What should a strength and performance coach do for you?
The benefits you get from working with a strength and performance coach go well beyond the workouts you are doing with them. A good coach will impart knowledge on programming, lifts, nutrition, etc that you can carry on with you in order to continue to improve your health and performance well beyond your time working one on one with them.
A good coach will motivate, listen, educate, instruct, regress and progress when needed, know when to push and when to back off, know when to give and when to stand their ground and meet the client where they are instead of forcing the client to fit into what they want.
Lastly, a huge benefit of having a coach and one of the main reasons I have one myself is accountability. It is so easy to make excuses not to work out or to give up on the eating plan even for someone like myself who works in this profession and generally loves training. Having a coach is having someone there to hold you accountable, motivate you when needed and give you a pat on the back when you deserve it.
My approach
As a strength and performance coach, I spend my first day with my clients assessing their movement, getting a medical and training history and most importantly listening to their goals, wants and needs. I then take all of that information and build a program around something they will adhere to that will also get moving them toward their goals if performed consistently. With that training, we are always assessing and reassessing but utilizing what I see as well as client feedback in order to make necessary adjustments to fine-tune their program.
For my in-person clients, with each workout, I am coaching movement but also allowing them to fail safely. From that failure, great learning can come. Within that, I do my best to impart the whys of what we are doing so they have a good understanding of that and can use that information to design their own programs down the road if they so choose to do.
For my online clients, I am available through messaging daily and perform a weekly follow up to asses how they feel, how their workouts went and how they are progressing and address any changes that may need to be made to the program based on their feedback and what I see. I also will make myself available for a phone call or Skype chat if needed to address any issues.
My goal is to have my clients want to work with me but eventually not need me. I want to help them build self-confidence and autonomy with their training and nutrition. Any coach/client relationship should be a partnership. I am reminded of a great quote by Dr. Bhrett McCabe Ph D:
“A good coach is a guide, not a guru”
I agree with this statement wholeheartedly. So if you are looking for a coach in any capacity make sure they elicit the characteristics above and if they don’t, then find someone who does. If you are interested in taking your health, fitness, and performance to the next level then we are here to help.
We offer a variety of in-person and online training options to fit your needs. Head over to our website at www.guidrygolfandsport.com and see what we have to offer. If you have any questions feel free to reach out at johnpaul@guidrypt.com.
Don’t forget to check us out at www.guidrygolfandsport.com and find us on social media: Facebook: @guidrygolfnsport
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Also, head over to www.barbellsandbirdies.com to check out our new Golf Fitness and Performance apparel store.
John Paul Guidry DPT CSCS TPI Guidry Golf and Sport www.guidrygolfandsport.com