from backpacker to national rugby league trainer: meet coach keegan

From backpacking around the world to becoming one of Australia’s most sought after strength and conditioning coaches, Keegan Smith knows how to get you those gains… seriously. Keegan trains some of the strongest and fittest men in the country (he’s the strength and conditioning coach for the Sydney Roosters), but his passion for movement reaches further than just professional athletes. Anyone striving to break barriers and push themselves past what they thought was possible is Keegan’s ideal client. His coaching goes beyond the gym; delving deep into diet, mind, recovery and overall lifestyle as integral parts of his training system. We wanted to know more about the man who’s changing the game of fitness, what the common misconceptions are associated with strength and conditioning training, his go-to workout that can be done anywhere, and how he keeps inspired.

What was the moment you discovered your passion for fitness?

From before I can remember I was chasing my older brother around and playing sports. I grew up competing and training hard everyday. I was also always a coach. I remember teaching a 7 year old friend of mine to catch and throw for hours and I really got a buzz out of him joining in to play some cricket. My first serious role in the gym was coaching the Parramatta Eels JETS (Junior Elite Talent Squad). I worked hard with them on teaching power cleans and upper back strength.

What has been your biggest adventure in life?

The drug-free home-birth of my first child was the most amazing day of my life so far!

Second to that is when I spent a lot of time in remote communities in the south of Mexico and outback Australia, which were really interesting times. There I saw a whole different set of values and way of living that made me realize the way I grew up wasn’t the only way to live or even the best way. The most intense two weeks of my life was probably hitch hiking from Colombia to Mexico on $150. I met a lot of great people and shared a lot of stories with truck drivers in Central America who had lived through times of civil war through the 60’s to 80’s. I went to Latin America to understand how the world works and I felt like I really got it during those two weeks. Actually I was travelling to Mexico for a job teaching English that I’d found, but by the time I got there all I wanted to do was learn more about the alternative living movements of Mexico.

What has been the hardest challenge you’ve faced and overcome?

Moving to France to run the physical preparation for a Rugby League team is probably the hardest thing I’ve done. While living in remote communities was a challenge there was no real pressure for an outcome from me.

Moving to France I was expected to train players everyday to get in the best shape of their careers. I’d never run a program before and I’d been living a backpacker’s lifestyle for the 5 years before it so I wasn’t certain I could get the job done or even handle staying put in a structured life for 2 years. In the end we took the team from last the year before to holding first place for a number of weeks in the second year so it all worked out well. I also became fluent in French and reconnected with the woman who is now my wife and the mother of my child. It turned out to be a good decision.

What keeps you inspired?

The challenges facing the planet today is really what inspires me. I see a world of massive, unlimited potential that is being fooled into thinking that it must live and work inside that box that has been created for us. 21^st century systems are failing humanity and must be changed. I don’t see the change coming through any sort of protest or revolution, but rather by creating new conscious methods for solving problems that replace the existing paradigm. I love what is happening with movement. People are taking on movement challenges, whether it’s handstands, yoga, CrossFit or slack-line. I love that because I think movement is an opportunity for us to expand our possibilities and move beyond limitations we hold about ourselves physically. When we do that there is an opportunity to then think differently and make different decisions about how we experience life.

What’s your favourite thing about being the strength and conditioning coach for the Sydney Roosters?

I loved seeing the guys get a real buzz out of being better than they’d ever been before. Confidence in their bodies transferred to other aspects of life and effected the way they eat and how they interact with the community. There is a real domino effect when you support people to change their self-image through exercise and psychology.

What’re 3 things on your goal list right now?

- Setting up the world’s best online life-improvement program
- Starting organic farms/retreats in Australia, Spain and Latin America
- One-arm handstands

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?

Doubt whom you will, but never yourself. And treat people you meet, as if you’re meeting yourself.

What do you think is the most important element of strength and conditioning training?

In terms of the physical stuff it really depends on the sport. There are different degrees and types of mobility, skill, force and work capacity for different sports, but over-riding that is the need for two fundamentals. Health and mindset. Without health, tolerance to training will be low and injuries will always hamper performance. The mind of a champion is almost always the thing that separates him most from the competition.

What’s the biggest misconception about Rugby League training?

That it’s all about making guys bigger. Really, it’s much more about helping them stay injury free and improving their power output for a given weight. Sure young players need to add size but that’s the easy part. By using a holistic approach exponentially better results are possible.

What’s your go-to workout that you can do anywhere?

I can and do train everywhere! I have so many skills I’m developing there is never a shortage of ideas. When I don’t have any equipment I will usually do 30 seconds on 30 seconds off handstands and L-sit to handstand practice. If there is a bar or a place to hang rings anywhere then I’ll add in some 1 arm chin-up training and muscle-ups. I use the Dense Strength Method to organize my gym and outdoor training.

What’s your favourite movement?

Snatch! It combines strength, power, mobility and is one of the most high skill gym movements. Two months ago I hit my lifetime goal of 100kg so now it’s time to raise the bar again.

What’s your least favourite movement?

I think all movement can be good or bad depending on execution. The worst thing I see is gym goers and personal trainers who want to learn new movement, but lack the proper instruction and end up doing something dangerous and ugly. For this reason I’ve started an online training community (Real Movement Project) and a performance coach mentorship (Integrative Strength Certification). I aim to help a million people train smarter and get the results they want through this program.

What’s your next big goal that you’re working on right now?

The release of the Real Movement Project next month. We’re having a live event in the heart of Sydney that is super exciting. We’re going on a national tour of workshops to launch the project. This project is my biggest dream, and now it’s finally a reality.

Keegan Smith is the strength and conditioning coach for the Sydney Roosters. To find out more about coaching and upcoming workshops, head here. For gym antics, training tips and general fitness motivation, follow him on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

Bonnie is our email and blog specialist for Australia and New Zealand. Along with writing, she’s a keen traveller, food lover, and podcast listener. Whether it’s making homemade beef jerky, shoulder shruggin’ to some hip hop or practicing her handstands, you can find out what she’s up to by following her on instagram.