The performative coach - when every session turns into a TED talk

Let’s face it. Learning a squat is stupidly easy. Nothing in the gym is so complicated that a coach needs to morph into a sports commentator. Nobody in the next street needs to know that you didn’t retract your shoulder blades enough.

And yet, I keep meeting people who think “quality coaching” means constant commentary. The hawk-eyed coach who insists on watching every rep, giving you 17 corrections, and convincing you that squatting 10 kilos requires surgical precision.

The more I coach, the more accepting of errors I’ve become. You need hundreds of bad reps before your body refines your technique. And a coach who doesn’t let the happen is only stalling your progress.

Here’s the other issue: over-coaching makes clients believe there’s only one way to move. They begin to judge everyone else’s technique through this lens. I’ve had some people come to me asking me to correct other clients’ technique because it looked wrong to them. Variance in technique is perfectly normal and everyone is going to have different strategies to accomplish a given task. It doesn’t really matter if an Arjun uses a slightly more hip dominant strategy to squat or if a Sam over extends her T spine on a pull-up.

Now, about cueing, less is always more. Good cueing is like picking a route on google maps. You’re trying to pick the fastest route. Minimal fuss. Bad cueing is like driving with 3 different navigation apps all telling you different things. Sure…you’ll arrive at your destination, just slower and more annoyed.

And look… coaching needs to be engaging. It should want you coming back for more. But there’s a difference between engagement and dependence. Coaching isn’t about convincing you that tiny mistakes are progress-killers, or that nitpicks are why you aren’t getting stronger. Trust me…you can get really good with “mediocre” technique if you just do it long enough.

Most of the time, the performative coach is solving their problem and not yours. Their problem with awkward silence. Their need to be liked. Their need to be seen an expert.

At the end of the day, I get paid for the outcomes I produce. If I can do that with fewer words, I will. If that makes me seen slightly less entertaining, so be it. Because the goal isn’t for me to perform as a coach, it’s for you to perform at lifting.