a little bit.(6:58) Did that ever affect basketball? (7:00) Like, did your pops, moms ever suspend you from, or they try to hold you back from playing? (7:06) Yeah.
Georges Niang
(7:07) A little bit? (7:08) I mean, if my grades weren’t where they were, that was one thing, but I don’t think I ever missed it too much. (7:14) I just towed the line of being a bad kid.
Ben Kenyon
(7:18) So you were pretty much like, all right, what can I get away with?
Georges Niang
(7:21) Yeah.
Ben Kenyon
(7:22) And then, all right, I can’t do that.
Georges Niang
(7:23) No malicious intentions.
Ben Kenyon
(7:24) Yeah, I’m with you. (7:25) I’m with you. (7:26) Perfect.(7:28) Big reach. (7:29) Try to get that elbow to touch the ceiling. (7:31) There you go.(7:34) So, academically, how was that?
Georges Niang
(7:37) Oh, school was always tough for me, but I think I always put my best foot forward because I remember someone always telling me, like, I always wanted to play in college. (7:49) Yep. (7:49) And you had to be able to have grades to get into college.(7:52) I was like something that everybody talked about. (7:55) So I always made sure I was doing good enough to- Nah. (7:59) And like, good enough is like- Like bees.(8:02) Okay, that’s solid. (8:04) No, school was hard for me, though.
Ben Kenyon
(8:05) They say a lot of billionaires are C students. (8:08) So- That’s why I’m not a billionaire. (8:11) We got lat stretch.(8:13) So you’re gonna go cross your body, cross your body, straight ahead. (8:18) I need a total of 12 of them. (8:21) So that’s one.(8:22) That’s two. (8:23) Straight ahead. (8:24) That’s three.(8:25) Yep, perfect. (8:26) One, two, three. (8:31) So B student, George, had a way with the words and figured out he loved basketball.
Georges Niang
(8:39) When did you figure that out, that you loved basketball? (8:42) Like, ninth or tenth grade was something that really I was like, I wanna do this for as long as I can. (8:48) I mean, I always loved the sport, like in middle school, but realizing you wanna do it for a long time is totally different.(8:54) How tall were you then? (8:56) You can hop on up. (8:56) 6’3″.(8:57) Okay. (8:58) No, I’m 6’8″. (9:00) For all the- Yeah.(9:02) For all the general managers out there.
Ben Kenyon
(9:05) 6’8 shoes. (9:07) We’re gonna go inchworm. (9:10) We’re gonna inchworm out.(9:12) Then take this leg. (9:16) Good. (9:17) Cool.(9:18) So we got inchworm, world’s greatest. (9:19) And then I want you to go back, though, into that inchworm. (9:23) So, boom, perfect.(9:25) Yep. (9:27) There you go.
Georges Niang
(9:28) Let me get through each side. (9:30) When did you feel like strength training and working with professional athletes was something that you could see yourself doing? (9:37) Or did it just happen?
Ben Kenyon
(9:38) Great question. (9:40) 13 years old, I knew. (9:42) Really?(9:43) And you’re a Hooper, too. (9:44) Yeah. (9:44) So you were like- I gave myself two options.(9:46) I said either I’m gonna play professional basketball or I’m a coach. (9:50) There were two things I was extremely passionate about. (9:54) And I’ve always been taught to, like, chase the thing that you’re passionate about and the money will follow after.(10:00) And so, played D2 out of Delphi, scrappy.
Georges Niang
(10:04) Yeah.
Ben Kenyon
(10:04) Let’s go one and one. (10:05) So one more on the right, one more on the left. (10:08) Shout out to Coach Cos, bro.(10:09) Shout out to Coach Cos. (10:12) And maybe my junior year in college, I was like, all right, my stats, you know. (10:18) The reality of playing pro and making decent money versus falling in love with strength and conditioning, which is something I was already in love with.(10:28) I knew at that point I had to kind of take the step. (10:31) So we’re gonna go here, big lateral lunge. (10:34) But this one, we’re gonna go three pushes right here and then back.(10:40) Big dynamic move. (10:42) But junior year college, Cos actually gave me an opportunity to put together, perfect, big stretch. (10:49) Perfect.(10:50) He gave me an opportunity to put together our strength and conditioning program for preseason. (10:54) Oh, wow. (10:55) And so I did it my junior and senior year.(10:58) So I used that as a resume builder for my grad assistant position that he helped me get at George Washington University.
Georges Niang
(11:06) Oh yeah, you’re well traveled.
Ben Kenyon
(11:07) Oh yeah, I’ve been around. (11:10) So GW.
Georges Niang
(11:11) Were you there when my, Dominique Bull, was he there when you were?
Ben Kenyon
(11:15) So Dom came the first year that I worked with the Blazers. (11:19) So my last year with GW, that summer he got there. (11:23) So I went from GW grad school to University of Florida as an intern, worked with Billy Donovan as a strength intern, and then went back to GW as the head strength coach.(11:34) Let’s go one more each side. (11:36) And then was there for about five years, then went to work with the Blazers, out there with Dame for six, seven years.
Georges Niang
(11:45) And then now- What do you feel like is the biggest difference between college and college strength training and NBA strength training? (11:53) Because in college they used to- Yeah. (11:56) They go hard, right?(11:57) It was tough.
Ben Kenyon
(11:57) It was really tough. (11:58) I feel like college is for building up athletes and trying to get the best out of them. (12:06) I feel like here, we’re trying to make you the best pro.(12:09) Right. (12:09) And conversation’s huge. (12:12) Right.(12:12) Relationships are huge. (12:14) You’ve probably done some things that I don’t think you would do if we didn’t have the relationship that we have. (12:18) Right, no, 100%.(12:19) Like you trust the person- Exactly. (12:21) Wants your best. (12:22) And I look at what we do now as strength coaches is like, how do we help your business last for a long time versus trying- It’s not four years, it’s longevity.(12:34) Exactly. (12:34) You’re trying to get as long as possible. (12:36) So what we got now is, bridge holds with med ball touches right here.
Georges Niang
(12:47) Boom, boom.
Ben Kenyon
(12:49) I want a total of 20. (12:54) Make you work a little bit. (12:55) Let me know about that distance.(12:56) Yeah, perfect. (12:57) One, two, three, four, five, seven, eight, nine, 10. (13:06) Keep those hips still.(13:08) 14, 15, 16, 17, 18. (13:12) 19, 20. (13:15) So you played, did you play with Kaz’s son?
Georges Niang
(13:19) No, he was always like, and the town that I grew up, he was always like the star point guard for like a neighboring high school. (13:27) Someone that I always like looked up to and now it all comes full circle. (13:33) That’s funny, man.(13:33) What was the high school? (13:34) Andover High School.
Ben Kenyon
(13:35) Andover, wow. (13:37) That’s wild. (13:38) So we’re gonna go side bridge with clamshell.(13:41) Boom, right here and back down. (13:45) Let me get 10 on the right, 10 on the left. (13:49) What did you, so what did you pick up from like Kaz and, what’s his son’s name?(13:55) Casey. (13:56) Casey, yeah.
Georges Niang
(13:56) Casey was the one that I really knew. (13:58) I didn’t really know. (13:59) Well, I’m saying Casey, like what’d you pick up from?(14:01) Yeah, I think like I remember walking into a Christmas tournament game and he had like, he always had a basketball with him.
Ben Kenyon
(14:08) Yeah.
Georges Niang
(14:08) Like a walker. (14:09) So he was just known for like being able to dribble, like being so savvy, but he always had a basketball with him, always is about his craft.
Ben Kenyon
(14:16) Yeah.
Georges Niang
(14:17) And there’s like a sense of seriousness. (14:18) Yeah. (14:19) That I can appreciate that allows someone to continue to be better.
Ben Kenyon
(14:23) Yeah.
Georges Niang
(14:23) Every moment of their life, nevermind just on the court.
Ben Kenyon
(14:26) So how does that, okay, let’s go back to your life now. (14:29) Right, so like, how does that translate to you? (14:31) Like, again, you’ve done a great job of establishing yourself in the NBA.
Georges Niang
(14:37) Right.
Ben Kenyon
(14:37) Like what’s the one thing that you’ve been consistent at? (14:39) You know, you don’t need to walk around with the basketball every day.
Georges Niang
(14:42) No, I think that’s, when you get to this point, that’s like overkill. (14:45) Like you don’t have school, you don’t have other things that get in the way. (14:49) I think I’m just so obsessed with basketball.(14:51) Like I’ll watch like anything. (14:53) I’ll watch high school basketball. (14:55) I’ll watch when the NBA is on, like I’ll watch NBA basketball.(14:58) I’m just obsessed with the game. (15:00) And I feel like you learn so much just by watching other people’s moves, other people’s tendencies. (15:05) Yep.(15:06) It’s just, I think there’s a level of obsession that you need to have to be successful because the amount of time that we all put in to this craft, if you don’t like it, it’ll eat you alive.
Ben Kenyon
(15:16) It’ll eat you alive straight up. (15:18) And I’ve seen a lot of guys, we’re gonna go hit a hip lift from here. (15:23) I’ve seen a lot of guys come in and love the glitz and glam and love the opportunities to look cool on camera.
Georges Niang
(15:29) Yeah, they love the cameras with it.
Ben Kenyon
(15:30) Exactly, but not love the work. (15:32) So we’re right here. (15:32) Chest is gonna face this way and chest faces up.(15:36) So it’s here and I’ll be back there. (15:38) Boom. (15:40) Okay.(15:45) I got you. (15:47) The glitz and glam. (15:48) So talk to me about how you stay locked in for that.
Georges Niang
(15:53) I know it’s not easy, man. (15:55) No, it’s not. (15:55) And I think you have to find the things in your life that are meaningful and that actually make you feel full.(16:02) Cause I remember I had an obsession with like designer backpacks when I was in college and I thought it would make me so cool if I bought one and wore it around. (16:12) Yep, just 10 and 10. (16:14) And I literally bought it, wore it.(16:17) Everybody, you know, makes a comment like, oh. (16:20) And you’re like, this made me feel worse. (16:23) So then I just stopped doing that.
Ben Kenyon
(16:24) You got more eyes on you for something that you don’t really want. (16:26) Exactly. (16:27) It happens though.(16:28) So you learn, you live and you learn. (16:31) Yeah. (16:33) Love it.(16:34) Have you had a moment during your NBA journey where you felt like there’s too much spotlight on you? (16:42) Like too much, too many, not necessarily good light, but like people are kind of starting to like look at you and say negative things and- Yeah, I mean, I think, and that’s when you, I mean, you, I feel like that’s why we get along so well is at the end of the day, we know who we are.
Georges Niang
(17:00) Yep. (17:02) And you’ve realized sometimes you get caught chasing a perception of what you think you’re supposed to be rather than being yourself. (17:08) And it’s so much harder being someone you’re not than it is just being yourself.
Ben Kenyon
(17:12) Yeah. (17:12) So we’re going to go slam. (17:14) Being a fraud is a thing.
Georges Niang
(17:16) Yeah.
Ben Kenyon
(17:16) You’ll get caught, be authentic. (17:18) Exactly. (17:18) We’re going to go lateral step, slam.(17:22) Okay. (17:22) Step out turn. (17:24) Let me get five on the right.(17:29) Love it. (17:32) Love it. (17:33) Perfect.(17:35) Other side, other side. (17:38) One. (17:38) There you go.(17:39) Break that thing. (17:39) Two. (17:41) Three.(17:43) Four. (17:45) Five. (17:47) Now we got two more exercises.(17:50) Then we’re going to run it right back. (17:53) Where’s my kettlebell at? (17:55) We’ve got, actually let’s do this one real quick.(17:57) We got to stir the pot. (17:58) Okay. (17:59) This one?(17:59) Yep. (18:00) Let’s go 10 straight ahead. (18:01) 10 to the right, 10 to the left.(18:04) Okay. (18:04) So travel is no joke in the NBA. (18:09) It’s freaking crazy.(18:10) People don’t really understand. (18:12) Our hours of sleep is just, it’s just different. (18:16) What, what’s your routine?(18:17) Do you have a sleep routine? (18:18) Do you have, you know, something that you try to lock in on when you’re on the road, when you’re home?
Georges Niang
(18:25) Um. (18:29) Just a second. (18:30) Yeah, get it in.(18:31) Get it in. (18:34) You know, I think that sleep is probably the toughest thing that I battle, you know? (18:39) And the biggest thing for me is I try to just put the phone down.(18:41) Yeah. (18:42) You know, just relax or have some type of soothing music that allows, you know, my brain and not be a ping pong match. (18:50) Yeah.(18:50) Cause you know, you’re constantly thinking about things. (18:52) It’s, with professional sports, it’s not just basketball anymore. (18:57) It’s your brand.(18:57) You’re the CEO of your own corporate company. (19:01) And sometimes you just need like the simple things, whether if it’s talking on the phone or reading a book that can just let you lay there and relax. (19:11) Cause your life is so like travel, practice.(19:14) Yeah. (19:15) You know?
Ben Kenyon
(19:15) And then the stimulation at the arena. (19:17) I don’t think people realize it’s not easy to like wind down.
Georges Niang
(19:20) Yeah. (19:20) How do you go from seven at night playing in front of 18,000, crazy yelling loud, get in your car, go from that to being by yourself three hours later and to be able to just relax and go to sleep. (19:32) Game nights are the toughest.(19:33) Yeah. (19:34) Travel days. (19:35) So all the critics out there that say they can do it.(19:37) Like, what do you, what would you say to them? (19:39) Yeah, no, we make it look easy because we’re doing stuff like this for four hours a day.
Ben Kenyon
(19:44) I love it. (19:45) So we got one arm marches. (19:48) Am I trading arms?(19:49) Yeah, we got 10 first on the right and then 10 on the left. (19:53) Love it. (19:55) Yeah, you guys make it look easy.(19:56) And I think it’s because of the routines and the work that you put in.
Georges Niang
(19:59) Yeah, you gotta have a routine. (20:00) If you’re just freestyling. (20:02) Yeah.(20:02) That’s when you become inconsistent. (20:04) I feel like- Did you have one back in college? (20:07) Of sleeping?(20:08) No, I didn’t have one in college. (20:10) Yeah. (20:10) I got one like the second, second year in the league and I feel like that’s what kind of saved me.(20:16) Yep. (20:16) Cause I wasn’t consistent with anything.
Ben Kenyon
(20:20) We’re gonna go one more time through starting with the bridge holds or bridge reaches and we done. (20:26) How are you feeling? (20:27) Oh, this is a good one.(20:28) We getting it in, baby.
Georges Niang
(20:30) I’m gonna have a nice beach body by the time- Come on, abs. (20:33) Abs by BK.
Ben Kenyon
(20:37) Okay, oh Lord. (20:39) So we got bridge, let’s go 10 and 10, 10 and 10. (20:44) Remember, try not to move those hips too much.(20:45) Perfect. (20:46) Perfect. (20:48) Love it.(20:51) Get it. (20:52) I’m gonna ask you a question when you finish. (20:55) Boom, boom.(20:58) Love it. (20:59) Heck yeah. (21:01) So let’s just say early on in your career, your sleep was like, your sleep routine and you being where you are was like a three or four.
Georges Niang
(21:10) Do you feel like you’re probably like a- Oh, I’m probably like a six or seven. (21:13) Okay. (21:13) But I’d wanna be like an eight or nine.(21:16) Yeah. (21:17) Cause what people don’t understand is like when the NBA schedule, you get in on the back to back and you get in at two in the morning, you wanna be able to sleep till like 10, 11. (21:27) Yep.(21:28) Cause the guy that you’re playing against had a night off and went to bed at 1030 and got up at eight. (21:36) Yep. (21:36) So you wanna be able to maximize, I think everybody’s talented at this level.(21:41) Yep. (21:41) But the goal is to maximize every little advantage was eat, sleep. (21:45) 1%.(21:45) Yeah.
Ben Kenyon
(21:47) You got side bridge with clamshell. (21:50) 10 and 10. (21:51) Side bridge with clamshell.(21:55) What is the one thing that you can say now that you’re happy you’re taking advantage of? (22:01) I know we’ve talked about the training as a big piece.
Georges Niang
(22:04) Yeah.
Ben Kenyon
(22:04) What else are you taking advantage of knowing having the knowledge you have now?
Georges Niang
(22:10) I think the mental aspect of it is not becoming consumed in what other people think about me from like performance stance. (22:20) It’s just like, I know that I’ve put in the work. (22:23) I know that I’ve put in the hours.(22:24) Yep. (22:25) And whether it’s diet, you know. (22:26) Yeah.(22:27) Sleep or whatever, just going out there and just letting it flow rather than worrying about what’s gonna happen, just being me. (22:35) And that’s the best I can offer. (22:37) And I feel like I do a really good job of being me.
Ben Kenyon
(22:43) Again, authenticity. (22:45) It’s number one. (22:46) It’s number one.(22:48) Let’s go right here.
Georges Niang
(22:49) Now, let me ask you this though. (22:51) What’s up? (22:51) How hard is it, you know, (22:54) I’ve always found it intriguing that (22:57) no athlete really likes to lift train, (22:59) but you somehow have to build a relationship (23:03) to where it’s just like, all right, (23:05) you have to trust me that this is the best thing for you, (23:07) but at the same time still hold them accountable, (23:10) which is like a really fine line (23:13) because not a lot of people want to hear about themselves, (23:15) but they need to, to grow.
Ben Kenyon
(23:19) So, step one is you have to look the part. (23:22) So as a strength coach. (23:22) That’s very true.(23:24) As a strength coach.
Georges Niang
(23:24) If they don’t know about how you ran a marathon a day of a game. (23:29) Marathon, oh, I forgot about that. (23:30) Oh, that’s crazy.
Ben Kenyon
(23:31) Come on.
Georges Niang
(23:32) Then you’re still back there to help us lift.
Ben Kenyon
(23:34) Yeah, it was a lot. (23:35) But running half marathons, doing half Ironmans, for me, that’s me saying, all right, I’ve gotta be the best at what I do because I’m working with the best. (23:45) So, resume, check.(23:47) And then from there, being able to now work with high level players now helps, but being able to point to them and saying, all right, this is how much money you’re making now. (23:57) This is what you probably could make. (23:58) And this is a player that’s actually doing it.(24:00) And maybe I’ve worked with them. (24:02) I know people that they work with. (24:04) I look at it as like, you have to be a salesman.(24:07) And have to have them understand like, yo, dude, I have your best interests at heart.
Georges Niang
(24:10) I’m trying to get you here.
Ben Kenyon
(24:11) Yeah, because I’m not going to make the millions in this space, right? (24:14) Maybe in something else, but like, in basketball, you got it, you know? (24:17) So, you gotta sell them though.(24:20) Let’s go hip thrusts, single leg hip thrusts. (24:24) You gotta be a great salesman. (24:27) And if you’re not a great salesman for the other strength coaches out there that might be watching this, figure out ways or figure out courses to go take, figure out conventions or leadership summits or something that you can go to to connect with people.(24:43) Because if you don’t improve your ability to actually relate, nobody cares about what you know.
Georges Niang
(24:51) Yeah, it’s almost to be said, it’s like, it’s not the product at this point. (24:55) It’s how the product’s being, you know, kind of like said to you, yeah. (24:59) Cause it could be good stuff, but if you don’t have a good relationship.(25:03) Good rapport. (25:04) It’s not gonna work.
Ben Kenyon
(25:06) Your energy’s gotta be right. (25:07) Oh, I love it. (25:08) We’re almost done.(25:09) Good day squad. (25:10) Great day squad, baby. (25:12) Great day squad.(25:14) You know how that started, right? (25:17) I told you about that? (25:19) About great day squad, how it all started?(25:21) Oh, I have no idea. (25:22) So I’m gonna let you slam and then I’ll tell you. (25:25) Get it.(25:26) Five and five. (25:28) Two. (25:29) Three.(25:31) Four. (25:33) Five on the side. (25:35) One.(25:36) Two. (25:37) Love it. (25:38) Three.(25:40) Four. (25:42) And five. (25:44) I burnt out, dude.(25:45) Had a moment. (25:47) Oh man. (25:47) Where I was just doing too much.(25:51) I was still kind of going through that next level of learning myself. (25:56) And I was trying to do a podcast. (25:58) I was doing the NBA stuff.(26:00) I was running. (26:01) I was all over the place. (26:02) And literally sat down on the couch one day and my heart rate was like 200.(26:06) And I was like, hold up. (26:08) Like, this is not it. (26:09) And found out that I overstressed and overworked myself.(26:13) And a few weeks later, my doc told me I had a heart aneurysm. (26:17) So mentally, I was drained even more and I still have a heart aneurysm. (26:20) But it put me in a space where I was like, all right, I need to rework this process.(26:25) So the first thing I did was I started to go outside for a run and I started to repost it and just put great day for a run. (26:33) And so that’s where the great day squad started because people started to repost it.
Georges Niang
(26:37) That’s awesome.
Ben Kenyon
(26:37) Heck yeah, dude. (26:39) Last set of marches.
Georges Niang
(26:41) Can we get a good morning? (26:43) Good morning. (26:46) That’s the one right there.
Ben Kenyon
(26:48) That’s the energy. (26:49) Come on.
Georges Niang
(26:49) Whether it’s 6.30, 5.30. But it gets you going a little bit. (26:53) I can appreciate it.
Ben Kenyon
(26:55) Here we go, 10 and 10. (26:57) People have their thoughts about it, but it’s all good. (27:00) It’s all about the energy.(27:01) It’s all about the energy. (27:03) Finish this thing up.
Georges Niang
(27:06) And done deal records, too. (27:08) No, you know what would have been our least favorite? (27:13) Here we go.(27:14) Don’t ask me any questions while I’m doing this.
Ben Kenyon
(27:15) Finish strong.
Georges Niang
(27:16) I’m gonna ask you so many questions.
Ben Kenyon
(27:18) Here we go. (27:19) Finish strong, brace. (27:21) I love it.(27:22) I love it. (27:24) Here you go. (27:27) Finish that strong.(27:28) Finish that strong. (27:31) I’m looking at the back of your shirt. (27:33) House, innovation.(27:34) I don’t even know how to say that last word. (27:41) Oh, house of innovation.
Georges Niang
(27:42) Yeah. (27:43) Oh, there we go. (27:45) Innovative crew.(27:46) Oh, squat. (27:47) Oh, oh. (27:48) Appreciate you, bud.(27:48) Perfect. (27:49) Thank you. (27:49) This was awesome.(27:51) What’s up, guys? (27:52) Thanks for joining me today. (27:54) I hope you enjoyed the workout.(27:56) If I could leave you with one thing, just show up every day. (27:59) No matter how hard it is, just show up every day.