This website is all about physique, fitness and strength coaching. So what does that mean? What does a coach do? Why get a coach in the first place? Let's break it down.
The main role of a coach is to get their client to a realistic health, fitness, physique, or strength goal. That is the most succinct version that it all boils down to. There are many aspects to how this happens though. A key component is the client having someone they're accountable to. The coach is also someone who can help buoy the athlete up at the end of a fat loss phase where calories and energy are low or who can prevent them from pushing beyond their physical limits and hurting themselves when they're trying to work towards a PR in the gym. Then there is the unfortunate reality that life circumstances can change and the client doesn't know how to reach their goals with this development so a coach's assistance becomes necessary. This brings the tally of the 5 components of a successful coach to -
Accountability
Encouragement
Safety
Adaptability
Results
A common reason for a diet to fail is not having somebody either overseeing it, doing it with someone else, or having somebody aware of failures or successes. The unifying factor of these is that there may have to be someone to hold the dieter accountable for their actions and choices. A coach is in a prime position for this as right off the bat the client is making a promise and (quite literally) signing a contract with the intent of reaching a goal. An athlete may find themselves saying no to an off plan meal simply because they don't want to have to tell their coach that they had an unexpected extra 800 calories. The athlete may have a propensity to go out on weekends thus derailing the whole plan but with a coach in the picture it adds commitment to the goal that may allow them to focus more on sleep and stay in when it's necessary. Weekly check-ins keep this accountability fresh and constantly updating as the plan progresses leading to greater chances of success.
A component of accountability is also honesty. Every competitor is their own worst critic. Bodybuilders have an especially difficult time with this. It's very difficult to honestly assess one's own physique changes. It is especially prevalent if the goal is fat loss. There is always that voice going "not lean enough. Not lean enough. No progress is happening. Not lean enough." It is a coach's job to assess the physique impartially and tell the athlete to not add the extra cardio or take out some carbs on these days when progress is happening as it should. It's very difficult to take it slow when the goal is to get as lean as possible. A balance needs to be struck between fat loss and muscle retention and that line is not always clearly seen when someone is looking at themselves. It can be very stress relieving to take a step back from the pressure because there is confidence that the coach is handling all of the numbers for the athlete.
It's difficult to have extreme goals requiring sacrifices that have a legitimate impact on an athlete's life. If the athlete has the goal of a powerlifting meet or a bodybuilding show the preceding 8-16 weeks have a need for pretty strong adherence. The athlete is going to need to sleep as well as possible, eat 4-6 meals a day, limit/eliminate alcohol and say no to social events or leave them early because they don't fit into the plan. Of course there is some wiggle room based on the goal. Slimming down for a wedding in 3 months is very different from planning to step onto a bodybuilding stage with barely anything on. No matter what though the closer to the goal the harder it can be to keep focus and a coach can encourage, reassure and be a resource for strategies to push through the hard spots.
There are risks for everything and reaching into the extremes of what's physically possible is no different. Each athlete must assess what their risk profile is for what they want. For strength and athletic goals the easiest risk to examine is that of injury. A coach may find a major role when working for a strength athlete to be injury prevention along with getting the highest total possible in a meet.
When reaching for extremely low body fat levels there are going to be unpleasant side effects. Sleep becomes more difficult, hunger is a constant companion, women reach states of amenorrhea, and fatigue skyrockets to name a few. The body is not meant to stay at those levels for long and the bounce back to a healthy body fat level is key after a diet that went to that point ends. A coach is a great outside resource when someone is just very run down as the athlete doesn't need to stress about how best to alter a plan to keep them functioning as healthily as possible.
Life can throw in changes that disrupt what the norm of someone's life was. A job switch, schedule change, having children, or an injury are all aspects that alter your requirements of what needs to be done to succeed. Going from a normal Monday through Friday workday to having to do overnight shifts is a huge change. I'm looking at you first responders, military and medical personnel. The body changes a lot, altering hunger signals, wakefulness, and dampening the desire to do anything optional to say a few. I have had to deal with that for a few years and the adjustment never seemed to truly take place. A coach can help with that and provide guidance on how to adjust to these new needs.
Another unfortunate reality for an athlete is that injuries happen. Past surgeries, muscle tears and broken bones are events that can lead to lasting mobility and force production changes. Assuming there is medical clearance to exercise a coach can help work around or strengthen what needs to be strengthened in order to reach goals that may not have been thought possible when the injuries happened. On a personal note this has been a big part of my own life where I have struggled to feel confident lifting overhead due to shoulder surgeries, walking due to issues with my feet, and lifting heavy axial loads with a herniated disc. None of these have to be career enders though. With responsible guidance and playing the long game surpassing what was thought possible can be done.
A good portion of coaches can deliver on the promised results but an unfortunate amount do so with sub par and sometimes dangerous methods. A key aspect for any program is the need to scale things up over time as the body adapts to what has been happening. This means there needs to be space to make changes over time without running an athlete down to the point they can't execute the plan anymore or their body just stalls out. Fat loss is the easiest example of this. If an athlete comes to a coach with a goal to lose 20 pounds in 16 weeks to reach a new body fat low that is very doable. However, if the coach starts the athlete with 15,000 steps per day, 45 minute cardio sessions 5 times a week, and a 1000 calorie per day deficit at the start then how is that going to be ramped up? Within 3 weeks the athlete is going to be so overworked there is no chance of that goal being reached in a healthy way since it never started out in a healthy way.
The athlete needs to be put into the best position possible to reach their goals in as healthy a manner possible. For some this may mean delaying a fat loss phase to ensure that eating habits are in a good spot. The worst outcome from a food standpoint is that the athlete ends the diet and then exhibits disordered eating immediately after because they forced themselves to only eat "clean" foods for the last 12-20 weeks. The ways that healthy eating can be encouraged are plentiful but what works for the person is very individual so a coach must assess the athlete to find out the best way to keep them as healthy as possible. The reality may be that in order to reach an extreme goal that extreme measures must be taken. If a client wants to do a bodybuilding show in 5 weeks but has 12 pounds that need to be lost a discussion should be taking place about whether or not it's a good idea to do the show or reassess the risk profile if the athlete insists on doing the show. Again, it is very individual.
Examine what you want and need. If you're a person who has had diets succeed at first to just gain the weight back after or abandon it in the middle then a coach may be a fix for that. They may be needed to keep the goal in mind, provide accountability and/or the tools to keep the weight lost from rebounding back. If you're a person who pushes themselves too hard or tries to do too much at once a coach may be the way to focus on one goal and achieve it in a healthy, sustainable way. Perhaps you just want someone else invested in your success. Someone who will share your wins, losses and be there to cheer you on when it gets hard. Maybe you want to compete at a high level and you want a coach to give you the best chance possible. The reasons to get a coach are plentiful so just be sure to talk to prospective coaches and see if you think they may work well with you.
The services here at Adaptable Physique and Strength Coaching are just one option. If you feel that you may be interested in coaching with us feel free to contact us directly here. We can also discuss custom training or nutrition plans here. Pre designed training programs are available here as well.