Automated Metrics Are Awesome

The reason we developed TurnKey Coach was that there wasn’t any software on the market that had the functionality we were looking for as online coaches. Specifically, we wanted software that automatically collected PRs from every client in an easy-to-access format. For those who may not know, PR stands for “personal record” (some call these PBs, or “personal bests”).

Some third-party software had the ability to record this information manually, either by the coach or the client. But this created a lot of extra work, and of course, it was easy to miss some of these and lose track. Other platforms would track a few select PRs, like 1RM, but we wanted to be able to track all the PRs: all exercises, in all the rep ranges.

The reason this is so important to us is that PRs are an objective measure of progress. Clients want and need to see these metrics improve over time. It’s an objective guarantee that they’re getting what they are paying a coach for, and seeing these numbers steadily climbing up is great motivation.

Turn Key Coach automatically collects every metric for every exercise: Loads for every rep range, time, distance, tonnage, and workout consistency, but also others like body weight and measurements, macros, sleep quality, perceived fatigue during or after sessions… anything of interest. If an exercise isn’t in the library, a coach can add it—and it will be tracked.

All of these PRs are organized and available to see on the client’s profile at any time. Also, whenever a client completes a session that contains a PR, our software automatically notifies them of it. This is great for clients that might not regularly check their profile, or that don’t realize they made a PR for a particular exercise.

For client trust and value, this is a potent feature. If a coach is doing a great job of programming and coaching technique that results in continuous progress, the customer is steadily reminded of this. This reminder not only demonstrates the utility of the service but can also serve to encourage consistency when a client doesn’t feel like they’re doing that great.

If a client fails a PR attempt, the fact that they’re still making progress in other areas can be great motivation to hang in there.

The driving factor for everything we do as coaches is PRs. Being able to easily monitor these metrics over time makes our job incredibly easier, and presenting metrics to clients helps encourage them to be better trainees.