There it is - my captain obvious statement for the whole blog post right off the bat.
But for serious, there's a million "online coaches" now and virtually everyone offers a service for meal plans, training, supplementation, how to get laid, whatever.
Of course, the market is saturated because all it takes to know how to train someone or do a diet for someone is enter a single competition after a few months of training and you're good to go. If you somehow find time on a weekend to get a certification you're even more legit than the next guy/gal who did the same fucking thing.
Not only that, but as an online coach myself, who rarely advertises his services (because I'm a shitty salesman), watching from the outside (I guess I'd actually be on the inside?) I see a lot of chest beating about how superior one guy's services are, compared to the rest.
"Why are you going to these online coaches that offer up cookie cutter programs? I do custom programming that is tailored to your body, bra size, hair length, BLAH BLAH BLAH."
This is literally the catch phrase I see over and over again from guys offering online coaching. Personally, what it says to me is you're really trying to shit on other people to make your services look more appealing.
I suppose that's a part of marketing. I also think it's horseshit.
First off, not everyone needs "custom" training programs.
There I said it. Going against the grain, and also calling out some of this bullshit I keep reading.
The qualifications of the liter/athlete will determine what he or she really needs.
A rank beginner or intermediate level lifter needs a "specially customized program" about as much as Whitney Houston needed that last line of coke before bathtime.
In fact, most guys aren't elite enough that they need very customized programming. Starting guys out on a base template then massaging that template from there, works quite well actually.
Then what do you end up with? Something custom based on the feedback you are getting from them each week.
Generally speaking, if you know your template, and have made it work for tons of people, then you also know how to massage it to make it work for different people. I love how certain online coaches say "we're not all special snowflakes" then proceed to say "I do CUSTOM programs. Not cookie cutter bullshit that other guys are doing."
Well which is it?
So somehow you end up with the special snowflakes? It is close to Christmas I suppose. Some neighbors even have lights up already and it's not even Halloween. Can you believe that shit? I mean you might as well just put them up after Labor Day at this point. Or just leave them up all year. I left my Christmas tree up once until Summer. The kids told me I should decorate it for every holiday that came along to make the house more "festive". I thought about it, then realized they were mocking me and took it down the next weekend.
I know how to raise a smart ass.
On the flip side, if the athlete is very elite, then yes, they probably need something more in depth than a base template. However, this requires a lot of feedback from the athlete to even create such a program. A beginner or intermediate, or even guys who "think" they are advanced don't often know enough about their body or how to execute movements properly, to give that much feedback. So you fix those issues first, and start them out with a base. Not sitting down and writing out a program for 10 hours for someone that can't squat 315.
I've made countless of people better using templates. So has John Meadows. So has tons of very good, qualified online coaches. Again, if you want a guy to end up with a custom program that is REALLY fit for him or her, and they are not exceptionally gifted or elite, then you always massage it as you go along. Then they HAVE a custom program. But it starts with a "base". And even if the program is customized to start, it generally needs massaging as you go. So what is the difference? The program is going to change as you go regardless. How much depends on how the trainee is progressing.
Same goes for diets. Most of the top coaches start from base templates. They aren't sitting down and writing out how much tilapia you'll have at 2 P.M. then how many ounces of broccoli to go along with it. No. They have a "base" they work from, and massage it from there, based on your progression. You think a guy with 200 online clients doesn't have templates? Seriously.
At the heart of it all, doing someone's diet is the easiest part. Generally when the client fails, more often than not, it's because of their lack of discipline to adhere to said diet. Is this always the case? Of course not. But if a coach has a string of success behind him there will be some stragglers that come along that simply do not adhere to what their coach has told them, then say their services were sub-par.
On the flip side, I see a lot of guys that do in person training bashing online coaching. I will agree with them that to an extent, in person coaching has a ton more advantages over online coaching. You can really fix a lot more problems with someone in person than online, even if you have video. You get to know the person on a more personal level. Although that can have drawbacks too. Like dealing with all of their personal problems that they inevitably bring into the training session. And if you're with someone long enough, that will most likely happen. Now you're not only a trainer, you're a therapist. Something you're probably not qualified to be one since you know, you're teaching them how to lift weights and scold them for sneaking a Snicker's bar when they aren't supposed to have one.
But in-person coaches shit on online coaches for the same reason online coaches shit on other online coaches. To make one seem more credible than the other. And that's horseshit too.
Truthfully, there's great in person coaches, and shitty in person coaches. And there's great online coaches, and shitty ones. I mean this is how everything in life works. It's not limited to teaching people how to build a better body or move more weight. You can insert this into every career on the face of the planet.
"There's great doctors, who save lives. And shitty doctors who leave the scissors in your stomach as they sew you back up."
"There's great porn stars, and shitty ones who make your libido crash and die faster than walking in on your grandma and grandpa getting it on."
Or maybe you're into that. I'm not judging. Maybe I am in this case. Because if that IS your thing, then seek immediate psychological attention. You should never ever get turned on by seeing that. So if you happen to be the person that does, and you're reading this, look for 5 star therapists in your area and book an appointment immediately.
Now where was I....
Oh yeah, in person vs online coaching and shit vs non-shit.
As for in person guys shitting on online coaching, you can walk into 100% of the gyms in the nation and find shitty in person coaches in there. Or you can find someone who really knows their shit. So in that regard, this is no different than online coaches either.
I am going to leave at this -
What all of it boils down to, is results.
Whether you spend 19 hours writing out a guys program (Freddie's programs generally take my half a day to write out because well, he's an IFBB champion) or whether or not you use a base template and massage it from there, what matters with coaching is one thing.
Results.
Does your online or in person coach get results from the majority of his or her clients on a consistent basis?
If the answer is yes, then the methods he uses aren't worth debating over. Are they?
If the coach doesn't get results from the majority of his or her clients on a consistent basis, then they could spend 19 days writing something out, and it's of little relevance. Who cares about how long it took someone to write out a diet or program if it doesn't produce results?
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| Your coach should have a lot of these to show you |
I've seen tons of articles about what makes someone qualified and there's always some list of shit that honestly, doesn't matter if the coach isn't getting results with clients.
How strong you are, or how much weight you can lift has zero relevance on how great of a coach you are.
What someone totalled on the platform doesn't make them a good or bad coach. What matters is, do they make the lifters they are training better? Yes or no? That's it. Nothing else need be asked.
Does the in-person or online coach get their bodybuilder/figure/fitness/bikini/tuxedo get results, and put their clients in the best possible position to win? Yes or no?
There is no list of "this is what your coach needs in order to be qualified."
It's easy. Ask to see their success stories. Either they have them, or they don't. All the pre-sales hype bullshit means nothing without tangible results. And all of the certifications and degrees in the world mean nothing without results.
To quote my friend and "coach", Trevor Kashey..."produce or shut the fuck up."
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Good Writing
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