What Good Coaching Actually Looks Like
Okay, I’m on my soapbox again… I’m just so exhausted by “coaches” facilitating workouts and athletes leaving no better than they were before.
Walk into many gyms today and you’ll see a familiar pattern.
The workout is written on a whiteboard. Music is playing. The coach talks through the workout on the whiteboard then starts a timer.
Athletes move through the workout while someone occasionally calls out the time remaining.
Technically, that’s a class. But it’s not necessarily coaching.
Real coaching is something deeper. It’s not simply facilitating a workout, it’s guiding athletes through a training experience with intention, education, and purpose.
Coaching Starts Before the Class Begins
Good coaching doesn’t start when the clock does. It starts long before the first athlete walks through the door.
A coach should understand:
The purpose of the workout
The intended stimulus
The movement patterns being trained
The energy system demands
Where athletes might struggle
Appropriate scaling options that consider the intended stimulus, movement patterns, and athlete limitations
Without that understanding, programming becomes nothing more than instructions on a board.
But when a coach understands the design behind the workout, they can explain the why to athletes, and that changes everything.
Communicating the Stimulus
Every workout has a goal.
Sometimes the focus is aerobic endurance. Sometimes it’s strength under fatigue. Sometimes it’s movement efficiency or pacing.
A good coach communicates this clearly so athletes know how the workout should feel, not just what it looks like on paper.
Instead of simply saying:
“Today we’re doing 12 minutes of thrusters and pull-ups.”
A good coach might say:
“Today’s workout is meant to feel like a steady push. You should be able to move continuously without redlining early. The goal is consistent pacing and efficient movement.”
That kind of guidance helps athletes train with intention instead of guessing.
Scaling Is a Coaching Skill
Another sign of strong coaching is how scaling is approached.
Scaling isn’t about making a workout easier or simplifying the movement just so the athlete can complete the workout quickly, it’s about making it appropriate for the athlete in front of you, while focusing on intended stimulus and movement patterns.
Good coaches offer options that preserve the intended stimulus while respecting:
Current strength levels
Movement proficiency
Injury history
Training experience
A beginner and a seasoned athlete can complete the same workout and both receive the intended training effect, and even see progress over time, when scaling is applied thoughtfully. That’s coaching.
For example, if a person “can’t do box jump overs” but really they just can’t do 20” box jump overs, barring injuries, the scale shouldn’t be box step overs, it should be lower jump overs (whether that’s jumping over a lower box, stacked plates, or some other lower-to-the-ground object). Intended stimulus (jump), still intact. Athelte considerations/capabilities (can’t jump to standard height but can still jump - barring movement limitations/injuries), still intact. Athlete’s ability to grow and improve, intact.
Continuously scaling to the easiest movement doesn’t help the athlete, it keeps them stuck and never able to improve. It also means they aren’t going to hit the intended stimulus of the workout, which means they won’t get the full benefits of said workout, which subsequently means the program is not going to work for them in the long run. There’s nothing wrong with the program, but there’s definitely something wrong with how it’s being coached.
Movement Standards and Points of Performance
Coaching also lives in the details of movement.
Athletes benefit from clear reminders of:
Movement standards
Points of performance
Efficient mechanics
These details help prevent injury and reinforce skill development.
But good coaches go one step further, they don’t just correct mistakes. They teach athletes how to move better.
This might look like:
Demonstrating key positions
Providing one or two focused cues
Breaking down complex movements into manageable pieces
Giving each athlete in the class at least one piece of feedback
The goal isn’t perfection. The goal is progress.
Drills and Development
Every class is an opportunity for athlete development.
Good coaches recognize moments where a short drill or focused practice can help athletes build capacity over time.
Instead of rushing straight into the workout, they might take a few minutes to work on:
Pulling mechanics before Olympic lifts
Shoulder positioning before pressing
Bracing before heavy squats
These moments compound over weeks and months, helping athletes become stronger, more capable movers. I often say “I’ve said this before but I’ll say it a million times more because drills make skills.” I then go into detail about points of performance of whatever the movement of the day is and I point out what athletes should be paying attention to.
Maybe they pick up on something today that they missed last week, maybe something in the lift starts to click this time around, maybe they just needed a reminder because they’re confusing this movement with points of performance of another. You’re not in the brain of the athlete, so don’t assume.
Warm Ups Should Prepare the Athlete, Not Just Fill Time
Another area where real coaching shows up is in the warm-up.
Too often, warm-ups become generic, jumping jacks, a light jog, maybe a few random stretches, before jumping into the workout. While that might raise the heart rate, it doesn’t necessarily prepare athletes for what they’re about to do.
A well-designed warm-up should follow a clear progression: mobilize, stabilize, then strengthen.
Mobilize
After having your athletes get their heart rates up (maybe 1-3 minutes of general cardio on a machine or a brisk jog), the first real step is improving range of motion in the joints and tissues that will be used in the workout. If a workout includes overhead pressing or snatches, athletes may need shoulder and thoracic mobility work. If squats are coming up, hips and ankles should be addressed.
Stabilize
Once mobility is established, athletes need to reinforce control within that range of motion. This might include core engagement drills, glute activation, or positional holds that help athletes maintain proper alignment under load.
Strengthen
Finally, the warm-up should begin introducing the movements and loading patterns that will appear in the workout. This is where athletes rehearse the movement patterns, lighter squats before heavier squats, technique drills before Olympic lifts, or skill progressions before gymnastics work.
When warm-ups follow this progression, they do more than just “get people moving.” They prepare the body, reinforce good mechanics, and reduce injury risk.
Good coaching recognizes that the warm-up is not separate from the workout, it’s the first step of it.
Coaching the Athlete, Not Just the Clock
Managing time is important in a class setting, but coaching is more than controlling the clock or adjusting the music.
Real coaching involves observing athletes, responding to what’s happening in real time, and providing guidance when it matters.
It means noticing when someone needs encouragement, when someone needs to scale back, and when someone is ready to be challenged.
It means paying attention.
Yeah, yeah. Coaches have lives and jobs and families and other things to do outside of coaching. Frankly, if you aren’t putting your best effort into every class you coach, you shouldn’t be there.
The Bigger Picture
At its core, good coaching is about helping people grow, not just facilitating their workout of the day.
That growth might look like:
A new skill
Improved movement quality
Increased confidence
Better pacing and strategy
Greater understanding of training
Athletes should leave a class feeling like they learned something, not just that they finished a workout.
Because coaching isn’t simply about getting people tired. It’s about helping them become better, stronger, and more capable over time.