5 Days Out & Coaching Q&A: Beliefs, Supplements, and Onboarding Done Right

A little bit of a different episode today.

I kick things off with a quick prep update (5 days out!) and then dive into a big Q&A session. If you’re a coach, you’ll want to listen all the way through—I’m giving away some of my best systems and strategies for free.

After years of coaching and my recent bodybuilding prep experience, I've learned some powerful lessons that have completely transformed how I approach coaching. Here are the 10 most important takeaways that every strength and conditioning coach needs to understand:

10 Key Takeaways from 5 Days Out & Coaching Q&A: Beliefs, Supplements, and Onboarding Done Righ

Compartmentalization is a Fallacy - Embrace the Ecosystem Approach

I used to believe I could separate being an athlete, business owner, partner, and mentor into different silos. But as responsibilities grow, you realize your life is actually an ecosystem where each element feeds into the others. When one area thrives, the rest thrive too. Your values and priorities need to be clearly identified, and everything you do must align with them. This isn't about balance in the short term—it's about seasonal emphasis while maintaining long-term alignment.

Every Client is a Health Client

I've completely shifted my perspective on client categorization. There's no difference between "normal" clients and "functional health" clients—they're one and the same. Health will be the main driver of results, and the more foundational health behaviors someone has, the higher their floor for progress when trade-offs need to be made. Whether your client competes on stage or just wants to get stronger, monitoring digestion, sleep quality, mood, and cognition matters for everyone.

Ask Better Questions During Intake

If you want accurate information, you have to ask accurate questions. Instead of asking "How would you rate your digestion?" (which most people rate as "good"), ask specific questions like: "Do you get bloated after meals?" "How often do you have bowel movements?" "Can you rate them on the Bristol chart?" I had a client who said her digestion was fine, only to discover she was only having bowel movements three times per week. What's normal for them isn't actually normal for health and performance.

True Excellence Requires Checking Every Box

While I still believe consistency means doing most things right most of the time, if you truly want to be great, consistency does mean perfect. My recovery from tearing both quads to having the best physique of my life happened because I literally checked every box every single day for over a year—not a missed meal, supplement, or training session. The pride that comes from this level of commitment is immeasurable.

L-Carnitine is a Baseline Supplement

I recommend L-Carnitine as a baseline supplement for almost everyone. The benefits include improved cognition, metabolic support, insulin sensitivity, mitochondrial function, and cholesterol metabolism. It's essentially a panacea of health benefits with minimal trade-offs. The only exception might be females with PCOS due to androgen receptor sensitivity. For fat loss, it won't cause massive weight loss but makes everything work more efficiently. Go injectable over oral due to better bioavailability.

NAD+ is Situational but Powerful

NAD+ is involved in cellular metabolic rate and can increase energy production, but I think it's overhyped unless you're under chronic stress. There are many nutritional and lifestyle boxes to check first. However, if you're already doing the basics and need a boost, or you're recovering from travel or feeling run down, it can be incredibly valuable. Injectable is best here too.

Invest in Coaching Immediately

The best time to invest in a trainer is immediately. Why waste time with guesswork and mistakes? You'll save years of missed progress by having educated, experienced eyes on you. Remember, you get what you pay for 99% of the time—someone charging $100/month won't deliver the same value as proper coaching investment.

Master the Onboarding Process

Perfect client onboarding is the foundation of everything. I created an hour-long webinar detailing every aspect of this process because it's that important. The way you gather and interpret information during onboarding determines the success of the entire coaching relationship. This process should be comprehensive, specific, and set clear expectations for both parties.

Charge What You're Worth and Improve Your Systems

If you want to provide high-level service without burning out, charge what you're worth. If you're delivering $500 worth of value, charge $500. Improve your systems for gathering and interpreting client information quickly. Set clear boundaries on your time and workload. Consider creating an offer stack—low, medium, and high ticket options—so you can serve different clients while being selective about where you deliver the highest level of service.

Leverage Your Intellectual Property

Every check-in, education piece, and resource you create for clients should be saved and reused. When I created a low-oxalate diet document for one client, I saved it to our resource drive for future use. Look at the conversations you're having most often and modify your onboarding process to include more education upfront. This saves time, energy, and provides tremendous value to all your clients.

These insights have completely transformed my coaching practice and the results my clients achieve. The key is implementing them systematically and staying committed to the process, even when it's challenging.

Keep Raising the Bar,

Paul Oneid MS, MS, CSCS

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