Today we’d like to introduce you to Albert Sasu.
Hi Albert, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I got my start through physical therapy, in the sports rehab setting a few years after finishing my undergrad. For a little over 9 years, I was fortunate to work with a variety of people, from the athletic and non athletic side of things. I learned a great deal in physical therapy, a lot of modalities among others that I currently use in my practice.
It took a while to find my place. When I was working as a tech, I knew in my heart of hearts that I didn’t want to go the therapy route, but I couldn’t quite figure out what I wanted to do until my friend told me about the strength and conditioning certification. With that certification, I would be able to expand on what I was currently doing with PT. I would be able to work with athletes and others to do more than just getting them back to where they were before their injury.
Doing my research showed me so many possibilities I didn’t know existed. I ended up moving out to Colorado ending my tenure as a PT Tech. I was determined to venture into this new field of strength and conditioning. While I was studying for my CSCS, I found work as a personal trainer at 24 Hour Fitness. While I wasn’t working with a great deal of athletes, I was getting some much needed hands on experience working with clients beyond the rehab realm.
As fun as things were, I still needed more. There was a lot I was still missing. I eventually came across the University of Denver Master in Sport Coaching program. That program changed my entire view on everything I thought I knew about training. The program helped me refresh on things I reviewed during my undergrad and new things fields that furthered my understanding of strength and conditioning. The program was extremely helpful as I was able to get plenty of hands on experience as an intern working with various sports programs in the collegiate setting and private sector.
A notable experience was when I came on as an assistant strength and conditioning coach and interim head strength and conditioning coach with the US Women’s National Rugby 15s team. By far one of the best experiences in my life as I got to learn about a sport I knew very little about. I’ve been blessed for the many opportunities to learn from coaches who have a lot of knowledge in the game. Everything I’ve learned and continue to learn has helped me be the best coach I can be. I currently work at a D1 facility and have my own clients outside of the facility.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road. There was a learning curve to understand in various places, different coaching styles to adjust to, and many unfavorable hours trying to work a job and a demanding internship.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’m a strength coach at D1 Lakewood, working with athletes in various sports, and assist in running group adult classes. I also have my own clients with my business KeyFormFitness, outside of D1. I don’t particularly specialize in any one thing, but try to incorporate things specific to the individuals I work with.
I recently re tested a young lacrosse kid who has been showing a rapid progress in his training. His dad mentioned how much change he’s seen in his kid’s gameplay, especially his speed. After about 6 weeks of training, he put on a good amount of muscle, reduced his body fat percentage, and was either faster or jumped higher/further in his baseline tests. I’m proud of his dedication to training. I’m sure the kid had dealt with a lot of struggles in the beginning, but he has improved so much over the last couple weeks and I couldn’t be happier for him.
I can’t say for sure what sets me apart from others since I really try to keep myself grounded and humbled. I learn from so many experienced coaches who have done the work that coaches like me can “steal” from, hahaha. I’m really dedicated to craft as a coach. I feel my ability to create programs for the athletes I work with has really improved over the years and continues to improve as I learn more and more every day.
Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
I’m a firm believer of working outside your comfort zone. How do we expect to grow without being challenged? My first big risk came when the opportunity to work with the rugby team came around. I never played the sport and didn’t know a thing about it. It would have been a smarter call to stay away because I thought for sure they would have preferred someone who was more familiar, if not, extremely experienced.
I took a chance because you don’t know what would happen until you’re in it. At the very least, it doesn’t hurt to brush up on whatever it is you’re interviewing for, but I made sure to be honest and upfront. I’m a hard working individual and have the skill to pick up on whatever it is I’m learning and the expectation needed of me.
The fear of not knowing if I had a chance or not outweighed the fear of rejection. Being told no, or they went in a didn’t direction, etc isn’t the end of the world but you’d be doing yourself a greater disservice if you never at least tried, and that’s how I view taking risks.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.keyformfitness.onepage.me
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keyformfitness
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/keyformfitness
