How to Successfully Choose a Coach

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Published on Saturday, 12 May 2012 14:34

Written by Tim Staggs CPT

I have been helping individuals reach their health goals for about 10 years. I have always had a passion for helping others succeed. It wasn’t till a few years ago that I decided to make a career out of helping people by creating Staggs Fitness. My main focus when I started the company was to coach competitors and your everyday average person who was trying to look and feel their best. I do some personal training, but found I could help the most people by focusing on their wellness and everything that happens outside the gym. Since starting Staggs Fitness back in 2009, I have helped hundreds reach their health goal or compete on stage. What I have found in the last 3 years is that everyone seems to think they can be a coach and help people reach their health goals. I have had the unfortunate experience of having people come to me after breaking off their relationship with their coach due to bad advice or not being compatible. I have seen competitors step on stage with no clue what to do, or even knowing they are not ready. I have seen individuals with metabolic damage. I have seen injuries caused by ridiculous exercises or individuals pushing themselves too hard. I’ve seen posing on stage that is nowhere near what it is suppose to look like. I have seen overall trophies lost due to bad coaches. Bottom line not all coaches are created equal and to be blunt some should not even be coaches! Here is what to look for when interviewing a coach to help you achieve your goals on and off stage.

• 1)Check out the website of the company/individual you are considering. In today’s technological age if someone doesn’t have a website then move on to the next coach. A website should provide you with their contact info, before and after pictures, testimonials, and an idea of who you are considering. It doesn’t have to be complex or elaborate. Anyone can build a website for a couple of dollars and put the pertinent information you need to make a smart decision. If someone’s serious about their business and helping others than they will have a website. It’s the least they can do for their potential clients.
• 2)Once on the website read the testimonials, check out the before and after pictures, and read what their company is about and what they stand for. If you do not see the testimonials or pictures of athletes/individuals with the same goals as you, then when you talk with them on the phone you will want to ask for them. Because someone can help a bodybuilder be successful does not mean they know how to prepare a physique competitor or bikini competitor on stage.
• 3)Check to see if they are insured. If they are serious about helping others they will be insured. Also see if they are certified. Being certified is not the most important thing by any means. I’ve seen plenty of book smart people that cannot even get themselves stage ready. They may be great at building a program for a college football player, but that isn’t going to help you step on stage!
• 4)Call and talk with your potential new coach. Ask a lot of questions. Get a feeling of who you will be working with. Remember, you will be spending the next 3-12 months working with this individual and putting all your trust into them! If you are not comfortable or get that uneasy feeling in your gut then on to the next one. You have a gut feeling for a reason!
• 5)Here are some questions to ask your potential new coach:
  • a. How often can I communicate with you and what type of communication is acceptable? Some coaches limit the type and amount to times you can communicate with them on a weekly basis. I believe if there is any limit on how many times or type you should move on to the next. I personally allow my clients to call, email, or text me anytime and I try to respond ASAP. I believe if you have a question then you should have an answer quick. How else are you going to be successful waiting days to have your question answered?
  • b. Do you have an overall winner in my division or have you had someone reach the same goal I am trying to achieve? I have had clients with overall titles in nearly every category and division. My wife and I have personally achieved overall titles in Bodybuilding, Men’s physique, and Bikini. We have both done multiple national level shows and I have placed 7^th out of 27 in physique and Becca has placed top 5 in Bikini at the national level. With that being said, all because someone has gotten themselves in shape does not mean they can get others in shape, or do it in a healthy manner.
  • c. What are the philosophies you coach by? There are many ways to get people stage ready. Some are good and others not so much so. While stepping on stage and achieving the physique of your dreams, you also want to be concerned with long term health and what will happen after you step off stage and go back to a normal schedule. I’ve had individuals come to me because their coaches want to pump them full of large doses of drugs that they are not comfortable with taking. If you decide to use performance enhancing drugs is your coach going to try to get you to take uncomfortable amounts? Will your coach give you an idea what to do the week after the show and an “exit strategy” for the follow weeks?
  • d. Is your plan tailored to you or is it just a cookie cutter plan?? This is a huge one. Not everyone is the same and everyone’s bodies are different. Not one plan will work for everyone. You may be an ecto, meso, or endo body type. Your body type will determine the type of plan you will need. There are many coaches that just send you a cookie cutter plan that they will put you on for 12 weeks. This is very common and not good for you.
  • e. Will you receive everything you need to know to step on stage? There is way more than just looking good to step on stage. Depending on the division you will need to know about suit cut, board short style, colors, shoes, hair, makeup, stain, darkness of stain, oil or no oil, judging criteria, posing, what to have back stage, what you need to pay for ahead of time, entry fees, NPC card, schedule of events, presentation, and etc. Stress is your worst enemy come show day and if you are stressing because you don’t have a plan or because you forgot something that will affect your look which will affect your placing!
  • f. Is posing instruction included? If not what’s the cost? If you don’t do posing how am I going to learn. Posing is just as important as how you look. If you do not know how to present your physique to the judges, then don’t even bother stepping on stage. Watch out for posing coaches that have no idea how to pose or teach people. We have seen it in bodybuilding for years and now with the new physique and bikini divisions, everyone is out to make a quick buck and it only hurts you when they teach you wrong. Bad habits are much harder to fix then no habits. Learn it right the first time!
  • g. What are your costs of coaching versus just competing? This is a tough question to know the right answer to. There is no standard pricing and depends heavily on the division and how many classes you enter. You will end up spending $100 on an NPC card, in Michigan $80-$150 for entry fee to a local show or $150-$300 for a National show, $100 on staining, $30-$500 on suit/trunks, cost of hair, makeup, shoes, gas, hotel, flight, etc. The last thing you want to skimp on is what you are paying your coach to make sure you are in the shape and have the presentation you need to look your best or win. This doesn’t mean get the most expensive coach, but don’t pick a coach based on price. The $100 savings could cost you your moment of victory that you can’t put a price on.

I hope this helps you find the right coach. This is just my opinion and does not mean that any coach not fitting the above criteria is a bad coach. The info and questions are here to help you find the right coach and to weed out the bad. Having a coach is critical to looking your best on stage and even the most successful athletes in the world have coaches. Even many coaches have coaches. The key is finding the right coach for you that you are compatible with and that has the experience and advice to help you achieve your goals. I’ll be the first to tell you that I am not the right coaches for everyone. If you are a pro bodybuilder or a national level bodybuilder looking to go pro in the IFBB, I do not have the expertise or knowledge when it comes to a proper drug regiment to take your physique to the next level. I’m not saying that I am for or against drugs, I just don’t have the in depth knowledge to help at that level and would not be the right coach. A great coach is honest with themselves and their potential clients. Your coach should guide you to taking your physique to stage so you can take home the trophy and memories that are priceless.

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