“Trust the process.”
It’s one of the most overused phrases in coaching.
And most of the time, it means nothing.
Because if an athlete asked, “What’s your process?”—a lot of coaches wouldn’t have a clear answer.
My Process Isn’t Just Programming
For me, my process isn’t the program.
It’s how we communicate.
Do I have methodologies for programming and coaching? Of course. But that’s not the core of it.
The core is the relationship.
Before anything else, I need to establish a foundation with the athlete:
- Who are they?
- What drives them?
- Why do they want to be good at this?
Once I understand that, then I can step in and support them.
Only after that can I build a real process for that athlete.
A Process Isn’t Always Rigid
My process is fluid.
Not because it lacks structure—but because it starts with the person.
Every athlete is different. So the process has to begin with:
- Building the relationship
- Understanding their motivation
- Defining where we’re going
From there, we create a long-term vision.
That might be:
- 2 years
- 4 years
- 6 years
Then we reverse engineer it.
We set markers.
We set goals.
We build checkpoints along the way.
The Easy Part vs The Hard Part
The easy part of a process?
- Numbers
- Programs
- Sets and reps
- Goals on paper
The hard part?
- How you handle missed goals
- How you respond when timelines shift
- How you support the athlete when things don’t go as planned
That’s the real process.
And it’s the part most people can’t explain.
What Happens When Things Don’t Go Right?
Because they won’t.
Athletes aren’t machines.
They don’t follow a perfect, straight-line path.
They’ll be early.
They’ll be late.
They’ll fall off.
They’ll overachieve.
So the question isn’t “Did the plan work perfectly?”
The question is:
Do you have a system to catch those moments and bring them back in line?
For us, that system is:
- Communication
- Check-ins
- Support
Not coddling—but guidance.
If something isn’t working, we don’t ignore it.
We adjust. We support. Then we move forward.
A Real Example
I had an athlete recently where something looked off.
There was a clear disconnect between her and the barbell.
The easy coaching response would’ve been:
“Fix this. Change that. Adjust the movement.”
But that wasn’t the problem.
So I asked:
“Are you feeling a little fatigued today?”
She was.
Long day. Stress outside the gym.
So instead of forcing a correction, we adjusted the session:
- Pulled back the load
- Focused on consistency
- Kept her moving in the right direction
Did we deviate from the plan?
Yes.
Did we leave the process?
No.
Because the process accounts for real life.
Coaching the System, Not the Session
We don’t coach one day at a time.
We coach in blocks.
We coach in phases.
We coach long-term.
A single session doesn’t define the outcome.
And not every “issue” needs to be fixed immediately.
If something is:
- Not consistent
- Not dangerous
- Not a long-term pattern
Then it might not need correction—it might need awareness.
The Problem With “Trust the Process”
Too many coaches say it.
Too few can explain it.
If you’re asking an athlete to trust something, you should be able to define it:
- What are we working toward?
- How are we getting there?
- What happens when things go off track?
Because if you don’t have those answers…
Why should they trust you?
Final Thought
A real process isn’t just what happens when everything goes right.
It’s what holds everything together when it doesn’t.
So before you tell an athlete to “trust the process,” ask yourself: