I Am Not A F**king Coach!: Understanding the Difference Between Coach and Trainer

In the arena of personal growth, whether it’s business, parenting, athletics, personal relationships, you name it, there is a coach or a trainer to meet your needs. But there is a big difference between coaching and training, and it’s important to understand the distinction between each. One or the other is not necessarily right or wrong, but each is going to get and produce very different results, and each works with very different people.

In the simplest terms, a coach is not on the hook for the outcome. Hell, they may not even care about the outcome. You hire a coach to give you the information that they have found produces results for themselves. They may or may not be able to tell you how to fine tune the process or how to overcome a challenge that you may be facing. At the end of day, it’s up to you to take what they have to offer and execute on it. Bottom line, a coach is not committed to the result.

A trainer, on the other hand, operates on an entirely different level. A trainer has not only achieved the result for themselves, they have replicated that result in others. And, most importantly, they demand the result from those that they’re working with. They demand the result because they know they can get it. And a trainer is not going to take on just anybody. They are going to qualify that person and make sure they are capable of, and willing to show up for the process. Ultimately, it’s the trainer’s time and reputation that is on the line. Their name is tied to you. You’re their business card, their billboard, so if you are not producing results, it looks bad for them.

To paint a picture, let’s look at the difference between a fitness gym and my experience in  martial arts. A gym is nice. There are people there to encourage you, to make you feel good while you’re there. You might lift weights for a bit, spend some time in the steam room, maybe get a massage. Maybe you get into shape, maybe you don’t. Hey, it’s no sweat off the gym’s back. The gym is going to be perfectly happy with whatever you do, as long as you’re paying for your membership. In that way, the gym is like a coach. They give you the information (a membership, a workout routine), they provide a service (the weights and machines), and it’s completely up to you whether you execute or not.

My martial arts master was very different. On day one, he assessed me, interviewed me, made sure I was committed to the process of training with him, and that I understood what that meant. He made it very clear that he expected a result from me and that he was on the hook for producing that result. If I didn’t show up and execute, he would fire me as a student. No gym is going to fire you as a client and tell you stop working out there. They want the membership, they want the fee. And of course a trainer needs to get paid for what they do, but the most important thing for a trainer is the result that they’re producing. If a client isn’t showing up for what is necessary, the trainer is either going to stop working with them or they’re never going to engage in the process in the first place. A trainer is looking to guarantee that the capacity is there. They’re training the skill and the knowledge, so that a person becomes self-reliant and no longer needs the trainer, unless, of course, they want to leverage their training and continue to up-level. A coach does not care about those things.

So, in the world of training, I am not a fucking coach. I train people to flat out get results. I only work with people who are committed, because I want to train self-reliance and I want to create human beings who are not only capable of living a life better than the one they know, but they are able to be of service and support to those around them. 

At IMS we build Trainers, not coaches. Our 2000+ hour Apprentice Program creates Trainers with the ability to train you in our proprietary tools, techniques and strategies, to measure progress, to evaluate progress, and to fine tune and make corrections along the way. Our Trainers are obsessive about making sure that proper execution happens, to guarantee the result you are looking for. After fulfilling all of the prerequisites, we demand one final requirement in order for our Trainers to be certified: they must be able to create transformation for another individual. If they can’t do that, they don’t get certified.

Today I have 30 certified IM Trainers all over the world…and 30 more in training! My Trainers include C-suite executives, psychologists, engineers, medical professionals, stay-at-home parents, entrepreneurs, business owners and more. And I’m proud to serve alongside them.

Although my private practice is currently full, you can book a Complimentary One On One session with one of our IMS Certified IM Trainers. You can see all of our current Trainers HERE. Find a Trainer you like and use the Complimentary One on One booking link on their page.