To know how I got here, you should know where I came from
I wanted to be just like him.
So back in 7Th grade when I had an opportunity to buy the weight set of the all-state football player my sister was dating, I jumped at the opportunity.
But there was a problem…
My dad had forbidden me to lift weights because he said “lifting weights before high school would stunt your growth.”
It took me two weeks to sneak the weights up to my room in my book bag. After my Dad would go to sleep, I’d work out.
That’s when the magic happened.
When you put the effort in to keep yourself fit, everything in life gets better.
You feel better. You sleep better. You think clearer. You look better. You perform better.
And that summer everyone in the neighborhood and all sports coaches noticed everything about me was better.
My exercise plan was moving along just fine until one night, the screws on my weight set weren’t fastened tight enough and a weight came crashing down on the floor.
My dad heard the thud and caught me red-handed. The next day, as if to challenge me for defying him, he took me to the local YMCA, which was located in the worst part of town, and signed me up. I knew what he was thinking: that no way this soon-to-be-8th-grader would go into a dangerous part of town just to lift weights. He was wrong! I set out to prove to my Dad that keeping in great shape was not something I took lightly. It was now in my blood. Part of who I am.
About four times a week I made my way to the YMCA by any means I could. I’d take the bus, bum a ride, beg a friend to drive me – whatever it took.
Then after about two months, something truly wonderful happened.
Also working out in the lower level of the YMCA was a Level 5 Olympic coach. I soon found myself lifting weights in the presence of his clients, players from the Buffalo Bills, Buffalo Sabres, Toronto Maple Leafs and professional and Olympic track athletes.
I was thrilled to be around guys of such caliber. They were winners. They had a different approach to fitness and life than most everybody I’d ever known up to that point. They were tough, they were driven, they were sophisticated. They had relentless focus and boundless energy.
Which leads me to another huge benefit exercising has brought to my life and yours too I bet…
You get to meet and know some great people.
Another two months went by. Noticing how determined I was, the Olympic coach came up to me and told me to put my The Randy White Dallas Cowboy Workout book (which had been my workout bible) away. He was going to teach me how to “train” and not just “work out” – from him I was to learn the difference. All I had to do, he said, was help him clean up at the end of the workout day.
Here I was an eighth grader training with one of the best coaches and some of the best athletes in the world!
I had a great high school and college football career. After college I had a shot at the Canadian Football League (CFL), but because I had suffered too many concussions I didn’t clear camp.
So I launched a real estate and finance career. But the fitness and the sports world kept calling me back…literally.
I was constantly getting calls from people who knew me or had gotten my name from a friend. They were about to turn pro…they had a contract year coming up…their son was in high school and close to getting a scholarship and so on.
They looked at me as the guy who was always in incredible shape, played the game the right way and appeared to be virtually injury proof. And they wanted that for themselves, a family member or whomever.
So I would help them maximize their performance in my off hours and on weekends. To offer my clients the best service possible, I read books, attended seminars, and took courses. I even enrolled in a medical chemistry course so I could better understand how the body works.
It was upon meeting two young hockey players from Toronto that my career direction changed permanently. They were performing so well that their Sports Medicine Doctor asked them to set up a meeting with me. This guy was the doctor in resident for countless Olympic athletes.
He was impressed and for the next seven years, I travelled around the world with his team — to Paris, Berlin, Prague, Switzerland and so on — to all the major track and field events. He also worked with top NFL, NHL and CFL players.
My job was to make his athletes perform optimally both mentally and physically. And show them how to best recover should they suffer an injury.
Next I branched out on my own, setting up base in Port Dover, Ontario, Canada. I was enlisted by seven NHL hockey players to help them get into top form. Among the NHLers was Rob Blake, All Star and Hall of Fame defenseman for the Los Angeles Kings. And Dwayne Roloson, one of the most acclaimed goalies of his time.
After 12 years in Canada, I decided to move to Southern California as it seemed like the ideal place to set up my performance coaching business. I was intrigued by the amount of elite athletes in SoCal and was drawn to the healthy lifestyle. Taking care of your body is a religion in SoCal and I had a few things up my sleeve to offer this culture. So I made the move.
Since then I’ve had the ongoing pleasure of working with some of best athletes in the world from four major leagues in the United States, the NHL, NFL, MLB, UFC; and some top athletes from the Canadian Football League (CFL.) I also train with Olympic and track athletes plus I assist high-level executives who need help improving the non-business areas of their lives.
There’s nothing more satisfying to me than when someone who I coach with tells me what a difference I’ve made in their career and life. How their performance level is at its best and/or they just signed a big contract or won an award due to delivering amazing results and a more positive attitude.
If you’re an elite athlete or executive who has a burning to desire to get the edge over your competition or just want to get better at what you do and who you are, we need to talk. I will help you maximize your performance and push you to an entirely new level in your career and your life.
-Scot Prohaska
Scot Prohaska is distinguished as a nationally recognized sports and executive performance consultant. Scot specializes in elevating performance and developing the careers of elite athletes. His blend of world-class knowledge, research, in conjunction with creative application of an artist ensures there are no “cookie-cutter” programs or diagnostic work for his clients.
Scot carefully evaluates each client and develops a specific program to address individual needs and opportunities, which includes nutrition and lifestyle. He is at the forefront of the newest techniques and discipline, allowing all his clients to maximize their fullest potentials by giving them the tools necessary to compete at the top levels of their field. This has made him an invaluable asset to US Olympic athletes, professional athletes, student athletes, and executives.
Over the past 15 years, Scot has traveled across the globe studying with leading experts in exercise physiology, kinesiology, physical therapy, biomechanics, strength, conditioning and nutrition, and mental and emotional focus and strength. He’s been published in many wellness publications and is an accomplished author in the field of performance and exercise.
Because of his expertise at bringing out the best in people physically, mentally and spiritually, players in the NHL, NFL, CFL and MLB consider Scot a trusted friend and part of their inner circle. Someone they are extremely comfortable referring to their fellow players and associates.
Scot has also improved the performance USA and Canadian Track & Field athletes. Plus he’s worked with members of USA Bobsled & Skeleton teams and with athletes who from Division I sports programs.
You can contact Scot here. You can read what some of his clients have said about Scot here.