This guy looks like he has a coach. Just look how jacked he is!
TLDR; A coach, whether it be online or in person can accelerate your growth almost as much as taking steroids. A good one will help you save A LOT of time versus doing the whole trial and error method. If I were to do it all over again, I would have hired one much earlier in my lifting career. Finally, I am in no way trying to influence you to pick me. I just want to give sound advice when choosing one.
I used to be an arrogant, know-it-all prick at my local 24 hour fitness. Like a big fish in a small pond type of complex. I thought I knew it all the minute I had abs and could replicate it via decent dieting. It wasn't until I saw one of my buddies whom we both share our love for fitness look SUPER JACKED and more diced than ever did I inquire. Of course the default question asked was, "WhAt StAcKs ArE YoU TaKiNg BrO?" He vehemently denied being on any PEDs which I believe him. No he didn't have the bulging 3D delts, huge traps, red flush on his chest and intense Backne the typical user has. He sold me on the idea of hiring an online coach because they helped him for the following reasons:
It's nice to have someone tailor your fitness goals and diet for you. All you have to do is follow it and collect gains.
That person becomes a source of knowledge you now have access to. They'll know quite a bit more than you currently do.
My buddy struggles with accountability. Having a coach helps him with this.
The conversation where the nail hit the coffin went something like this:
"Perro lyk y tho. What can someone else teach me things I already know how to do?"
"Because I really feel like I've skipped a few years of trial and error while being coached with him."
I value my time. It's something I've developed over the years while reading personal development as well. When he said he saved a lot of time, I was immediately intrigued.
Sure I have pretty decent abs BUT LOOK HOW FLAT THE REST OF MY BODY IS.
For those of you curious about what an online fitness coach could do for you or are interested in hiring one, please keep on reading! I'm going to answer all your questions to the best of my abilities.
How do I know I'm ready for a coach?
Typically when you feel like you've plateaued on your progress for a while, it's about time. For things like powerlifting, olympic weightlifting etc, I would HIGHLY recommend getting one or work out with someone who knows what they're doing. Generally the people who look for coaches have had a few years of training consistently under their belt. Although I'm sure there are coaches out there (including me) who are open and willing to train true beginners.
What are the pros/cons of an online coach?
Pros:
Your training and diet is already figured out. All you have to do is follow it for a few months/years.
Accountability
A second eye to help you with your form if you're powerlifting/oly/cross fit or if you're bodybuilding that second opinion can help figure out which body part(s) are lagging.
Being with a like minded individual. The friendship and camaraderie is great.
Cons:
Could be a bit pricey for some people. Depending on what you hire them for, it could range from $50 - $500/month.
It's honestly a wild card I hate to break it for you guys. You could have a great coach with a decent total but no actual credentials OR you could have a shitty coach with a huge total and/or have their Master's, PhD, or undergrad in it. I'll explain what I believe separates a good coach vs bad one below.
There are many "coaches" out there who do cookie cutter programs, ask you for money each month so you can get another copy/paste program their other 100 "clients" are getting.
Signs of a good/bad online coach
Bad:
You don't vibe well with them. To be honest this is subjective to each person right? You'd want to hire someone you feel comfortable with. Let's say they actually a good coach but you guys just don't mesh well. I really believe if that's the case then to consider getting another one, even if you are making great progress
They're unprofessional. My last coach was very personable and all but man I had to chase him down to get a Skype call with him. There were times where we wouldn't even have weekly meetings because he wasn't responsive. The halo-effect took over my better judgement and I excused his behavior until finally he just suddenly ghosted me. It really bummed me out because I really thought he was really good too.
They suck at communication/aren't responsive. I think one of the biggest communication tactics you say to your coach is, "when is a good time to meet next week?" at the end of your call or to schedule it right in the beginning. I learned the hard way of not doing this with my old coach, hence chasing him down for a Skype meeting.
Your program doesn't make sense/you don't understand why you're being programmed this way. It should be common sense that your coach should know why they gave you the reps/sets/exercise selections.
They can't explain shit. You end up getting some half-ass answers that probably sounds like they heard it on Reddit or 4Chan.
Good:
You genuinely like them as a person and believe they can help you reach your goals. The whole self-fulfilling prophecy is a real phenomenon.
They're on time and communicate well. Professionalism at its core.
You could see them as your mentor of sorts.
It seems like they really care about you and are willing to work with you. This includes listening well and being empathetic.
They fully customize training to fit your needs and lifestyle. If someone tells you that you must/should/have to eat this way or train this way at certain times in the day, carbs are bad, fat makes you fat, drink this detox tea, use 'natural' testosterone pills, or spend stupid amounts of money on useless supplements run away. Run away really fast.
You can tell they're trying to better their craft. The fitness industry is ever changing. You never know when the next snake oil supplement drops.
They know what they're talking about. I have my RN license and my BSN. I took anatomy 9 years ago. I don't have my NASM, CPT, CSCS(though I MIGHT get this in the future) or even a DPT. Just because I didn't have the schooling doesn't mean I couldn't learn with all the resources out there. Knowing that I'm competing with other coaches with awesome letters next to their name, I had to really focus and understand what all the jargon meant. Not only that, I needed to be able to connect the dots as in, "why does this information matter and how will it benefit both my clients and I?" Just like what I've learned in nursing(ahem, nurses with all their board certifications but can't start an IV) and in the fitness industry that your credentials don't mean shit. One of my buddies's girlfriend was being coached under someone with their undergrad in Nutrition AND Master's in Exercise Science. You would think that person's competency would be over 9000? Wrong. That coach thought it would be a smart idea to actually allow a relative beginner who hasn't been lifting consistently for more than a year to get stage lean. Why is this a problem you ask? It's like expecting telling your boy who just got started into lifting to start deadlifting 3 sets of 15 at 315. After snorting some C4 and drinking 2 scoops of pre-workout on rest days, your boy probably thought he was ready. Well, unsurprisingly your boy herniated his disc and the weight didn't budge. You then take him the ER where you both meet me and tell me about the incident. I look at both of you idiots and face palm as much as I share compassion. Now he can't lift for a couple of months and eventually gives up the idea of realizing his potential. This is eerily similar to my buddy's girlfriend becoming jaded and hating the idea of lifting weights. What a sad way to go down.
Should I just get coached by the person with a huge total and/or awesome physique?
The short answer: Refer back to "Signs of a good/bad online coach" list.
Just because someone has a bigger total and a 12 pack doesn't necessarily mean they will be a good coach. Coaching itself is an art and skill which needs to be developed over time. I don't believe a person's coaching ability is correlated with how much they lift or how good they look. It just means they'll be able to empathize with you much better and have done time in the trenches. Don't get me wrong that is very important as well but coaching is multi-faceted.
Final Question: Should I give starting coaches a chance?
We all had to start somewhere. If they are your friends, at least let them use you as practice. Chances are you'll be making more gains with them than if you weren't. Besides, since you know them personally, they'll most likely take extra care of you. Give them the feedback they desire. Help them help you. So long as they're trying to improve their craft, I strongly suggest checking them out! If that new coach is a total stranger to you, I'd look at their social media(s) and try to formulate how they might be as a person. Again, refer to the good vs bad coach list and see if they appear to have more good than bad qualities. Who knows, you could be that one person who sees their vision, asks to be their client and make them the happiest person alive because you believe in their dreams. Thank you Saad.
With that said, thank you all for reading and until next time, I'll see you guys!
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