Aspiring coaches
You want to learn from someone operating at a high level, not from a slide deck.
The Tropos Coach Education Series
Learn what takes most coaches years to figure out.
A 3-part hands-on workshop for people who want to coach at a high level. Back. Shoulder. Knee. Taught by someone who has lived through the injury, studied the body, and coached through the complexity for a decade.
- Part 01
- Back
- September 27
- Part 02
- Shoulder
- October 25
- Part 03
- Knee
- November 29
The Core Angle
Most coach education is theoretical. This isn’t.
Good coaching isn’t just programming and cueing. It’s knowing what you’re looking at when something goes wrong, and having the confidence to act on it.
The Tropos Coach Education Series is built by someone who has lived through the injury, studied the body, and coached through the complexity for 10+ years. Each session goes deep on one of the three injury patterns coaches encounter most.
Injuries and pain do not need to be avoided. They need to be addressed.
Who It’s For
Built for coaches who want to operate at a higher level.
Current coaches & trainers
You want to sharpen your injury literacy and stop referring out on reflex.
Kins, students & career-changers
You have the science. You want the floor. And maybe a pathway to coach at Tropos.
A practical framework for identifying & managing common injuries
Confidence to coach through limitations, not just refer out
Insight into how an experienced coach thinks through complex cases
A potential pathway to coach at Tropos FC (if it’s a fit)
Three Workshops
One weekend. One injury pattern. Real coaching reps.
01
September 27Part 01
Back Injuries
Overcoming the Fear
The injury that most coaches feel least equipped to handle.
The Reality
Most coach education on back pain is purely theoretical. When a client says, “My back is acting up,” most coaches panic, work around it, refer out, and lose the client’s momentum. Injuries and pain do not need to be avoided — they need to be addressed.
What we will cover
The Mindset Shift
Moving from fear-based avoidance to confident, safe coaching.
Red Flags vs. Green Lights
Knowing what to look for, what to avoid, and when to keep athletes moving safely.
Modifying the Hinge & Pull
Teach anyone — elite athletes to gen-pop — how to think through movement and establish new patterns. Learn what their injuries are really telling you about root causes, not just symptoms.
Hands-on Coaching
Team breakouts to practice real-time coaching adjustments on the floor.
Who it’s for
Aspiring and current coaches building bulletproof confidence in movement assessment, and kinesiologists bridging clinical theory with real-world execution.
02
October 25Part 02
Shoulder Injuries
Decoding the Upper Body
From rotator cuff issues to impingement and post-op returns.
The Reality
To many coaches the shoulder is a black box. When a client complains of pinching during a press, the default is “stop pressing.” But unless there was a violent impact, shoulder pain is almost always wear-and-tear from faulty patterns and muscular imbalances. Restoring shoulder health is about teaching proper mechanics, working through manageable discomfort, and rebuilding the structures around the joint.
What we will cover
Reading Upper-Body Biomechanics
Read press and pull patterns in real time. Decipher what shrugging, scapular winging, or an anterior shoulder dump is telling you about lower trap firing, serratus anterior weakness, and rotator cuff imbalance.
Teaching the “Why”
Go beyond verbal cues. Teach clients how to think through upper-body movement, establish a stable scapular base, and actively feel the correct muscles engage.
The Modification Matrix
Every injury is unique. Learn the levers a coach can pull to adapt pressing and pulling to the specific issue in front of you.
Building Confidence Through Load
Find a tolerable entry point and progress clients safely past limitations back to pain-free pressing.
Who it’s for
Aspiring and current coaches who want to master upper-body assessment, and fitness professionals ready to stop avoiding shoulder issues.
03
November 29Part 03
Knee Injuries
Restoring the Lower-Body Chain
Teaching clients how to move, engage, and trust their body again.
The Reality
Unless there is a direct, violent impact, knee pain is rarely just a joint issue — it is a movement pattern issue. Telling a client to “stop squatting” is lazy coaching that strips away their quality of life. Our job is to teach mechanics, guide clients through manageable discomfort, and rebuild the surrounding structures.
What we will cover
Reading Lower-Body Biomechanics
Decipher what a collapsing knee, shifting hip, or lifting heel is telling you about muscle engagement, foot stability, and movement imbalance.
The Mindset Shift
Coach a client through the mental block of loaded lower-body patterns — from fear to safety to confidence.
The Art of Lower-Body Cueing
Practice the Tropos rule of “Show it. Say it. Shape it.” Teach clients to root their feet, find their hips, and actively control knee alignment.
Regress to Progress
Find a tolerable entry-point pattern on the floor and guide clients through progressive, pain-free loading over weeks.
Who it’s for
Personal trainers, kinesiologists, and student-athletes who want to master lower-body assessment and guide clients back to full, pain-free patterns.
Your Instructor
Liam Chisholm
Kinesiologist. Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist. Former Canada Rugby player. Gym owner. 10+ years on the floor.
KinesiologistCSCSFormer Canada RugbyUltra-marathonerGym Owner10+ years coaching
“In 2012, doctors told me my competitive sports career was over. I refused to accept that. I studied the body, decoded my own movement patterns, and rebuilt my spine from the ground up.”
Liam doesn’t teach this from a textbook. He navigated a career-ending back injury himself, rebuilt from it back to playing rugby and running ultra-marathons, and has since coached athletes and gen-pop through hundreds of injury setbacks.
This series is what he wishes he’d had access to when he was starting out.
Dates & Format
Small. Hands-on. High-touch.
Space is intentionally limited. These workshops are designed to be worked through together on the gym floor at Tropos Fitness Club.
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Apply to Attend
Ready to coach through the injuries other trainers refer out?
Send Liam a short note about who you are, where you coach, and which parts of the series you want to attend. Spots are limited.