I've felt for a long time that in the fitness landscape mentorship may be the most powerful way to obtain information due to the nature of training. Every rep, every set is a personal experience, and tapping a more experienced athlete or coach can allow for a much faster shattering of plateaus and barriers. The famous catchphrase in our gym: "You don't know, what you don't know"
Mentorship Landscape in Fitness
The sports/fitness world has become highly specialized in the last 40 years. Unlike in the early to middle 1900s, athletes don't compete and win in multiple sports at the highest of levels. Knowing this information above, we should select someone who is in the specific field of fitness we wish to compete or perform.
Select based on your level
Ideally, we want to train with the absolute best mentors or trainers from the start but you might not have access to the highest tiers of training till you're able to perform at the level needed (give it a shot though!). However high-level coaches due to the nature of specialization may choose to only work with the best athletes specifically for the competitive challenge. That's ok though! If we're still new to our focus there are going to be thousands of great coaches that can adequately get an athlete to those higher perspective levels. Anyone whose ever seen a football feeder program from middle school to high school will understand the above. Find a club-level coach and get your flow on!
Growing as an athlete
As you grow as an athlete you may end up having multiple mentors/coaches. It's important to understand that your job is to always put yourself in the environment necessary for continual growth; if you're not having those results, it's ok to make a change. Coach's in the know who understand the journey of an athlete will generally support whatever path an athlete takes. In that same vein let us not mistake being patient as well is important for growth. Finding this balance of progress at "realistic rates" vs. not "seeing progress at all" is EXACTLY why mentorship is so powerful. An experienced coach knows what change looks like over years and what that process looks like along the way.
If you've been training on your own for a long time I invite you to step outside of your comfort zone and take on a mentor. You don't necessarily have to hire anyone, but I'm sure there is someone more experienced than you that could be tapped for knowledge. Growth is not achieved from doing the same or being consistent; growth is achieved by an adaptation to stress. If you're comfortable in your training and your first thought was "I don't need a coach/mentor"; You might want to take a second a reconsider that knee-jerk response.
Do you not need a coach because you're 100% sure you're getting the most growth possible or are you afraid of talking to someone more experienced than you? You might find the thought of doing that uncomfortable. Projection is the #1-way people try to get around the harder questions I ask, let's be honest with ourselves and put the pride aside. We all could do better by talking to someone smarter and more experienced than ourselves. Everyone benefits from a coach.
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