The Three Questions

In my normal search to find worthwhile articles, I came across one published on breakingmuscle.com by Sam MacIntosh titled "3 Things a Nutrition Coach Can't Do for You" which was an eye opener for some. The article came to the defense of nutrition coaches by placing some of the onus back on the client. While Sam's focus was on nutrition, it isn't a stretch to consider the article from a general training standpoint.

I thought the article was relevant to a lot of people on a social media site, so I posted it with a brief summation. Simply, Sam made these three points:

1. They can't give you purpose.
2. There is no perfect program.
3. They can't control your thoughts and demons.

The article, along with my three point summation led to a great discussion regarding realism, success, and the role of a good coach. Chris McClinch, who is a very wise man, brought up three more valid questions during the discussion that not only need to be considered but need to be honestly answered.

1. Do you truly understand where you are right now? (Point A)
2. Do you have a realistic goal in mind? (Point B)
3. Are you willing to sacrifice to get from point A to point B?

These are a killer three questions and ones that even I struggle with. These are also questions where the assistance of a good coach is invaluable. A good coach can help you understand where you are right now and help you choose a realistic goal. The coach will be able to explain the potential sacrifices and revisit the goal if need be. The questions all tie back to one another and cause ripple-like changes when we modify one point. While we all want to say we can answer them honestly, I have to ask, can you really? Experience tells me it's very hard, if not nearly impossible, to be 100% objective about yourself. Some of us are harder on ourselves, and others think too highly.

Where are you right now?

Let's be honest about this, many of us are surrounded by people that can't or won't tell us the whole truth. They are either ignorant when it comes to fitness or they just don't want to be seen as unsupportive and negative. I'm not just talking about our friends and family, but about our acquaintances, coworkers, and general passersby that we speak to. The general public can't define fit or healthy. Our "community" most likely doesn't know what the difference is between a good figure for an average person on the street and a competitor. They can't tell normal from strong. Unless somebody is also involved in fitness, they are probably giving you bad information. There are also the big fish in a small pond folks that only know their small world. Unless you purposefully surround yourself with people in the know, your community won't be of much help. Take any organized sport. At the community level, an athlete can be the best and will hear it from everybody. Move that same athlete to the regional level and they'll still hear they are good, but less frequently. Take one more step up to the national stage and they might not hear a single praise. Why does this matter to me?

If we don't truly know where we are right now, our Point A, it is hard to say if our goal, our Point B, is realistic for us. More than being a realistic goal, we won't be able to plan the right course of action because we are launching from the wrong point.

Do you have a realistic goal in mind?

Goals are something that can be one of the biggest aids in keeping us on track with fitness or one of the biggest hinderances. We want to pick a goal that challenges us; a goal that will make us work hard, but is achievable. And when we realize we aren't ready for that goal, we need to be willing to let it go to be revisited later. Each goal has sub-goals that define the path to success. Choosing a good, realistic goal is crucial.

Assuming we have an appropriate goal, there are two possible scenarios:
1. Our Point A is accurate
or
2. What we perceive to be Point A is nowhere near the truth

In the first scenario, since we have chosen a realistic Point B and we have an accurate Point A, we can develop the steps to go from A to B. This allows us to also determine what sacrifices must be made in the path to achievement.

In the second, and more common situation, we choose a Point B based on our perceived Point A. Unfortunately, since we aren't really on Point A, our goal may not be reachable. Think of it like getting directions without street names, if you give the wrong staring point, it doesn't matter how accurate the distance and turns are, you'll never get there. Since we have an incorrect path, we also don't know if the sacrifices we're willing to make are enough.

Are you willing to sacrifice to get from Point A to Point B?

I think this may be a more important question that having a realistic goal. There are no two ways to explain it, if you choose a goal, you will have to make some level of sacrifice along the way. Sacrifices can be any combination of diet, training, social, time, or financial. How much and how often you are willing to sacrifice can determine whether we can reach Point B.

Whether you knew your Point A or not, if you aren't willing to give all the sacrifices needed, Point B may be out of touch. If Point B requires extra hours you aren't willing to sacrifice, it's going to take a lot longer or it may be out. If it means restricting your diet and prepping meals and you aren't going to do it consistently, it's over. If giving up happy hour drinking isn't on the list, it's time to ring out. At this point, it's time to take what you're willing to sacrifice, and go back to choosing a Point B.

So the next time you sit down to map out some fitness goals (or if you're struggling to reach a goal you've already set), get out a pad and answer the three questions. Be honest about where you are, what you're willing to sacrifice, and choose a reasonable Point B. If you have 1 thing that doesn't line up 100%, consider a re-evaluation of your Point A and your Point B because if your positions don't work or you aren't willing to sacrifice enough, your chance of success is tremendously low.

Be A Coach!

This is in no way clearing every client as perfect or condemning every coach.

This has been written before, normally to the client, telling them how to be a good client. It's always something along the lines of "follow the plan" and "communicate" with a few other things tossed in. This time, I'm looking at the online coaches and personal trainers that always seem to think it's the fault of the client. (If you aren't a coach, keep reading anyway) Since we all assume our program will work when followed, we have to focus on communication as the reason for failure when a client follows the plan. Seriously, if the client follows the plan to the letter, as they interpret it, it should work. If they follow what they believe to be the directions, communication is the element between success and failure. Through proper communication, we can adapt and adjust to give them the best chance of success. Unfortunately, we all struggle with communicating effectively in the coach-client relationship at some point. When things aren't going well, the client feels like it's the coach that isn't doing what they're supposed to do. When the coach sees little progress or doesn't hear from the client for extended periods, the coach is left to blame the client. In the end, it doesn't matter where the communication fails, it only matters that the communication wasn't clear and one party isn't getting what they need to bring success to all.

I will only write this once... if either the client contact you or you contact the client, there are very few reasons that a response should take more than 24 hours. Even a simple acknowledgement is better than radio silence. Some clients (and coaches) want under 12 hour response times, some set the deadline at 24 hours, but it must be equal on both sides. If you wait 23 days to respond, you can not expect your coach to reply immediately.

No matter how many clients a coach has served, each client is different. Each client has different needs and learns differently. [If you have an education background, this should sound familiar] Some clients can envision a movement and make their body do it. Some clients can mimic the movements in video. Some can interpret the words, watch the video, and have no success. [Sorry to say it, but if you're this last one, an online coach most likely won't work for you, so don't get pissy when you don't get the results you imagine] Some know basic training schemes and jargon and others need fully detailed examples. As a trainer, it can be difficult to know what your client needs. This is where your ability to communicate is the most important. It's your ability to draw out the needs of your client and provide enough information to avoid getting messages like:

"I don't know what this means."
"What is ____________ exercise?"
"How much weight should I use?"
"This makes no sense."

From experience, getting these types of messages means YOU ARE LETTING YOUR CLIENT DOWN. Don't try to twist it. Don't try to respond with "they're clueless." It isn't their job to know what you mean; it's your job as the coach to meet their needs. Some clients are "needy" because they really don't know...but they will learn if you take the time. Some are "needy" and don't want to learn; they want to be told what to do instead of adding another task to their already exhausting day. Others need almost nothing and can do it perfectly. Whatever their level, you are the paid professional. If you aren't willing to do the work, be honest and tell the client that you aren't the coach for them. If you're going to pawn them off on your assistant, say that up front; that you are the face that attracts them before handing them off to somebody else. Don't take their money and make them feel like they are a pain in your ass or deceive them; there's enough of that going on in this industry as it is. And when they hit you with a request or you can tell they aren't doing what you mean, go back and explain it to them.

But this would be nothing more than a lecture if I didn't give you some advice [and if you are the client, you can use this to help your trainer] about how to head-off some troubles.

• Respond in a timely manner and explain that you aren't always able to respond right away, but will respond ASAP... and mean it.
• Link videos demonstrating proper technique for any exercise. Leaving your client to find their own could result in something really bad.
• Thoroughly explain the programming: warm-ups, sets, reps, rest periods, etc. If the program doesn't prescribe weight, explain what it should feel like and explain when to go heavier or lighter.


• Back Squat - Warm-up: sets of 5 building up to 275 [45,135,185,225,250] - rest 60-90 seconds between sets
  Work Sets: 3 sets of 5 reps @ 275 - rest 90 seconds between sets

If you use super or giant sets, write out what one round would look like, including the rests.

• Complete the following Giant Set by completing 1 set of 1A, moving immediately with no rest to 1B, and moving immediately with no rest to 1C. After completing 1C, rest 2 minutes and repeat. Complete the Giant Set 5 times.
  1A - Barbell Squat - 5 reps at 275
  1B - Underhand Grip Chin-Up - as many as you can get
  1C - Push-Up - as many as you can

If you use timed rounds, explain the goal.

• You have 7 minutes to complete as many rounds of the following circuit.
  1 round consists of:
  5 overhead med ball slams
  5 push-ups
  5 crunches
  5 tuck-jumps
  You can rest as needed between exercises and rounds. The goal is to complete 7 full rounds in 7 minutes. If you do not complete all 7, you should finish all 7 plus plus 2 additional rounds.

Of course this isn't a cure-all and there will always be other problems. If you happen to be a client, there are a few things that you can say that will leave even the best trainer scratching their head or needing to ask you more questions.

"How is this different than other programs?"
"What do you do that my other trainers didn't?"
"I need more motivation."
"I need more accountability."

In all honesty, these are some of the least helpful messages I have ever received. Just like the client needs detail and explanation, we need more than vague questions and statements. If you want to compare programs and coaches, we need to know what your other programs or coaches were like. If you need motivation or accountability, what kind of things work for you? Again, each client is different, so what motivates me could be the off switch for you. Being constantly checked in on could make you function better, or it could lead to revolt from feeling smothered. It is you, the client, that needs to help your coach find out what you need.

Remember, YOU pay the coach to help you, so whether you feel like a pain or not, COMMUNICATE whenever you need something, have a question, or can tell something isn't clicking. I will never know as a coach that you need different motivation or a different accountability measure if you don't tell me the current scheme isn't getting it done. I will never know if you hate or enjoy the program if you don't let me know... don't wait for your frustration to boil over, communicate immediately.

And if you're the coach, be the professional and act like it. Contact your clients. Check in. Ask questions. Lead your client to success, don't make them lead you to coaching them.

Hooray! Now what?

You finally did it. You prepped. You dieted. You trained your ass off. It took hours of prep, self-control, thousands of hours of work, and months of your life, but you did it. You finally reached your goal weight and now you come to the amazing question: "What next?" You just put in all that effort and now you have to decide on how to maintain the results.

It seems like a fairly easy concept, right? Finish the bulk or the cut and then just maintain your size, but let's be honest, we screw this up all the time. If we all got it right, the diet industry would be shut down in a matter of years...

Whether you are losing weight or trying to gain, your post-diet is just as important as your diet!

If you just finished your diet:

Coming back from a diet can be tricky because there are so many variations and more possibilities than I can ever address.  Some diets require lowering of calories, others, the elimination of macros, and some changing the time period when you eat. Since the ultimate goal at the end of your diet should be to establish a sustainable eating style that maintains your weight, the important principle must be achieving a maintenance level of eating that matches your level of activity.

The largest of these principles is the SLOW recovery to maintenance. Whether you ate low calorie, low carb, or fasted, the diet effected your body's metabolism and hormones. Depending on how long the diet period lasted could have tremendous impact on how long the road back to maintenance will take.

You may be asking yourself "Why can't I just go back to my regular eating?" Your body seeks homeostasis, with weight, fat levels, etc. Simply, as you reduce calories to lose weight, your body is smart enough to slow metabolism and adjust hormones to maintain the current levels. In short, the gradual recovery will allow your body to recover it's metabolic rate, readjust hormones, balance gut bacteria, and set you up for sustaining the weight you worked so hard to achieve.

So how do we perform a slow recovery? Time for everybody's favorite answer, "It depends."

I was eating at a small deficit, how do I get back to full portions?

The answer is patience. If you were on a low calorie diet, recovering is just a matter of increasing our calories weekly until we reach maintenance. This has become wildly popular under the name of "Reverse Dieting" and can be found in books, websites, and even web software. One of the best books for explaining the concept is Reverse Dieting by Sohee Lee and Layne Norton. Essentially, you increase your calories weekly or bi-weekly with the idea that you will improve your metabolism and hormone profile with little to no weight gain and you will be able to return to your maintenance level calories over a period of weeks. Nobody can give you an exact time-frame, but the longer you dieted, the longer it will take to recover.

I was eating a specialized diet, can I go back to normal?

If you were on a diet like VLC, Atkins, or some other elimination style diet, your re-introduction could come with some nasty side-effects. When you remove a food type, the bacterial composition in your gut changes. With those changes come changes in how we digest and how we absorb the nutrients. Sometimes it's as simple as having a "gassy" feeling, other times it leads to diarrhea, leaky gut, or possibly worse with full out allergic reactions.

On top of the gut health issues, a diet that restricts carbohydrates tends to have an initial loss of weight associated with lost water weight. There's a lot of science behind it, but when you cut carbohydrates from the diet, the initial weight lost is primarily water, so naturally, when you reintroduce carbohydrates, the body will retain some water. A lot of people aren't prepared to see the scale rise and automatically assume it's fat. This is where a little extra time researching your diet is a worth it.

Again, the solution is slowly reintroducing the removed macronutrient WITHOUT creating a large surplus of calories. (Remember, caloric deficit = losing weight, caloric surplus = gaining weight)

What about if I want to change "Eating Styles?"

Sometimes, our diet has us changing from eating three meals a day to a modified eating plan, five meals a day, or possibly intermittent fasting. Although changes like these are typically lasting and are a way of eating for life, some people want to return to their good old three squares a day plan. Essentially nothing changes macro-wise, but you will have to fight through feelings of either being full or starving and possibly a little upset stomach if you've been avoiding morning meals. The best suggestion I have is to continue with the same calories while transitioning back to the three meals per day and then gradually increase calories if needed.

What if I did something radical and possibly stupid to lose weight?

Yup, there are STUPID ways to lose weight that will work in the short term. I do not personally recommend any of them, but people have done things like extended juice fasts, major calorie cuts (like 1/2 their intake cut), or one of the many extremist fad diets. The inherent risk with any of these diets is their effect on our metabolism, our gut bacteria, and our hormone levels. While they may accomplish the short term goal, the consequences could be long term damage, and sometimes the rebound could result in more fat gained than lost.

Of course, people will still do these diets and there needs to be some way to help them recover. Again, I believe "Reverse Dieting" is one of the better options if the extreme diet was run for only a short period (less than two weeks), but the first thing I recommend after a prolonged extreme diet is talking to a physician and allowing them to run blood tests. At the point where hormone levels are outside of the "normal" range, a medical professional will have the safest protocol to attempt to return the hormones to normal. And despite the weight loss, the safest option may be to regain weight and diet back down the right way.

If You Just Finished Your Bulk

This is a far shorter answer. Eat less! Cut the total calories by cutting back on carbs and fats. Again, the key is slowly cutting back each week until you find your maintenance levels. The one macronutrient I recommend keeping high is your protein to keep supporting that new muscle. Unlike after a diet concludes, the conclusion of a bulk allows for a much easier return to maintenance.

The Keys

1. Be Patient
2. Make Slow increases or decreases in calories, radical changes can have bad effects
3. Weigh yourself each week and add or decrease total calories until maintenance
4. Keep protein high to support your muscles
5. If you're doing it right and something isn't right, SEE YOUR DOCTOR.

A little knowledge goes a long way. Now that you've reached your goals, take it slow, recover the metabolism the right way and maintain that body you worked so hard for.

It's the New Year and They're Back

It’s almost two weeks before the New Year and some of the “resolutioners” have started making plans because "this is the year." Some will quit quickly and some will last longer before giving in. Is it because they don’t have the desire to get in shape, get strong, be healthy, etc.? I don’t believe for one minute that their desire is any less than ours. Nobody wants to be overweight, out of breath walking a flight of steps, or be embarrassed to go out in public. Nobody wants to take pills just to keep their heart from failing or injections every day just so they can eat kind of like a normal person. You’re a fool to think that the person that made it to the gym will quit because they don’t want to get healthy. And you're an even bigger ass if you don't offer them the support they need to transform their lives.

I admit, I used to laugh at the idea of the “New Year’s Resolution” because 99% of them weren't going to make it because they were quitters, lazy, or any other stereotype you can think of. As I spent more years in the gym, I learned that nothing was further from the truth and that them making the permanent changes has very little to do with motivation and more to do with a supportive, educational, and fun environment. Everybody wants to feel better and be healthy, to not be embarrassed to put on tight clothes and not frustrated trying to find clothes when they go shopping. (Even I struggle to find clothes that fit) The same person that appears “resistant” to getting healthy could just be a person that is overwhelmed, intimidated, and sometimes ignorant as to where to begin.  With the internet so plentiful of information, the gym filled with “brofessors” and magazines covered with “fitsporational” people, a new person that has never done anything health related goes into information overload and can feel totally embarrassed. As my friends put it, “paralysis by analysis”stops the effort, makes them feel like they will never reach the goal, and ultimately leads them down the path to failure. They don’t have to go down that path, just like you didn’t go down that path.

Remember back when you first walked into a gym on your own, not because it was a school class or because your coach forced you to train, but because you wanted to do it for you? Was it easy? Were you nervous? Did you have all the answers? Did you feel lost because there was too much information, too much stimuli with the big lifters, the fast lifters, the trainers? Or were you just another new person trying to figure things out, getting in the way, and making mistakes because you had no idea? I'm willing to bet you started training like most of us, not knowing shit and either too confident to admit you don't know or too ignorant to know you don't know.

Next time you're in, look over at the heavy guy walking on the treadmill. His doctor tells him he needs to workout. The talk shows, the daily news, and even his entire family tells him the same thing. This guy joins the gym under peer pressure and doesn’t “have a clue” about how to get in shape. He doesn’t have a friend to guide him, teach him the lifts, or proper training. He sees Dr. Oz, the magic "wraps" and miracle "cleanses", the Shakeology and the other overpriced proteins that promise amazing results. He doesn’t want to pay for a trainer that’s already fit because “they could never understand what it’s like” and admittedly, most trainers don’t know because they have never been heavy or struggled to workout and eat right. Think he's going to last on his own? He's likely to quit. I think his perseverance comes down to something simple, something that the “dedicated” people were lucky to find when they started. Help and camaraderie.

Do you think it’s just the big guy or lady? What about the skinny kid that comes in with ego oozing all over the place with his shaker of colored water and his 17 packs of the latest pills and four protein shakes? He drinks the kool-aid that all the muscle magazines and youtube warriors tell him. He sees the drugs and the routine that Phil Heath used the last three weeks before the Olympia, and hey, if you do it too and take the supplements, you too can get big and ripped. They all forget you have to start somewhere and make steady progress. They all make you believe it takes 21 days, 20 minutes per day, and no weight at all. They ignore that you have to learn about nutrition, learn about training, and then train hard, get your sleep and take the time to recover. Instead of having a helping hand, they look for the shortcut and quit when they can’t find it or worse, they turn to the hard stuff and destroy themselves from the inside out.

How about the shy girl that puts in her headphones and never leaves the cardio section? She heard that doing slow cardio for hours on end will make her super sexy and that weights will bulk her up like a man.  She’s watching Dr. Oz and hearing about all these get thin quick diets and magic pills, but doesn’t know that there are better ways then slowly destroying her metabolism from not eating to create the fit body she desires and not the “skinny-fat” body she sees from all the cardio-bunnies.  She doesn't realize you need muscle to have muscle tone. She sees the infomercials and hears the information, but doesn’t want to believe it because that’s not what her peers are saying she needs to do. She’s surrounded by ignorance and drowning in the pool.

We all know them, have seen them, or were one of them. Every single “new” person to the gym that joins for a resolution, or for beach season, or a cruise, etc. has made enough of a step that the experienced people owe it to them to be welcoming and helpful because you were there once too. I hear what you’re saying; they’re in your way, on your machine, using your bench, and just going to quit anyway. And I suppose the monster that is doing sets of 10 with your max is in your way as well? Are you planning to bitch like a little schoolgirl about him as well? Didn't think so! If somebody told you to quit chasing your goal all the time because you were in the way, you'd still be in your crib sucking your thumb. Maybe you can be the reason they don’t quit. Maybe you can feel good about yourself and help somebody along the way. Trust me, there is nothing better than seeing a success story because of something you did.

If you’re an experienced lifter there are some very simple things you can do to make the new person more likely to stay and even help them make progress.

• Accept the fact that you are not better than them because you’ve been doing it longer, you lift more, you’re fit, or you have lifting buddies. Let me give you a little eye-opener; unless you are the best in the world, have the all-time world record, or are the current #1 in the world, there is somebody better than you. Even if you are that good, you don’t have the right to be the #1 jackass to the people that are just trying to learn. Last I checked, you weren’t born #1, you had to work, ask, and get help from people that probably wanted very little to do with you because you were in their way. If they’re on a piece of equipment you “want to use”, ask to work in, and then, make sure they know it isn't an inconvenience to change the weights, because that's what good lifters do ALL THE TIME.

• If they’re doing the same lifts, ask if they want to train with you, and then actually train with them with the understanding it will be slower and you'll have to change weights and you might have to teach. When I was learning, I was lucky to have a group of guys that asked if I wanted to train with them and then helped me learn correct form and how to be safe and didn’t care about stripping and reloading the bar. You’re in the gym anyway, will it kill you to unload and reload the bar? Didn’t think so.


• Don’t be the douchebag that asks how many more sets and sits there and stares and makes jackass comments. And if you’re on the equipment, and the new guy is staring, he’s not just staring, he’s trying to learn. Remember in school, you stared a lot to see what was happening? You learned by being a mimic. Same thing in the gym, except now you’re the teacher. Notice I also said you “want to use” because you don’t “need to use” it because YOU are the experienced lifter, which means you can adapt and adjust, or are you just as ignorant as the new guy? When you’re working in, remember their weight, their machine settings, etc. It takes three seconds and sometimes that simple gesture is enough to give them a connection to someone in the gym that may keep them coming back. Don’t expect them to remember yours, but you can show them how it’s done by setting the example. Eventually, they will catch on without you being a dick.


• Don’t be captain asshole if you see them doing something “wrong” in your eyes. They don’t know any better, so try asking if they need help with the apparatus or with the lift. Some people just don’t know and others don’t know what their body is doing. Trust me, 10 years as a Division I coach and I still see kids that don’t know how they are moving. The exception to that rule is if they stand a chance of catastrophic injury. Only a true asshole will let someone get hurt, and if you’re that guy in the gym, get out! Approaching somebody that might get hurt is hard, but if you know what they are trying to do and you can prevent them from injury, do it. This includes offering a spot when they grab a weight they might struggle with, they have a machine set wrong, or their form is just atrocious. I’ve found asking what they’re working on or watching them for a few sets before asking if I can offer advice helps them accept the advice. And 5 minutes out of my workout to help you be better is worth it.

This is the main point, give them the benefit of the doubt. Whether you learned to train like I did, with a group of great guys that took the time and made the effort to help, or if you had to learn the hard way on your own, be that person that helps the new, timid person and pass on your knowledge. Give them a chance to be successful, a familiar face in the gym, and a chance to accomplish something that so many people fail at because there is no support. We can all learn from everybody, even the new person might know something you never knew or see something you were too cocky to realize. So, as we continue into the new year, try to be the person that gives lifters a good name, not the asshole that makes Planet Fitness commercials real. Stop stroking your ego’s, being anti-social, or being an elitist. Teach somebody, make them better, and learn from everybody. Everybody started somewhere, time to remember where you started and pass on the knowledge to get them to where you are.