My Coaching Outlook for 2024
If you’re ready to go all-out on your own goals for 2024, click here to contact me for coaching.
I have two goals for 2024:
Get on a bodybuilding stage with a physique I’m truly proud of.
Help as many people as I can to do the same.
Right now, the majority of the athletes I compete in powerlifting (or don’t compete at all). I’ll always welcome anyone who wants to get stronger, but this coming year, I’d specifically like to add some physique athletes to my roster. If you think you might want to work with me, please read on.
How I Got Here
If you follow me on social media, you know that I spent nearly all of 2023 injured. I haven’t talked much about it; to be quite honest, it was physically devastating — I significantly damaged my cervical spine and most of the left side of my upper body stopped functioning entirely. I could not contract my left pec, tricep, lat, or rear delt at all; those muscles wouldn’t even respond to electrical stimulation. I cannot understate how grateful I am to Jake Benson for coaching me to a full recovery. Were it not for Jake, I’m certain my career would be over.
Instead, I have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to truly start over, with all of the knowledge and experience (and muscle memory!) I built over the first half of my athletic career. To be very clear: I am not just 100% healed, but I’m actually significantly healthier and more physically capable than I was when I got hurt. If I had to put a number on it, I’d say I’m 150% of my old self, both physically and mentally.
I’m going to make the most of the second half of my career. Part of that is simple: I want to compete at the Olympia. Part of it is more complicated. I want to be more active in the bodybuilding community, and I want to be more active as a coach and educator for bodybuilders. Fortunately, I believe that I have already built the skill set I need to accomplish all of these goals, and I’m excited to give it my all. The rest of this article will outline my plan, and hopefully inspire you to set some grand goals of your own for the New Year.
Who I Can Help
Most of the guys who approach me for coaching want to get bigger or stronger. Obviously, I can help pretty much anyone get bigger or stronger — but the truth is, so can many other coaches. In contrast, I think I’m uniquely suited to help with some more difficult goals.
I really love helping change an athlete’s perspective on drugs. I’ve lost count of how many guys come to me running grams of PEDs; every single time, I’m able to get those doses down by 50% or more while dramatically improving performance. I’ve worked with many guys who used (or even abused) recreational drugs and helped them to restore their mental and physical health — again, while dramatically improving performance. And I’ve helped over half a dozen guys quit their ADHD medication entirely.
I also love helping guys learn how to work hard. I think that the guys who come to me usually want to work hard — it’s kind of what I’m known for — but pushing through RPE 11 sets is a skill that takes time to learn. I’ve developed quite a few strategies for teaching that skill quickly, and it’s not a bunch of positive self-talk or stimulant use. And I can tell you from personal experience that learning to work hard in the gym carries over to every aspect of your life.
Learning to work hard can improve your physical health, too. Many guys come to me complaining of long-standing injuries that lead them to avoid certain movements. I consistently find that with the right high-intensity protocols, we can “cure” injuries, restore proper movement, and — you guessed it — dramatically improve performance.
Lastly, I want to create some lasting change in the industry. It’s discouraging to see how many online coaches and influencers put out content that is, if you’ll excuse the expression, utter BS. I hope that by coaching other coaches, my methods can help more people than I’m able to reach alone.
What I Look For
I get a lot of athletes who come to me asking whether they’re strong enough to join my roster. The answer is always yes; your starting strength isn’t important (in fact, it’s often easier to work with beginners who don’t have bad habits to unlearn). Instead, I look at an athlete’s soft skills to determine whether we’re a good fit:
Ability to communicate. Communication is a cornerstone of any relationship, but it’s especially important for online coaching because I won’t have eyes on you for every lift of every session. I provide my athletes with flexible check-in options, but I ask for a lot of data in those check-ins, and it’s imperative that every athlete buys into the process 100%.
Willingness to go the extra mile. My plans are extremely detailed. For example, if you get a meal plan from me, I’m probably not giving you a list of macros. Instead, I’m going to tell you exactly what foods to eat and when to eat them. I often get pushback on this, and I understand that flexibility is important to most athletes (after all, everyone has a life outside of the gym). There’s got to be a balance, though. If you’re not willing to go the extra mile on something small, like paying a couple extra bucks to get extra-lean ground beef, you’re better off finding a different coach.
Consistency. I’m not a babysitter. I don’t have any desire to work with athletes who skip meals, workouts, or check-ins. Of course, emergencies happen, but if you have an “emergency” every week, you’re getting dropped from my roster.
How the Process Works
All of my plans, diets, and advice is uniquely designed to your situation. I never use templates, I never farm out my coaching to others, and I never fail to respond to an email within 24 hours.
Here’s how the process works:
You’ll reach out via email and tell me about your goals and what type of coaching you need. If I think we’re a good fit, I’ll send you a payment request and a detailed questionnaire to complete.
After payment is made and I have received your questionnaire, I’ll create your first week’s plan, which I will send via email.
You’ll update me weekly with feedback, photos or videos, and some other information, and I’ll monitor and adjust as needed to keep you progressing as quickly as possible.
A few notes on that:
All communication is via email. It’s important to me to have a record of everything we discuss so that I can easily reference it.
Most of my athletes follow a regular work schedule, and I’ll update them on a weekly basis. However, in some situations, a rolling 5- to 9-day schedule is more appropriate, and in those cases, update frequency will vary.
I can accept pretty much any payment method, and I’ll work with you individually to try to find a payment plan that fits your needs.
Ready to get started? Click here to contact me for coaching!
Lastly, A Personal Note
I want to end this article on a personal note. 2023 was the most challenging year of my life. It was so tough, in fact, that I really had to do some soul-searching to make it through. I mean that literally; in the last year, I’ve strengthened my relationship with God in a way that has completely changed who I am as a person.
I’m not a big fan of testimonials, because I don’t like selling myself, but I wanted to share a little feedback that really meant a lot to me. This is why I do what I do.
There are very few things in life that you pay for and you feel like it was worth it. Working with you has exceeded all my expectations and even changed what I thought was possible in my mind.
If you’re struggling, in any dimension of your life, please feel free to reach out. I don’t know that I’ll be able to help you with anything outside of getting bigger or stronger, but I’ll do my best.