After college I worked at an athlete performance training facility where we mostly specialized in field athletes to help them with areas like mechanics, strength, agility, quickness, conditioning, and becoming less injury prone. Some of those athletes went on to have a specific coach for specific technique or skills associated with their sport, like a pitching coach. I have a friend who is training for their first marathon and hired a running coach who specializes in long distance running. When I was a swim coach, I focused more on stroke technique, but there were other swim coaches who were very skilled in coaching sprinters. Even if your goal is to gain muscle, a body builder and a strength coach have different approaches.
The point is, you can find a coach for anything. You may even be surprised at how niched down you can get. And while many coaches can “do it all”, it comes down to you and what you’re looking to achieve. The more specific you can be in what your goals are and the results you want, the better your coach can help you get there.
There is plenty of overlap between a Wellness Coach and Personal Trainer. While not exactly synonymous, both experts can be beneficial to you depending on your goals. If you’re just beginning your wellness journey and are confused on where to begin, what to look for, or what to even ask, the following is meant to be a starting point to help you consider your options.
Working with a Wellness Coach
The objective of a Wellness Coach is to guide people in their journey to a holistic betterment of life. Unlike a certified personal trainer, a Wellness Coach does not only focus on exercise. A Wellness Coach can work with you on movement, nutrition, mindset, motivation, recovery and regeneration. While a personal trainer may address these areas as well, often these areas aren’t technically covered in their certification. Working with a Wellness Coach allows for a more self-guided approach in which you confer with and build a plan together, whereas a personal trainer may be prescribing something specifically for you to do.
When to Consider Working with a Wellness Coach
★ When you need help beginning to incorporate movement into your regular routine
★ When you want to take a holistic approach that involves the physical, nutritional, and mind for overall well-being
★ Need help in establishing mindset and motivation to achieve your goals
★ You’re looking for help with long term goals and outcomes & how to sustainably maintain a wellness regimen
Nuances of a Personal Trainer
A personal trainer’s main objective is programming a specific workout or exercise routine that will help you to achieve your goals. Their focus mainly is around the principles of exercise physiology and kinesiology in order to help you change your body composition. That’s not to say a personal trainer doesn’t work with you on mindset and motivation, but it’s worth noting and understanding that their domain is more around the physical body than the mind.
Additionally, it may be better to work with a Personal Trainer for specificity and dialed in objectives. Of course, you can take what you learn with your personal trainer and make it work for you long term. However, the challenge I often see is people who aren’t able to maintain their results when they’re no longer working with that trainer. They don’t transfer their work for the long term.
When to Consider Working with a Personal Trainer
★ When you want a specific exercise plan or a dialed in goal
★ When you have specific aesthetic, physique, performance, or health goals
★ Expertise in physical aspects of well-being, specifically biomechanics and physiology
★ When you need specific demonstration in how to perform exercises and/or help in a gym setting
★ Often works on short term goals (related to physique, performance, health)
To Hire a Coach or To Not Hire a Coach?
Sometimes, you see someone and you simply want to be coached by them because you like the results they have or the way they coach. Nothing wrong with that either, especially if it gets you started. If you are still not sure what steps to take, it may help to consider the following:
Before you ask a coach, ask yourself:
★ What am I looking to achieve? What are my goals? What are my desired outcomes?
★ What am I looking to get out of a coach?
★ What kind of relationship/help/support am I looking for from my coach?
What you may want to ask your coach:
★ What would it look like to work with you? What kind of clients do you typically work with?
★ [Insert goals] are my goals OR I’m looking to get x, y, z out of working with a coach. Does this fit with your coaching style/philosophy?
★ I’m looking for [insert the type of help, support, relationship, etc. you’re looking for] does this align with how you work with your clients?
Keep in mind, most coaches will take you on no matter what. If they don’t take you on, it’s likely because it’s not a good fit which is only a benefit to you in the end. At the end of the day, a coach is meant to guide and support you along your way. Your results are up to you and the work you put in. Coach or no coach, often what matters most is that you simply start and adjust as needed along the way.