Misc. - May 03, 2019

Benefits Of Online Coaching For Powerlifters

At the time I'm writing this, I just coached an athlete living in an entirely different country to a gold medal finish, signed another athlete up for his first ever meet, and made adjustments to my lifter's program all the way in South Africa! What an awesome time we live in! As powerlifters there is more information and help available at your fingertips now than ever!

It reminds me of reading about Arnold Schwarzenegger, you know, that bodybuilding guy. The guy who single handedly peaked all our interests in strength training. We all know his amazing story. When he was training to become a bodybuilding champion, he moved to America to follow his dreams. He wanted to learn how the Americans were training. He learned from everyone he came in contact with and found new ways to train. How else was he to find out what everyone else was doing without venturing all the way to America and leaving everything behind?

That used to be the reality. Today's reality is we can learn from the very best in the sport without even leaving our homes. That's not to take away from the experience of traveling and learning from the best athletes and coaches in person. I still believe there is no substitute to that. However with everything available to us online at our fingertips via videos, and articles, it is an amazing time indeed.

"Online Coaching" as it's referred to is becoming more and more popular among powerlifting athletes, and rightfully so! Now YOU as an athlete can choose to work with any coach you desire! Whereas before you might have been stuck with whoever was coaching at your local gym, now you can find the right coaching fit for you. Someone who you trust, someone who understands what you need even better than you do, and someone who can lead you towards becoming a better version of yourself!

I want to share with you a few ways in which online coaching can make your life 10x easier as an athlete, and ways I serve my online lifters on a daily basis!

Leave The Hard Work To The Professionals

Allocating things such as programming to your coach can take a lot of stress off you as an athlete. That is why you pay them, to take that burden off your shoulder. You are then free to enter the gym as an athlete and simply worry about performing. Whoever you hire as a coach should be well versed in writing programs, and be able to adjust those programs to their athletes.

It takes the guess work out of it for you as an athlete. All my lifters receive uniquely different programs that are all similar to my philosophies as a coach. The beauty of online coaching is that you are going to receive a well thought out plan designed to address what you need to get better. Your coach can identify where you need work and fill those gaps. You can make progress more quickly than if you were in the gym going through trial and error each week.

Now giving up the task of programming to your coach doesn't mean you aren't capable of handling your own training, nor does it mean that you can't play a part in that role. Quite the contrary. Many of my athletes are very involved in the programming process, and I'm in constant communication with my lifters going back and forth about ideas in which to get them stronger. On the flip side, some of my athletes actually prefer to allocate that process entirely to me, so they can focus on doing what they do best... lifting! It's very much as shared a process as you'd like it to be.

Video Technique Coaching

This is probably the single biggest benefit towards hiring an online coach! I cannot tell you how much progress some of my athletes have made within the first month simply from making technical changes to their lifts! Especially in a sport where technique plays just as large a role as anything when it comes to getting stronger. Your coach can make you think about a lift in an entirely different way and cue you in ways you never thought of before. If you find a coach that is good at doing this in an online setting, they'll be able to make you instantly lift better with their feedback.

Video coaching is going to be unique to the online coach you're working with. Many still use email or messenger through facebook. In that case, you're likely to receive a text response. In our online program I subscribe to 2 different apps in which our athletes can create free profiles. Coach Now, and Train Heroic.

The reason I love Coach Now as a video feedback app is because I can easily receive a lifter's video, and give them quick detailed feedback. With this app I'm able to draw and voice over a lifter's video, while playing it in slow motion, or comparing it to previous uploads. It is awesome technology that really allows me to give my lifters the best feedback. Beware of an online coach who doesn't take videos however, that is the only way you as an athlete can receive the technical feedback you need to hear.

Accountability

Accountability is huge for a lifter. How many times have you thought to yourself "I wish I had someone in my corner to push me as hard as I push myself?" That is a perfect example of how you can benefit from online coaching! A good coach is going to keep tabs on you to make sure training is going well, and look to make any adjustments on the fly.

This is one of the big reasons I invested in Train Heroic for my team. All my lifter's now log their training days online as they go and I have the ability to see what they are doing and any notes they leave on a regular basis. I'm typically in communication with my athletes in one way or another almost on a daily basis. When they miss or cannot complete a workout, I know about it and can make the adjustments necessary to keep them on course.

This is the beauty of online coaching, as an athlete you have someone backing you and supporting you 24/7. You're able to access your coach whenever you need them and they will be keeping close tabs on your training.

Work With Top Coaches Across The World

You as an athlete are free to choose! No longer does distance have to keep you from working with the best coaches on a regular basis. I've had athletes from all across the world access me for coaching, who otherwise wouldn't have had the opportunity to work with me. I live in New York City, in the United States for reference. I've had the amazing opportunity to work with lifters in Australia, United Kingdom, Africa, Norway, Sweden, Spain, Canada, to name a few, all whom were able to reach out to me to learn and grow. Those athletes in other countries receive no less of an amazing experience because of where they live!

Become Part Of A Team

The community aspect of online coaching can be an awesome thing. When a lifter elects to work with me, I make sure it's known that they don't only get me, but they get a whole team backing their efforts to improve. The fact that we have lifters from all across the world makes it even more awesome because we have so many different cultures of powerlifting coming together.

If you train alone you know it can feel lonely sometimes. Now, if you're a lifter who trains at the gym alone, or at your home gym, you have others who are backing you and rooting for you. You have others to share ideas with and learn from. It just makes training that extra bit sweeter, and you don't need to go through the process of visiting gyms trying to find where, when, and if there are powerlifting crews training there.

Sounds pretty sweet doesn't it?

Just like I said initially, online coaching can make your life 10x easier as an athlete. Online coaching doesn't have to be difficult to understand either. I've had older athletes and athletes who despise technology find success working with me. Good coaches find ways to make the process as simple as possible for the athlete.

Focus on being an athlete again!

Get the 24/7 support you need to thrive!

Where to begin?

If you're ready to get started with online coaching, it's really as simple as finding the right online coach. From there they will make the process easy! How to find the right coach? I recommend asking other athletes through social media for their recommendations. I'd always prefer to go off recommendations and others first hand experiences than searching blindly. The right coach makes all the difference

Even after you receive recommendations, I wouldn't reach out just yet. Follow that coach for some time. Do you like the message they are putting out? Have they been putting out consistent content educating lifters? Have you learned something from them within the first week of following them? Then they may be the one. Start up an email conversation with them and see where it goes!

Big Benchas Online Coaching

For those of you who read this article, and who may have even seen some of our technique videos on social media... if this article fired you up to get started then I would love to find out more about you and your goals!

You just learned a little bit about our coaching program, now let me hear about your goals as an athlete!

Fill out the quick online application below to get started! (mobile friendly) We will respond promptly!

Apply Here!

For those who took the time to read our article, we are offering 30% OFF your first month of coaching! Just mention this article in the "How did you hear about us section" !!

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