How do I choose the right strength and conditioning coach for me?

Our friend from North London asked us this question and we thought it makes for a good post.

And to be fair, when a client plans to move away, it is one of the first thing we talk about - what is the plan for their future sessions?

Finding the right strength and conditioning coach

If you are going to a big gym, make sure you take your time!

Look around and observe, how many trainers are there? 1,2,…15? You need to see them all. Why? Because in our experience, if you train long term with your coach you will create a bond, not necessarily be-my-bff kind, but they will see you both on good days and bad days. Your energy on the day will give an indication if they should push you or not. Remember, a good coach will want to make you stronger, not destroy you.

You want to feel safe around your coach and you might be able to tell that from their demeanour around the gym and with their clients, even before you approach them. At the end of the day, it has to be the right person for you, no matter what the sales team says.

But, you went on a limb, got the courage and found someone online.

You have no prior experience, how to assess their level of knowledge? Hard question and opinions will differ, but here are some basics where we should all agree:

🫣 a decent coach will never ask you to grind through pain and we don’t mean burning pain like the one where your thighs are on fire because of too many pulses, but acute pain, like lower back, knees, shoulder etc.

✨ especially in your first sessions you should be receiving detailed instructions about posture, body positioning, breathing and bracing patterns throughout lifts, cues about muscle tension and sometimes even talk about your mindset before a strong lift or a tough workout.

✨ even after years, the job of a coach doesn’t finish because as you get more tired your form can go to the toilet, so they have to make sure you are exercising safely.

⭐️ The main purpose is to make you believe that you can do it and support you in your journey with their expertise.

✨ If you ask a coach about a particular issue, they admit that they don’t know and then they find out and come back to you, they are most likely a keeper.

Good luck!