# Coach feedback?



## vivid (Jun 1, 2012)

Hey guys,

I recently hired a coach. We have been working together for about a month now and I am wondering whether we are a good fit together. This is my first coach, and I truly like the person, and think he is very knowledgeable, but I am having a dilemma over whether to keep working with him or change to another coach due to his feedback or lack thereof.

This is how our training workings. He prescribes a weeks worth of training. I upload my data files and description of how the workout felt. He then prescribes another week of workouts. This all sounds great, but I have never been told how or what those data files tell the coach, either in general terms of my riding or more ride or section specific. I find this very disconcerting. I would have thought there would be active feedback. For example, "last weeks recovery ride was ridden to hard," or "you went to hard at the beginning of the century, and you backed off towards the end," or "I could tell that you struggled with the climb at mile xx, you should approach it this way," or "we are going to focus on xxxx type of training as it will help with your weakness of xxxx"

Now that is not to say that I do not communicate with the coach, I do. I can email, text or call him and usually get a response within 24hrs. But my questions are usually pre-workout questions to understand what he wants from me. But there has never been any assessment of my rides, fitness level, strengths or weakness shown by my data files.

Lastly, we have never done an FTP test. I brought this up the last time we spoke because I thought it was very unusual to not have a baseline from which to measure improvement. Low and behold this week has an FTP test, but this makes me wonder how vested the coach is in my progress. 

Does this sound like a normal situation for coach/client relationship? I am coming to the end of my first month and am feeling a little underwhelmed.


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## bikerector (Oct 31, 2012)

I think you're expecting a lot of communication from him based on your training. Usually, the first month or two are getting a feel for the athlete/coach because it takes a while to get a baseline of what you can handle.

Having said that, if you're not happy with your coach it's not a bad idea to look elsewhere eventually. I think it's pretty early to decide based on your description.

Everything you've mentioned you would like to hear from you coach should be something you can determine on your own.

Also, if you haven't done much for interval training, that's where a lot more of the data surveying takes place in my experience with a coach. They need something to compare your efforts with and repeated intervals is a great way. There's a lot that goes on in the first few months for getting to know the athlete.

For most of my rides that I send my coach i get a "good job, looks good." For very specific interval training, I get a better breakdown if something happened vs if it went as expected. Example, I have 10 intervals and I blow up on number 8 and suffer through the last 2. I will get something like "power still looked okay for 8 but 9 and 10 were pretty aweful. Try to take it easier between intervals to get more recovery."

If you want to know your strengths and weaknesses, I would ask your coach about it. I did that earlier this year so I had a better idea where he thought I should focus my "talents" during races. This took a lot of data over a longer time to figure this out better.

I've been with my current coach for close to a year and a half, for reference.


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## jspharmd (May 24, 2006)

IMHO, I think you are late in determining the expected/desired level of communication. This should be something that is clearly determined on the front end. In fact, most coaches vary the amount of interaction with a client based on the level of training program they purchased. Did you get the "base level" training? If so, expect less communication. Did you get the "premium level" training? If so, you should be getting weekly (or more) communications. This is a rough description. However, if you look at online coaches, or local coaches with a website, you will see these types of training tiers, with an accompanying description of what to expect. 

If you don't have the information to determine the above, then I would suggest talking to the coach about your expectations. I would do this now and see how you like his response. Based on that conversation, you can decide if you want to seek out a different coach.


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## vivid (Jun 1, 2012)

JS,

I am on the highest level of coaching, the only other level higher includes nutrition advise. To note the package has unlimited contact by my method of preference, with daily review and weekly updates. As I said above, I have no problem contacting my coach to ask pre-workout questions, but I am not getting feedback apart from the next week's schedule. I do not really consider that "feedback". After I rode a 400mi week, I called in the middle of the following week to ask what the coach saw, and the comment I received was for a recovery ride the week before my hard 400mi week. I don't think I should have to solicit feedback, but should be a part of the process, especially with someone who is new to coaching.

But maybe I am looking for a teacher rather than pure instruction... You know the more I talk about it the more I am realizing that I might need to find a different coach. He's a super nice guy and very knowledgeable, but just not the right fit to coach me. No data based feedback and no baseline testing, these seem like two must have's for any training. At least they are for me.


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## jspharmd (May 24, 2006)

vivid said:


> JS,
> 
> I am on the highest level of coaching, the only other level higher includes nutrition advise. To note the package has unlimited contact by my method of preference, with daily review and weekly updates. As I said above, I have no problem contacting my coach to ask pre-workout questions, but I am not getting feedback apart from the next week's schedule. I do not really consider that "feedback". After I rode a 400mi week, I called in the middle of the following week to ask what the coach saw, and the comment I received was for a recovery ride the week before my hard 400mi week. I don't think I should have to solicit feedback, but should be a part of the process, especially with someone who is new to coaching.
> 
> But maybe I am looking for a teacher rather than pure instruction... You know the more I talk about it the more I am realizing that I might need to find a different coach. He's a super nice guy and very knowledgeable, but just not the right fit to coach me. No data based feedback and no baseline testing, these seem like two must have's for any training. At least they are for me.


First thing to consider is your "feelings" about your experience. You obviously aren't happy with the current feedback. You could describe what you wrote here, to your coach. If he responds appropriately, you are both happy. If not, move on. I know several coaches. The high level coaching programs include the type of thing you are looking for in a coach. My coach provides the exact kind of feedback you are looking for. "Hey, your power numbers are telling me you are a bit overtrained...take the next two days off instead of doing the workouts I have listed" this is the type of feedback you might get in an e-mail our phone call. He would offer major feedback on how the power numbers look when doing intervals, but he might not tell you minor stuff, unless you asked. He actually meets with clients to show them how to do certain intervals. 

So, I think you can get more from a coach, it's just a matter of whether or not you want to try to get it from this coach.


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## Local Hero (Jul 8, 2010)

It's not a blood oath. Get a new coach.


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