"You have to outwork the competition and know there’s always more to be done. Understand that when you get to the finish line, there’s always another finish line ahead"-Tim Singh Grover, Performance Coach To Champions
In the realm of sports and athletics, we always celebrate and recognize sportspersons and in many cases try to mimic their game strategies and personal routines. But we seldom acknowledge their trainers with the same fervor and often do not give them enough credit. Here’s where only a few names resonate with the same intensity as Tim Singh Grover.
His life story, beginning in England, in a Sikh household, to becoming a globally renowned fitness and mental trainer, is yet another testimony to the unabated enthusiasm of the colorful community we call our own. His dedication to pushing boundaries and doing everything with a difference is inspiring yet deeply reflective of the values and struggles of the South Asian immigrant group worldwide.
Early Life and Formative Years
Tim Singh Grover, born to Indian parents in Wolverhampton, England, moved to the US when he was 4. He is grateful his parents raised him with values that gave him an edge in life and shaped his destiny, “I wouldn’t be here, have the success I have, the life I live, if it wasn’t for my parents. Everything they taught me, the discipline they showed me, has been instrumental.” His upbringing was a blend of discipline, cultural heritage, and practical realities of immigrant life.
His father, Surjit Singh Grover, a former doctor, had to accept a job as a degreaser—dismantling cadavers--in the US, a role far different than what he was trained to do. His mother, Rattan Grover, a nurse practitioner at a major hospital, worked nights and made sure the kids were brought up in a humble, hard-working home setup. This laid the foundation for Tim Singh Grover’s future success, teaching him the value of perseverance and commitment.
Passion for Fitness
Tim Singh Grover was initially unsure of what he wanted to be but was always interested in sports, playing multiple games as a teenager. At the University of Illinois in Chicago, kinesiology grabbed his attention—the study of movement, exercise, and muscle function. This new major perfectly blended his love for sports and the science behind how the human body works, a path that would define his career.
Being Unconventional
As Tim Singh Grover completed his college degree, he decided he wanted to train professional athletes. But back in the 1980s the only athletes with personal coaches were Olympians or boxers. His parents were not entirely convinced,
“For my parents, success meant having a secure job with health benefits, a retirement plan, paid vacations and other perks. I asked them to believe in me, the same way they believed in themselves when they made the move from India to the US. I said, if it doesn’t work out, I’ll join medical school.”
His career choices were rather unconventional for his Indian immigrant parents, but they believed in him and his abilities. After graduating, he took up a job at a local health club, earning $3.37 an hour—a stint that gave him practical experience and knowledge that would help him immensely in the coming months.
Soon after, he saw an article in the newspaper talking about how Michael Jordan was exhausted by the physicality of the Detroit Pistons when they played each other, “I thought, okay, I’m going to write 14 letters, one to each member of the team and tell them what I’m capable of. I assumed Michael wouldn’t want to hire a newcomer, so I excluded him from the list.” But as fate would have it, a couple of weeks later, one of these letters reached the ‘Air,’ changing the course of Tim Singh Grover’s life and career.
A Different Approach to Training
Tim Singh Grover soon met Michael Jordan and explained his unconventional training philosophy to the NBA player. Jordan, intrigued by his proposal, gave him a 30-day trial period that eventually turned into a 15-year partnership. “That’s the thing with legends- they are the best, but they are always looking to get better. I paid attention to details that nobody else did, and that set me apart from the others. I would work out his toes, fingers, and ankles—areas that often get injured because of how he played,” Grover says, explaining his training philosophy, which is rooted in a deep understanding of biomechanics and a strong commitment to pushing the best athletes to their highest potential.
“I watched all his games in person and would also record them on my Betamax. Come home, rewatch it, and count every step of each leg, every jump, every movement. I was the original Fitbit of the 90s,” recalls Grover, from whom Jordan demanded total exclusivity while he actively played the sport.
Mental Toughness > Physical Fitness
For Tim Singh Grover and the athletes he trained, mental preparation and physical workouts went hand-in-hand. “For the greatest, in sports or business, mental preparation comes first, and physical training trails second. Physical training should challenge you mentally. For me, both components are extremely important and must be matched together,” he says.
He talks about mental dominance in his New York Times bestselling books ‘Relentless: From Good to Great to Unstoppable’ and ‘Winning: The Unforgiving Race to Greatness,’ “I was fortunate enough to spend time with some of the greatest athletes - over 15 years with Michael Jordan, over 13 years with Dwayne Wade and nine years with Kobe Bryant. I saw how they handled their victories, personal lives, and setbacks, which helped me understand what it takes to be a winner and develop these philosophies for my books. It’s all about mental toughness, understanding the purpose of a physical grind.” In the book ‘Winning,’ Michael Jordan says this about him: "Tim Grover was by my side for fifteen years, and knows more than anyone about building winners.”
Tim Singh Grover founded ATTACK Athletics in 1989 and now consults with businesses, entrepreneurs, leadership groups, elite athletes, and achievers in any area to be the best version of themselves. “I look at every individual, every businessperson as an athlete. Some may not physically endure what a professional athlete does, but mentally, it is all the same. You have to be ready for whatever is thrown at you. Understanding the Relentless mentality is about how individuals like Michael or Kobe handled adversity,” he says, proving that mental dominance is equally important.
Kobe Bryant, in an interview, once said, “Tim Grover is the master of mental toughness, discovering what you’re capable of achieving, getting results you never imagined, reaching the highest level of success—and then going even higher.”
Role of Cultural Background
Born and raised in an Indian home with parents in medicine, Tim Singh Grover very quickly learned to pay attention to the tiniest details, “They paid attention to details that nobody thought was important. Later in life, I could understand why they did that and incorporated it into my career, too. Everybody looked at the bigger muscles, but I paid attention to every movement, which set me apart from all the other trainers.”
Discrimination against turban-wearing Sikhs was rampant in the 1970s and 1980s. Tim Singh Grover not only witnessed first-hand the challenges and discrimination his parents faced but also their courage during those times. Their resilience and determination have always been the source of inspiration for him, shaping his perspective and work ethic.
Advice for Young South-Asian Athletes
Work on your fundamentals, not content for your social media handles, advises Tim Singh Grover. He says, “Everybody looks at a Stephen Curry or a Virat Kohli and talks about their crazy shot or the perfect wicket, but nobody sees the 4countless hours they put in behind closed doors, the fundamentals they continue to work on, to be the best.” With all the noise there is on social media, he advises young sports players to believe in themselves and listen to their conscience, “Don’t care about how many likes a certain video got you on Instagram, if it worked for your fundamentals, continue to work on it till you become the best. Don’t be inundated by everybody else’s opinions and thoughts, have the ability to listen to yourself and trust yourself.”
For Immigrant Parents
“As a parent, you should not be training your child unless you have actually played that sport at a higher level,” says Tim Singh Grover. It is important that parents exhibit the advice they give their children in their own lives. Parents can’t force their kids to work harder and give it their all, unless they themselves are not doing the same thing in life, at work and everything they do. “Kids don’t listen to what you say, but they are watching what you do always.” Parents should also make sure their kids play multiple sports; they can focus on one, but must be engaged in different games, “When a kid is seven or eight and are focusing on one sport, they are doing the same movement pattern over and over again. It is important for the body to move in different patterns so that they don’t injure themselves in the process.” Additionally, he urges parents to encourage and support children in sports they like and really want to participate in, rather than imposing their own dreams onto them.
Influence on the Coming Generations
Tim Singh Grover is somebody who does not believe in shortcuts, “It is easier to obtain information now than ever, but you still have to put in the work to obtain greatness.” He believes, in the process of working toward something, it is impossible to love everything you do but you have to create the end result that everybody applauds. He wants to leave behind a legacy that forces people to be their best self at all times, even if they feel bogged down by certain circumstances, “You are not going to win at everything. It took Michael seven years before his first championship, seven years between Kobe’s third and fourth championship. It takes time, but you have to remain focused because every action you take brings you closer or further away from your dream.”
Looking Ahead
Tim Singh Grover always gives his best at what he does – earlier it was physical training and now with corporate training. He makes sure to cater to specific audiences with what would help them to become better and mentally challenge himself to keep his presentations fresh and relevant. He is a self-starter who does not look outside for validation, “Everything is internal for me. I don’t look for motivation elsewhere. When I see my clients and business organizations, the impact I’ve had on them, it validates everything I’ve been doing.”
