Principle-Based Training and Fitness Longevity
Ep2 An Insightful Talk with Vero Strength and Conditioning Coach Rob Delacruz
Are you tired of the randomness and unpredictability that comes with high-intensity workout models? Meet Rob Delacruz, a strength conditioning coach with more than 20 years of experience, who has been consistently delivering predictable, sound results with his principle-based training methodology. In this episode, Rob shares his personal journey in the fitness industry, recounting how he transitioned from traditional methodologies to his principle-based training focusing on simplicity and functionality.
We explore the strength-biased model that Rob employs in his coaching and how it cultivates the right environment for individuals to boost their strength. Rob also shares his insights on the importance of movement quality over load size, advocating for longevity and well-being of his clients. He takes us through his entry into the strength conditioning world, his early fitness programs, and how the evolution of the fitness industry influenced his career choices. This episode is a must-listen for all those passionate about fitness, strength conditioning, and a healthy lifestyle. Tune in to gain invaluable insights from a seasoned professional who believes in results, not randomness.
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Podcast Transcript
Dr Alec Spano: This is always best simplicity.
Rob : Yeah, yeah.
Dr Alec Spano: All right, Rob, give me like a little introduction, a little bit about yourself, Okay so my name is Rob Delacruz.
Rob : I'm owner of Vero Strength and conditioning and also Cerus performance, which is our supplement company. But I've had Vero Strength and Conditioning for around 15 years on there and I've been in here coaching for 15, but in actuality I've been doing it for over 20. Yeah, and I've had people that I did it with before I owned this place and it's actually like a coach that got paid or with me now. Still, it's awesome.
Dr Alec Spano: Long time for sure, the long, long time. Yeah, you and I have talked a lot about kind of how you transition the way in certain models to kind of what you have now. Where are you at now in terms of how you help people?
Rob : Well, where I'm at now, like I stopped being made to like methodologies, to like more based on principles and now, like the model that we are doing and I kind of believe in it's a strength bias model that focuses a lot with conditioning. What simplicity and big focus on putting people in the right environment for them to get better. So the big, big functional movements of what we pay a lot of attention to Squatting, hinging pressing, folding, carrying and everything.
Dr Alec Spano: Yeah, time to deal. What kind of results have you seen? What is the difference between people to switch away from something that might be a higher intensity kind of field to more of like more structured, more thoughtful, like what transition should be happening?
Rob : Yeah, so with the like big, small dialy, high intensity kind of models that you see, they're very random, even like the best programmed out models, which still kind of random, and that's the result you get is really random. So what you see is you see a lot of changes in people with structured strength programming, where that you know exactly what you're going to get. For instance, if you're focusing on squatting strength, you're going to see the squatting strength increase. If you're focused on the pulling strength, you're going to see the pulling strength increase from anywhere from the pull-ups to your horizontal pulling. And you can dictate a lot on exactly how people feel when they're going to work.
Dr Alec Spano: Yeah, absolutely. You know it's a longevity here, I don't know, who said how do we move? Well, not necessarily. How are we doing in the team?
Rob : today, correct, yeah, like I tend not to focus on the loads, even though people still like looking at them as far as like how strong they are and it's more on like their movement of quality with certain loads. Yeah, Absolutely.
Dr Alec Spano: How did you get into the plan, like what was your kind of venture into?
Rob : the strength condition world. Ok. So, like a lot of people, you started when young age I think my first program I ever wrote for me and my friends were like when I was 13, I was a very productive person to get into it as a profession Because at the time the only things I was very aware was either you go to collegiate route, you've got to go to college, you're not going to get through that or you go to a personal training route. When I was younger that was not a model that I was really interested in and even though as much as I loved all forms of training and condition personal training, everything else not. Until, I would say, we started seeing the fitness industry start moving a little bit and there started being more functional gyms coming out is when I started becoming more interested and, to be honest, I kind of got pushed into that Without even Well, I was always told I should open a gym and then I went to do a functional facility before even this one happened and with someone I knew, but they just didn't do enough interest at the time. And then I decided to go ahead and do it and I had a friend that talked to me and said let me know what you think of that?
Dr Alec Spano: 4:00
Yeah, very cool. You've kind of taken this. I won't say it's roundabout, but you've kind of gotten to where you are now by a lot of trial and error, learning, kind of just exploring what the field has to offer, which is awesome. You're very well educated in terms of, like, straight positioning nutrition all around. You can do a lot of kind of injury movement type stuff. What were some of the biggest people that you draw from?
Rob : So, like the crowd we draw from now, like our age is 35 to 40, and my oldest members are right around eight years old Hardly, yeah, oh, I'm just wondering about that. Yeah, we're really interested in getting to the bottom of the field and so all of them have kind of similar needs to a certain extent. You all need to be able to sit down and stand up. Yeah, you need to be strong within certain realms. Now we offer a group model where we also do a lot of personal training. That's still based on the same principle that we use. Sure, With that, yeah, but there's been points and times where we focus more on the athlete side and a bit of strength for the following and stuff like that, but now it's mostly general body direction and that tends to fit in with the area as well. Correct what's going on here, yeah, and, to be honest, I like it yeah.
Dr Alec Spano: I like it. How, why so Does? Athletes are a different ball game entirely.
Rob : They are and it's fun to work with them and it's fun to have them, to see them progress and you're into all this strength conditioning science and working with them. If you work with a team, then you're like working with a team and the coaches, but in the end, general population. That's where we're at and where we're going around.
Dr Alec Spano: Yeah, that's what I'm thinking about.
Rob : What do you see your gym building from here in the next few years, I see us still doing the same thing, always getting better. I'm not a person that's going to stay in the same place. I'm always progressive because I'm always learning from people that have been around a long time, where they know something different. And if it's something that I can utilize and incorporate that makes sense for me and my clients, then I'm going to do it. The industry is starting to move a little bit. From what I see, much, much needed.
Dr Alec Spano: Yes, we've talked about it in fact. Yes.
Rob : Yeah, I wish it would be a little faster, it would move, and I wish a lot of it. It wouldn't be like they're glitzing Graham. We wouldn't get the majority of people paying attention to him.
Dr Alec Spano: He doesn't usually do those things on work. Sure, yeah, the shiny objects in there right, yeah. Well, Rob, if I had someone or one of the people in the audience, kind of want to come check you out. What is the best way to reach you? What's the best time to come in?
Rob : here. Yeah, the best way to reach us is either to come by or contact us. So contact us and then you would set up an assessment, and then it's a free assessment, and then we go from there. Awesome, rob.
Dr Alec Spano: Thank you so much for your time and we'll kind of link to herostrength in the description below. Come check them out. They're awesome taking a bunch of classes with them. Thanks, rob. Yes, I will. Thanks, rob, yeah.
