trainSharp Coaching: The Process

The Coaching Process: walking through the trainSharp new athlete process, what it involves and what you can expect as a rider

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trainSharp Coaching: The Process

Website: trainSharp Coaching

Signing up to anything and starting a new relationship is often daunting, but when it comes to getting a coach to help you ride faster and better, it does not need to be. This article walks  through the trainSharp new athlete process, what it involves and what you can expect as a rider.

This article will denote the new athlete process for trainSharp’s first package, Stage 1. We have different coaching packages suited to different riders, whereby the new athlete process will differ, though the basics are the same.

Initial Contact
Most coaching start-ups begin with an in-depth phone call with the director of trainSharp and founder, Jon Sharples. The purpose of this discussion is to essentially understand what your dream is as a rider, where you are now and where you want to get to.

Jon then breaks your goals down and proposes a strategy for success, taking note of you individually as a rider and what you need in order to achieve your targets. The key to this conversation is to establish the goals and the requirements of the rider and then match these to the coach.

Every single rider has different targets with varying requirements, so the best trainSharp coach for them often differs from rider to rider. Jon will also then discuss which coaching package is optimal for you, whether that be Stage 1 or upwards and this ultimately depends on how much and the type of support you require as an individual.

Once the above call has finished, you’ll either be booked in to come and meet your coach at the trainSharp HQ and complete a physiological assessment in the laboratory, or if you’re not local, a call with your new coach will be organised.

Meet the coach
If you’re local enough, this is where you’ll come to the trainSharp HQ, there are a two key reasons for this: 1. You’ll meet with your new coach and the rest of the trainSharp team and 2. you’ll complete a Physiological Assessment. Meeting your coach is imperative to a successful relationship and for a rapport to be developed. With our experience, the relationship is one of the key factors to your success, so it is important for this rapport to be developed over a coffee and some testing!

This is usually the point where the rider can set their expectations of the coach and the coach can set their expectations of the rider. This varies hugely from rider to rider. Some riders require more session feedback, others more phone calls, some race tactics and so on. It is also useful for the coach to understand you more as an individual and nothing does that better than meeting face to face.

The Physiological Assessment will occur in the trainSharp lab and comprises of a Blood Lactate step test, Maximal Aerobic Power test, Maximal Sprints and Body Composition testing. This may vary from rider to rider, with other tests such as Critical Power and Field testing available where required.

This testing is completed with one of the expert trainSharp Sports Scientists. The Physiological Assessment allows the rider and coach to get an understanding of the rider’s physiological profile, what type of rider they are, along with their strengths and weaknesses. This also allows the coach to set accurate training zones, ensuring all training set is done so with the right focus.

Whilst meeting and testing a rider in person has advantages, we coach riders worldwide and will not meet a large percentage of our clients in person. This means over the years we have become experts and leaders in distance coaching and testing methods. So, whether you can travel to us or not, we will always treat you as a local rider.

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Lifestyle Audit
Following on from the above, we ask new athletes to complete a lifestyle audit. This comprises of a coaching questionnaire, a rider information sheet, and a weekly planner. The purpose of this is to summarise your previous conversations on paper, to ensure everyone is on the same page as it were.

The coaching questionnaire consists of what a current training week is like for you and what you believe to be your strengths and weaknesses. The key to this is that any training should be planned around you and your lifestyle, not the training planning your life. This makes a big difference when discussing success.

You will then complete a rider information sheet, whereby some current physiological statistics (Height, Body Mass, Power Data etc) will be provided along with your current training availability. This is followed by adding information about your long- and short-term goals.

This is arguably the most important piece of information, after all, what is it all for!? The final piece, is a weekly planner; when do you work, see family, walk the dog and so on.

Today’s Plan set up
From here on, the rider will be set up on ‘Today’s Plan’ with a premium account. This allows us as coaches to prescribe your training, which you can upload via your headunit once the session has been completed. There are a host of training metrics and dashboard functions that we can utilise, with one goal, to make you faster.

Your coach will then set up your first training block and you will receive a welcome pack; the rest is history.

From here it is probable that the performance improvements are going to come very quickly, so within the first couple of months, it is likely that the coach will discuss re-testing. This will establish new training zones and track performance progress. The rider can then leave feedback on sessions, with the coach then responding with their comments and analysis of training efforts. Communication between the rider and coach is imperative and this is one of the key factors that makes for good coaching.

The above process is a summary of the new athlete process and this does differ from rider to rider. Everything we do has one focus, to improve your fitness performance and health and to help you fulfill your goals and be the best athlete you can be.

If you are interested in a trainSharp coaching package, please email paul@trainsharp.co.uk for more information.

Website: trainSharp Coaching

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