My approach to the coaching process
Putting It Together:
Step #1: Preliminary meeting (in person or by phone). Can we work together?
Step#2: Discuss sport and training history, physical limitations, present or past injuries, goals, obtain dates for important events, and set dates to test.
Step #3: Set goals.
Step #4: Produce the athlete's training schedule.
Step #5: Meet again to discuss training schedule. Coach/Client Relationship
Step #6: Test for fitness levels at the appropriate times.
Individual attention:
1. Discussing training objective.
2. Using heart rate/power information to set training zones.
3. Personalized workouts.
Communication:
1. Client initiated and/or coach initiated communication.
2. Communication frequency is as needed, not just once/week or once/month.
3. Communication via in person, by phone or email.
Training between the ears:
1. Establishing goals.
2. Pre and post-event strategies.
3. Developing mental toughness.
Pricing and payment structures:
*One to two-hour meeting (Putting It Together section above) is free. If you would like me to create a comprehensive macrocycle (game plan for the season) for you to keep on hard copy or in a word file then there is an additional cost of $140.00. This macrocycle fee is NOT a prerequisite to your training with me - it is strictly an option for those who would like to keep track of their seasonal plan. There is NO set-up fee.
*Max heart rate testing (Only max test for healthy men under 40 years of age, and healthy women under 50 years of age. Projected max for men and women falling outside of these parameters) for swim, bike, run: $50.00/event
*Fee per month for coaching assistance in any one or combination of events: $75.00
*One-time Strength and conditioning programs for traditional endurance sports such as swim, bike, run: $50.00/hour to develop training plan.
*Payment Schedule: 1.) Payment due prior to any test, meeting or monthly schedule. 2.) Payable to Excel Adventure Sport & Photo, 5795 Holland Dr., Hudson, Ohio 44236. I accept cash, personal checks, and money orders.
***Clients who are paying a monthly coaching fee are entitled to free heart-rate testing, free one-on-one workout sessions with me, and a reduced price at all Excel In Cycling indoor cycling sessions.
In Closing...
I especially take pride in the fact that I'm not a "One Trick Pony" coach who relies on a single specialty. What's more, the numerous endurance sports that I have participated in - cycling, running, triathlon, swimming, rock climbing - I took very seriously. Whenever I entered a new sport, I did so with enough passion, drive and the will to excel, that I was able to attain some pretty damned good results in each and every one of them! This is because my approach has always been to LEARN that particular sport from its technical & scientific side.
During my 31 years of racing, I'd been a Cat 2/3 road cyclist, a top age-grouper in running and triathlon, a very solid trad and sport rock climber, and a pretty respectable swimmer in Masters swim competitions - despite my having ZERO prior experience in the pool. My philosophy of concentrating on the nuts and bolts of a sport served me well in triathlon, where I took my pathetic swimming ability and turned it into a strong suit. This because I forced myself to train like, compete with, and compare myself to the good swimmers in Masters swim meets.
With all this being said, I guess you could label me a "Blue Collar" athlete, someone who had to rely on a ton of hard work and intelligent training to get better. I never rocked the charts with mind-bending VO2 Max's, nor was I gifted with the right genetics to be great from the get-go, let alone go professional or compete at the elite level. That's why I have more of an appreciation for the hard work and dedication in the whole training process. What's more I learned how to recognize an athlete's strengths and weaknesses, and I developed an eye for examining & teaching proper sport technique. This because I had to work so bloody hard on those areas myself!
So in closing think about it...almost all of us out there are Blue Collar athletes! And many of the things that are innate to those gifted athletes, we blue collar people have to work much harder to attain. That's where I come in. And that's exactly how I coach. My aim with multi-sport and single-sport athletes is to get them to understand the finer aspects of the sport/s - the form, the technique and the mind-set - then build a solid base from there. The antithesis to this coaching approach is to just hammer away at improving VO2 & Power. So remember this: Anyone can work out hard...it's paying attention to the small details that will separate YOU from your competition!
