Finding the right coach can change everything.
The wrong one? That can mess with your body, your mindset, and your love for the sport.
Coaching should expand you, not shrink you. It should make you feel seen, capable, and equipped—not dependent, dismissed, or broken down.
But the truth is, not all coaching is created equal. And while the red flags don’t always show up in flashing neon, they’re there if you know how to spot them.
When Coaches Close Their Minds, You Should Find the Exit Door
If a coach refuses to consider alternative methods—Chi Running, mobility-based strength, polarized training, hormone-aware programming—that’s not confidence. That’s insecurity wearing a whistle.
The best coaches don’t guard their methods like trade secrets. They stay curious, flexible, and open to learning from other disciplines. They ask why before they say no.
If someone tells you, “That stuff doesn’t work,” but can’t explain why beyond opinion, it’s not your job to convince them. It’s your cue to keep moving.
If They Downplay Strength Training, Run the Other Way
Strength training is no longer optional for endurance athletes—it’s foundational.
Any coach still clinging to “just run more miles” is either outdated or uninterested in evolving. Muscles protect joints, support tendons, and regulate hormones. Without them, you’re playing injury roulette.
A modern coach should be talking load management, mobility, tendon resilience, and power—not just paces and mileage.
One-Size-Fits-All Isn’t a Coaching Philosophy—it’s a Shortcut
Cookie-cutter programming is the hallmark of a coach who stopped learning.
If your “personalized” plan looks suspiciously like someone else’s, if your recovery needs are ignored, or if your feedback gets brushed off with “trust the process,” that’s not individualization—it’s negligence with good branding.
Coaching should feel like a conversation, not a command.
Credentials Don’t Equal Competence
Here’s the part nobody likes to say out loud:
A wall full of certifications doesn’t mean someone knows how to coach you.
Certifications are a baseline, not a personality test. The best coaches blend science and empathy. They have lived experience, emotional maturity, and enough humility to admit when they don’t know something.
A coach who can’t meet you where you are will never help you grow.
Pay Attention to How They Talk About Other Coaches
This one’s subtle, but it’s telling.
Coaches who constantly trash other methods or name-drop credentials to prove superiority aren’t confident—they’re defensive.
A secure coach doesn’t need to discredit others. They focus on creating results, not rivalries.
What Good Coaching Actually Looks Like
The best coaches see the whole athlete: your physiology, your psychology, your life. They teach you how to think for yourself, not rely on them forever.
They’re transparent about their methods, open about the “why,” and unbothered if you ask hard questions.
They care more about helping you build longevity than locking you into dependence.
The coaching world is full of passionate people—and plenty of egos. The good ones know that progress happens when athlete and coach work with each other, not in hierarchy.
So if something feels off, if your intuition starts whispering that something’s not adding up, trust that.
Because the right coach won’t just make you faster. They’ll make you smarter, stronger, and harder to manipulate.
If you want to understand the biomechanics, mindset, and movement principles behind evidence-based coaching—without the industry gatekeeping—let's talk about coaching options or try one of my training plans. You'll learn how to move better, think critically, and take ownership of your training.
You deserve coaching that builds you, not controls you.