Athletic Performance Coaching Edinburgh
Build the Physical Qualities Your Sport Demands.
Get stronger, move faster and develop the power and conditioning your sport calls for. Coaching is built around your goals, training history and competition schedule.
The Approach
Your Sport Shapes the Training.
Athletic performance coaching connects what you do in training with what your sport asks you to do.
A club footballer preparing for repeated efforts and a runner building capacity for an event do not need identical programmes. I begin with your sport, your role or event, your current abilities and the training you already do.
From there, I identify the physical qualities that deserve attention and build coached work around your practice, competition and recovery. I review the plan as you respond and your sporting schedule changes.
Your sport defines the demands. Your starting point determines the training.
Who It’s For
Coaching for the Sport You Play.
You do not need to compete professionally. Coaching begins with your current level, your sporting goals and the time you have available to train.
Club & Recreational Athletes
Prepare for the physical demands of training and competition alongside work and everyday life.
Runners & Individual-Sport Athletes
Build the strength, movement capacity and conditioning relevant to your event or discipline.
Masters & Returning Athletes
Develop from your current level while accounting for training history, recovery and schedule.
The Training
Strength, Speed and Staying Power.
Strength, speed and conditioning work together, but their priority depends on your sport, current ability and competitive schedule.
Strength & Power
Build the capacity to produce force and apply it when your sport calls for it. The exercises and their emphasis depend on your starting point and sporting needs.
- Squats, hinges, presses and pulls to develop strength.
- Jumps or throws to develop power where appropriate.
- Olympic lift variations when they suit your goals and experience.
Olympic lifts are an option, not a requirement.
Speed & Change of Direction
Develop acceleration, controlled braking and the ability to reposition when those actions matter in your sport.
Conditioning & Repeatability
Build the aerobic capacity and sport-relevant conditioning to sustain or repeat demanding efforts.
The Process
A Plan That Develops With You.
I start by understanding your sport and current training, then use coached sessions and regular review to decide what comes next.
Understand the Starting Point
I consider your sport, role or event, goals, training history and schedule, plus how you move and what you can do now.
Put the Priorities Into Practice
I teach and coach the selected strength, movement or conditioning work at an appropriate level.
See How You Respond
I consider movement quality, training performance, consistency and recovery alongside sport practice or competition.
Adjust the Next Block
I change exercise selection, emphasis or workload when the evidence and sporting calendar call for it.
Steps 2–4 repeat with each training block.
Training in Context
The Match Sets the Schedule. Training Responds.
Team sessions, matches and recovery all affect what useful physical preparation looks like in a given week.
I have coached conditioning for football, and the example on the right follows a club footballer’s week around a Saturday match. The same thinking applies to other sports: the competition calendar shapes where the harder work fits.
Match fitness is the capacity to repeat hard efforts across a game, supported by a solid aerobic base.
Training builds that capacity. Team sessions and matches decide how it is used.
An example, not a fixed weekly programme.
Review match minutes, how you responded and what else is scheduled.
Place the more demanding strength or conditioning work alongside team training.
Reduce volume and adjust emphasis so extra training does not compete with match preparation.
The fixed point the rest of the week is planned around.
Review again and adapt the next week, especially if playing time or recovery was different from expected.
Coaching Formats
The Right Level of Support for Your Training.
The coaching format depends on your goals, schedule and how much direct support you need. We choose the right approach together during your consultation.
1-to-1 Athletic Performance Coaching
Individual sessions with exercise selection and progression shaped around your sport commitments.
Specialist 1-to-1 Coaching
Athletes working on a defined technical or performance target.
Focused assessment, detailed coaching and a progression for that target.
Hybrid Coaching
Athletes combining coached sessions with training on their own.
An individual online programme, in-person sessions and review of the work between them.
In-person sessions at JD Gyms Edinburgh Chesser
Common Questions
Questions About Athletic Performance Coaching.
Coaching is adapted to your sport, experience and schedule. These answers explain how we begin and how the training fits alongside what you already do.
You do not need to know which exercises, tests or coaching format you need. Tell me about your sport, what you want to improve and the training you already do. I’ll recommend an appropriate starting point.
Do I need to compete at a high level?
No. Club, recreational and masters athletes can begin from their current level. The coaching priorities reflect your goals and the sport you do.
Will the programme be specific to my sport?
Yes. Your sport, role or event informs the priorities, while your abilities, training history and schedule determine how the work begins. That means building relevant physical qualities, rather than simply copying your sport’s movements in the gym.
How does this fit around team training or competitions?
I review your existing sessions and competition schedule, then place and adjust additional work so it has a clear purpose within your week.
Will I have to do Olympic lifts or sprint tests?
No. Exercises and assessments are chosen when they are useful and practical for your goal and setting. Olympic lift variations are one possible tool, not a requirement.
How is this different from Strength Training?
Athletic Performance brings strength, speed, movement and conditioning together around the demands of your sport. Strength Training focuses on developing strength itself.
What happens in the free consultation?
I’ll ask about your sport, goals, training history and schedule, then discuss the coaching format that may suit you. There is no obligation to continue. In-person coached sessions take place at JD Gyms Edinburgh Chesser.
YOUR NEXT STEP
Bring Your Sport. We’ll Build the Plan.
Tell me what you’re training for, what you already do and where you want to improve. We’ll discuss a starting point that fits your sport and schedule.