Terrence Ruffin weighs in on a coach’s responsibility for their athlete’s health.
Terrence Ruffin was one of the youngest bodybuilders to ever receive a pro card and today has been making a name for himself in the pro circuit. When we sat down to catch up with Ruffin, we wanted to know how instrumental a coach can be on a developing bodybuilder’s career. We also asked him who shoulders the blame regarding the health of an athlete under the guidance of a coach. In our latest GI Exclusive interview, Terrence Ruffin explains why coaches need to be held responsible for a bodybuilder’s health.
Earlier this year, Chad Nicholls found himself in headlines going viral across the web due to comments made by Shawn Ray. Specifically, Shawn Ray slammed Nicholls for being responsible for the declining health of his clients. This opened up a pandora’s box. Is a coach or bodybuilding guru responsible for a client’s health? Or is the bodybuilder ultimately responsible in choosing to follow a coach’s advice?
When discussing about the importance of coaches, we decided to ask Terrence Ruffin what he thinks about the issue. Ruffin believes that, yes, a coach or bodybuilding guru should be held responsible as there is an understanding in the coach/client agreement that the coach will guide your training and nutrition. Of course, an athlete should be smart and careful about which coach to ultimately follow – but that does not let the coach off the hook either.
In any industry, a person or entity providing a service should be responsible for the service they are providing. If Amazon sells a defective product, it’s not the customer’s fault for trusting Amazon to sell them a working item.
Going further with that analogy, on the flip side, a customer is responsible for getting a working yet poorly made product. If a customer doesn’t do the research beforehand – it’s on them if it’s not the best quality. This holds true for bodybuilders and coaches. Terrence Ruffin’s biggest advice for young bodybuilders is to take their time, do research, and ask questions. Find the perfect match that works for the athlete – and then stick with that coach long term for best results.
Ruffin doesn’t blame a coach if he ultimately does poorly on a show. That’s on him. There’s a difference between having a coach that doesn’t help maximize your physique and a coach that ultimately puts you into dangerous health.
You can watch Terrence Ruffin’s full response in our latest GI Exclusive interview segment above!
