When I visit gyms outside of mine, I see clients treat their coaches with disregard and for the lack of better word contempt. I still cringe at the one time I saw a man snap his fingers beckoning his trainer to fetch his towel. 

Our attitude to vocational jobs is not dissimilar. Welders, cooks, cleaners, tailors, cobblers, farmers, carpenters, plumbers, electricians, machinists have it rough. Anyone who can actually put their hands to good use has a lowly status. And this will bite us in the ass. 3 out of 4 of the welding workshops that I have interacted with are family businesses. The grandfathers were welders, fathers are welder. But the sons work in Accenture. And they have no intention of teaching their kids to weld. I don’t mean to gender this. But I write it as I see it. 

In 20 or fewer years, our contempt for physical work will result in a shortage of talent that can actually build a physical economy. But I digress. This is about coaches. 

Coaches are here to make you physically stronger. When they do their job well, a few things get done. They have a plan. They teach you how to move well and perform an exercise effectively. At their best, they hold you accountable, can crack a few jokes, help you slow things down at the gym on a bad day and make you feel like you belong on a podium on your good days. The gym can make you a better person and the coach facilitates that. 

Sometimes you could even find a friend in a coach. 

The fault lies partly with trainers and coaches too. We need to be punctual, talk clearly, draw clear boundaries and through our demeanour communicate that it takes understanding science, knowledge and experience to be good at the vocation. Dignity in labour needs to be confidently asserted and no one will give it to us on a platter.