Any online cycling coaches

[J Wakefield]

5 minutes ago, DieselnDust said:

Used the system they advocate and achieved measurable and  competitive performances. A coach cannot theorise performance, a coach has to understand, inspire , motivate and demonstrate how their methodology works either through themselves or through others who have achieved their goals. 
there’s too many okes saying do this and do that without ever having done anything or achieved their own sporting goals.

there are naturally different levels of performance and one has to understand where you are and where you wan to be. 
 
a rudimentary example ; would you trust a coach to train you for a sun 3 Argust if they have not even ridden 50km themselves?

I don’t even know where to start with this. 

[RocknRolla]

The general perception that “an ex-pro” or current “pro” has to know what they are talking about when it comes to coaching is flawed. 

One can also gain a fair bit of knowledge by reading lots on the internet. ( ironic, this sentence) not only cycling training and performance related, but with a myriad of other topics. This does not qualify one to successfully and responsibly apply this knowledge to others.
My advice (from a semi-anonymous character on the internet - see the irony here) is to get a coach with an actual reputable and verifiable qualification in cycling specific performance coaching, just like one would get a qualified accountant to do an audit ( not KPMG) or a medical doctor with a degree to perform surgery. 
 

 

[ChrisF]

54 minutes ago, J Wakefield said:

I don’t even know where to start with this. 

 

Hey, I read one interview with you in a cycling magazine .....  more low intensity rides .... what more do I need to know ? 😋

 

 

A friend does Ironman, Comrades, etc.  Initially they went through a number of coaches.

 

she does exactly what her program says .... but relies on the coach to interpret the data, and adjust the program accordingly.

 

She currently has a coach from the Netherlands .... started with some proper training and evaluation sessions .... then worked out a program.

 

 

Comrades went exactly to schedule.

 

 

Mosselbay Ironman she ended tot 1/3 overall ... not bad for a 50+ lady.

 

 

But she relies on her coach for the data analysis, planning, and training plan .... she puts her head down and sticks to the training plan

[DieselnDust]

1 hour ago, J Wakefield said:

I don’t even know where to start with this. 

The beninging….?

[dave303e]

A coach doesn't have to be able to ride 50km to be a good coach. Take someone like Aldon Baker, many will call him the number one coach in motocross and supercross. He is an ex mtb rider and a personal trainer. Not a motocross racer at all. But between 2000 (when he started with training MX riders) to 2020, he trained 15 supercross and 14 AMA motocross championships. Alsco for the cyclists here- check out alcavi bikes...

Closer to home - my coach has many times said you should never run more than 100km, but he got me to a 23hour 100miler. Shaving 4 hours off my pb and doing it in a way that I was running again 2 days after the race with no pain at all.

So a proven record does not have to be their own achievements, it can be their athlete's achievements. You will soon see if their other athletes are excelling or improving. 

You also need a coach that aligns with your mindset and situation. A professional athlete's coach is one thing, where the athlete's prime focus is train rest and recover. But many of us want to race like Pro's and still have full time jobs, family and social lives. Some coaches can run that balance and understand that need for a bit of flexibility. Other's not so much. 

 

[Frosty]

So I’m one of those that did the 2021 online coaching course  through CSA/UCI. It’s a prerequisite to be able to do further levels. It was 100% theory, and very little added value, other than adding access to doors that would otherwise be closed to anyone without the level 1 certificate.

The only way to gain experience, is to “gain experience”. Thinking one knows it all, is the biggest mistake.

I’ve found a group of coaches that are guiding and mentoring me, so while I’m not personally coached for my own rides, I am being guided along the path to becoming a better coach. It’s taken 7 years of working with club mates, and my own training, to get to where I’m comfortable to be trusted by non-club members.

[dave303e]

12 minutes ago, Frosty said:

So I’m one of those that did the 2021 online coaching course  through CSA/UCI. It’s a prerequisite to be able to do further levels. It was 100% theory, and very little added value, other than adding access to doors that would otherwise be closed to anyone without the level 1 certificate.

The only way to gain experience, is to “gain experience”. Thinking one knows it all, is the biggest mistake.

I’ve found a group of coaches that are guiding and mentoring me, so while I’m not personally coached for my own rides, I am being guided along the path to becoming a better coach. It’s taken 7 years of working with club mates, and my own training, to get to where I’m comfortable to be trusted by non-club members.

My statement about people doing an online course was a bit blanket. Like in your case it is a more wholistic approach which is a different scenario. Like a student doing holiday work or an appy doing practical and theory and gaining experience.
You didn't just do 10hours online, set up a website and start charging 1k a month for online training plans.

One person I have seen did the course and website, approached mutual friends to train them for a lot of money. Meanwhile their own training was so badly set up they were injured or sick monthly, made 0 progress in terms of pace, strength and endurance and just massively over trained doing 20 junk hours a week.

Overtraining someone is easy, hitting the sweet spot is the key. If you can't look at your program and see how blocks, weeks, days and even sessions in the day have a clear and logical goal as part of a bigger plan tailored to your body and race goals. Then you may as well just stick to doing zwift plans.

[DieselnDust]

2 minutes ago, dave303e said:

My statement about people doing an online course was a bit blanket. Like in your case it is a more wholistic approach which is a different scenario. Like a student doing holiday work or an appy doing practical and theory and gaining experience.
You didn't just do 10hours online, set up a website and start charging 1k a month for online training plans.

One person I have seen did the course and website, approached mutual friends to train them for a lot of money. Meanwhile their own training was so badly set up they were injured or sick monthly, made 0 progress in terms of pace, strength and endurance and just massively over trained doing 20 junk hours a week.

Overtraining someone is easy, hitting the sweet spot is the key. If you can't look at your program and see how blocks, weeks, days and even sessions in the day have a clear and logical goal as part of a bigger plan tailored to your body and race goals. Then you may as well just stick to doing zwift plans.

which speaks to the point I was making in terms of achievements of your coach.

[Jamesrallan]

I believe you are looking for a coach, that can apply science and experience in order to guide your son and his cycling path. 

Alot of people out their claim to be coaches, but lack theoretical back ground and present purely from a experience only standpoint. This can be dangerous. Adolescents and adults posses inter-individual differences, and often without correct scientific understanding, "coaches" will happily direct your cycling career with no true succession in the end, only to find plateus due to not consolidating individualization.

I have popped you a dm, and I am happy to chat.

 

regards

James

[shaper]

2 hours ago, DieselnDust said:

which speaks to the point I was making in terms of achievements of your coach.

 

".there’s too many okes saying do this and do that without ever having done anything or achieved their own sporting goals.."

What you said is that unless a coach has achieved something personally then he should not be considered, so is not speaking to the point your are making!  It is what John was alluding to.

Every sport is full of ex pros who fall into coaching and management and are generally failures.  The ones who become top of their game are often mediocre in their own personal abilities as they don't have the genes to make the top 1%, but understand the theory and personal interaction to get the best for a client so that they achieve their goals.

[SwissVan]

It all depends on what sports are involved and what results you want. For general fitness improvement (for example to improve your Argus time) it’s easy to train yourself via many online systems or programs that are easily available with a bit of internet research.

Some sports require more than just fitness, for example swimming and mtb which both require good technique, for this you need a hands on coach (one that can see and touch you) who can assess your technique and physical state providing specific and corrective training on a regular basis. 
 

A good experienced hands on coach will also assess your results and provide none fitness related tips to further improve, for example tactics…..which are not easily learned from an online program or magazine. 
 

[dave303e]

3 minutes ago, SwissVan said:

It all depends on what sports are involved and what results you want. For general fitness improvement (for example to improve your Argus time) it’s easy to train yourself via many online systems or programs that are easily available with a bit of internet research.

Some sports require more than just fitness, for example swimming and mtb which both require good technique, for this you need a hands on coach (one that can see and touch you) who can assess your technique and physical state providing specific and corrective training on a regular basis. 
 

A good experienced hands on coach will also assess your results and provide none fitness related tips to further improve, for example tactics…..which are not easily learned from an online program or magazine. 
 

While I agree on swimming needing 100% hands on coach keeping your technique on point.

MTB you can have a pedaling coach and a skills coach. They don't need to be the same person and you certainly don't need the skills one to train you daily.

[SwissVan]

5 minutes ago, dave303e said:

While I agree on swimming needing 100% hands on coach keeping your technique on point.

MTB you can have a pedaling coach and a skills coach. They don't need to be the same person and you certainly don't need the skills one to train you daily.

But they still need to be a real hands on person, not an email address

[The Ouzo]

25 minutes ago, SwissVan said:

touch you

 

20 minutes ago, dave303e said:

100% hands on coach

 

14 minutes ago, SwissVan said:

real hands on person

hmmm, might need to look for a lady coach  

[J Wakefield]

4 hours ago, DieselnDust said:

which speaks to the point I was making in terms of achievements of your coach.

I have never ever done a triathlon/Ironman or got out my pool and gone for a ride after. When I swim, my fastest stroke is doggy paddle. Yet coached an athlete to a world title and other to a National title. 

I have also seen training programs from current and ex pro's with some great results. That is not coaching its throwing eggs against a wall hoping 1 doesn't break. 

Edited November 23, 2022 by J Wakefield

[Frosty]

1 hour ago, SwissVan said:

For general fitness improvement (for example to improve your Argus time) it’s easy to train yourself via many online systems or programs that are easily available with a bit of internet research.

It’s also easy to overtrain yourself with the same online systems.

The number of people I have seen post on another online training app’s forum that they feel fatigued/overtrained, yet followed the training plan exactly as specified.

They do the ramp test, take the FTP value proposed and then follow the plan, in ERG mode 100% of the time. Many times, their FTP is overstated, and as a result every workout is harder than it should be. They see gains early on, because it is possible to handle the load for a few weeks (when fresh) and then they fall flat after 5-6 weeks because it’s not sustainable over a long period.
 

Also, after a test, FTP changes by 3W and they immediately bump it up. 3W is still within the same range of each power level.