One of my first online athletes messaged me after a few days and said he was really enjoying it because I was texting him and writing back to him. I was honestly confused. I said, what do you mean? That's my job, I'm your coach…
Then he told me that with his previous online coach it sometimes took several days to get a reply, and the program just wasn't working for him. I asked if I could have a look at it, mostly out of curiosity. I was shocked. It looked like it had been made with AI and it didn't make sense for him at all.
That's a big reason I take online coaching so seriously. I'm coached remotely myself right now, by Coach Rovelto, and it works incredibly well for me. Online coaching can be one of the best things that happens to your sprinting, but only if you pick the right coach. These are the questions I'd ask before paying anyone, including me.
1. Will the plan actually change for me?
Every coach has a skeleton of a program, and I do too. It's completely fine for a coach to start you on that skeleton while they're getting to know you. But as you go on, and especially when you tell them things that don't fit it, the plan has to change, even if that means going against their so-called philosophy. The athlete is more important than the philosophy.
So ask how your plan gets built and how often it's updated. If you'd get the same PDF as everyone else, that's not coaching, it's a template.
2. How fast do you reply, and how often can I reach you?
This is the one most people forget to ask, and it's the one that showed up in my athlete's story. A plan is only part of it. Questions come up, sessions go wrong, races get moved, and you need to know how fast your coach responds when that happens.
At EO Fitness it depends on the athlete. Some of my athletes message me every day, a few times a day, and others once a week. Nobody should expect their coach to be on their phone 24/7, but you should know exactly what you're getting before you sign up.
3. Who actually writes the program?
Ask it directly. Is it written by the coach, for you, based on what they know about you? Or is it pulled from somewhere and sent out to everyone? A good coach can explain why every part of your plan is there.
That's something I loved about Coach Rovelto from our very first conversation. He could explain the why behind training in a scientific way and a human way, and that's still the standard I hold myself to.
4. Is speed at the center of the program?
Be careful with programs that are mostly volume and fatigue. Sprinters get faster by sprinting fast with enough recovery, and I've lived through programs that made me tired every single day, and I got slower in every one of them. Ask how the coach balances speed, strength, capacity and rest across the season.
5. Have they done it themselves?
It doesn't mean every good coach has to be an Olympian, because some of the best coaches never were. But ask about their background, who they've coached and what those athletes have actually run, because a coach with real results won't have a problem showing them.
6. What exactly do I get for the money?
Know what's included: how often your plan gets updated, whether there are calls, whether you get video feedback on your sprinting and how you stay in contact. Then compare it to the price.
At EO Fitness there are two individualized options. Pro is €180 per 4 weeks, and it's for athletes who check in once a week, usually at the end of the week. They don't need constant communication but still get a fully individual plan. Premium is €350 per 4 weeks, and it's for athletes who basically want me as their pro coach, someone they can reach out to every day. Those athletes take priority above pretty much anything, and I really pride myself on that.
Is online coaching right for you?
I always say online coaching is best for the athlete who's a dog and can be independent. Nobody is standing next to you at the track, so you need to be able to show up and execute the plan on your own, and then be honest with your coach about how it went. If that's you, being coached remotely can work just as well as having a coach next to you, sometimes even better, because the communication becomes so intentional.
It's how I'm training right now, and I wouldn't recommend it if I didn't believe in it.
How EO Fitness coaching works
An individual plan every 4 weeks, built around your events, your schedule and your races, with direct contact with me. Pro from €180 and Premium from €350 per 4 weeks.
