dsb137

Just curious as to the thoughts of the Clyde/Athena group as far as coaching goes. Do you think that working with a coach would be helpful to achieving your fitness goals? Aside from money, are there any specific reasons you have or haven't worked with a coach?

JohnnyOTS

I was getting some fitness coaching from the fitness coordinator (more or less a "lite" Personal Trainer) at work until she got caught in a recent round of layoffs. She wasn't a cycling coach, but she was a great resource for nutrition and general exercise. I'd credit her input as being a lot of the reason I've been able to go from 260 pounds to 215 over the past four months, since she was able to optimize my efforts, so to speak. I hired her independently after she was laid off. I'm not an expert at exercise and although I'm getting better educated it's well worth my money to have the "pro" guide me past the pitfalls and help me get the most out of my workouts.

superdex

I think it can be worth it, IF your coach understands YOUR goals and tailors your program. Not all of us want to race. I think there is a niche market for these kinds of coaches, and it just so happens I met one coach this summer filling exactly that gap. I'm not trying to sound like an advertisement, but here's one coach that fits the bill:

https://midlifecycling.com/

Air

+1

If you get someone that can understand you and help you achieve that then definately go for it!

howsteepisit

Gotta say, that after a return to serious cyling at age 48, its a real bear trying to figure out what kind of training program to use since I really do not care to race. Seems all of the trining info is geared to racing. I just wanna ride!

(51)

Yeah. Some guy (roadie) offered to coach me. I told him I ride for enjoyment, not to push myself. I don't want to turn it into something I despise every morning.

Velo Dog

Personally, I'd benefit a lot more from a strength and flexibility coach. I love cycling and I'll do that, and study the principles, on my own. I hate stretching and lifting, and do it only when I get so weak and stiff I can't lift the bike onto the top of the car anymore. If I had a coach who looked like, say, Gabrielle Reece hollering at me to bend, lift, one more set, I'd be a lot better off. But the CONCEPT of a coach sounds fine....

(51)

Uhhhh, yeah! I would draft behind her any day!!!

Tom Stormcrowe

That's absolutely cool, and your choice! (51), that's the key, keep it fun!

(51)

Oh no! Someone call the exterminator. We're infested with termites!

Ricardo

I would... if I knew one in my area...

RR

Hambone

I was talking with a friend just today about being careful with your hobbies. I told her about my uncle who, upon his retirement, turned his lifelong love of carving into a new career. He opened a store and taught lessons. Within two years he dreaded every moment and soon thereafter closed the place. Worst of all, he hasn't made a thing in ten years or more.

Hambone

Have those of you who would like a coach checked out your local clubs?

DavisClydesdale

I recently started with a personal trainer. We are working on:

• Proper posture and form
• Isolating underutilized muscles
• Proper nutrition
• Flexibility
• Core Strength

I need to correct for some bad habits that have resulted from favoring different muscles after re-constructive knee surgery. I also need to lose weight (obviously) and work on training for the triathlons. My trainer is very good, and all of the sessions are one-on-one for an hour. I feel, as someone else stated, that a trainer is a good idea if they understand your goals. Some of the trainers I know have trainers for themselves. Sometimes, no matter how much you know, you need the outside perspective and fresh ideas. I would recommend seeing a trainer for a few sessions to see if it will be beneficial for you. After a couple of weeks if it looks like it won't work for you, well then you can go back to doing your own thing, which is no worse than where you are now. Who knows, maybe you will pick up some pointers in that time, or even better, maybe you will find that the trainer is the best thing for you.

lawndart

I got a Cannondale R5000 roadbike this spring. I weighed 230 lbs. My coworker(cat 2 racer) offered to coach me and gives me workouts to do thoughout the week. I use a Polar 725 with Cadence and i email him my workouts. To this date i hit a plateau of 208-210. 20lbs in a couple of months better outlook on life, less achey knees...not bad at all. Come spring i hope to break the 200 mark.

DanteB

I’ve been using a coach for five years and it has made a big difference in my cycling. Having a coach keeps me from overtraining and injuring myself and also she keeps my cycling interesting with different workouts. This time of the year she keeps my schedule easy and fun to recharge my interest in cycling. My coach has a coach to keep from overtraining herself.