Age Group Athletes Coaching

10 Stars!
John’s most likely the nicest coach one could ever meet.
I initially asked him to video tape my swim. For a reasonable fee (much less than a GoPro) he video taped my swim and gave me some guidance on how to improve my swimming skills. The video is so valuable. I’ve always wanted to videotape myself swimming but didn’t have a way.
He also does ocean swimming on Sundays. I told him it’s difficult for me to go on Sundays so he met with me on a Thursday. I didn’t realize I’d be very scared to swim in the ocean and he didn’t force me. He just let me ‘play’ to get used to it. I scoured the internet for an ocean swim coach willing to take me to the ocean as a beginner swimmer and most of them only take advanced swimmers. The only person I could find was John. I will definitely call on John the next time I go swim in the ocean.

I started working with Coach John in January ’14 and have continued throughout the year. I was a novice triathlete with 4 races under my belt when I started with him. However, in that short time, I had qualified for USA Triathlon Nationals and sought his coaching to prepare me for the August race.
He immediately got me on a training plan that made the most of my training time. The track workouts and hill repeats he had me do, improved my run times to personal best levels. I completed my first Half Marathon in 1hr 52min (a 8:30 min avg) and was ecstatic!
On my cycling, which is my strongest event and where I thought there was little room for improvement, he actually got me faster by about 2 – 3 mph per race. I was typically racing at a 19mph average and had my best race (at Nationals) averaging about 22mph. I have also improved my strength and overall conditioning in cycling, which he has measured and tracked for me on his CompuTrainer. I also completed my first Century ride and felt strong and very prepared with the workouts he had me doing.
His open water swim groups, which I swam with all summer, helped me improve my comfort and strength in open water conditions. In July, I completed the 2.2 mile Pier to Pier swim from Hermosa to Manhattan Beach in 1hr 23 min, without needing to take any breaks. This was a testament to the swim endurance I developed over the weeks of open water swim practice.
Best of all, John always makes himself available to talk if you have questions. I have a particularly crazy work travel schedule and he has been great to modify my workouts around my travel plans. He is also realistic and makes sure I take adequate rest days and time off for vacations.
I would say that I am the best shape of my life at a «young» 39 years old! To end my first year working with Coach John, I completed my first half Iron distance race and finished with a very respectable 5:42. I was happy to have had John’s coaching and guidance throughout the year to get me competing at levels that I didn’t know I was capable of! Thanks Coach John!!!

At the age of 49, my daughter decided it was time for me to join her in a triathlon. I am an OK cyclist, but a dreadful runner, so I figured a coach was in order. I found Coach John Bryan. That was three months ago.
In the nine months before meeting John, I had injured myself at three times, trying to train myself to run half marathon distance. At the time we met, I could barely manage 20 minutes of non-​stop «jogging» at a 13 min/​mile pace, and that was my absolute limit. Three months later, with a shorter stride, better posture, and a quicker turnover, I just ran the Redondo Beach Superbowl 5K in 29:13. That’s a 9:18 min/​mile, and I was able to jog home easily afterwards. No pain, no discomfort.
The improvements in my cycling speed are not quite as dramatic (because I wasn’t nearly as slow to start), but they are still substantial: I’ve taken several minutes off my fastest times up PV East. Average MPH on long rides is up from 13 to 19.
Swimming has gone from «I haven’t been in a pool in years» to mile-​long workouts.
All of my progress has come from a remarkably compact training schedule. Most workouts are no more than an hour, with the exception of one (sometimes two) longer workout (s) each week. Mind you: the workouts — even the short ones — are challenging. He pushes. Hard. And then harder. But not beyond what he thinks a person can do. And there is always method to the madness, which he is happy to explain, for those who want to get into the details and the data.
John listens to his athletes, he adjusts for struggles, and he builds on strengths. His programs are flexible and allow for periods of rest and recovery.
FYI, John has a cute dog (Winston), who is happy to provide some distraction during some of the more grueling Computrainer sessions.

Coach John is top notch. He made me go from potato couch to 8-​mile run in 60 days

I highly recommend Age Group Athletes Coaching. I’ve done two triathlons with Coach John, and I’m definitely not an «elite» athlete. I was a basically a beginner and he provided a ton of support and guidance as I learned and improved in all three sports. He provides a daily training program, and was always open during the week to check in and see how things are progressing. I enjoyed our one-​on-​one sessions and feedback as it was always challenging and fun.

I have done two run clinics, and training on the bike with CoachJohn Bryan. The run clinic includes video analysis of the runner. In the analysis John points out specific form issues if there are any and includes instruction and drills to correct those issues. He does a great job of showing you how to run most efficiently and makes sure that you know what efficient running feels like at the end of the clinic. On the bike he does a computer analysis and within 3 weeks I saw improvement in speed and another important statistic I don’t recall. John is very knowledgeable and passionate about training Triathletes regardless of their level. He does individualized training for specific needs and goals. I wholeheartedly recommend John Brian and Age-​Group-​Athletes.

I met Coach Bryan a few years ago through Team to End Aids’ triathlon training program and worked with him independently to supplement the regular training schedule. Our sessions mainly focused on core and strength training in his gym for the triathlon disciplines.
In the 2013 Malibu Tri, I was able to reduce my overall finish time by about 30 mins and the swim time by 20 mins. With John’s help I was able to redistribute my body mass and lost up to 18 lbs during the training season.
John also helped me with running analysis and swimming as well. I credit his coaching to much of the improvements.
John also helped me with my marathon training schedule and coaching last year.
We had fun times while working hard. Thanks, John!