Competing or not, who here works with a coach and who here does their own diet?

[TheOtherOne55]

Pretty general but we have a variety of guys posting on here.
I know guys who have no desire to compete but just love working with a coach (and look freaking great) and others who compete multiples times a year and do all their nutrition themselves.

IMO the best looking physiques i know (whether working with a coach or not) KNOW their nutrition and stick to a plan though. They arent eating random macros and having free meals everyday.

Just wanted to see that the board is full of.

 

[Bleed]

I've used two coaches. Both I found on this board. Between the severely limited exercise selections and one sentence responses from one and the 6 hours of cardio a week from the other, I decided to save my money. Both of them gave me one "diet" and never tweaked anything. It really was a learning experience but any continued spending of money would have been stupid on my part. Especially since one couldn't remember my name and tried to sell me on a multi level marketing scheme. I lost all respect for that one. Im sure a lot of you know exactly who im talking about. Lots of very frustrating conversations.

Ive prepped for two shows and I have zero desire to compete again. I do always have a plan and stick to it. Most of us cant do random and get results doing this.

 

[danieltx]

I've never worked with a coach for anything - I do all my nutrition / training / supplementation myself.

I have workout log books going back to 2011, MyFitnessPal nutrition data from early 2016 on, and a supplementation log with notes on performance / body composition / etc. from early 2016 on.

Having all this historical data makes things easier for me every year, but as you said, sticking to the plan is the biggest factor. I'm a robot with all this stuff, it's just my way of life. I want to look and perform a certain way and I do the things required every day to get me there.

 

[thethinker48]

Do everything myself; never used a coach

If you have an observant mind, and a half stubborn approach, you can build a decent physique with enough time

Don't personally have the genetics or any competitive aspirations to justify hiring a coach

A competitive physique can be a different story; your genes, your risk tolerance, and your willingness to do the boring things over a long period of time will determine that; a coach will just align those things for people

 

[thethinker48]

I've never worked with a coach for anything - I do all my nutrition / training / supplementation myself.

I have workout log books going back to 2011, MyFitnessPal nutrition data from early 2016 on, and a supplementation log with notes on performance / body composition / etc. from early 2016 on.

Having all this historical data makes things easier for me every year, but as you said, sticking to the plan is the biggest factor. I'm a robot with all this stuff, it's just my way of life. I want to look and perform a certain way and I do the things required every day to get me there.

This is what makes physiques. And is evident by your progress

 

[TedDansen]

I've only hired a coach for posing. My posing is still terrible, but I'm working on it

I've always felt that competing is all a learning process, figuring out how to tweak things and failing and getting better... if I hire someone to tell me everything to do, then what's the point?

 

[musclefreak47]

All by myself,maybe in future someone like Patrick tuor or Justin Harris when i decide to push things to the next lvl

 

[Gunsmith]

I've used a coach for contest prep several times and I've done my own several times , I definitely looked better hiring a coach but that mostly due to making poor decisions the final few weeks by having a skewed preception of how I looked.
The next time I compete I'll probably do everything myself then hire a coach for the final month to help nail down my condition without me having to think about it.
I'd like to work with Milos just to see exactly what he does and how he does his final few weeks.

 

[Ruhlfreak55]

I'm considering a coach for starting in jan/feb, I want to compete and do WELL, and I've never done that. I have very little to no need for training help / advice, but when contest prepping you definitely get to a point where you can't possibly see reality in the mirror well enough to tweak your diet your self.

 

[azazelll]

I worked 6 months with Milos and 6 months with Neil. Two different styles of work, diet and training. But lots of valuable knowledge and tips.

 

[austrianoak]

I've used a coach for contest prep several times and I've done my own several times , I definitely looked better hiring a coach but that mostly due to making poor decisions the final few weeks by having a skewed preception of how I looked.
The next time I compete I'll probably do everything myself then hire a coach for the final month to help nail down my condition without me having to think about it.
I'd like to work with Milos just to see exactly what he does and how he does his final few weeks.

Just my honest opinion but I think hiring a coach a month out of your show is a recipe for disaster at worst and at best you are selling yourself short by spending the money and getting mediocre results from it cause the coach doesn’t know your body at all. Ideally I’d start with a coach in an offseason setting so that he can get to know your body and then transition into prep with him. Just my two cents of course.

I worked with JP and was very happy with I learned from him. For my first show I worked with a local coach since I enjoyed having someone to work with in person. Prepped myself for my shows afterwards and that was also a great learning experience. For me, I currently am very happy with my progress just by doing things that I now know work for me.

 

[Fit2Serve]

i hired Phil Hernon back ago. it was perfect program(s) for me. loved it.
everything else i learned when i worked for Milos Sarcev at his Koloseum Gym.
i think its def worth getting a coach one time. if its a good coach and do EXACTLY what they say.
phil was amazing. responded to texts w in minutes. answered any and every question i had.
sucks to get a bad coach but a good one can get you light years ahead
-F2S

 

[USMuscle9403]

Not competitive, so never hired a coach, although I can't afford one, anyway lol

But if I did compete, you bet I'd get a coach. Why? Because I've dieted to be pretty damn lean before and I know that a lean, hungry man can often not make the best decisions lol Your emotions and urges can get the best of you, if you're not careful. You expect me to be able to carb up without going nuts? lol good luck with that shit. If I'm paying a coach, it's not necessarily for their knowledge, it's basically paying for an accountability partner.

My go tos would probably be Jordan Peters, Justin Harris or John meadows. I'm sure there are lots of great ones out there.

 

[Dieselboss]

I've never competed and never had any desire to. I always just wanted to be "not the fattest guy at the beach" and just did it for myself really.

I had worked with Alex Azarian, Shelby, Meadows, (twice) Hernon and now someone else. Each and every one of them had different approaches and between them all, (and a lot of people here) I've learned a ton.

 

[TheOtherOne55]

Competed a handful of times and used a coach the last 3-4.
All of my competitions have been VERY spread out though. Years in between. During those times, I've always taken care of the my diet myself. BUT—every contest time (using a coach) I've always made much better strides in my physique with help than all by myself.

Dieting yourself down is easily doable, but you DO need some help toward the end. AND most competitors think they are ready way too early and think they are lean enough when they aren't. Only a coach can tell you otherwise. Using a coaching every so often has made me "look like a BBer" more though. This is the first time I'm using a coach for my offseason and I'm 100% glade I made that decision.

 

[hawkmoon]

Never used a coach. Exchanged emails with Hernon on here 10 years ago.

I came up in the 80 and there weren't any coaches really. There was a guru or two here and there, but honestly I like to learn on my own and apply that knowledge.

I don't see how anyone could know my body more than I unless my observation skills are far worse than I think they are.

 

[btails]

I like working with a coach. I dont like over analyzing myself and prefer for someone to just tell me what to do. My execution is on point.

 

[TheOtherOne55]

I like working with a coach. I dont like over analyzing myself and prefer for someone to just tell me what to do. My execution is on point.

100%. And I coach other people lol.

When I'm doing my own diet myself, I'm constantly wondering if I'm too fat, if i need to adjust the plan, should I add more carbs, etc. Versus when I have a coach (like right now) I'm just cruising. All i think about is the plan, not stressing about it. Eat this. I trust his thinking over my own and feel piece of mind with it.

 

[Dugbet]

I have never liked the idea of having someone to guide me in my actions in any area of life, I like to be self-taught even if it leads me to make mistakes. Bodybuilding is an individual effort (or so it should be according to my idea of sport), and it is what differentiated it from other sports where there were always coaches and the athletes only follow orders as if they were military.

That said, and contrary to my ideals, if I was a competitor I maybe would have tried working with Matt Porter RIP or Shelby, they are the only guys that really make me curious.

 

[bigsonbitch]

IM 48 and just started using a coach this past summer and I’m in the best shape of my life. I’ve gotten into good shape before but not this good...admittedly there were things I learned that I didn’t do in my years before....I’m planning to do my first show in 2021