Help selecting a coach (or maybe even recommendations?)

[Worldsfastestfatty]

Hey

I'm coming to a point in my life where I'm a little beat up by many years of athletics and olympic lifting training and would like to transition to "bodybuilding" albeit non-competitively at first - although who knows what the future holds.

I would like to select a coach but would appreciate some guidance on what to look for as there appears to be more than a few charltons out there. What I would need from a coach:

- Guidance on correct lifting technique where hypertrophy rather than power or strength is the goal

-guidance on nutrition

- guidance on transitioning from my current training style. I feel this is the most critical aspect. I currently train twice per day. Circa 90 minutes every morning of endurance/GPP/Sprint style training and resistance training or Olympic lifting in the evenings - 6 days per week. This is definitely not conducive for bodybuilding but I fear quickly changing from my currently very energy demanding life style to for example a 5 day split with (comparatively) low cardio will cause quite a lot of fat gain as it will be hard to gauge diet etc


So I'm not sure a run of the mill "lifestyle" coach will work, I need someone with experience working with athletes rather than mum & dad who wanna shed some chub - however I don't think I need to be approaching a coach who turns out IFBB pros.


Any ideas what I should look for or what questions I could ask to make sure it's a good fit?

 

[Worldsfastestfatty]

Should add cause someone will most likely ask - I currently sit at around 102kg (220lbish I think? Sorry. I'm not great with freedom units) and probably 15% BF at 5 foot 8. So some decent muscle but nowhere near bodybuilder size or leanness.

 

[Tomgrass]

Go with Luki
Also why do you think you wlll gain fat?? So many guys over here with office jobs and they are fine- diet , diet , diet… this dictate results not x amount of activity.

 

[bbxtreme]

From the sounds of it you don’t need a coach. I would buy one of John Meadow’s training program’s and watch all of his content and videos on YouTube. Will teach you all you need to know.

 

[Chipper Jones78]

From the sounds of it you don’t need a coach. I would buy one of John Meadow’s training program’s and watch all of his content and videos on YouTube. Will teach you all you need to know.

@Worldsfastestfatty, think this is sounds advice, for now at least.

 

[Biggerp73]

download the cost of redemption and imitate everything you see

 

[Gunsmith]

#1) whats your goals
#2) whats your budget?

Look for a coach that coaches in your specific goal criteria.

Don't get drawn in because they have great personal pics on Instagram , have and IFBB pro card or a dozen different alphabet certificates. Look at their cliets and talk with them about rheir experience with this coach.
Most Pros used a coach to get them where they are HOPEFULLY they learned from that coach/coaches and can implement that knowledge. Its unfortunate that many don't there are 7 that i know personally in southern Louisiana and Mississippi that couldn't coach a fat house wife to lose 10 pounds without drugs yet they are out here "coaching" using their procard as a marketing tool.
Same goes for certificates , there are probably nore trainers than not that have certificates out the ass but are completely incompetent.

VET YOU PROSPECTIVE COACH
Look at their clients resuand talk to those clients.!!!

Don't expect to get great experience without paying for it , but at the same time don't expect great results just because they are expensive.

Talk with them a bit , some great coaches might not have a personality tbat you mesh with , if you clash you will probably not have a good experience. Explain to them what you are looking for from a coach. Are the type person that just wants to he told a an and execute it or do you want to know the whys and where's for what you are being told to do. Many coachs don't want to teach.

 

[Performance Based]

@Gunsmith

Pardon the question of extreme ignorance. What is the cost variations for coaches in this game? Outside of programming and PED knowledge to bodybuilders have access to anything else?

 

[Gunsmith]

@Gunsmith

Pardon the question of extreme ignorance. What is the cost variations for coaches in this game? Outside of programming and PED knowledge to bodybuilders have access to anything else?

I've seen it vary from $150 to $400 a month , having some good ones charge less than shitty ones.
I think the elite coaches like Hanny Rambod , Chris Aceto and such are as much as $4k for a contest prep.

Honestly in my opinion all the knowledge is out there for free its just the insane amount of bullshit you have to wade through to find what works for you. When hiring a coach you're paying for their experience in being able to assess your body and lifestyle and build a training , nutrition and supplement program that suits your specifically. They have a much broader experience base dealing with different issues than most of us so its easier for them to adjust on the fly with less trial and error than doing it ourselves which saves valuable time.

You could probably use Dr Scott Stevenson book "Be your own bodybuilding coach" and get in contest winning shape , but probably not as good as if you hired him directly.
It was explained to me by a pretty good coach like this

"You are really mechanically inclined and probably change the brakes on your car or any car reasonably well after doing a few in your time and watchinga YouTube video on it , but do you think you'll ever be as efficient as a guy that works at a brake shop and does 500 brake jobs a year on dozens of different vehicles" that made alot of sense to me.

Another factor is being able to learn how different coaches do things , most all good coaches can get you in great shape but use totally different techniques from extreme to conservative

 

[TheOtherOne55]

To be honest, your goals and what you want out of coach are verryyy niche.

The average person on here grabs a coach to handle nutrition, they already understand how to lift and what split they are doing. There is nothing magical or secret "bber way" to train. Therefore, MOST coaches i know are there because guys dont know how to get lean, get huge and/or transform their body on their own. You...are asking for something else. Seems like the biggest ask from you is to transition you into a completely diff lifestyle and training view.

Because of this, i would go the route of some hybrid traininer. Which im sure there are some notable ones but im just unfamiliar with the space. There are long distance runners who are hypertrophy specialists and so on. Im sure you could find someone who blends both worlds. It's either that, or be smart and figure out the transition by yourself. I feel like you might be making this a bit more difficult in your head than it truly is. You are doing 60 mins of probably medium to hard cardio + some lifting in the evenings, 6 days a week. Keep 6 lifting days a week (possibly lower to 5) and lower your cardio by 30 mins. You also need to find a goal. If it IS hypertrophy, lowering your cardio is damn near essential to you putting on muscle. No matter WHAT, your caloric expenditure NEEDS to come down. And if you are still training hard and eating a high protein diet, you wont get fat.

also, how is your nutrition now???
I only ask because the intensity of training and cardio you are currently doing is pretty high and you also say your 15%.
You haaave to be struggling with your diet to be doing so much work and still sit a high bf like that.

 

[Worldsfastestfatty]

To be honest, your goals and what you want out of coach are verryyy niche.

The average person on here grabs a coach to handle nutrition, they already understand how to lift and what split they are doing. There is nothing magical or secret "bber way" to train. Therefore, MOST coaches i know are there because guys dont know how to get lean, get huge and/or transform their body on their own. You...are asking for something else. Seems like the biggest ask from you is to transition you into a completely diff lifestyle and training view.

Because of this, i would go the route of some hybrid traininer. Which im sure there are some notable ones but im just unfamiliar with the space. There are long distance runners who are hypertrophy specialists and so on. Im sure you could find someone who blends both worlds. It's either that, or be smart and figure out the transition by yourself. I feel like you might be making this a bit more difficult in your head than it truly is. You are doing 60 mins of probably medium to hard cardio + some lifting in the evenings, 6 days a week. Keep 6 lifting days a week (possibly lower to 5) and lower your cardio by 30 mins. You also need to find a goal. If it IS hypertrophy, lowering your cardio is damn near essential to you putting on muscle. No matter WHAT, your caloric expenditure NEEDS to come down. And if you are still training hard and eating a high protein diet, you wont get fat.

also, how is your nutrition now???
I only ask because the intensity of training and cardio you are currently doing is pretty high and you also say your 15%.
You haaave to be struggling with your diet to be doing so much work and still sit a high bf like that.

Nutrition is okay, on so much as it's reasonably clean but always room for improvement. Don't track as rigorously as you guys do as there is little need for me.

15% is an estimate - I might be slightly lower but doubt it - 15% seems right from what I can tell. Will be honest whilst 15% is fat by bodybuilding standards, for other athletic endeavours it most certainly is not. But yes, I eat a lot

 

[Tomgrass]

What in irony : your fear of being fat does not allow you to get lean.

 

[TheOtherOne55]

Nutrition is okay, on so much as it's reasonably clean but always room for improvement. Don't track as rigorously as you guys do as there is little need for me.

15% is an estimate - I might be slightly lower but doubt it - 15% seems right from what I can tell. Will be honest whilst 15% is fat by bodybuilding standards, for other athletic endeavours it most certainly is not. But yes, I eat a lot

i get it dude, but you're putting in a ton of work to look like a regular Joe.
Its like when I see a fat fighter....i knowww u have the lungs, just eat better and look the part.
The reality is, you should be leaner.

 

[Worldsfastestfatty]

i get it dude, but you're putting in a ton of work to look like a regular Joe.
Its like when I see a fat fighter....i knowww u have the lungs, just eat better and look the part.
The reality is, you should be leaner.

Yeah, it's fair comment - I cant really argue. I should be leaner. I'd just say until now the goal has never been how I look, rather the various sports I've taken part in. And if I'm honest my interest in switching to bodybuilding isn't really motivated by appearance - I just enjoy exercise but my body is beat up from many years of distance running, cycling, olympic lifting and power lifting. Bodybuilding seems like a way to keep active whilst giving my body less of a burden with regards to impact.

Wouldn't say I look average Joe unless you're average guy stateside is jacked - definitely not a bodybuilder look but that's why I'm looking for a coach to guide me. I don't mind admitting that it's not something I feel I know enough about.

This is where I'll be starting from

 

[Gunsmith]

Strait away my advice before investing in a coach is pick a John Meadows program (creeping death and creeping death 2) , or Fortitude or DC training and follow that shit to the T.
Make a diet , at your body fat , multiple your wight times 14 amd there is your calories
220 x 14 = 3080 calories
220 x 1.5 = 330g protein (1320 cals
220 x .3 = 66g fat (594 cal)
3080 - 1914 = 1166 calories (291g carbs)
Start with that on heavy TRT like 300mg and see what happens in 2 weeks and adjust accordingly
LOG EVERYTHING

THEN , once your abs are visible and you have found a coach after extensive shopping , hire them , give them all your log info they need
You will be bringing them a package that easier to work with and you'll be happier with the results

 

[Fleezy]

One of my buddies dropped 6k for a year with a mediocre coach lmao

He doesn’t have that kinda bankroll to mess around with either

 

[SABAGOY]

LOG EVERYTHING

This right here is the key…the main thing a coach does that people don’t do on their own, doesn’t mean can’t, is adjust accordingly based on tracking. It really is just a matter of increasing and decreasing a few levers that change your physique.

 

[3BILLS]

You look good. Some minor tweaks and I'm sure you will get where you want to be.

Post up your diet?

Start a simple split of push, pull and legs

 

[AllOkJumpmaster]

"be your own bodybuilding coach" by Scott Stevenson

 

[Shelby]

You have a good physique now, you just need some "fine tuning" if you want to go more of a bodybuilding route and look to add more muscle, while getting leaner (not impossible to do, but requires discipline and a good plan).
The fact that you train twice a day for about 90 minutes per session, is helping you stay relatively lean, despite your current less than optimal eating habits.
The books / articles / videos /advice mentioned above are all be great, but if you'd prefer a coach just telling you what to do (which is fine, I did it for many years) then someone like @luki7788 on this board might be a good fit. I'd send him a message and see if you think it's a good fit. I've heard his pricing is very reasonable.