Getting my foot in the door with coaching experience?

[Polishdude20]

I've just started my SS journey a few months ago and I know I have a long way to go before I can consider even taking the SSC test at a seminar. I know that the first thing I need to do is to get through my own novice progression and spend a good amount of time in my intermediate progression. I can do that with time, training, food and sleep. The next thing I'd need is coaching experience. You guys recommend to have at least a thousand hours coaching regular people through their own novice progressions.

This is where I'm a bit unsure how to proceed. How can I start to coach people if I don't have the experience? It's been recommended to me to coach friends and family but it's very difficult to get people interested in strength training who aren't already interested. You can lead a horse to water.. I'd be willing to train people for free if it helped me get experience.

Do you guys have any advice on how I'd be able to get my first "clients"? Is it just a matter of letting my results speak for themselves?
I'm just an ordinary engineer full time and I don't have any exercise degrees or anything close to a physiological background.
How did you guys start getting your first clients?

[Steve Hill]

The general progression is for you to have some moderate amount of success yourself, then leverage that trust that that builds into coaching others. But the "how to become an SSC" thread(s) on this site have a lot of other suggestions beyond this on how to build relatable experience. But by hook or by crook, you have to figure out a way to start coaching people. Theres not magic formula, and I'm pretty confident that no two SSCs got there the same way. If it's important to you, you're passionate about it, and you're willing to work at it for YEARS, you'll figure it out.

[ChrisRozon]

Where do you live? I'd bet a lot of novices would be grateful to pay for some unofficial coaching in a lot of cities that don't have established coaches.

[Leah Lutz]

It sounds like you're pretty new to this, and it's fantastic that you're excited and eager to coach others. I think it's important to keep in mind that even if you don't have experience coaching others, people want to see that you have experience. So as Steve says, this takes time and effort on your part. Be very committed to your own training and progress, read the SS articles, watch the videos, engage in conversations about your training and why you are doing this when people want to know, and just be reasonably interactive with people.

Keep in mind that a lot of people see others doing new things, starting a new training program and such. What really makes a difference for others is when they see someone stick with and change (get stronger). If you do that and are a nice person, people will be interested in what you are doing, no exercise degree needed.

[Polishdude20]

Where do you live? I'd bet a lot of novices would be grateful to pay for some unofficial coaching in a lot of cities that don't have established coaches.

Vancouver, BC. We've already got a great coach here, Craig Bearss! Only SSC coach here in BC.

[Polishdude20]

It sounds like you're pretty new to this, and it's fantastic that you're excited and eager to coach others. I think it's important to keep in mind that even if you don't have experience coaching others, people want to see that you have experience. So as Steve says, this takes time and effort on your part. Be very committed to your own training and progress, read the SS articles, watch the videos, engage in conversations about your training and why you are doing this when people want to know, and just be reasonably interactive with people.

Keep in mind that a lot of people see others doing new things, starting a new training program and such. What really makes a difference for others is when they see someone stick with and change (get stronger). If you do that and are a nice person, people will be interested in what you are doing, no exercise degree needed.

Yup that's my goal! I need to work on myself and show rather than tell. I think Jordan Feigenbaum or Austin Baraki were saying in one of their podcasts that they worked on getting themselves stronger and after a while, people started to notice they were squatting four plates. That's when people started asking for advice. Thanks for the advice Leah!

PS: Did I see you in the Alan Thrall videos where Jordan and Austin came to teach? How was that experience? It seems like Alan has fully embraced the SS method after that camp!

[ChrisRozon]

Vancouver, BC. We've already got a great coach here, Craig Bearss! Only SSC coach here in BC.

Maybe talk to him about an apprenticeship? Take some overflow work off his plate, you help the clients, he helps you, win win?

[Kakarot]

Yup that's my goal! I need to work on myself and show rather than tell. I think Jordan Feigenbaum or Austin Baraki were saying in one of their podcasts that they worked on getting themselves stronger and after a while, people started to notice they were squatting four plates. That's when people started asking for advice. Thanks for the advice Leah!

PS: Did I see you in the Alan Thrall videos where Jordan and Austin came to teach? How was that experience? It seems like Alan has fully embraced the SS method after that camp!

Alan didn't embrace, according to the comments he was indoctrinated into this cult! Beware of these unique creatures known as SSC's, with their shrill voices and confidence of what they teach!

They have this strange ability to educate people and make them stronger, and happier I've found.. very suspicious methods and behaviour indeed. Oh crap, I've said too much.. it's like when you leak Hilary's secret emails, people tend to commit "seppuku!". Goodbye I guess.. )':

[SSZach]

I would consider contacting a local high school football/hockey program with a solid reputation and volunteer to coach. You can log a lot of hours in the weight room as a high school coach. They most likely will not advocate a SS program but you should get experience helping students learn most or all of the lifts.

[Steve Hill]

I would consider contacting a local high school football/hockey program with a solid reputation and volunteer to coach. You can log a lot of hours in the weight room as a high school coach. They most likely will not advocate a SS program but you should get experience helping students learn most or all of the lifts.

"Hi, I know I have no certifications (which school programs REALLY value) whatsoever, and no real experience, but I'd like to come into your gym and create a giant liability issue by teaching your kids (who you aren't teaching correctly despite all yout teachy degrees) to lift."

Let us know how that works. At the very least, it will make an entertaining article.