I've commented in opposition to many YouTuber coach methods. First to mind is Choi, who's run a wide array of plans. Personalized and template-based, subscription-based, free app with in-app purchases (), etc.
But Parkes, eh. Certified coach that charges a one-time 10 GBP for a template plan is really cheap. Hardly a scam in my view. Will it offer profound benefit? Maybe not. But it's a cheaper offering than just about anyone I've seen, and he's moderately educated on the topic.
Certified Coach, so who has he coached? What is his track record? and why do his copy+paste training plans look really familiar (if you know where to look)? He gets to send out generic un-tailored **** and charge people for it when you can find more detailed stuff for free online, like he did.
1) He has avoided doing any real workouts for years hiding behind endless excuses 2) He calls himself a 2:25 Marathoner despite barely averaging sub3 in recent years 3) He tells everyone they should join an Athletics Club, yet in 14 years has only ran 1x race in his club vest because he's actually only signed up to assure London Marathon Championship start-line. Has he ever trained with them? Not since pre-2014, where he was no longer welcome.. 4) He intentionally mis-leads people about certain race results - ask him what his HM PR is 5) He hasn't PR'd at any distance for 5+years (sign of great training knowledge) 6) He has a weird habit of crying at almost every race he goes to now? 7) He uploaded his Girlfriends Arc of Attrition race vlog to his own channel to reap the views and new followers, instead of putting it on hers that she had just set up and promised the video would be on 8) For some weird reason he's decided to sell merch with his surname on it.. why? Who is he to have people wearing his surname? 9) As mentioned, his training plans are suspect from where they originate, and why top out only at sub17? Because he doesnt actually know what he's talking about, he'll just throw more miles and slightly larger generic workouts at people until they run sub17. Trying to coach someone to sub15 or sub14 actually takes knowing what you're talking about but he's avoiding that by appealing to the less serious runners. 10) Interesting Youtube channel. I wonder where I've seen many of these videos before? I wonder if they're just recycled from videos he already made in the past and/or copies ideas from other channels?...........
...all of this definitely sounds like the type of person I'm sure would be great to take advice from about how to conduct your life/training...
and oh yeah 11) he quit his job to do youtubing, but then set up a ko-fi account asking people to donate to him every week to cover his income
but I'm sure maybe he's just really busy doing all those youtu.. nope his partner edits all his videos for him. He just runs around 45M weeks, film rarely to re-hash an old video and get his GF to sort the videography out for him.
The man is a leech.
Interesting and extensive. Though on point 3 "where he was no longer welcome" was not the case (you can't be unwelcome somewhere you have never even been) though his 2.25 was considered, let's go with "noteworthy"
I've commented in opposition to many YouTuber coach methods. First to mind is Choi, who's run a wide array of plans. Personalized and template-based, subscription-based, free app with in-app purchases (), etc.
But Parkes, eh. Certified coach that charges a one-time 10 GBP for a template plan is really cheap. Hardly a scam in my view. Will it offer profound benefit? Maybe not. But it's a cheaper offering than just about anyone I've seen, and he's moderately educated on the topic.
Certified Coach, so who has he coached? What is his track record? and why do his copy+paste training plans look really familiar (if you know where to look)? He gets to send out generic un-tailored **** and charge people for it when you can find more detailed stuff for free online, like he did.
1) He has avoided doing any real workouts for years hiding behind endless excuses 2) He calls himself a 2:25 Marathoner despite barely averaging sub3 in recent years 3) He tells everyone they should join an Athletics Club, yet in 14 years has only ran 1x race in his club vest because he's actually only signed up to assure London Marathon Championship start-line. Has he ever trained with them? Not since pre-2014, where he was no longer welcome.. 4) He intentionally mis-leads people about certain race results - ask him what his HM PR is 5) He hasn't PR'd at any distance for 5+years (sign of great training knowledge) 6) He has a weird habit of crying at almost every race he goes to now? 7) He uploaded his Girlfriends Arc of Attrition race vlog to his own channel to reap the views and new followers, instead of putting it on hers that she had just set up and promised the video would be on 8) For some weird reason he's decided to sell merch with his surname on it.. why? Who is he to have people wearing his surname? 9) As mentioned, his training plans are suspect from where they originate, and why top out only at sub17? Because he doesnt actually know what he's talking about, he'll just throw more miles and slightly larger generic workouts at people until they run sub17. Trying to coach someone to sub15 or sub14 actually takes knowing what you're talking about but he's avoiding that by appealing to the less serious runners. 10) Interesting Youtube channel. I wonder where I've seen many of these videos before? I wonder if they're just recycled from videos he already made in the past and/or copies ideas from other channels?...........
...all of this definitely sounds like the type of person I'm sure would be great to take advice from about how to conduct your life/training...
and oh yeah 11) he quit his job to do youtubing, but then set up a ko-fi account asking people to donate to him every week to cover his income
but I'm sure maybe he's just really busy doing all those youtu.. nope his partner edits all his videos for him. He just runs around 45M weeks, film rarely to re-hash an old video and get his GF to sort the videography out for him.
The man is a leech.
Good lord. Please go outside. This post is legitimately unhinged.
This talk of Ben Parkes being a 'certified' coach... I can't locate him as having even the basic UK Athletics Leadership in Running Fitness qualification, let alone the Coaching one?
This talk of Ben Parkes being a 'certified' coach... I can't locate him as having even the basic UK Athletics Leadership in Running Fitness qualification, let alone the Coaching one?
This talk of Ben Parkes being a 'certified' coach... I can't locate him as having even the basic UK Athletics Leadership in Running Fitness qualification, let alone the Coaching one?
I feel you've missed step one: has Ben Parkes referred to himself as a 'certified coach'? I see no evidence of this.
Yes he has, looks like he let his qualification expired
Where? It's certainly not on his website and zero hits come up with "ben parkes" "certified coach" on google. I'm not saying he hasn't done so, but when there is no evidence readily available and you have Braincelll writing a batsh!t dissertation on the guy, I'm starting to question how much of this is pure misinformation.
Yes he has, looks like he let his qualification expired
Where? It's certainly not on his website and zero hits come up with "ben parkes" "certified coach" on google. I'm not saying he hasn't done so, but when there is no evidence readily available and you have Braincelll writing a batsh!t dissertation on the guy, I'm starting to question how much of this is pure misinformation.
I've just checked the UKA coaches' index has no current record of him as either ben or benjamin parkes. I checked a bunch of other coaches and the system is assuredly working. You can't 'forget' to renew your coaching licence with UKA as the emailed comms as the expiry date approaches are early and recurring and 100% clear.
I note that he currently has his coaching website operating - showing he's currently fully booked (OK, that could be Zero). I've always thought that he doesn't give a *^c£ about the sport except for his own advancement, but accepted this is a matter of opinion.
Holding himself out as a coach without updating his licence seems not a matter of opinion and arguably anyone who has paid him for coaching in the period since his licence expired could have a claim against him for any grievance they may have had. At the least, they could out him for taking their cash for providing a service for a period in which he wasn't formally qualified to offer the service.
Where? It's certainly not on his website and zero hits come up with "ben parkes" "certified coach" on google. I'm not saying he hasn't done so, but when there is no evidence readily available and you have Braincelll writing a batsh!t dissertation on the guy, I'm starting to question how much of this is pure misinformation.
I've just checked the UKA coaches' index has no current record of him as either ben or benjamin parkes. I checked a bunch of other coaches and the system is assuredly working. You can't 'forget' to renew your coaching licence with UKA as the emailed comms as the expiry date approaches are early and recurring and 100% clear.
I note that he currently has his coaching website operating - showing he's currently fully booked (OK, that could be Zero). I've always thought that he doesn't give a *^c£ about the sport except for his own advancement, but accepted this is a matter of opinion.
Holding himself out as a coach without updating his licence seems not a matter of opinion and arguably anyone who has paid him for coaching in the period since his licence expired could have a claim against him for any grievance they may have had. At the least, they could out him for taking their cash for providing a service for a period in which he wasn't formally qualified to offer the service.
Again, I'm going to have to ask where or when Ben has said that he is a 'certified coach'. People keep checking official coaching databases as if this is something he has claimed when the current available evidence doesn't support this? Happy to be corrected but noone has done this so far.
He did on a number of his training videos plus the training group he did with Sarah i attended, I’m also a coach and wanted to see how he ran a training group
Again, I'm going to have to ask where or when Ben has said that he is a 'certified coach'. People keep checking official coaching databases as if this is something he has claimed when the current available evidence doesn't support this? Happy to be corrected but noone has done this so far.
For years he had the standard strapline about being a UKA certified coach on his website. It's standard practice before the usual guff about helping runners achieve their dreams and going on the journey with them. Oddly enough I never took a screenshot of it. Who would?!
Strange world that those pointing out a clear fact that he's selling rather expensive coaching whilst now unlicensed get mainly downvoted. Makes me wonder what sort of people he has in his fandom.
Again, I'm going to have to ask where or when Ben has said that he is a 'certified coach'. People keep checking official coaching databases as if this is something he has claimed when the current available evidence doesn't support this? Happy to be corrected but noone has done this so far.
For years he had the standard strapline about being a UKA certified coach on his website. It's standard practice before the usual guff about helping runners achieve their dreams and going on the journey with them. Oddly enough I never took a screenshot of it. Who would?!
Strange world that those pointing out a clear fact that he's selling rather expensive coaching whilst now unlicensed get mainly downvoted. Makes me wonder what sort of people he has in his fandom.
£7 for a training plan isn't 'rather expensive' and as his 'coaching' is closed/unavailable that's the only coaching currently for sale. Perhaps he used to be a certified coach and it has now lapsed and so he removed all mention of it? Sounds almost responsible to me? But the letsrun detectives can't help but find a conspiracy theory out of nowhere as usual. If your accusations hinge on you needing to have captured a historic screenshot, during which time he may well have actually been a certified coach for all you know, then sorry but there are more important 'scandals' to uncover out there.
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