Cycling or triathlon: should you get a coach?

The term coaching is trendy. Today, you can find coaches for everything. And even more so in sports. So you might ask yourself: a real necessity, or totally superfluous? Do you need a personal coach to thrive in your practice or to achieve your goals? Is it necessary, and if so, how do you choose one?

By Guillaume Judas – Photos: @Erisphere, Brooks, afimsc.af.mil, flickr.com, pixabay.com, PEDaLed

A coach can be what is more commonly called a trainer, but not only. Understanding training is not very difficult in itself. Knowing the physiological basics of effort and how to prepare for it is within anyone’s reach, either by relying on their own experience, on tips passed down through generations, or by studying dedicated literature. But adapting to a schedule, to specific constraints, to an imposed program, to the weather, or to drops in morale is much more complicated.

A coach necessarily possesses knowledge in physiology and psychology, but also an indispensable perspective on the activity, which serves to de-dramatize certain situations and make the right decisions. A good coach is not necessarily highly qualified, but they certainly have good listening and communication skills, and experience you can rely on. One can be a team trainer, organize a game or a tactic, but it’s more difficult to be the coach of several people at once. And for the association to be successful, it is imperative to establish a relationship of trust.

=> SEE ALSO: The different training intensities

A coach for whom?

You may need a coach if you are a beginner, although this is not necessarily the right time to impose a precise training program on yourself. A beginner progresses quickly as long as they are diligent, and only through the accumulation of rides. But it is often later, once you have built up your own experience, that you may need an outside perspective.

We often accumulate many errors, out of habit or convenience, or even out of a desire to do (too) well. How many practitioners exhaust themselves with indoor trainer sessions that are too long, too hard, or too early in winter, and lack energy in spring? How many waste time with completely unproductive club rides on Sunday mornings, or on the contrary, stop progressing by doing too many intensities? If you feel like you’ve been plateauing for several months or years, if you feel poorly supported within your own club (but let’s be lenient towards volunteer leaders, who can’t be everywhere), a personal coach can be the solution. First, to consider another way of working, then to prepare for a more specific goal.

=> SEE ALSO: 8 indoor trainer sessions

Because in addition to giving you the keys to better understand yourself, a coach will make you accountable on the day of your goal. When you are in difficulty, and you inevitably will be at some point, you will inevitably think of the coach, of not disappointing them. This is also an excellent motivation.

Conversely, you don’t need a coach if you simply don’t want to progress, if you are an experienced practitioner who doesn’t really have a goal, who doesn’t want constraints or to question yourself, or if you are one of those athletes who are spectators rather than actors in their own practice. Be careful, this is not a value judgment. All perspectives are respectable. You just need to be honest with yourself.

Who can be your coach?

A coach is therefore a little more than a trainer, but for the relationship to work, a certain distance must be maintained. They can be a friend as well as someone completely outside your circle, at least at first. But avoid family members, parents, siblings, or spouses. Too much proximity risks disrupting your relationships on and off the bike. The coach must always maintain a detached perspective and avoid personal emotional involvement. Of course, it can be either a man or a woman.

The coach must always maintain a detached perspective and avoid personal emotional involvement.

Finally, establishing a financial relationship is not without interest. The coach will spend time creating programs for you but also listening to you. They will support you in your search for athletic fulfillment, and as such deserve compensation commensurate with the time spent. This contract or obligation will commit you to each other. And given your investment, you will feel obliged to follow their advice, and not listen to the last person who spoke. In terms of coaching, a volunteer will necessarily be much more demanding because they will have been much more involved. Your relationship could quickly turn sour in case of failure. How much to dedicate to it? It varies, but it can range from fifty euros to almost 200 each month. Pay attention to the services offered, because in addition to the training plan, the coach’s main role is to be available, by phone or any other means of communication.

Recognizing a good coach

A good coach has experience and good listening and advising skills. And availability too. Doubt the value of a monthly training plan that doesn’t take into account the weather or other unforeseen circumstances. They must be flexible. A good coach must be able to put themselves in your shoes, and for example, think about preserving your balance and your desire. They should offer varied weeks and exercises, introduce a form of challenge or game, and know when to relieve pressure when they sense you are doubting or tired. But they are not a guru either.

A coach must know when to advise rest, not replace a doctor, and always direct you to competent people in case of a physical problem.

While it takes time to establish a relationship of trust, they must always stay in their place. They can give you some nutrition or race tactics advice, but flee if they bring up the subject of products supposedly artificially enhancing performance. Among a coach’s good reflexes, they must know when to advise rest, not replace a doctor, and always direct you to competent people in case of a physical problem.

Choosing your tools

This relationship must be supported by tools that allow you to track your progress and refer to them. It doesn’t matter whether it’s heart rate curves (with a heart rate monitor from which data is transferred), a power meter, a test course, or even sensations if you are able to perfectly transcribe them. The coach cannot demand a specific type of tool if they notice that it hinders your practice. But a minimum of rules must be established to keep track of the work done.

Because there is, of course, no single method for progressing. If your coach is able to understand this and offer it to you, taking into account your means and your personality, then you have found the right one.

=> SEE ALSO: All our Coaching articles