What can a fitness coach do for a hobby athlete?

Question

After several years of exercise in my gym I consider hiring a fitness coach to improve my training. The main problem is that I am not really sure what I can expect from a fitness coach? What are the services I should request? I am not aiming to become a top athlete, I still see going to the gym as a hobby.

Is paying for a fitness coach a good idea in this situation?

Answer 1

I think you need to define what it is that you see as lacking in your current training. This will help you evaluate if the coach's training philosophy is compatible with the way you train, and if they will be a good match for you. The more nebulous your goals are, the more difficult it will be for the both of you to come up with a proper training plan.

Until you have a concrete idea of what you want to accomplish, paying for any coach is a bad idea. A good time to pay for a coach is when:

• You have specific techniques you want to learn, and the coach is proficient at teaching them
• You have a specific training problem, and you need help addressing it. I.e. finding the right mobility work or conditioning that is compatible with your other training.

When you can define what it is that needs improving, you won't need to ask what services you should request, because you'll already know. You'll also know if the coach is the right one or not. For example, if your diet is messed up, you would go to a nutritionist, not an Olympic lifting coach.