Nicole Rutherford has been a Starting Strength Coach since 2015 and was a Starting Strength Affiliate gym owner from 2017-2020 in San Diego, California.
In 2021, Nicole started to travel the US and help open Starting Strength Gyms in Austin, TX and Boston, MA. Currently she is available for online training and plans to hold Starting Strength camps around the United States in 2023.
Since she was 18, she has been involved in Starting Strength and has had the opportunity to work with clients as young as 8 years old, to 97 years old. Along with helping her clients get strong, her mission is to help every individual develop a healthy relationship with food, exercise and their bodies.
DELUXE COACHING PACKAGE
COST: $225/MONTH
- 60 minute introductory training session via Zoom or Skype
- Customized programming to meet YOUR goals
- Form checks and timely feedback for the top work set of every lift, every workout (3-4 sessions a week) via TrueCoach
- Receive feedback after every workout within 48 hours and receive programming for the week ahead every Sunday
- Direct access to your coach throughout the week via TrueCoach
- A monthly payment of $225/month with a 3-month commitment*. The monthly payment will remain $225/month after the 3-month commitment is over.
PREMIUM COACHING PACKAGE
COST: $275/MONTH
- 60 minute introductory training session via Zoom or Skype
- Customized programming to meet YOUR goals
- Form checks and timely feedback for the top work set of every lift, every workout (3-4 sessions a week) via TrueCoach
- Receive feedback after every workout within 48 hours and receive programming for the week ahead every Sunday
- Direct access to your coach throughout the week via TrueCoach
- Personalized nutrition plan with weekly adjustments and check-ins
- A monthly payment of $275/month with a 3-month commitment*. The monthly payment will remain $275/month after the 3-month commitment is over.
*Membership options can be switched after the first month. A total of 3 consecutive months of training is required.
Visit https://valensstrength.com for more information
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21 Reviews on “Nicole Rutherford, SSC”
Nicole is an excellent coach. Within a few sessions Nicole had corrected a few form issues to alleviate some of the pain I had been experiencing in my knee/elbow.
Nicole’s gym has a wide range of members in age and strength with a very friendly and welcoming environment. I would recommend Valens to anyone looking to improve their skills, strength, and wants a welcoming no judgement environment.
Thank you for the kind words Sean! It has been great working with you.
Nicole has been my Starting strength coach for about 10 months now and I would say its been amazing. She is very knowledgeable and supportive. From the time you walk into the gym, she will encourage you and ensure that your lifting journey is excellent.
Even in this COVID19 Pandemic, she has been encouraging all members to workout from home. She has been diligently posting workouts for every member.
I would recommend her in a heartbeat.
Nicole has been my coach for over a year. She’s knowledgeable, supportive, and fun to work with. She creates workouts that are a match for my abilities and goals. When I hit my goals, she seems just as excited about it as I am. I’m not sure what else to say other than I’m glad to have her on my team!
I could not be more happy with Nicole! I got an online coach since I can not find a Starting Strength coach where I live. She is patient with explaining what I need to correct with my form thru chat, and is great with giving easy to remember tips so that I will be able to execute what she wants to be revised with my form on my next session. Highly recommended.
Before Nicole and Jason, I’d regularly peak because of injuries. The two of them changed that for me. I’ve regularly hit new personal records over the past year and a half. But more importantly, they’ve modified my form to reduce injuries and keep the workouts safe–my number one goal. They’re also easy to talk to and a pleasure to work with.
Overall, I’m super happy with where I’m at in my program, and I wouldn’t be at this stage absent their training. You’ve molded me into a machine. Great work, guys.
I’ve been training with Nicole for the past two and a half years. I’d never touched a barbell before aside from perhaps two times benching in college. I walked in the door a lanky 6’5″ 185lb 40 something looking to get strong. Since then I’ve put a solid 40 pounds on my frame and got my deadlift to 585lbs. This would simply have never happened without the keen eye and high expectations of my coach. Choosing to work with Nicole has been without a doubt one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. I have referred many of my patients to work with her and each and every one of them have been grateful for the introduction.
Nicole Rutherford is a fantastic online strength coach. She develops personalize programs, that are modified to her clients unique needs. She carefully analyze her clients lifts so that she can make key suggestions to optimize their next session. Nicole always ensures that you are safe and are getting stronger with her programs. Her sincerity and enthusiasm comes through with her responds. Nicole always gets back to you in a timely manner.
I am a 60-year-old woman who was extremely apprehensive to begin power lifting. My husband bought me power lifting shoes for Christmas and they sat in my closet for six months. Eventually however I gave in and tried it. And now I can say with confidence that power lifting is one of the best thing I’ve ever done. I have gained so much strength and confidence in the last year and a half working out with Nicole: I have lost 16 pounds and have become much stronger. What’s more I recently had a bone density test that showed great improvement. My hypertension has gone away as well. I can contribute all these outcomes to my weight training and my coach.
With the Covid-19 quarantine, I would’ve gone crazy without my training and my terrific coach. I train three days a week and look forward to each training day. I know I’m getting stronger and healthier which will help me fight off any virus. It’s truly been Nicole who has cheered me on during these uncertain times. I highly recommend Nicole as an online coach.
Nicole has been a great mentor for me since I started my strength training journey. She has been able to provide me the best form feedback and programming to help me achieve my strength training goals. I have been able to increase my squats by nearly 100 pounds above what I’ve done in my past. She has also helped me join the 300 lbs bench club and a rare press club of 240 lbs. I’ve been able to put nearly 20 lbs of muscle on as well since I started strength training less than 3 years ago. She is able to provide clear instructions using a very calm demeanor to help you get into the proper form and mechanics for every movement. The cherry on top is she is super sweet and bubbly!
Nicole is a fun and effective coach! I specifically sought out a Starting Strength coach/gym because of their reputation to successfully train people of all ages and experience levels. Over the last few months, my experience has been exceptional. I had never trained with barbells before. Never done a squat, overhead press, or dead lift. Through the hands-on and highly experienced coaching I received from Nicole and Jason at Valens Strength and Conditioning, I was able to quickly learn the four main barbell movements. Utilizing the novice Starting Strength program, I was able to add between 100 and 200 pounds to all my lifts within a few months. I highly recommend Nicole and Valens for anyone who wants to greatly improve their overall strength, health, and confidence.
I used to be an in person client. However then covid-19 happened. To be honest was a little skeptical about an online coach. But after three weeks of doing it this way, it’s working! Crazy thing is I get as much feedback as in person. Managed to make me feel accountable remotely! Still seeing results. May be a problem as when this is over I would even consider staying online.
More importantly they will not let you advance without form! And to avoid injuries that is key.
I have been working out for about 25 years on and off. I discovered starting strength about 10 years ago when a friend of mine read the book. We both set out to get stronger…well let’s just say knee issues in about 3 months I could not do it anymore. I got stronger but I also hurt my self in the meantime, didn’t seem worth it. I then decided to try it again but this time with a real coach, Nicole has been awesome through every workout in her attention to detail, I improve my lifts and form every time. My lifts are about what they were 10 years ago but with no pain at all, I feel great.
I highly recommend anyone looking to get online coaching and wanting to get stronger with an awesome coach, Nicole will guide you every step of the way.
Prospective Lifter: you’ve come to the right place and you‘ve found the right coach.
I’ve been working with Nicole for more than 2 years and it’s been an amazing journey. I used to be a DIY lifter – 6 years in a globo gym making very little progress (and at the time I thought I was doing great). At some point my squat got stuck at 185. I contacted Nicole and she started coaching me 3 days a week. My squat is now up to 405.
Besides being an effective coach Nicole is a great person and a pleasure to be around. I highly suggest you hire Nicole to take you the next level.
I have always wanted to get strong but have had very little training outside of high school sports >15 years in the rearview now. As a novice, I decided I needed to get some help and reached out to Nicole to coach me through the starting strength program. I have been training with her 3xweek for 4 months now, 3 months in small group at Valens gym where she is co-owner and 1 month online where I upload videos of my sets for her feedback via the TrueCoach application. I couldn’t be happier with the results and am regretting that I did not reach out for coaching sooner. Her enthusiasm for training, attention to detail, and clear communication have enabled me to dramatically improve my strength and overall health as I advance through the linear progression program. During this time, she has also provided nutritional planning and followed-up with weekly check-ins via email to discuss modifications to macronutrient goals and total calorie intake. With her help, I rarely feel hungry outside of mealtimes and haven’t experienced any significant muscle soreness during execution of the program. I now get to eat more while I continue to lose weight and her subtle modifications to my training have allowed me to continue progressing injury free with adequate time for recovery. Put simply, working with Nicole this year has me in the best shape of my adult life as I approach 40 – I highly recommend you reach out to her for help achieving your goals.
Results:
Height – 6’4’’
Starting bodyweight – 282 lbs.; Current bodyweight – 267 lbs.
Starting waist measurement – 45.75 in.; Current waist measurement – 41.5 in.
Starting Squat – 115lbs.x5repsx3sets; Current Squat – 305lbs.x5repsx3sets
Starting Deadlift – 135lbs.x5repsx1set; Current Deadlift – 400lbs.x5repsx1set
Starting Overhead Press – 45lbs.x5repsx3sets; Current Overhead Press – 145lbs.x5repsx3sets
Starting Bench Press – 85lbs.x5repsx3sets; Current Bench Press – 225lbs.x5repsx3sets
Starting Bodyweight Chin-ups – Nope; Current Bodyweight Chin-ups – 6repsx1set, 5repsx2sets
What are you still reading for, send her an email today!
I have been receiving online coaching from Nicole for about 3 months now. We started working together right in the middle of the COVID craziness. I already had a home gym and had gone through the basic Starting Strength program on my own, and as I started to reach heavier lifts, I was worried about injuring myself and wanted a Starting Strength coach to teach me proper form and to help take my programming to the next level.
In only 3 short months, Nicole has not only significantly improved my form on all the major lifts, but she’s also listened to my personal goals and adjusted my programming to fit them. We’re currently working on getting me to my first chin up, and have even incorporated some conditioning on top of the major lifts to help strengthen certain areas and improve my balance.
In addition to being attentive to my needs and listening to my goals, Nicole is great at explaining exactly what it is I need to work on for each session, and it also helps that she has a super bubbly personality and sometimes makes me laugh out loud in her video feedback 🙂 . She’s an absolute joy to work with and most importantly, really knows what’s she’s talking about. She really wants you to succeed and is great at pushing you to do your best. I can’t recommend Nicole enough.
I have worked with many coaches off-and-on throughout my adult years, but Nichole is the first one to really get the results that I have been looking for both in strength, form, and body composition. As a 65-year-old female, many coaches have a limited vision of what is possible for the human body, but Nichole has taken me from squating 65 pounds to 110 pounds within six months (long femurs and all) with the correct (and safe) form. I am so happy that I have found a practical coach who can help me achieve my goals to live strong and stay active throughout my lifetime! Her positive vibe helps me keep my commitment.
Nicole is sophisticated in her simplicity to teach and inspire. $250/month is a bargain.
So stop browsing and start training! 😆
I can’t say enough about Nicole! She is everything you’ll ever need in a lifting/health coach.
She is the complete package for strength, nutrition and wellness. Knowledgeable, motivating, highly skilled and my best cheerleader when it comes to lifting.
She is always available and will reply and answer any questions or concerns right away. Can correct and perfect form just as well through video as in person, it’s like having her in my home gym! (Maybe some day 🤗)
I’ve been strength training for 7 years now and since Nicole started training me a year and a half ago I have hit PR’s I never thought I would hit.
She changes my program on a whim to prepare me for competition, after an injury or a sickness or just plain burnout.
Nicole is worth her weight in gold. Your health is your biggest and most important investment and she’s just the one you need.
She’s become more than my coach, she’s a friend ❤️
I liked Nicole from the moment we first exchanged e-mails. She is focused and flexible in her approach to training clients, as well as a knowledgable and humble professional. Nicole will be the first person to celebrate a client who achieves his big goals in addition to the “small victories” that we all accumulate when training with a coach, such as adding a little weight to the bar over time. She inspires me to hold myself accountable for my strength and health, and has helped me realize that while easy doesn’t work, tough is enjoyable in its own odd way.
Nicole has been my coach for almost a year. During that time I’ve gained so much confidence with lifting heavy weights and it’s come to be the part of the week I enjoy the most! Nicole is the utmost professional and even better is just a wonderful person. She’s encouraging, supportive and precise – there is always something to improve and Nicole will find it! I chose Nicole as a coach from reading these online reviews and my advice would be that the reviews are right – she truly is outstanding.
Any certified starting strength coach is going to improve your strength and lifting form. The reason I find Nicole’s training exceptional is her infinite patience, and her gift for keeping an over 65 year old motivated enough to keep going back to the rack two to three times a week for years.
I have been training with Nicole for three years, and plan to continue training with her while I am able to.