Nate Shemtov’s career as a top strength and conditioning coach maybe started on the high school basketball team...as a bench warmer. He knew his talent on the court would never lead him to, say, a 10-part documentary series, but his love of the game was unmatched, so he became an MVP in the offseason. He was determined to find a way to shine, and made sure he was always the best at running stadiums, pushing hard on drills, lifting weights, and building endurance. Coaches noticed, and he earned a place on the team, if not a ton of playing time.
This persistence is a theme that’s carried him ever since, into the locker rooms and training facilities of some of the world's elite athletic organizations. Clearly we're psyched for him to lead the Myles community in some workouts!
The brief history below will help you get to know Nate, and hopefully fire you up for these workouts. Follow @mylesapparel on Instagram for reminders and to join in coming weekends!
Basketball ended, and Nate quickly fell out of elite shape, sparking an interest that would lead him to kinesiology in college. There, he learned about the physiology and biomechanics of the body and exercise. After graduation he had a chance encounter with Tim DiFrancesco, the head strength and conditioning coach for the Los Angeles Lakers. At the time Nate didn’t know this was a real job! One that exists! In that moment, he set a goal to be working at this level with the world's best athletes.
“Here’s a guy training Kobe Bryant, one of my heroes, and it put it into perspective what was possible for me,” Nate said. “So I just set the goal, worked backward to figure out how to get there, and just went as hard as I could at it.”
After college, an internship in Israel linked him up with the Maccabi Athletics soccer and basketball squads, and the Israel (American) Football League. His hard work earned him more and more responsibility along the way—another key theme in his journey.
After Israel, he was at UCLA turning his focus more from therapy to training. He learned first-hand the latest strength and conditioning techniques for a wide range of sports, from Olympic track and field, to soccer, football, volleyball, and basketball.
He landed a spot at Jay Glazer’s Unbreakable Performance, a noted gym for the best MMA fighters, and a few New Orleans Saints and St. Louis Rams too.
Along the way he met the legendary Joe Abunassar of IMPACT Basketball. If you’re an NBA nerd like Nate (and us), you know Joe is one of the most effective and respected trainers in the League. This was like an aspiring musician meeting a great producer, the type who helps make the artists famous while flying under the radar.
Starting as a volunteer, Nate worked his way into full time gig, then key contributor, training tons of NBA players, the Indonesian National Basketball Team, and collegiate stars in preparation for the NBA combine. He was Joe’s right hand man when it came to strength and conditioning.
Nate joined the Indiana Pacers Strength and Conditioning Staff for the 2018-2019 season. From benchwarmer to NBA in only a few seasons.
“Walking out onto the floor of my first game at the Fieldhouse, I was trying to keep it together, trying not to smile too much like a little kid. But dang, what a journey.”
Tons more stories where these came from. Pregame warmups with Tyreke Evans, how a great NBA organization operates as a top to bottom team, getting Sabonis ready to be a bruiser down low, tips on diet, and more. Make sure you're following @mylesapparel on Instagram and tune in!
