Online Coaching

[manveer]

I'm curious about people's experiences with online coaching. There is an obvious benefit to in-person coaching since you get realtime feedback, but at what point (or for what population) is online coaching beneficial?

• What kind of guidance did you receive (programming, nutrition, form checks, kicks in the ass)?
• What were your specific goals?
• What were the benefits?
• Any downsides, besides the cost?

[Nick Klemetson]

Manveer,

Depends on what you mean by "coaching." If you're talking about programming and nutrition, that's one thing. If you're looking primarily for form help, that's another.

I wouldn't recommend paying an online coach primarily for help with form.

But if we're talking about online programming and nutrition consultation, the benefits for me have been...

1. Accountability. I'm paying for it, so I better follow it to the letter to get my money's worth.
2. Simplicity. It's much easier to do what I'm told than to try and figure it out myself and second guess my own decisions.
3. Reliability. This depends on the coach, but everyone I've worked with (especially Jordan and Andy) have been very responsive and attentive via e-mail. Any time I have a question, I shoot off an e-mail and it's answered within a day.

So for me, there are no downsides, as long as you use someone who can meet your needs. It's been more than worth the money for me.

[I_iz_a_fatass]

I've been working with a Norwegian lifter on fixing my deadlifts.

What kind of guidance did you receive (programming, nutrition, form checks, kicks in the ass)?

He managed to explain how I was setting up, why it was wrong, and very detailed instruction over a few weeks to pull them into line.

What were your specific goals?

Unfuck my deads and get my squats more consistent.

What were the benefits?

He knows his shit.

Any downsides, besides the cost?

Mostly the lag between performing the lifts and the feedback; real-time would have been a hell of a lot faster. He's very much against supplementation of any kind and insisted I stop creatine, which I think has been a detriment to pushing performance.

[manveer]

Thanks, Nick. I'm primarily talking about programming and nutrition. As far as form, I was thinking more along the lines of subtle changes that only someone familiar with your training might notice or be able to offer advice on. Maybe it's not really feasible to get that feedback online.

[hector_garza]

Thanks, Nick. I'm primarily talking about programming and nutrition. As far as form, I was thinking more along the lines of subtle changes that only someone familiar with your training might notice or be able to offer advice on. Maybe it's not really feasible to get that feedback online.

Is the programming really something you would pay for? (Not rhetorical, I'm wondering.)

It seems to me that the programming is spelled out pretty well in Practical Programming. Is there some advice you're looking for that isn't found there?

[anniemichael]

I'm a self-taught, relative newbie to strength (currently hovering in advanced novice/intermediate land). I've been very, very happy getting online coaching (programming/form) for the last few months. It's been way, way better than I imagined, honestly. I started getting coaching coming right off of attending a seminar, so that was helpful in terms of starting from a place of clear understanding of form, what I need to work on, etc.

Benefits for me:

1. I know next to nothing about programming (no athletic background at all). Removing the burden of figuring that shit out is fantastic for me.
2. Accountability, yes. Forcing me to be more diligent about detailed logs than I ever have been.
3. Individualized coaching. Meaning, attention to the things that make you unique. As a concrete example, I never would have thought to deadlift sans shoes, but now I am, and I love it. Similarly, having an outside eye on persistent issues (for me, knee slide in squat) keeps you honest. It's easy to look at your own videos and say "eh it wasn't that bad in the grand scheme of things"

Of course this is me speaking only a couple months in. That being said, I definitely recommend it.

[manveer]

Is the programming really something you would pay for? (Not rhetorical, I'm wondering.)

It seems to me that the programming is spelled out pretty well in Practical Programming. Is there some advice you're looking for that isn't found there?

That's what I'm trying to figure out - if there is sufficient value to individualized programming at my current level of advancement that it is warranted. I am running TM and getting pretty consistent progress. I've been running TM for a while (~2 years). After 10-12 weeks into a cycle things start to slow down, so I reset and start again as PPST3 describes. It's working for me. I don't do any variations of the lifts except I just recently started messing with the Slingshot for bench press.

I'm 30 y/o, M, 6'1", ~240#. My squat is in the low 500s, bench in the mid-300s, deadlift in the mid-500s and press in the low 200s. The only goals I have are arbitrary milestones in each lift.

[lou t]

I've been lifting for about 40 years and realized it had become increasing more difficult to remain objective. I reach a level on my own but I knew if I want to take my training to another level I needed a coach. The challenge for me was picking the right coach for me. I 'interviewed' several before deciding on the one I felt based on his experience, education and he himself being a prolific powerlifter.

what was important to me that a coach had to provide me:
1. accessibility
2. experience in coach an older lifter
3. response rate
4. Feedback
5. Nutrition

I am thrilled with how well my experience has been.

[lou t]

Is the programming really something you would pay for? (Not rhetorical, I'm wondering.)

It seems to me that the programming is spelled out pretty well in Practical Programming. Is there some advice you're looking for that isn't found there?

If someone is planning on being a lifter for a long time along the way they will need to manage their fatigue, know when to dial down and dial up intensity, know when to back off volume. Know when to increase macros (diet). If PP is sufficient than ask yourself why are there so many lifters seeking advise on what to do about their programming when they hit a wall or perceive they hit a wall on the board?

IMO on line coach is better suited for more experience lifters that don't need a lot of hand holding.

[lou t]

Some good points here.

Manveer, have you been "taking notes" on a lot of the wisdom in programming that appears in various areas of this website? You are probably following a lot of logs, reading over Andy and Jordan's advice, keeping an eye out for Hanley and Les as well. This is on top of reading and consulting PPST3e on occasion. My point: you've probably absorbed a lot of the variables to manipulate in programming and how to tell when things need to be switched up.

However, the accumulation of this data and analysis of it takes time, effort, and persistence. Some folks are a bit Kimberly "Sweet Brown" Wilkins about all of that effort and would gladly pay for the help in learning how to figure this all out.

this is good feedback, but would add that it can become very difficult to be objective about our own training. Having a coach can save someone a lot of misery.

But I also think a persons goals will determine if they need or want to be coached. Not everyone is driven to want the same things from their training other than the obvious get bigger and stronger.

My decision was driven by wanting to reach a certain level that I knew I could not get there on my own. Especially the role nutrition plays in all this.