Cody Low: Taking a Cerebral Approach to Strength & Conditioning

As the expression goes: “Those who can, do; those who can’t, teach.” It’s an utter falsehood, of course – one look at the athletic accomplishments of UBC Track & Field’s coaches is proof enough of that – but Thunderbird alumnus Cody Low seems eager to apply the sentiment to himself.

“I wasn’t a very good sprinter,” he explains. “I was good at training, but pretty poor at competing.”

Clearly modest, Low’s disparaging self-assessment of his athletic abilities should be taken with a grain of salt. When speaking of his drive to learn more about training, though, Low is more easily believed:

“I was always motivated to find ways to train better, so I did lots of research. I would read three to four books on training every month. I still do, actually.” Low pauses to reflect. “I guess I’m someone who likes to learn.”

With such a curiosity for athletic performance, it’s no wonder that Low went into coaching. After graduating from UBC with a degree in Human Kinetics, Low became Assistant Coach for UBC Track & Field in 2009. It was as a professional Strength and Conditioning Coach, though, where he truly found his calling. Ever the student, Low proved adaptable enough to take on coaching duties for athletes from high school right up to the national team level, in sports ranging from skeleton to goalball to soccer.

“It’s about the athlete, not the workout,” Low says. “Every athlete is an individual, and will respond best to different training.”

While his methods were clearly working, Low found that his cerebral approach wasn’t a good fit for where he was employed at the time. In order to have full freedom to pursue his own coaching philosophies, Low left to start his own Strength and Conditioning company – Finish Line Fitness. In the five years since, Finish Line Fitness has grown to a weekly clientele of nearly 300 athletes.

Asked to explain what makes him different as a coach, Low takes time to consider before responding:

“There are coaches with better programs, but I try to prioritize personality. It’s not just about the body; it’s about the mind as well. My focus is always on the athlete’s wellbeing.”

This way of thinking carries right into his plans for Finish Line Fitness. Asked about his future ambitions, Low says: “I have what you might call realistic goals and ambiguous goals.”

You might be wondering: what does that mean? Well, for the realistic goals, Low wants to have his athletes go on to win Olympic medals, and he wants Finish Line Fitness to have its own facility within five years. As Low elucidates, the ambiguous goals aren’t quite so concrete:

“To me, a legacy is about who you help develop. That’s hard to measure. For some, it’s a matter of Olympic medals. For a lot of the high school athletes I work with, it’s about building self-esteem and a healthy body image. How many athletes I can help achieve that success in their own way is how I define my legacy.”

Cody Low might think little of his time as an athlete – but, as a coach, even he can’t deny the impact he continues to make.