Trainers vs Trainees

Throughout the year I get a lot of questions from competitors (and potential competitors) about whether or not they should use a trainer and which one would be best for them.  As we approach the Night of Champions I’d like to mention a few things in regards to using a trainer for competition.

Trainers . . . would I recommend them?  Absolutely!  Even the best trainer would be well served by an expert pair of eyes and an outside perspective if they themselves were competing.  Having all the knowledge of diet and training in the world still will not be enough if you cannot look at yourself objectively and make appropriate changes.  This is hard to do when you see yourself every day.  This is not to say that you can’t compete without a trainer and still do well but in my experience, the vast majority of competitors who step on stage and look phenomenal used an expert to guide them through the process.

While there are literally thousands of trainers at our disposal, it’s important to remember that different trainers specialize in different disciplines.  While your local gym personal trainer might have some experience in competition, the vast majority don’t specialize in it.  Taking an average overweight, out-of-shape person and getting them moving is a whole different game than taking an in-shape, active person and whittling them down to contest condition.  Before you settle on a trainer, ask them to provide a portfolio of other clients who they’ve trained for competition.  If their previous clients looked great on stage then you’re on the right track.  If not, you may want to reconsider.  Stage competition goes beyond just conditioning as well.  A good competition trainer will not only be able to assist with diet and training but also with posing, stage presence, suits, tanning and all of the other little details that make a winning physique stand out on stage.

Timing is everything.  If you plan to compete, I recommend contacting your potential trainer as far out as possible.  A lot of times trainers are called 10 or 12 weeks out from a show.  That doesn’t leave them much time to figure out how your body responds and what they need to do to get you where you want to go.  There’s nothing wrong with getting in touch with a trainer a year out from competition.  Get a consultation, have them evaluate your weak points and give you some direction on what to work on.  While the last 12 weeks are going to be the most critical to your conditioning, the proceeding year is important for building a solid foundation.  If you're thinking of competing next spring or even next fall, now would be a great time to start talking to trainers about starting a program.

The most important thing!!!

. . . if you skipped past everything else I wrote, I hope you’ll listen to this:  If you’re paying a trainer to train you then do EXACTLY what they tell you to.  A good trainer has an entire plan that comes together to produce a final result.  Changing any part of that equation, no matter how insignificant you might think it is, will change the final result.  This means eating exactly what they tell you to, when they tell you to in the amounts they tell you to.  This means doing the same type of cardio for the same amount of time on the same days that they tell you to, etc.  If you’re not following part of the program, then you’re not following any of it. 

If you let self discipline slip and do something that is not part of the plan then you owe it to your trainer and yourself to tell them what you did so they know what’s happening with your body.  I’ve seen trainers pulling their hair out because a client’s body isn’t responding the way that it should only to find out months after the competition that their client was off doing their own thing and not following the program exactly.  If you don’t understand why your trainer has you doing something, ask them.  If they know their stuff they’ll be able to tell you exactly why. 

Keep in mind that people’s bodies respond differently to diet, water, etc.  If you are following the plan 100% and step on stage and are retaining a little more water than you’d like to, chances are your trainer will know just what changes to make for the next show and can dial you in even better next time.  But what if you’re retaining a little water and your trainer didn’t know about the half bag of Doritos you used to sodium load on Friday?  Do you think they’ll be able to improve your condition on the next go-around?  Probably not.

Once you’ve found a trainer you want to work with and established a plan, be consistent with it and be honest with your trainer.  You’re paying them to help you but they can only do that if you follow the program and are up front with them about the details. Over time, your trainer will understand your body and habits even better than you do and be able to help you achieve a top notch physique.