What To Look For In A Coach and/or Trainer

Does the Coach have a niche or specialty? Most of them do – they just may not always realize it. Look for Coaches whose niche focus is something you fall into. If you are a brand-new runner, you are not looking for someone whose specialty is training people to run a 100-miler race. Just like if you are a female runner going through menopause, you are not looking for a Coach who focuses on college runners. The same holds true for personal trainers. Find someone who fits your needs as well. I have spoken to so many people who have injuries that need to be addressed when designing workouts. Instead, they end up with trainers who are not hearing them when they say there are certain things they just cannot do. This brings up my next point.

Does the coach listen to you? This one is key for me. Your Coach must listen to you. He/she needs to hear you when you say you are injured or if there are certain things you just cannot do. But also know just because a Coach pushes you still or sometimes tells you that it is important that you still do the workout doesn’t mean he/she is not listening. It means he/she realizes you have to run and spend so much time on your feet in order to be ready for your race. But is he/she hearing you when you are expressing your goals?

Is your Coach honest with you? This is a hard one. Because no one (and I mean no one) likes it when someone tells them things they don’t want to hear. For example, is the Coach honest with you about what it means when you are skipping too many workouts? Is she honest when your goals are not realistic? Is she/he honest when you are doing too much? All of these things are key. You need and should want a Coach who is completely honest with you. It can be hard to hear and honestly as a Coach, it can be hard to do.

Is your Coach certified? This is key! The certifications are much more intense than they used to be and with good reason. Your certified Coach has spent time studying and understanding how to develop programs. He/she spends time learning new things to help her athletes grow and develop as well. Make sure you find a Coach that has the credentials to back up her claims.

And finally, is your Coach a good fit for you? To be fair, this question goes both ways. Both you and the Coach need to feel like you work well together. It cannot be a one-way street. Have I ever had a first call with a potential client that was not going to be the right fit? Yes. And I was honest about it – in the long run it saved both me and the potential client a lot of frustration. And you need to feel that the coach/trainer you are hiring is a good fit for you.