Coach HubWorked examples
Example 1: Sarah, stalled at week 6
The check-in. Sarah, 32, week 6 of a 12-week cut. Started at 70 kg, now 67.2 kg. Last three weeks: −0.2, −0.1, +0.1 kg. She's on high and low days with a 12,000 step target and no structured cardio. Her notes: "Training felt heavy, work's been busy, colleague's birthday dinner on Saturday."
Progressing? No. Happy? Not really.
Classify. Mostly adherent, slow results. Opening 2.
Find the main issue.
| Check | What we see | Lead? |
|---|---|---|
| Hidden adherence errors | Weekdays trend down, then snap back on Sunday | Possible |
| Social events | The birthday dinner on Saturday | Yes |
| Snacking and hunger | Hunger 6/10, no binges | No |
| Stress | "Work busy" plus "training heavy" fits stress water | Flag, not the lead |
The call. The plan size is still right. The weekend is the leak.
- Hold calories and cardio
- Tighten the weekend: an off-plan day template and a set meal option for the next event (Module 3)
- A small nudge: 1,000 more daily steps
- Reassess next week. If the week is clean and still flat, then look at the levers properly.
"This week was the birthday dinner, and that's the main thing going on. We're not dropping calories, because your plan is still the right size. We'll tighten up the weekend, add 1,000 steps, and hold everything else. If next week is clean and we're still flat, we'll adjust the plan then."
Example 2: James, "on plan" but stalled
The check-in. James, 41, week 4 of a 14-week cut. Started at 92 kg, now 89.7 kg. Last three weeks: −0.5, −0.1, 0.0 kg. His notes: "Felt good, best training in ages, work's fine, no events, food on plan."
Classify. He looks adherent and he's stalled, so work through the list in 6.3.
| Check | What we found |
|---|---|
| Steps | 4-week average 11,200 against a 12,000 target. Minor. |
| "Healthy" foods | "I just drizzle the oil." Probably 100–150 untracked kcal a day. |
| Liquid calories | Two sugary electrolyte drinks a day, about 100 kcal |
| Diet fatigue nibbles | "The odd handful of nuts in the afternoon" |
| Training log | Bench 92.5 kg × 6 four weeks ago, and 92.5 kg × 6 this week. Identical. |
| Sleep, stress, sodium, new training | All clean |
The leads. His training stimulus has flattened, plus roughly 250 untracked calories a day from oil, electrolytes and nuts.
The call.
- An audit week: weigh the oil, switch to zero-calorie electrolytes, log the nuts
- Restart progression: this week's bench target is 92.5 × 7 or 95 × 6
- Hold calories and cardio. The deficit is right. The leak is in tracking and training.
A less careful coach would have dropped 100 kcal and added a cardio session. That would have fixed neither of the real problems.
Example 3: the one where you do nothing
Emma, 29, week 8. Down 0.5 kg a week, lifts climbing, photos improving, and her notes say "Loving it, feel great."
Progressing? Yes. Happy? Yes.
The call: don't touch it. Name her specific wins, predict the next four weeks, and hold. That's a full, excellent check-in.