Very often we see coaches planning trainings using old-fashioned Excel spreadsheets. This has many disadvantages, both for the athlete and the coach. Scheduled workouts are difficult to change, they are not very easy to read and it is almost impossible to analyse historical data. If an athlete is given a more complex workout, for example some form of interval training on the track, he will not read the sheet while on the track (unless he goes to training with a laptop or tablet). So if he hasn't learnt the structure of the workout by heart, he will have to rewrite it on a piece of paper and refer to it that way during the workout. These are things that athletes don't like.
Another case is when an athlete suddenly finds out about changes in family or professional life and this forces a change in the execution of the training plan. Without the use of a good training planning and communication tool the athlete is relying on rather unreliable and slow methods of communication with the coach and hoping that the coach will eventually one day sit down at the computer, find our training in the appropriate spreadsheet and make the necessary modifications. Response time can be quite delayed.
If it's just one missed workout then maybe it won't have many negative consequences. But what if the situation is reversed and the athlete performs an activity that he should not have done? What if, for example, he is overtrained or ill. In such a situation, the coach should react quickly and change the athlete's training accordingly, so that the athlete doesn't strain his health with additional activity when it won't do him any good.
The transition from spreadsheets to a dedicated training planning application often causes concern and scepticism in coaches. It is quite understandable that someone who has not dealt with a certain app perceives the switch to it in the category of a big risk. We are often very conservative and think that if everything works "somehow", there is no need to change it, especially since it also involves a small (but positive) revolution for the athletes.
5 tips on how to seamlessly change your workout planning tool
Switching to a complex workout planning app with lots of useful features can make us feel overwhelmed at first. While we consider ourselves experts in sports training, we also want to be well aware of the app we're using so that we can help athletes if we need to (although the support from the Good Coach app is also friendly and quick). So it's worth taking the following 5 tips to help you implement the tool smoothly and safely.
1. Take the first step and open a free account. It costs nothing.
Just like in running training, the first step is the most important. In this case, the first step is to register and create a free account. If you don't take this step, you won't find that an online workout planner app is a tool that will completely change your job.
2. Make an appointment for a demonstration of the Good Coach app features.
During a video call, a Good Coach App representative will be happy to show you how it works, all its features and benefits. He will also accompany you during the app implementation. This presentation will take about half an hour.
3. Try out the new application with two athletes.
Invite two athletes to start. Two athletes in the Good Coach app will always be free and without obligation. If you are an athlete yourself, it is a good idea to invite yourself to try out the new tool yourself and see what it is like from a training person's side.
4. Install the Good Coach mobile app.
For you as a coach, the most important tool is the app, which is accessible via a web browser and can be used on any computer. However, sometimes you also need access to your athletes' calendar when you don't have your computer with you. The Good Coach mobile application will help you with that. Thanks to it, you can easily answer the athlete's doubts and move the training to another day. Your athletes will appreciate the fact that you are flexible and respond quickly.
5. Test the integration with Garmin Connect, Polar Flow or Suunto.
As you test how the app works from the athlete's side, in the mobile app select the integration with the sports watch you are using (if you are also a training athlete). Once a workout has been completed and synced to the relevant portal, it will also appear in the Good Coach system on the athlete's calendar. Try out what the process of making this workout available to the coach looks like.
Once you've tested how everything works on a small number of athletes, you can invite the rest of your charges and enjoy the new quality of coaching.
By treating the Good Coach app as an integral tool to effectively create training plans, you will see the full benefits of using it with more users you work with.
Your work will become more efficient, and your athletes will appreciate the modern tool you use.