The strength and conditioning (S&C) field has grown exponentially over the last 10 years. Never before has there been so much choice in where you can go for athletic training. Movement specialists, speed experts, youth development experts, and sport-specific programs abound. Each one states they can make you faster, stronger, and more resistant to injury. All this consumer choice makes it difficult to decide who is worthy to spend your hard-earned cash on.

Important questions to ask yourself when evaluating potential programs include:

• What education do these coaches have?

• What professional credentials do they have?

• What types of athletes/teams have they worked with?

• Are they part-time or full-time coaches?

• How long have they worked with athletes (are they new to the industry or experienced coaches)?

• What type of facility/equipment do they use?

• What types of rehabilitation programs do they offer?

• What is their training philosophy?

• Do they collaborate with other practitioners (e.g., physiotherapy or nutritionists)?

• Do they offer performance testing?

• What is the athlete to coach ratio?

• How much coaching do I receive?

• Do the coaches take part in continuing education?

• Do they have google reviews or testimonials?

Unfortunately, the first⸺and sometimes only⸺question parents or athletes usually ask is “How much does it cost?”. People will shop around and find the absolute cheapest program on an hourly or per session basis.

Why is this?

Often, people view all training programs as equal. Exercise is exercise right? As long as their child lifts some weights, does some running, and comes out sweaty, then they got a great workout. There is no distinction made between a coach with a sports science degree and years of experience, to someone who played sports in college with no formal education. An eager parent who lifts in their basement is seen as comparable to a professional S&C coach...they'll even train your child for free!

Let me be clear.

It is easy to get kids to sweat. Pulling a program off the internet or making kids run suicides is not athletic training. A quality performance program should make an athlete stronger, faster, and more resistant to injury, year after year. It should improve performance, not be a place for your kid to sweat an hour per week.

But, being part of a program like this…costs…money.

You can’t expect champagne service on a beer budget.

Often, parents get hung up thinking they are only paying for that singular hour their child is with a coach. Combine that with believing all training programs work the same, it is no wonder parents look for the cheapest program on the market!

Let me give you a breakdown of some of the things you are actually paying for in that session* (program dependant):

• A coach to work with the athlete, plus;

• Facility rental or lease (+utilities etc)

• Training equipment

• Sports Science testing equipment

• Clothing and other “free” gifts included in the program

• Money/Time spent on undergraduate degrees, master's degrees etc.

• Money/Time spent on relevant certifications

• Money/Time spent on conferences, courses, and other continuing education

• Hours spent unpaid interning at the beginning of their career to become an expert

• Hours spent programming for athletes

• Administrative duties (emails, phone calls, and texts come at ALL hours of the day)

• Marketing, including hours developing materials and money spent on advertising

• Hours spent training interns and upskilling coaches

• Paying coaches, cleaners, and other staff

• Paying insurance, re-certification fees, and other general business expenses

• Taxes and GST (yes, we are small business owners)

Not to mention

• This fee has to cover food, housing, bills, and general living expenses (and more when your coach has a family)

*This is in reference to the private sector

The program fee is set to reflect both the time you are with the coach, the value of the program, and the time spent becoming a high quality coach. Better programs warrant higher prices. You are paying for the knowledge and experience the coach has developed over many years. The reason you pay a plumber a seemingly large fee to fix a leaky tap is that they know exactly which valve to tighten. Without prior plumbing knowledge, this would cost you much more in time and money.

Unfortunately, many coaches have realized people want to pay the cheapest possible rate. It has become a race to the bottom as programs compete to offer cheaper and cheaper pricing. I know dozens of coaches who have trained athletes for free, just to remain competitive! Many good coaches leave the industry because it is too hard to earn a living. This results in programs of lower quality being the standard product for your child.

The purpose of this article is not to convince you to go out and blindly pay for the most expensive program. I get it, money is obviously an important factor when selecting a training program. But, I am urging you to consider more than the price tag and look at the overall value of the program. If you elect for a cheaper program and your child becomes slower or more injury-prone…was it really worth it?

- Coach Gies