Reasons for changing coaches

[Bigken1985]

1 hour ago, HarryB said:

 

Probably doesn't have a stylist either....

Is that not a requirement for powerlifters these days

[HarryB]

7 hours ago, Bigken1985 said:

Is that not a requirement for powerlifters these days

 

Seems to be lol there's still the odd caveman here and there but for the most part the power lifting scene like all weight training scenes is a bunch of self taking mofos who don't lift too much. 

[Skeletor]

1 hour ago, HarryB said:

 

Seems to be lol there's still the odd caveman here and there but for the most part the power lifting scene like all weight training scenes is a bunch of self taking mofos who don't lift too much. 

 

Guilty. 

[Englishman88]

On 06/04/2016 at 11:18 PM, HarryB said:

Thought it might be interesting to see what motivates people to change coaches.. even if they are having success with the one they currently work with. 

 

I find that a lot of people will change to affiliate themselves with someone who has a higher profile #internetwhore more than anything else. 

 

I understand jumping ship if you're not getting the results you want or feeling like you've achieved as much as you can achieve with one coach. Even changing just for the sake of learning more makes sense. 

 

Anyway have been wondering about this lately. Would be interesting to hear from a coaches perspective how they felt about clients jumping ship :) 

 

Not intentionally posting this in relation to Maccaz but it did raise the question again for me so thought I'd see if anyone had any input. 

As a coach/personal trainer I don't mind my clients leaving to seek out another coach as everyone is entitled to leave. However, if I'm doing my job right as a coach then my client shouldn't feel like they have to leave. People expect coaches to not need any help themselves and granted I know how my body works better than any coach I have, but there are still methods out there for tweaking in the final stages (sodium loading etc) that I may have to get a coach for a few weeks to guide me through. 

I think a lot of coaches forget that a client isn't meant to be a permanent income, you're supposed to educate your client so they have the ability to do it on their own. 

[HarryB]

2 hours ago, Englishman88 said:

As a coach/personal trainer I don't mind my clients leaving to seek out another coach as everyone is entitled to leave. However, if I'm doing my job right as a coach then my client shouldn't feel like they have to leave. People expect coaches to not need any help themselves and granted I know how my body works better than any coach I have, but there are still methods out there for tweaking in the final stages (sodium loading etc) that I may have to get a coach for a few weeks to guide me through. 

I think a lot of coaches forget that a client isn't meant to be a permanent income, you're supposed to educate your client so they have the ability to do it on their own. 

 

I agree with that last aspect whole heartedly, a coach should educate. For powerlfiting often it's different as elites in every sport have coaches. Bodybuilding too now much more so than ever before, definitely more than in the 80s and 90s. 

 

As for someone giving advice on tweaks etc that's very true. Then you apply what they tell you, work out how it works and you can use it when prepping your own. Or... just tell people you get coached by and they'll go to your coach and have little faith in the 2nd 3rd or 4th hand information you're selling them. 

 

For me I don't do much pt and only coach sparodically. I never care if someone moves on because as you say I want them to be able to learn and I'm not invested in them personally. However I did reference the idea that often people will change coaches when they are already having success. I understand that as perhaps them thinking they might do even better working with someone else and why wouldn't they try. It's just interesting to me that people are fickle in that way. 

[Englishman88]

3 hours ago, HarryB said:

 

I agree with that last aspect whole heartedly, a coach should educate. For powerlfiting often it's different as elites in every sport have coaches. Bodybuilding too now much more so than ever before, definitely more than in the 80s and 90s. 

 

As for someone giving advice on tweaks etc that's very true. Then you apply what they tell you, work out how it works and you can use it when prepping your own. Or... just tell people you get coached by and they'll go to your coach and have little faith in the 2nd 3rd or 4th hand information you're selling them. 

 

For me I don't do much pt and only coach sparodically. I never care if someone moves on because as you say I want them to be able to learn and I'm not invested in them personally. However I did reference the idea that often people will change coaches when they are already having success. I understand that as perhaps them thinking they might do even better working with someone else and why wouldn't they try. It's just interesting to me that people are fickle in that way. 

 

True yeah people do go when they are already having success I guess it can come down to greed, naivety or curiosity? It's not always easy to get results from a client straight away which if that's the case I guess you should step down as their coach, but if you're getting them the results they want and they still jump ship...to me that's just rude. 

[Old Bull]

Great thread

 

There is a lot more to coaching than grabbing a cookie cutter programme from the net, re inventing it for their own self gratification and page likes.  One of our lifters told me last night, that good coaches seek out athletes to work with, where great coaches the athletes seek them out.  Programming is just one of the cogs in coaching, in powerlifting the the programme gives the results, what happens on the platform good or bad, is not the fault of the programme.  It is the athlete and the outside influences that affect his/her performance leading up to and on the day.  Athletes these days are looking for the magical programme/coach/guru who will transform them over night, and agree with what they are thinking or want to do.  Strength is not achieved on hire purchase, it has to be earned.  To be a top PL is a 10 year process to be at your peak  physically, first rule in The House is 18 months training to train, 18 months training to compete and 18 months training to win.   

If a coach is not adaptable to new ideas, does not understand his clients weaknesses, his strengths, mental, physical or psychological, then there is a good chance that at some stage the athlete will move on.

It is a two way information highway if the athlete is not providing the right information then the coach has a difficult job in preparing that athlete for what ever sport they are in.  

 

don't get to write much so hope it makes sense lol

[Pseudonym]

I'm a big believer in the coach teaching the client. After all, isn't that the definition of "coaching"? Maybe I'm playing with semantics here, but it seems to me like there's a difference between "coaching" and "training". Coaching implies a level of personalisation to the client that I think training doesn't have.

 

 

On 27/04/2016 at 9:13 PM, Englishman88 said:

if I'm doing my job right as a coach then my client shouldn't feel like they have to leave.

...

you're supposed to educate your client so they have the ability to do it on their own. 

 

I think both those two statements are excellent, but how do you reconcile them in practise? What happens once your client has learned everything? I guess in a perfect world you as a coach will keep searching and learning new things to pass on to your client, but is that sustainable?

[Englishman88]

1 hour ago, Pseudonym said:

I'm a big believer in the coach teaching the client. After all, isn't that the definition of "coaching"? Maybe I'm playing with semantics here, but it seems to me like there's a difference between "coaching" and "training". Coaching implies a level of personalisation to the client that I think training doesn't have.

 

 

 

I think both those two statements are excellent, but how do you reconcile them in practise? What happens once your client has learned everything? I guess in a perfect world you as a coach will keep searching and learning new things to pass on to your client, but is that sustainable?

 

Thanks! Well the way I see it is I will educate my client enough to reach their goals and the basics on training/nutrition. I would never be able to teach a client everything I know because we are always learning as individuals. Once my client has reached their goal, a lot of the time they will strive to achieve more and so will 9 times out of 10 come back to me to help them on the next level of their journey.

In terms of sustainability, not every person will want the same and even if they do there are that many variables that as a coach we have to manipulate training, nutrition etc to suit their lifestyles and how their body may react.

I guess eventually if you stay in the same circle you will 'run out' of clients but surely this is where we seek out our next challenge such as higher level athletes where getting results are a lot tougher? As a coach we are here to help clients progress, but if we aren't striving to progress ourselves then what are we here for?

[trainlikeafreak]

I've only ever lost 1 competitive client to another trainer/nutritionist. However I didn't really lose her I more so let her go because she wasn't following her diet at all - she went to another trainer and hasn't competed since. 

 

The he only reasons I can think of for a client using someone else is 1) someone offers to "sponsor" them or do it for free. 2) they believe someone else can do a better job or 3) for politics.

 

to be honest a person whom is constantly changing coaches is usually a reflection of themselves and their inability to follow instructions rather than the coach.

[HarryB]

Just now, trainlikeafreak said:

I've only ever lost 1 competitive client to another trainer/nutritionist. However I didn't really lose her I more so let her go because she wasn't following her diet at all - she went to another trainer and hasn't competed since. 

 

The he only reasons I can think of for a client using someone else is 1) someone offers to "sponsor" them or do it for free. 2) they believe someone else can do a better job or 3) for politics.

 

to be honest a person whom is constantly changing coaches is usually a reflection of themselves and their inability to follow instructions rather than the coach.

 

Sometimes people want to eat more or do less work or whatever so they choose someone who tells them what they want to hear. Maybe they think that person has more drug or supplement contacts and/or applicable info. But yeah essentially if you've had a million coaches and zero success with them it's not because they didn't tell you the secret :) 

[PETN]

What do you think the most common reason is for someone to not have had a coach or have any interest in one?

 

A person who refuses to listen to others lol?

[HarryB]

4 minutes ago, PETN said:

What do you think the most common reason is for someone to not have had a coach or have any interest in one?

 

A person who refuses to listen to others lol?

 

The most common reason I'd say is certain personality types wonder why they should pay for something they can work out themselves. As a young guy I'd sometimes ask questions but before I did I'd make sure I couldn't find the information I wanted somewhere else. I was coached on my first bodybuilding comp because whilst I had an understanding of the process I didn't have the confidence to apply what I knew.

 

So I'd say it's a bit of stubbornness and a lot of need to be self sufficient, probably a touch of arrogance there too. 

[Englishman88]

6 hours ago, PETN said:

What do you think the most common reason is for someone to not have had a coach or have any interest in one?

 

A person who refuses to listen to others lol?

 

I think these days it's because there are that many so called coaches it's hard to know who to trust and people can't be arsed doing a background check into a potential coach.

[rede frisby]

Personal development.

You can only learn so much from (and teach so much to)  one person IMO.

Provided you continue to choose the right people to help coach you and its a logical progression / step up in your development each time you elect to move on, then I think it makes good sense and I have done so myself frequently.

Much in the same way and using another example...would only ever having one 'drum' tutor...likely make you the most well rounded 'drummer' you could possibly be longer term?!  :)