About Us
We are experienced triathlon, cycling, running and Hyrox coaches. We help time-starved athletes find consistency, and we coach them to the fitness and performance goals that matter to them.
Meet your coach
A Q&A with Rich Akers, founder of RIAK Fitness. Who coaching is for, why consistency beats a perfect week, and what a coach still does when the plan meets real life.
Our training method
The method is simple. We give athletes the structure to find balance with the rest of life's stressors, then the knowledge and tools to keep everything in equilibrium.
The hierarchy of your life in its real order
Family, work, or whatever your priorities are, we make that order explicit, so if your training comes into conflict with one of those things, you already know how to adapt. The plan is then built around how your week actually runs, not an ideal version of it.
Consistency over perfection
Consistency means enough to keep moving forwards, not completing every session perfectly. We give you the tools to scale sessions and/or move them around. A disrupted week does not undo the work already done, and a sea of green on TrainingPeaks is not the goal.
Recovery at the centre
Life does not follow the archaic approach of three to four loading weeks followed by a recovery week that you might find in template plans. Our approach is to chip away at fatigue with 3-5 day cycles followed by some form of recovery and only add what you have the capacity to absorb.
A coach, not only a plan
A plan is just the framework. The useful part of having a coach is the support you receive when reality prevents things going according to that plan: illness, a niggle, a brutal month at work. That is where experience still beats a spreadsheet.
How training is reviewed
Out of frustration with the archaic UIs of the major training platforms that choose to scatter key data, we built our own admin and analytics dashboard. Everything is hosted locally to protect privacy, but all athlete summaries and training zones etc. are fully exportable. All this is backed up by weekly summary and instruction emails that ensure athletes have all they need for the week ahead.
Watch How training is reviewed on YouTube
Not accepting the status quo and using technology to ensure our athletes get the service they deserve is a big part of what sets RIAK Fitness apart from other coaching businesses.
The squads
Same approach, four sports. Open a squad page for what is included, pricing and the events we coach towards.
Triathlon coaching
From a first triathlon through 70.3, Ironman and age-group racing, including off-road and extreme events.
Cycling coaching
Road, gravel, cyclo-cross and gran fondo. From a first sportive through to riders chasing a bigger result.
Running coaching
Marathon and ultra specialist coaching for busy athletes, from a first half marathon onwards.
Hyrox coaching
Periodised strength for the stations, run coaching for where the time is won and lost, and a plan that fits around life.
Frequently asked questions
Time-starved athletes who want consistency, and a plan that can sit alongside work, family and everything else. That includes a first triathlon or half marathon, age-group racing, Hyrox, and longer projects such as an ultra or Marathon des Sables.
If you are unsure whether you count as an athlete, you do. The job is to help you get fitter and to navigate the weeks that do not go to plan.
No. Coaching is not reserved for elites. It is closer to having a specialist personal trainer: someone helping you improve your fitness and your knowledge, whatever your starting point.
We look after that full range on purpose. The athletes at the start of the journey often make the most of the advice, and the more experienced ones keep us sharp.
Onboarding usually takes two to four weeks. We spend that time working out how your life actually runs, then build the first training around it. Confidence comes before testing.
We do not put athletes straight into a test unless they already have a consistent history of training and testing at a high level. Early on, the job is to make the plan feel workable.
A good plan, including a well-built AI plan, can give you a framework. It cannot sit with you when you are ill, injured, or buried at work, and it cannot teach you how to scale a session for your week.
A coach does that with you. The aim is that you understand the training well enough to make good decisions on your own — pacing, fuelling, recovery and race day included — with someone on hand when you want a second view.
Ready to get started?
If you want to talk through a goal, a busy week, or whether coaching is the right fit, book a free consultation or send an email.
Explore the squads: Triathlon coaching · Cycling coaching · Running coaching · Hyrox coaching