Coaching History

The Coaching and Training Revolution:
From Anecdotal Experience to a Holistic Approach powered by Artificial Intelligence.

The evolution of coaching in endurance sports can be broadly segmented into four main eras. Each era reflects shifts in the understanding of human physiology, advances in technology, and changes in coaching philosophy. These changes have significantly influenced training methodologies, the key performance indicators (KPIs) and the overall approach to athlete development. This progression parallels the transformative industrial revolutions and how they have reshaped society with groundbreaking changes in the way we live and work.

Coaching 1.0: Leveraging Anecdotal Experience (Pre-1980s)
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In the early years, coaching and training were largely based on tradition and anecdotal evidence. Like the First Industrial Revolution, the approach was very mechanical and manual.
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Coaches relied on their own experiences or inherited wisdom to train athletes. Techniques were often generalized, with a one-size-fits-all approach. The primary KPIs were volume-based, such as weekly mileage for runners or total weekly hours for triathletes. Success was often measured by the ability to endure heavy training loads. There was minimal use of technology, with stopwatches being the primary tools for measuring performance.

1978 - Inaugural Ironman Briefing

Thomas Hellriegel (DE), First German Winner 1997, breaking bike course record in 1996 with 4:24:50, finishing second to Luc Van Lierde (BE)

Coaching 2.0: The Introduction of Science (1980s-1990s)
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This era saw the introduction of sports science into coaching. Principles of exercise physiology began to influence training programs, leading to more individualized approaches. Similar to the Second Industrial Revolution, the scientific approach brought forward a more standardized, repeatable approach. This specialization empowered the “mass production” of athletes with efficiency and training optimization.

Coaches started to integrate interval training, tempo runs, and periodization into their athletes' routines. Alongside volume, intensity started to gain importance. The focus shifted to training smarter, not harder. Heart rate monitors became a tool for managing training intensity, and performance began to be measured in more nuanced ways, including improvements in specific physiological markers such as VO2 max and lactate threshold, Training Impulse (TRIMP, 1991) or Total Stress Score

Coaching 3.0: The Digital Revolution (2000s-2010s)
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The digital revolution brought about a more data-driven approach to coaching. Just as the computer was an integral part of the Third Industrial Revolution, this period underscored the importance of data-driven decisions, both in the boardroom and on the training field.

2019 Kona Jan Frodeno (DE)

GPS watches, power meters (especially for cycling in triathlons), and advanced software for data analysis in sports. Iike TrainingPeaks, became prevalent. Training became highly individualized, with a focus on optimizing performance through detailed analysis of every aspect of an athlete's physiology and training regimen, including a higher awareness of the importance of recovery. “You can’t manage, what you can’t measure” lead to a significant focus on capturing and analyzing data to understand historical progress. ​

2023 Kona Winner Lucy Charles-Barclay (UK)

Coaching 4.0: The Era of Holistic Approaches Powered by AI (2020s and Beyond)

Coaching 4.0 is marked by a holistic and integrated approach to athletes’ development, emphasizing the importance of mental well-being, nutrition, and recovery in conjunction with physical training. Like the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the focus goes beyond mere output and results, to the understanding that interconnectivity, sustainability, corporate responsibility. All go hand-in-hand with smart technologies like robotics and AI.

Current training programs are highly personalized, with adaptive algorithms that can adjust based on the athlete's ongoing performance, health data, and even psychological state,  not only used to analyze the past, but also to predict the future with Optimized Training™. Wearable biometric sensors and AI-driven training platforms are at the forefront, offering immersive training environments and sophisticated performance analytics, allowing for an unprecedented level of personalization and optimization.
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In each coaching era, as in each industrial revolution, we observe a profound transformation in methodologies, tools, and philosophies. For the executive athlete, these advancements offer a roadmap to achieving peak performance, paralleling their own journey of continuous improvement and innovation in the professional sphere. The evolution of coaching, from its rudimentary beginnings to its current sophisticated form, reflects not just the progress in sports science and technology, but also the changing landscape of industry and society at large.

Don’t forget. It is the small daily steps that turn into positive habits, patterns, and beliefs ingrained in body and mind. Enjoy the journey!

BONUS TIP COACH GLENN:
Initially, the value of the coach was their personal and anecdotal experience driving their ability to enhance the athlete’s performance. Over time, the use of data started undermining this experience and the capability to master the athlete’s data became more important. The new revolution does both: bringing back the value of the coach by leveraging the power of AI. This allows the coach to focus again on the athlete and share the strategic, psychological, and emotional support that ambitious athletes require and that old school systems do not cover.

So, when selecting a coach, make sure to ask  how they are implementing the latest technologies to optimize your training while reducing the risk of injuries by “doing the right training right”
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​BONUS CONTENT:

Comparison Coaching with Industrial Revoluion Innovations