Choosing a Coach
The title is unregulated, so almost every coach looks the same on a website. Here is what actually separates a coach who will get you results from one who will sell you a template with your name on it.
To choose a performance coach, verify four things: real credentials (a CSCS at minimum, ideally paired with a Doctor of Physical Therapy), objective testing you can actually see, a written system rather than a recycled template, and honest communication about what they can and cannot do. The rest is marketing.
"Strength coach" and "performance coach" are unregulated titles. A weekend course, a certificate mill, or a big following is enough to sell training to the public, which is why so much of what is out there is a recycled template. The website tells you almost nothing. These are the things that actually do.
A recognized strength credential like the CSCS is the floor. A clinical doctorate on top of it, a DPT, means the coach can read your body, your history, and your risk, not just write sets and reps.
If a coach cannot tell you how they will measure progress, they are guessing. Look for real testing, jump power, reactive strength, strength standards, not just a scale and a mirror.
Your plan should be built for you, your sport, your history, your equipment. If it could be copied to the next client, it is a template, not coaching.
Great coaching adjusts. Video review of your lifts, weekly check-ins, and a direct line to the coach beat a PDF you never hear about again.
By application only · Reviewed weekly
At minimum a recognized strength and conditioning credential such as the CSCS. The strongest coaches pair that with a clinical doctorate, a Doctor of Physical Therapy, so they can build performance and understand your body and your injury history at the same time.
A CSCS is a real, respected credential and a solid floor. Pairing it with a Doctor of Physical Therapy adds the clinical half, which matters most if you have an injury history or want training that keeps you durable.
Ask how they assess you before writing anything, and how the plan changes week to week. If there is no assessment and no adjustment, it is a template.
Yes. Objective testing, jump power, reactive strength, strength standards, is how progress is proven instead of promised. A coach who never measures is guessing.
For programming, testing, and feedback, a better online coach beats a nearby average one. See our full breakdown of online versus in-person coaching.
If you want a coach who is a Doctor of Physical Therapy and CSCS, tests your progress, and builds a plan for one athlete, apply for the roster. No payment to apply, reviewed weekly.
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