On”lie”ne coaches
In a very saturated market, which is online coaching. I see so many unethical coaches devilishly persuading people to sign up to their coaching plan. 8-week shreds, 12-week transformations, 6-week bootcamps. Perfect if you have a short-term goal like a holiday, wedding etc. Hypothetically speaking if you done all 3 of the above coaching options that works out at 26 weeks. There is still 26 weeks left in the year and do you just lay idol like a boiled potato on the couch until summer or a wedding comes around. Do people want to stay in this cyclical pattern of “get fit again. Get fat again”.
There are 365 days in the year, your strength, fitness and life can be improved only so much in 6 weeks (42 days), 8 weeks (56 days) or 12 weeks (84 days). It is amazing to see that some people can be so disciplined for that period of time but the other side of the coin is the fall off. From personal experience of being coached, working as a coach and being friends with people who have done said challenges. It’s a very hard climb back after the challenge has ended. Simply because people have not been educated. They are just handed the programme and nutrition plan and go ham for 6-12 weeks.
Over the years I have purchased programmes off snake oil salesmen and charlatans of the fitness industry back before Instagram was even a thing. I see the same type of characters popping up all over the internet to this day. They look good, they speak good, they know how to get themselves into shape and claim to have high strike rates with clients. i.e. thousands of transformations.
Now before I go any further, there are some great coaches out there who are doing great work and I even take advice from some bigger names in this field. But as I said about the snake oil, many of these coaches are not telling their clients the average Joe and Mary about the secret juice that wasn’t giving to them on their plan. Leaving clients wondering how they don’t look like the coach.
Now by all means, if you want to shoot steroids and take orals like tren, test-p, winny, clen etc. (Iv been around the block boyz. Ya can’t fool a fool if ya know what I mean) Go ahead knock yourselves out. But I’m calling for the ethics of these coaches to shine through. Truth and transparency should become law in the fitness industry. Juiced up coaches are basically committing fraud. Joe or Mary will never look like you. Some online coaches almost look dried out and ripped enough to step on a bodybuilding stage 24/7. Funny thing is only a select few compete and are open about their stack of juice. Fair play to the honest men and women. So, if you know a body builder who is straight up on the Mexican hot sauce. Compare him to the coaches claiming natty and get back to me. Say what you see.
Now some coaches might be thinking in their head, “nobody said or asked if I’m on the juice. So ill just keep it quiet” but if they were asked would they admit it? I doubt it, as we have seen in many cases with the insta gurus getting found out and it ruining their career i.e. the liver king.
Imagine if there was a regulatory body that meant any body working in this space had to provide tests every so often or if questioned by a client. Instead of a blue tick beside their insta picture we could also put a toxic glowing syringe emoji.
You know the voice that narrates guilty conscience by Eminem and Dr Dre. Read the next line with that in mind.
“Meet Eddie, 28 years old. Frequent gym and steroid user for the past 6 years. Advertising his new 12-week transformation at a high-ticket price. He said he is going to provide his clients with all the tools he used to get himself into the best shape he’s ever been in before his lads holiday in Ibiza. He has plans ready but it looks like there are a few things he is not sharing with his clients. Will his conscience come into play”
Next area that bugs me about the fitness industry is the young guns.
“Meet Stan, 21 years old. Started training 6 months ago after seeing a steroid filled bodybuilder on YouTube. Gets himself in decent shape and then decides to do a 6-week Personal training course. Finishes said course and is ready to take on online clients at an extortionate price. Claiming to have years of experience. Will his conscience come into play.”
Ehhhhh no you are not son. In a very oversaturated market, we have people who have never skinned their teeth on a gym floor and seen an array of body types and capabilities. I spent many years training people in various settings from the gym floor, athletics clubs, GAA, Rugby, soccer and swimming. Coaching athletes is the easiest sessions a coach will ever run. On the gym floor is where you earn your coaching feathers. This is where you will train the average Joe and Mary who want to make changes to their life. They may never have trained or have little training experience. They may also have limited hours due to family/work commitments. But 21-year-old Stan fresh off a course is going to show them how to transform their life……
In fairness to the “Stans” you are on a good path. Just stay true to yourself and clients. Don’t idolise anyone in this industry. I’ve met some heroes and looked up to people over the years who I don’t talk to anymore or wouldn’t even acknowledge them if I seen them.
So, after all that giving out about online coaches and coaching. I best let people know my background. I graduated with a degree in health science and nutrition in 2018. I have over 10 years’ experience coaching a multitude of people. Almost 6 years of that was spent on a gym floor Monday to Sunday before online coaching was even a thing. This experience on the ground has become invaluable to me as I transitioned to online coaching. Seeing so many body types with different capabilities over the years ensures I can coach people safely via online methods.
What I offer is not a 6-week transformation and a photoshoot. I am not that type of coach. I have a more holistic approach. Instead, I offer a strength and fitness plan tailored to you. Instead of giving a nutrition plan I give guidance around food. I used to do nutrition plans but my views have changed since spending time in India. (see previous blog on nutrition) I do not want to be held responsible for people eating out of boxes, packs and microwave. Real food, good training and yoga is the pyramid of health I offer.
I do coach in blocks of 6 weeks but in reality, it’s going to take 2-3 blocks to really see changes in the body, mind and spirit. What 6 weeks look like:
- Training plan
- Nutrition advice
- Online breathwork & meditation session
- Online group nutrition discussion
- Discounted rates to in person sessions
- Daily contact via watts app
- Weekly check ins
If you feel like this type of coaching appeals to you, please get in touch and we can line up a call to see where I can help you improve your physical, mental and spiritual health.