How coaching works
Coaching for athletes who want to maximise their potential
Personalised triathlon coaching designed around your life, your physiology and your goals. Train smarter, perform better and enjoy the process.
For endurance athletes who want to get more from their training.
Most athletes I work with are balancing ambitious sporting goals with demanding careers, families and busy lives. They’re disciplined. They’re motivated. But they know they could be getting more from the hours they invest. My coaching is ideal for athletes who:
- Want structured, purposeful training
- Are preparing for Ironman, 70.3, Olympic or sprint distance races
- Want to improve performance without increasing training hours
- Value clear communication and feedback
- Are looking for long-term progression, not just one good race
Coaching philosophy
Success in endurance sport is all about doing the right work, consistently. That doesn’t always mean doing more. My coaching philosophy is built on several key principles.
Individualisation
Every athlete is different. Your physiology, schedule, and stress profile matter. Your plan should reflect that.
Consistency over extremes
Sustainable training beats heroic weeks followed by burnout.
Data + feel
Metrics provide valuable insights, but your body also tells a story. We use both.
Long-term development
The goal isn’t just one good race. The goal is becoming a stronger athlete every season.
Enjoying the process
It's vital that training becomes something fun and rewarding that you look forward to doing.
How coaching works
What does the athlete-coach relationship really look like?
Coaching is an ongoing process of planning, feedback and refinement.
This is how I work.
1
Athlete assessment
We start with a deep dive into:
- Your background and training history
- Your goals and target races
- Current fitness and strengths
- Injury history
- Your real-life schedules
This forms the foundation of your coaching plan
2
Strategic season planning
I build a structured roadmap for the season. This includes:
- Training phases
- Key race targets
- Progressive fitness development
- Recovery and adaptation periods
I ensure that every block and phase has a purpose
3
Regularly updated training
Your training plan evolves along with your fitness:
- Training data
- Results from testing
- Recovery
- Work and life stress
- Performance trends
Plans are adjusted every one to two weeks, so you’re always training at the right intensity and load
4
Feedback and communication
You receive ongoing feedback including:
- Monthly hour-long deep dive into your training and opportunity to ask any questions
- In-app text and chat communication
- Opportunity to join biweekly Office Hours call/webinar
The goal is understanding your training, not just completing sessions
5
Race execution
When race day arrives, you’ll all be fully prepared. I build a clear race plan for each athlete covering:
- Pre-race planning
- Pacing
- Nutrition and hydration
- Mental preparation
So you can perform with total confidence and have your best race yet
What you get
With TriCoachMatt coaching you receive:
- Fully personalised training plan
- Structured season planning
- Training analysis and feedback
- Accountability and long-term progression
- Frequent adjustments based on data
- Race strategy planning
- Direct coach communication
- Training designed around your life
“Having a coach like Matt, who has himself performed at a good level, means I really trust the advice he gives me.”
Matt Cole
Age group 70.3 & Ironman athlete
“I'm pushing boundaries and feeling more ready than ever. Matt's coaching pushes and motivates me, and helps me stay injury-free.”
Tariq Valente
Age group 70.3 & Ironman athlete
Insight
Coaching, Performance testing
The importance of intensity management
Why faster training is wrecking your endurance performance
Blog
Cycling, Group coaching
Why your next training camp shouldn’t just be a smash-fest
Aimless big volume could be undermining your training camp. So what should you look for in a great camp?
Insight
Cycling, Indoor training, Nutrition & hydration
Why you need to stop starving your indoor bike sessions
Why fuelling indoor intervals is every bit as important as fuelling those longer weekend sessions.
FAQ
Am I good enough for coaching?
You don't need to be at a certain level to start; you just need to be ambitious. The process works exactly the same way whatever your level. I engineer your perfect training and race day based on where you are right now.
I have a busy job/family life. How much time will I need to dedicate to training and how flexible is the schedule?
First, there's no such thing as how much time you should train. I build the plan around your actual available hours and then make sure yu're getting maximum bang for your buck from those hours. And, if something comes up, shoot me a message and we'll adapt the plan.
What platform/tools do we use and how often do we actually communicate?
I use predominantly TrainingPeaks to schedule your sessions. You can sync your watch, bike computer or smart trainer to push sessions direct to your devices and have completeed sessions upload automatically to TrainingPeaks where I analyse and leave comments.
Depending on your coaching package, I update sessions every 1-2 weeks and ongoing communication takes place via chat while the bi-weekly Office Hours calls and your regular 1:1 call are scheduled through Google Meet.
Do I need a ton of expensive gear (like a triathlon bike or power meter) to start coaching?
I know that triathlon get be expensive, especially when you're getting started. You can honestly make great gains with a swim suit and goggles, a road bike and a pair of run shoes. But, yes, tools like a power meter or smart trainer can help accelerate your progress.
This is where I can really help, making sure you get precisely the right upgrades, advising which are best value for money, to make sure you don't waste money on fancy items you saw on Instagram!
I’m a beginner / I’m terrified of the open water swim. Is your coaching right for me?
Triathlon can be overwhelming initially, especially the swim - you're far from alone in feeling this way.
Over the years, I've coached athletes from first-timers to Kona qualifiers and my role is always to support you and address those fears.
As a former national-level swimmer who still coaches on the pool deck each week, swimming is my specialty and I have a beginner swim program I will weave into your training plan that will have you improving and confident in no time.
How do you handle race-day strategy, nutrition and pacing?
As we get closer to race day, we'll start working on pacing and nutrition in key sessions to remove the guesswork come race day.
We also do a deep-dive race prep call for your main A races, in which we disscuss race-week prep, tapering, carb loading, transition plans, pace and power plans, as well as fueling and hydration strategy.
On race day, you'll simple be carrying out the plan - no guesswork.
What is the difference between your 1:1 Coaching and Group Coaching, and how do I know which one I need?
-
1:1 Coaching is for the athlete who wants total customisation, daily/weekly data analysis and regular contact. I offer three levels of 1:1 coaching: Team, Complete and Pro. Check out the 1:1 Coaching page for details on these packages.
-
Group Coaching is for small groups of 2 or more athletes who want a structured plan and peer accountability but also want to do sessions with friends or team mates who are targeting the same or similar races. See the Group Coaching page for more information on this.
Are there any hidden costs?
In short, no. The monthly fee covers all coaching and platform costs. I don't charge any hidden set-up fees, and my minimum term is three months - although many of my athletes are with me for years.
I do offer additional services, succh a swim clinics, INSCYD metabolic testing, bike fitting etc.. Some of my packages include these services, athletes on other packages get 20% reduction on all these additional services.
Get started
Ready to maximise your potential?
If you’re serious about improving and want coaching that matches your ambition, send me a message!
