Philosophy

You can get a schedule of workouts anywhere from anyone. Churning out workouts whether by hand or online, is not coaching. Coaching is developing a relationship with each athlete in order to understand his or her goals, aspirations, limitations, strengths, weaknesses, motivations, passions and fears. A good coach needs to know not only "how", but more importantly "why" the athlete is training.

Relationships

The most important piece of the coach-athlete relationship is not the coach, but the athlete. The coach's athletic accomplishments only serve as a demonstration of what works for him or her. The coach's athletic aspirations, style and physical and mental characteristics have no bearing on those of the athlete. What is important is the success of the athlete as measured by that athlete.

Coaching is equal parts science and art. Without a basis in science, a coaching program would be either aimless or simply what has worked for the coach in his or her own experience. On the other hand, coaching that mires in scientific postulates becomes myopic, inflexible, and, likely, not much fun. A coach needs to be able to balance the scientific principles of physiology, psychology, nutrition, biomechanics and physics with the fundamental variability of individual athletes, and put it together in a package that is enjoyable for the athlete.

The coach-athlete relationship must be personal and it must be interactive. Gone are the days of your high school gym teacher barking out orders with a whistle and bad polyester shorts. The athlete must provide feedback and intuition to the coach on the effectiveness of their training. At the same time, a coach must limit the number of athletes with whom he or she is working. If a coach has too many clients for personal interaction and understanding, then he or she is just writing workouts.

Heart Rate Training

Measuring heart during exercise is the single best determinant of the effectiveness of the that workout. If the intensity, as measured by heart rate, is appropriate then the probabilities are highest to achieve the desired training response.

Heart rate, however, is only a single indicator. Taken at face value, heart rate does not tell the whole story. In order to truly rate the effectiveness of a workout, heart rate must be measured in relation to output (speed, wattage, etc.) and perceived exertion. Your coach has the knowledge to help you understand the whole heart rate training picture and how you can use it to achieve your best results.

Periodization of Training

Beyond just working out, there are many factors that go into designing a training schedule. Different types of workouts train different energy systems and provide different benefits to help you achieve your goals. There is a time and a place to emphasize each of these elements based on the event(s) for which you are training as well as your fitness history. Your coach knows what buttons to push as what times to have you primed and ready to rock on the day of your event.

Efficiency and Technique

Most athletes look no farther than gains in fitness to achieve their performance goals. While gains in fitness will improve your performance incrementally, gains in efficiency and technique will provide large chunks of improvement. Workouts performed without understanding of efficiency are just that. Workouts. By focusing on technique and efficiency of movement, workouts become PRACTICES. Whether it is swimming, cycling, running or strength training, practice every workout. Your coach will show you the ways to improve your efficiency in each your sports so you can deliver maximum output for you level of fitness.

Strength Training

Strength training, whether in the traditional sense of lifting weights or through functional exercises involving core strength and balance, is essential to achieving fitness goals.

Whether your goal is to lose weight, look and feel better, race your first competition or take your racing to new levels, strength training with the proper technique, resistance and scheduling is vital. Your coach has the experience and understanding to prescribe strength training that is effective, time efficient and appropriate to your goals.

Love What You Do

Lastly, the athlete needs to enjoy being coached. Whether that athlete is a professional, a newbie, or a middle-of-the-packer, if he or she is not enjoying the process of improvement, then the improvement will not come. Love what you do. Do what you love.

If you are looking simply for a set of workouts to get from here to there, then your are not looking for a coach. There are lots of less expensive resources out there that do a great job of that. If, however, your are looking for a service that provides guidance, nurturing, an occasional kick in the pants, and understanding of how to get from where your are now to where you want to be, then you need a coach.

You have come to the right place. Contact your coach for an appointment.