It’s a phrase that I am starting to hear more frequently. Typically, I’ve hear it used with clients as a way of invalidating excuses for not training. In my experience as a coach “having the same 24 hours is” simply not true. Using the phrase is insensitive and belittling the clients personal status. A very obvious example of not having the same 24 hours is parenting, a single parent has less free time than someone who doesn’t have children or even a co-parent. Someone who has a gym in their house doesn’t have to spend 15 minutes driving to a gym. Women don’t like running on their own at night so have to drive to another location where they can meet with others. There are tonnes of examples of why this isn’t true and not having time to do a workout is not a matter of not wanting it enough or being poor at time management.
Everyone has their own set of personal circumstances and priorities and they cannot be expected to simply do some training just because coach said so. This kind of behaviour from a coach will ultimately make their clients feel devalued and will drive them away.
Time management is one of the hardest parts of organising a training plan for a new client and understanding the schedule and priorities can take time. When beginning to work with a runner, I have a meeting with the them to understand them personally, covering their motivations, their schedules, their priorities, unmissable life events and any potential roadblocks to their training. Using this information, I can begin work with them to outline a plan that fits seemlessly into the work/life schedule. Don’t get me wrong, it’s never perfect and there are, sometimes, sacrifices that have to be made but that all depends on the goal(s) of the individual.
Most athletes I work with are time-starved in one way or the other and it is my job to work with their schedule. I can honestly say that I have never had a single plan that hasn’t had to be altered due to personal circumstances of the athlete. In some instances it can take some out of the box thinking to get to something that will work for the individual, I once worked with a runner who had an 8 day shift pattern so we worked on an 8 day week. It allowed them to have their key sessions on regular days when they had the most time or a day which offered the most time for recovery. This adaption worked really well and they continued using the 8 day week once I’d stopped working with them.
Ultimately, coaches are here to do the best for the client by working with the client, not against them. We don’t “all have the same 24 hours” or the same 7 days or the same months. Everyone is different and individual and should be treated as such.
