Earlier hale reports established that the recommendation layer is active: most coaches recommend at least one supplement category to their clients. That finding now rests on a much larger base. The QuickCoach coach survey has grown to 2,184 valid responses, more than double the sample behind the original figure, and the recommend rate holds at 69.7%.
This report asks the next question. When a coach recommends, how much do they recommend? The answer changes how a brand should think about its competition at this layer.
The short answer
Coaches who recommend supplements name 2.2 categories on average. 37% recommend a single category, 28% recommend two and 35% recommend three or more. Protein appears on three in four recommending coaches' lists. At this layer a brand competes for a place on a shortlist, not only against rivals in its own category.
2.2
supplement categories named on average by coaches who recommend
35%
of recommending coaches name three or more categories
69.7%
of coaches recommend at least one category
2,184
valid coach responses, more than double the earlier base
What this is, in one paragraph
This is a read of one multi-select survey question, not a nutrition study. 2,184 coaches on the QuickCoach platform answered between late March and early September 2026, choosing any of five supplement categories they recommend to clients or saying they recommend none. Breadth is the number of categories each recommending coach selected. Everything is aggregated and anonymised. The full method sits at the foot of the page.
The shape of a recommendation
How many categories a recommending coach names
Share of 1,523 coaches who recommend at least one category
Denominator: 1,523 recommending coaches, of 2,184 valid responses. Survey offered five supplement categories. Figures rounded.
The single-category coach is the largest group, but not the majority. Close to two in three recommending coaches name two or more categories, and more than a third name three or more. One in twenty ticks all five.
Protein anchors the list. It appears for three in four recommending coaches, consistent with the frequency order published in the supplement category read. For most coaches, any other category joins a conversation that protein has already started.
A rate that holds as the sample grows
The larger sample also settles a question about the headline figure. Read month by month as coaches completed the survey, the share recommending at least one category stays in a narrow band.
| Survey month (2026) | Responses | Recommend at least one category |
|---|---|---|
| March | 638 | 72% |
| April | 665 | 67% |
| May | 233 | 71% |
| June | 213 | 74% |
| July | 261 | 70% |
| August | 162 | 64% |
| All months | 2,184 | 69.7% |
Monthly cohorts range from 64% to 74%. The figure is not an artefact of one batch of respondents. It describes the population. This 69.7% figure supersedes the earlier published reads of 69% (985 responses) and 68% (a 1,000-coach audit), which it confirms.
Why breadth changes the brand question
- Share of the shortlist, not only share of the category. A coach who recommends three categories has three conversations competing for a few minutes of a session. A brand is up against its direct rivals and also against the other categories on the list for the coach's time and the client's budget.
- Most categories join a protein conversation. With protein on three in four lists, brands outside protein are usually the second or third recommendation. Fitting naturally alongside what the coach already recommends matters more than standing alone, a point made in the practitioner layer playbook.
- The single-category coach is a different audience. 37% of recommending coaches make one considered pick. A place on a list of one is harder to earn and probably worth more. That is a hypothesis to test, not a finding.
- Breadth at the category level, silence at the brand level. Coaches name categories readily and brands rarely, as Coaches Recommend Ingredients, Not Brands shows. A shortlist of categories with no brand attached is an open slot for every brand in it.
What is held back
Which categories travel together on a coach's list, and how breadth varies with a coach's experience, roster size or market, sit beneath this topline. Those cuts answer brand-specific questions and are held as part of hale's brand-tracking work.
What this page does not claim
- It does not measure how often coaches recommend. Breadth counts the categories a coach recommends, not how many clients hear it.
- It does not rank brands or report category market shares. The survey asks about categories only.
- It is not a census. The sample skews towards independent, digitally engaged practitioners on the QuickCoach platform, so read it as a strong signal about the network measured and a directional one about the wider non-clinical workforce.
Know where your brand sits on the shortlist
hale measures which categories and brands the coaches in your market recommend, alongside their clients, continuously and against your competitive set.
Where these figures come from
How we got these numbers
Source. The QuickCoach coach survey, completed by 2,253 coaches between 28 March and 3 September 2026 on a platform used by more than 40,000 coaches and fitness businesses. QuickCoach is one of the platforms behind the hale panel. 2,184 respondents gave a valid answer to the supplement question.
Definitions. Coaches could select any of five supplement categories or indicate that they recommend none. A coach counts as recommending if they selected at least one category; 1,523 did. Breadth is the number of categories a recommending coach selected. 52 respondents selected both "I don't recommend" and at least one category; they are counted as recommending. Survey month is the month a coach completed the survey.
Scope. The sample skews towards independent, digitally engaged practitioners on the QuickCoach platform, so read it as a strong signal about the network measured and a directional one about the wider non-clinical workforce. Category combinations and segment-level breadth are held as part of hale's brand-tracking work. Figures are rounded.
Privacy. Everything is aggregated and anonymised. No individual coach, client or business is identifiable, and no personally identifiable information is included.
Frequently asked questions
How many supplements do fitness coaches recommend?
Coaches who recommend supplements name 2.2 categories on average. 37% recommend a single category, 28% recommend two and 35% recommend three or more, based on 1,523 recommending coaches on the QuickCoach platform.
What share of fitness coaches recommend supplements?
69.7% of 2,184 coaches surveyed in 2026 recommend at least one supplement category to clients. The rate holds between 64% and 74% across monthly survey cohorts.
Which supplement do coaches recommend most?
Protein. It appears on the lists of three in four coaches who recommend supplements, and it is the most-named category in the survey.
Does hale publish which supplement categories coaches recommend together?
No. Category combinations and breadth by coach segment are held as part of hale's brand-tracking work, available to research and commercial partners.
Published October 2026, drawn from the QuickCoach coach survey (2,184 valid responses), aggregated and anonymised. hale is a health-tech holding company; its coaching platforms, QuickCoach and FitFocus, form the network behind this research. To see what this looks like for your brand and competitive set, start a conversation or reach us at research@halehealth.io.
How hale research works: the panel, the instruments and the privacy rules.
