What can a Coach offer you?
Of course, as fitness professionals we are going to say that getting a coach is one of the best things you can do for your health and fitness.
~ James Molden
But why? What does a Coach really do?
If you have a goal that is related to your health, fitness, or vitality then a coach can help you achieve this, whether it is a short-term or long-term goal. Gone are the days of having PT for 1~2 hours a week standing next to you in the squat rack. Coaching is now about addressing all aspects of a client's deep health, behaviour, exercise, and nutrition.
How does this work at CrossFit XI?
The first part of a journey for a client is to complete an intake form. This will ask you to detail why you want a coach, current habits, behaviours, sleep routine, fuel intake, hydration, and your daily rhythm (routine). It is then the responsibility of the coach to highlight some priorities.
These priorities can then be discussed with you in the second part of the journey - the initial consultation. It’s through one-on-one consultations that we can help you navigate the challenges of your busy life, identify your priorities, and support you to find alignment and structure in your days so these priorities are met.
During the consultation (which usually lasts 90 minutes) you will discuss at length with your coach any noticings from the intake form. You will be asked to highlight what your values and goals are in life and how having a coach will help. It is this discussion that will create the foundation for your training programme.
Below are some example questions you would find on our intake form:
• Have you ever had a coach before? If so, what did you like and/or dislike about that experience?
• What type of fitness do you enjoy doing?
• Where do you spend most of your energy?
• Take me through a normal day, from wake-up to bed.
• What goals have you set that show signs of coming true?
Assessment is one of the most important aspects of our consulation. In this we assess your Body with a series of measurements including, weight, fat mass, lean mass, and basal metabolic rate, how you Move, and how you Work.
Your movement capabilities will be assessed at the beginning of your journey and we will test your range of motion and abilities in 6 movements patterns. Squat, Bend, Lunge, Push, Pull. Core.
We will assess your work capacity with a 10 minute max cal airbike test. This will give your coach an indication of where you are currently at, what you tolerance and resilience is to work, how you approach a challenge, and how you approach pacing.
Putting together a plan.
Now that your coach has learned about you from your intake form, consultation, and assessment, it is time to start putting together a plan.
A truly individualised plan can only come from a systematic approach of assessing and not guessing. The plan will include elements that focus on behaviour, exercise, and nutrition. The behaviours and nutrition would be prescribed as daily habits or actions to create a healthy and sustainable rhythm to your life.
Exercise would be prescribed as a training programme based on your movement assessment and goals. This programme will be broken down into long-term, short-term, and daily plans; highlighting what the focus is over 12 months, what the focus is over a 6~8 weeks cycle, and what each day entails in a week. So as you can see there is a lot more that goes into getting a coach other than the sessions.
The qualities of a coach
The value of a coach far exceeds the movements and workouts they prescribe. It is about working in collaboration towards alignment and long-term commitment to exercise, lifestyle, and nutrition. Anyone can put together a sweaty workout but only professional coaches can build the strong relationships that lead to the greatest results and fulfillment for the coach and client. The relationship between the coach and client is the cornerstone of health and fitness results.
As professional fitness coaches it’s essential that we practice what we preach and have experience in what we ask our clients to do. Therefore we encourage people to look for a coach that has experience in multiple types of training, has trained a varied client base, and who understands that one size does not fit all. A coach does not need to have the best physique, do the heaviest squat, or run the fastest mile time. If this was the case only the best athletes and physique models would be coaches. In short, good coaches should TEACH, LEARN, MOVE and CREATE.
Know the scope of a coach
Please note that fitness professionals can:
• Assess for exercise limitations
• Identify potential risk factors through a physical assessment
• Design exercise programmes to include resistance training and cardio-respiratory activities
• Provide general information on healthy eating and lifestyle practices
• Help clients identify physical goals and an actionable plan to achieve them
Fitness professionals cannot:
• Diagnose injury, disease, or illness
• Prescribe medication, treatments or other therapies
• Prescribe highly specialised diets
• Rehabilitate clients
• Counsel clients
