The Importance of Having a Coach
Written by Bill Schirmers
Driving real and lasting change to your physical health is not an exercise for the faint of heart. It requires moving from the inspiration you might garner from a social media post or the motivation you receive after visiting the doctor or stepping on the scale to developing new habits, being committed to your goals and accountable for your results.
It is a project that requires addressing and overcoming physical, mental, and emotional constraints, understanding how the body works, developing routines and knowledge to avoid common pitfalls, and building confidence in your ability to persist when people around you tempt you or tell you what you’re doing is “crazy.”
This is where a good coach can step in to understand your goals, assess what is needed to achieve those outcomes, set realistic expectations and timelines, and customize a plan to fit you and your situation.
A robust plan will address multiple pathways including exercise (cardio and resistance training), nutrition (calories and macronutrients, micronutrients), sleep, hydration, and supplementation as your physical health goes well beyond the four walls of the gym.
Moreover, a good coach will help track your performance, hold you accountable to your commitments and adjust your plan as your body and situations change.
Personal Experience with Coaching
As an overconfident forty-something male; I held strong to my belief that I should not pay someone to do something I could do myself. I was certain that I knew what to do in the gym, what and how much I should be eating and what I should be doing to recover and grow. Finally, after a few years of beating up my body and self with marginal progress, I had to admit that I was wrong and seek the help of a professional.
I hired my first coach, Sandra Avelli at 45 years of age. What I found in my first few workouts and discussions with my new coach was that I was missing the mark in several areas; most notably training intensity and nutrition. After just a few months, I knew that I had made the right choice to bring in an expert to help me achieve my goal of reversing the lack of care I had given to my physical health for years and build a physique I could be proud of before my 50th birthday.
In Sandra, I found an experienced professional who was “living the life,” a person who cared about my journey and was willing and able to hold me accountable to my goals, and a coach that was able to provide me a customized plan that adjusted with my successes and plateaus. My role was simple, trust and follow the process and communicate.
Two years later at the Twin Cities Open, not only did I reach my goal of building a physique I could be proud of, but I was also confident enough in what we built to stand on stage in front of thousands of people to share my progress. Sandra’s coaching had taken my physique to a level that I had not thought possible. I was not special. I did not have amazing genetics, and God knows I was not “in my prime,” but between hard work, a great coach and discipline, I achieved and continue to achieve my goals and developed a passion to help others unlock their similar potential.
The Broader Value of a Coach
I learned a great deal along my journey and continue to learn more everyday. But, as important as the physical changes I underwent were, the mental changes my coach helped me unlock we even more significant. Pushing your body to extremes builds mental toughness and confidence in oneself, both of which are transferable to all aspects of life.
A coach; especially one who has been there, can help you develop that mental toughness. This does not mean they are all about “tough love” and “suck it up,” but rather that they provide a mix of being collaborative, cooperative, supportive, and yes able to be brutally honest when necessary. For me, a good coach can do all these things and knows the right time to deploy each technique.
Recommendation
My only regret in my process is that I spun my wheels for years before deciding to seek help. The clock is ticking for all of us and while improving physical health and appearance is not important to everyone, feeling good and looking good are desirable outcomes. Hiring the right coach will improve you inside and outside of the gym, increase the speed at which you progress, and increase the likelihood that you will succeed. In aworld where billions of dollars are spent on supplementation and quick fixes, having that person on your team and at your side is a small price to pay for your health and longevity.
Good luck in your journey!