M&F: What’s your philosophy behind training a basketball player?
SH: Generally, I have a tendency to take each athlete and look at him as different from anyone else and anything else. So what I’ll try to do is create a resistance profile determined by his strength profile. Then my primary philosophy is that the foundation of everything is strength. So I want to create the strongest, most stable unit I can.
What is your role in the Nuggets’ success?
They are some of the best athletes on the planet. We are just trying to take the machine to the next level. I’m staying within the realm of what they can do, but let’s push it to as far as they can go—so they can go faster and get stronger than they ever imagined. I feel it’s my job to motivate them to take it to that next level.
How do you find trainers to work for you?
The first question you ask anyone who’s going to work with you as a trainer is, “How do you feel?” And if they then list the 47 ailments they have and all their issues, don’t train with them.
How do you feel?
Dude, listen, I feel unbelievable all the time. I eat seven to eight balanced meals a day. I wake up at 4:30 in the morning, and I get my lifting on. I give myself enough time to recover. I do my cardio. I hang out with my kids. I love my job. Like, if I were to have my dream life, it’s this. I mean it.
