Should I Hire a Strength Coach?

Hiring a coach can be an absolute game changer—but do you actually need one? What are the benefits of coaching, when is the right time to take the plunge, and how do you choose the right coach for you?

The truth is that it is possible, with sufficient research and knowledge, to make excellent progress without a coach.

For the first three or four years of my lifting journey, I didn’t have one. I made consistent progress by tracking my gym lifts over time, eating what I considered to be a balanced diet and monitoring every useful metric I could. I would either write my own programme or follow pre-written training plans online, and I made substantial progress during those early years.

In fact, sometimes it is better to begin with a pre-written training plan. This gives you an opportunity to learn how your body responds to training, develop some independence and make sure you are genuinely committed before investing in a coaching relationship.

However, there often comes a point when self-coaching starts to make less sense. Progress slows down, plateaus become more common and you begin to question whether you are doing the right things. If that sounds familiar, it might be time to hire a coach.

What Does a Coach Actually Do?

A good coach does much more than send you a generic training plan.

They should take the time to understand your goals, training experience, lifestyle, available equipment, injury history and personal circumstances. From there, they can build an efficient, long-term plan designed specifically for you—and adapt it based on how you are progressing.

The main benefits of hiring a coach include:

•⁠  ⁠A structured programme tailored to your individual goals
•⁠  ⁠Accountability and regular communication
•⁠  ⁠Technique feedback and form reviews
•⁠  ⁠Objective decisions about training, rather than emotional ones
•⁠  ⁠Adjustments when progress stalls or life gets in the way
•⁠  ⁠Support when preparing for a competition or specific goal
•⁠  ⁠The reassurance that your training is moving in the right direction

One of the biggest benefits is removing the guesswork. Instead of constantly wondering whether you should add weight, change exercises, take a deload or completely rewrite your programme, you have someone making informed decisions based on your progress.

A Coach Cannot Do the Work for You

When you hire a coach, you are trusting them to provide direction, accountability and an effective long-term plan.

However—despite a common misconception—it is not solely your coach’s responsibility to make sure you progress.

Your coach can write the perfect programme, review your technique and give you all the guidance you need, but they cannot complete the sessions for you. You still have to put the hours in, train with intent, communicate honestly and implement the advice you are given.

Coaching works best as a partnership. The coach provides the structure, experience and objective decision-making; the athlete brings the effort, consistency and communication.

When Should You Hire a Coach?

You may benefit from coaching if:

•⁠  ⁠Your progress has stalled and you don’t know why
•⁠  ⁠You struggle to stay accountable when training alone
•⁠  ⁠You frequently jump between different programmes
•⁠  ⁠You are preparing for your first competition
•⁠  ⁠You have a specific strength or performance goal
•⁠  ⁠You are unsure how to structure your training
•⁠  ⁠You want experienced feedback on your technique
•⁠  ⁠You spend more time questioning your plan than following it

You do not need to be an elite athlete—or even particularly experienced—to benefit from coaching. A beginner can avoid years of trial and error by learning good habits from the start, while an experienced athlete may need more precise programming to break through a plateau.

How Do You Choose the Right Coach?

Qualifications and experience matter, but the relationship matters too.

Look for a coach who understands your goals, communicates clearly and has experience working with people like you. They should be willing to explain their decisions, listen to your feedback and adjust your training when necessary.

Be cautious of anyone promising guaranteed results, dramatic transformations in an unrealistic timeframe or a single approach that supposedly works for everyone. Good coaching should be individual—not copied and pasted.

You should also think about the style of coaching you respond to. Some people want direct, no-nonsense accountability, while others need a more supportive and collaborative approach. Neither is automatically better; it is about finding the right fit for you.

Coaching at Haynes Strength

For us, coaching is about building a genuine, long-term coach–client relationship.

All Haynes Strength coaching packages have a three-month minimum term because meaningful progress takes time. We want the opportunity to understand how you respond to training, build momentum and make informed adjustments—not throw together a quick plan and disappear.

Daisy now heads up the majority of coaching at Haynes Strength, working with a huge variety of clients. These range from complete beginners looking to build confidence and consistency, through to strength athletes, strongmen and strongwomen preparing for competitions.

Daisy’s coaching focuses on the whole person—not just the numbers written on a programme. She takes the time to understand each client’s lifestyle, confidence, routine and individual challenges, creating an approach that is realistic, supportive and sustainable.

 

I work with a smaller group of strongman and grip-focused clients, using my own experience as a professional strongman and record-holding athlete to help clients improve their performance and prepare for competition.

Depending on your goals, we offer:

•⁠  ⁠Individual online strength coaching
•⁠  ⁠Specialist grip coaching
•⁠  ⁠The Power Couple package for partners who want to progress together
•⁠  ⁠Hybrid packages combining online coaching with weekly in-person sessions
•⁠  ⁠Individual personal-training sessions with Paddy or Daisy
•⁠  ⁠Pre-written strength, grip, glute and hybrid training plans

Our online clients receive individualised programming, regular communication, form reviews and ongoing adjustments based on their progress. You aren’t simply buying a spreadsheet—you are getting an ongoing coaching relationship with people who genuinely care about helping you improve.

You can explore all Haynes Strength coaching packages here. 

We have lots of new 8-12 week plans coming soon!