Unvarnished Reasons to Try Personal Coaching in 2025

By Jim Rutberg,
CTS Pro Coach,
co-author of “The Time-Crunched Cyclist”
“Training Essentials for Ultraruning“, and “Ride Inside“

As the new year begins, you are undoubtedly inundated with advertisements for training plans, weight loss schemes, hormone replacement therapies, and all manner of supplements and gadgets that promise “your best year yet”. Well, I don’t have a shiny lure to snag your attention with. Rather, I’d like to appeal to the part of your rational brain that still values expertise, craftsmanship, and personal relationships. If you’re truly honest with yourself, you likely already know that working 1:1 with a professional is the best chance to have your best year yet. If you need a little more convincing, here’s why.

You’ve spent your entire life trying NOT to be just another number

AI-generated training plans treat you exactly how you hate to be treated: like just another number or cog in the machine. The marketing promise of AI is that it personalizes your training plan based on your data, but that’s only partly true. The engine behind that “personalization” runs on the aggregated and averaged data of thousands and hundreds of thousands of athletes before you. It is, quite literally, reducing you to just another number.

Now, AI has its place in data analysis and pattern finding and even some of the rote aspects of plan creation. But, if you’re reading this you’re likely from the generations that championed individuality over conformity, fought to have your voice heard in the workplace and the town square, and have a heartfelt desire to forge your own path. So… why are you so eager to serve up your fitness, health, and longevity to an algorithm?

You need an accountability buddy

Yes, you. Based on working with tens of thousands of athletes over the span of 25 years, we understand that you are goal oriented, ambitious, and likely a leader in your profession. You probably hold people accountable, or people are accountable to you, so why would you need a coach to help you stick to a training program? It’s because exercise and training aren’t your fields of expertise.

What we have found is that even executives and highly successful leaders benefit from professional guidance in areas outside their expertise. You need someone who can tell you “no” when you want to do something stupid. You also need someone who will push you outside your comfort zone because we’re not afraid you might fail (at first). The more people’s livelihoods depend on your happiness or success, the greater your need for someone empowered to challenge you on both.

Leveling up probably isn’t obvious anymore

If you have been exercising for a while or engaged in sport-specific training for a while, you have most likely reached a point of diminishing returns. You can’t add more volume or miles, you’re already eating pretty well, you’re unlikely to add more hours of sleep to your life, etc. So, where are you going to make changes that could “level up” your performance?

That’s the conundrum facing most athletes we work with. You’re good but want to be better. You’re fast “for your age” but want to be just plain fast. And you want to rage against the narrative that says you should accept the long, slow decline into infirmity. Well, finding your personal opportunities for growth and development is exactly what we do. And they’re not formulaic and sometimes they’re unconventional, but the strategies and tactics we employ deliver meaningful results.

AI doesn’t get emotions (yet)

Machine learning and large language models are getting pretty good at figuring out the X’s and O’s of a training plan. Truth be told, that was never the hard part of coaching. The nuanced aspect of coaching is establishing an emotional connection that builds trust, inspires confidence, and creates an environment that allows an athlete to push beyond their training data. Do you need that? Well, AI doesn’t know what to do with your inevitable self-doubt or self-sabotage. It doesn’t do so well with empathy or sympathy when things go sideways. Nor can it celebrate with you in a meaningful way. Show AI an image or video of a hug, and it doesn’t know whether to congratulate or commiserate. Better yet, see if AI shows up at an aid station or finish line to give you a hug.

I am obviously biased toward personal coaching because I have been a coach for 25 years and work with men and women I consider to be the finest endurance coaches on the planet. And if you choose to DIY a training plan this year or rely on a computer-generated program, I think you’ll probably do okay. But “just okay” isn’t how you live your life or run your business or pursue anything you value, so it doesn’t make sense that it should be enough for your training, health, and longevity. It’s time you talk with a coach, invest in yourself, and actually achieve that “best year yet”.