How Online Performance Coaching Works And Why It’s Perfect for Experienced Athletes
Coaching Has Evolved: Welcome to the New Era
Classically, performance coaching or personal training meant being in the same room with a trainer. But in this digital age, a new option is presenting itself: online coaching. An option that creates much more flexibility for athletes and coaches and removes geographical barriers, allowing for great partnerships around the world. Driven by an increased ease of digital programming, video sharing, monitoring, and online communication options, I have experienced this being a super effective way of coaching and delivering great strength & conditioning coaching.
As this is maturing, I’m seeing more and more of my both experienced and less experienced athletes choosing to engage in a partial or full remote coaching option. If you’re wondering how it compares to in-person coaching, read on.
What Is Online Performance Coaching?
Online performance coaching is individualized training delivered remotely. Communication is done through calls, programming is made, delivered and monitored online, video is shared for review, and all kinds of health, nutrition and recovery data can be shared for monitoring purposes. As with in-person coaching frequency and exact training and monitoring details should be adjusted per person and based on their goals.
It goes beyond a generic program: you're getting a plan, feedback, and strategic adjustments tailored to your goals, lifestyle, and recovery patterns.
A typical setup includes:
Personalized training blocks
Weekly or bi-weekly check-ins, message or video
Video-based form reviews (if necessary)
Progress tracking via shared apps or dashboards
Monitoring of health & recovery data
Now, obviously, remote coaching doesn’t allow for the same kind of instant feedback that in-person coaching does and, therefore is sometimes a bit less suitable for doing very technical coaching. However, it often makes up for this in gained flexibility and time efficiency. Additionally, for the more experienced athletes, when doing the more general, less technical, strength & conditioning work, I would argue this is not a problem. To be fair, as an in-person trainer I’m sometimes a glorified rep-counter.
How It Actually Works
1. Intake
During the intake, we discuss what you’re looking for in a trainer and what goals you want to achieve. If we agree that there is a fit, we’ll schedule the assessment & onboarding call in which we take a deep dive.
2. Assessment & Onboarding
You begin by sharing your training background, goals, weekly schedule, injuries, and potentially we check a few movement videos. This helps me understand where you're starting and where you want to go. Based on this, a timeline is created, tangible goals are set, and a training structure is agreed upon. Also, at this point, an initial meeting frequency is set.
3. Program Design
I, your coach, builds a tailored, personalized program, whether you’re preparing for your next competition, the CrossFit Open, rebuilding post-injury, or peaking for a weightlifting meet. Everything is based on your goals, equipment, schedule, and recovery capacity. And will give you a run-down of the program when it’s ready.
4. Feedback & Adjustments
Based on agreed-upon metrics, you’ll provide feedback by for instance, registering weights, paces, RPEs and comments on training sessions. Potentially logging recovery scores and nutrition as well. In case we agree to have mid-cycle reviews, I will adjust training based upon your feedback. Progress isn’t just tracked; it’s actively managed.
5. Progress Review & Next Steps
Every 4-6 weeks, often towards the end of a cycle/block we’ll do a review of the training block and reassess to see if we’re on track to hit the goals set. Based on that assessment and upcoming events we’ll set the new targets and start the process back from the start.
Why Online Coaching Is Ideal for Experienced Athletes
Let’s quickly define experienced. In this case it’s actually quite an inclusive term. Effectively, this encompasses everyone who has a decent technical foundation in the often-used compound lifts, can track their own paces, and is sufficiently informed to deal with minor obstacles like unavailable equipment. Once you’ve mastered the basics, about 90% of strength & conditioning training is pretty straight forward, and although there sure is value in having a coach on sight. It is by no means necessary for achieving elite results.
✔ Autonomy with Structure
Experienced athletes often thrive when they control their own training time. However, nothing is as difficult as coaching yourself, creating structure and keeping yourself accountable to not just your goals but also your much needed recovery time. Online coaching still gives a lot of autonomy while having someone to help you stick to the structure
✔ True Customization
Your coach isn't guessing or handing you a template. Your plan evolves with your feedback, recovery, and results. Setting priorities and working to optimize is difficult by yourself and having a coach creates a much more reliable and tailored training plan.
✔ Precision without the hassle
You’re not bound to a weekly appointment at a gym that isn’t your own anymore. Saving valuable travel time and giving you much more flexibility
✔ Access to Better Coaches
You're no longer limited to the coaches in your vicinity, you can work with someone who aligns with your goals and philosophy, even if they’re on the other side of the planet
✔ Data-Driven Insights
Although this is not unique to remote coaching, the nature of it being only forces you to create, share and save a lot of data using tools like HRV tracking, RPE logs, or weekly surveys which can/should be used to inform better training decisions.
Misconceptions About Online Coaching (Debunked)
"But I need a coach watching every rep." As we just discussed, this is often not necessary for more experienced athletes. Also, arguably video analysis is often more precise than live feedback. .
"Isn’t it less personal?" Not when it’s done right. Sure it’s different than in person, but I’ve built amazing relationships with online clients. Also, there is still an option to do a hybrid version where you meet every few months giving you the best of both.
"It’s not as effective as in-person." For some individuals, it’s more effective. Due to the flexibility and convenience. In the end, the most effective thing is the thing you can do the most consistently for the longest time. And by removing flexibility and travel barriers remote coaching can aid to that.
Who It's Not For
Total beginners who need in-person movement teaching
Athletes looking to work on or perfect technical aspects of movements
Athletes who struggle to self-motivates
If that’s you, hybrid coaching or in-person training might be a better fit.
Conclusion: Train Smarter, Not Just Harder
Online coaching is a great option for high-performing athletes. It removes geographical barriers, increases flexibility & autonomy and creates a data-driven coaching style while still offering the structure, expert guidance, and human touch of a real coach.
This is why I believe that for the right people remote coaching is the perfect solution, offering them everything they need.
If you’re ready to explore if remote coaching is right for you, let’s have a quick call to explore how I can help you!