20 year-old aspiring bodybuilder thinks it is time for a coach- advantages of local or online?

[cmeis90]

Hey guys. I've posted here a few times and lurk a lot just trying to learn as much as I can about all aspects of the sport of bodybuilding which I love. I'm not really a "beginner" as I have been lifting since 14 and attempting to eat correctly with bodybuilding in mind since 16. I am now 20 and looking to step it up and get serious.

Like I said since I was 15 or 16 I knew I wanted to be a competitive bodybuilder. I feel at 20 years old if I want to have a shot at being anything serious in the sport, time is starting to tick and I need someone to guide me as a sort of coach and more so a mentor. Thus far I have done everything myself as I don't know anyone personally that well who is experienced with bodybuilding and have obviously made mistakes along the way because of it.

My dilemma is whether to hire someone online like Dave who I know is extremely knowledgeable on every aspect of the sport and who I respect a lot or a local guy who honestly I don't know much about. I know one of the trainers at the gym I go to has competed in multiple local NPC shows but I've never talked to him before.

When it comes down to it, the expense will probably be fairly similar. I was just wondering if any of you who have been in the game for awhile had any advice for a guy with the drive and desire to really go for it but doesn't have much in the way of direct support or guidance. What would be the better option at this early stage? Both obviously have their advantages and disadvantages. Thanks for your time guys- I appreciate it and am thankful for these forums that enable me to connect with some very knowledgeable people in this area.

[ricker35910]

creativedietsolutions.com

[miamibodybuilder]

well in my opinion i think it's best to get someone local but if you feel that online is best for you then go for it. where are you located at? i've used a couple big name guys online and it's worked out pretty well. theres a local guy here in florida, ERIC BROSER. he's very good as well, so look him up cause i think he does online consults as well. it really just depends on you man. but in my opinion, i'd go with ERIC. good luck

[BC123Jm]

well if you already know how to lift and do the exercises
correctly then i would hire dave for his 1 year unlimited email
coaching for 1k.

thats a good deal and with a good camera he dosnt really
need to see you in person.

thats what i am going to do as soon as i get some cash.
I dont want to compete, but i want to step it up just to
see what happens.

[NEEDTOBUILDMUSCLE.COM]

Hey guys. I've posted here a few times and lurk a lot just trying to learn as much as I can about all aspects of the sport of bodybuilding which I love. I'm not really a "beginner" as I have been lifting since 14 and attempting to eat correctly with bodybuilding in mind since 16. I am now 20 and looking to step it up and get serious.

Like I said since I was 15 or 16 I knew I wanted to be a competitive bodybuilder. I feel at 20 years old if I want to have a shot at being anything serious in the sport, time is starting to tick and I need someone to guide me as a sort of coach and more so a mentor. Thus far I have done everything myself as I don't know anyone personally that well who is experienced with bodybuilding and have obviously made mistakes along the way because of it.

My dilemma is whether to hire someone online like Dave who I know is extremely knowledgeable on every aspect of the sport and who I respect a lot or a local guy who honestly I don't know much about. I know one of the trainers at the gym I go to has competed in multiple local NPC shows but I've never talked to him before.

When it comes down to it, the expense will probably be fairly similar. I was just wondering if any of you who have been in the game for awhile had any advice for a guy with the drive and desire to really go for it but doesn't have much in the way of direct support or guidance. What would be the better option at this early stage? Both obviously have their advantages and disadvantages. Thanks for your time guys- I appreciate it and am thankful for these forums that enable me to connect with some very knowledgeable people in this area.
At your age, you would benefit from a very simple, solid diet. Please send me a PM.

[cmeis90]

Yeah all of you have made some good points. I don't need a "personal trainer" as I have been lifting for over 6 years consistently. I'm located in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and go to college in Baltimore, Maryland. Best of both worlds is if I could find someone local that is also a fairly big name and well respected in the industry that has a good track record. That may be asking for a lot though lol.

[joe d]

i suggest you dont hire a local nobody trainer or some goofy training seminar website run by god knows what. if your going to pay someone make sure you get someone good. dave would be a good option.

but i personally dont see the need to hire anyone. i think you can be a much better coach for yourself. self study is what we have to do. you have to pick a base point and experiment from there to see what happens.

what type of diet are you following?

what type of training are you doing?

what has worked and what hasnt?
etc.

[data4]

pm me I can help you out

[spude]

Yep, if you have an average amount of common sense and some knowledge and experience regarding training and nutrition, the most important coach you need to listen to is yourself.

You know those "gurus" pros use nowadays are mainly personal cooks, experienced tren bakers etc...or guys with good connections to legit pharmaceutical drugs like farah, for instance, or been there done that type of former top competitors giving drug advice for younger guns, dj is a good example of this.

What I'm trying to say is that training, nutrition etc, that stuff is easy. PEDs is where it gets more tricky. And I find it hard to believe you're interested in hiring yourself a personal drug dealer to take care of your needs. Or maybe if you have money, who knows :)

[Sieve]

My advice is to get a local one.
I dont know how it is in USA , but if there are diffrent clubs, get the club that offers most to the athlete ,if not I wouldnt get a "coach" at all.
Learn , read, reasearch and do your on diet/training etc.

[cmeis90]

i suggest you dont hire a local nobody trainer or some goofy training seminar website run by god knows what. if your going to pay someone make sure you get someone good. dave would be a good option.

but i personally dont see the need to hire anyone. i think you can be a much better coach for yourself. self study is what we have to do. you have to pick a base point and experiment from there to see what happens.

what type of diet are you following?

what type of training are you doing?

what has worked and what hasnt?
etc.

Yeah I agree with just about everything you said. Experimenting with what works best for you personally is definitely the best way to go and I have the same reservations about a local "nobody trainer" as their knowledge probably is not too advanced. Having said that though, I don't want to keep experimenting my whole life and risking not making much progress. Also I feel like just knowing and working with an actual bodybuilder personally would have a lot of advantages. Up to this point I've literally been trying to do everything myself and it definitely creates certain limitations.

[joe d]

Yeah I agree with just about everything you said. Experimenting with what works best for you personally is definitely the best way to go and I have the same reservations about a local "nobody trainer" as their knowledge probably is not too advanced. Having said that though, I don't want to keep experimenting my whole life and risking not making much progress. Also I feel like just knowing and working with an actual bodybuilder personally would have a lot of advantages. Up to this point I've literally been trying to do everything myself and it definitely creates certain limitations.

then what you need is a foundation. you are lacking the beginning knowledge of where to start and how to go about the experimentation. this can be achieved through a 1 time conversation with someone who has done it. you dont need to hire anyone. post what you have been doing or send it in a pm. ill look it over for needed changes.

usually people in your situation are just moving to fast. changing to much to often. doing that prevents you from ever learning what works and what doesnt.

[cmeis90]

then what you need is a foundation. you are lacking the beginning knowledge of where to start and how to go about the experimentation. this can be achieved through a 1 time conversation with someone who has done it. you dont need to hire anyone. post what you have been doing or send it in a pm. ill look it over for needed changes.

usually people in your situation are just moving to fast. changing to much to often. doing that prevents you from ever learning what works and what doesnt.

What you are saying makes a ton of sense. I have tried a lot of different things over the past few years in different areas and some have worked and some have been disasters. In regards to training, I have done high volume, low volume, everything in between, and differing training frequencies. To be honest I think I was overtraining for a long time but have now settled on a 5 day a week low/moderate volume style of training with heavy weights that I think works best for me at this time. Training I think I finally have down at a decent/acceptable level at this time.

Diet is still a big mystery to me but I am learning. I was always the type of kid who was skinny and a "hardgainer" before I started getting into bodybuilding. I could eat whatever I wanted and never gained weight (although I didn't have much desire to eat and ate mostly junk food but looking back the amount I ate was like a bird.) Once I got to be 15 or so I tried to eat like a bodybuilder. I didn't count anything because I could "never get fat" but ate clean foods religiously (I don't think I had a single cheat meal at this time) and over three years I got to be well over 200 lbs. I looked like a football player at best and not a bodybuilder. I cut too quickly because I didn't like what I saw and went down to a lean but skinny 150. I felt like a twig and bulked again and got up to over 200 again and did it too quickly and looked too fat again. I have since cut down to around 180 and look better, but know I eventually need to gain size again but am afraid of getting fat. I really think by putting on too much bodyfat my metabolism has changed and I put on fat a lot more easily than I used to. Keto has worked really well for cutting and I think just overall my calories need to be lower even when trying to put on size. I need to watch my carbs and I think I do better on healthy fats.

Finally there is AAS. I know I am still young but know this is a reality in the sport and know the time is coming when I will need to take this step. As I have said I don't know any bodybuilder in real life and know this is an area where this would be beneficial. I have done research on the subject for two years now on forums and boards and have a decent understanding of things. I am not planning on jumping on the juice tomorrow or anything but I find it frustrating to know at this point I have zero access to anything even if/when I decide to make the leap (I think by 22-23 I will have to if I want to compete seriously).

Thanks for reading. I have tried to keep it relatively short because I know you have other things to do than read my life story haha. If you want more details please feel free to ask. I just feel like I give so much to this lifestyle- don't drink, barely party, train religiously, eat my 6 meals a day, etc. and want it not to all be in vain. I love bbing and would love to be something in the sport one day. One of my biggest fears is simply treading water for too long and not getting anywhere. I don't want to be some pathetic guy who devotes much of his time to bodybuilding and has nothing to show for it 10 years down the road.

[joe d]

this is what id do for a start. take a week off of training and focus on learning the new routine and diet well, and learn good form if you dont have it on any lifts. you can go in a gym and work on form with light weight while it is your time off.

diet:
you want 5 meals per day starting as soon as you wake up and ending just before bed.

2g of protein per lb of bw per day from , fish, eggs/egg whites, turkey, and chicken make all of these as low on fat as you can. eat beef 1 time per day only. eat fish at least 1 time per day, and ueat the egg whites pre bed.

.5g fat per lb of bw per day from mac nuts or mac nut oil, almonds or almond butter, evoo, or braz nuts.

with each of these meals get a variety of veggies in and make it a plate full. leafy greens, onions, peppers, mushrooms, tomato, carrots, olives, celery, broccoli, green beans etc. always include dark greens.

for carbs i suggest starting with .5g per lb of bw per day split between all 5 meals. try to use the veggies for as much as you can adding some fruit to make up the difference as needed. when you use fruits use banana and apple as your first choices followed by citris fruit.

training:
for training id start with a 3 day split revolving around the big lifts. these are the lifts that are going to make you big. bench, deads, and squats in that order. the big lift goes first and its the one that kicks your ass. then you follow with the accessory shit. a sample routine would be something like this.

day 1
flat bench 4 sets
standing ohp 3 sets
dips 3 sets
reverse grip bench 3 sets

day 2 off

day 3
deads 4 sets
cable rows 3 sets
bb shrugs 4 sets
chins 2 sets

day 4 off

day 5
squats 4 sets reps alternate 6/20/8/20
leg curl 4 sets
leg ext 2 sets
standing calf 1 high rep set 20-50

each lift unless reps are noted follow an alternating rep range of 4 reps for a week then 8 reps for a week then 6 reps for a week then 12 reps for a week the repeat. the rep ranges are a number to use as a target when selecting your weight. dont stop a set unless you are unsure of your ability to complete another rep. record your lifts with the weights and reps you do to help make better judgement as you go to get closer to your targets and to see your progress.

like i said these are rough estimates based on the info you provided. it is a start point that i would follow for at least 1 month on diet and 2 months on training then we could review how its going and start making changes.

does this sound realistic?

[cmeis90]

this is what id do for a start. take a week off of training and focus on learning the new routine and diet well, and learn good form if you dont have it on any lifts. you can go in a gym and work on form with light weight while it is your time off.

diet:
you want 5 meals per day starting as soon as you wake up and ending just before bed.

2g of protein per lb of bw per day from , fish, eggs/egg whites, turkey, and chicken make all of these as low on fat as you can. eat beef 1 time per day only. eat fish at least 1 time per day, and ueat the egg whites pre bed.

.5g fat per lb of bw per day from mac nuts or mac nut oil, almonds or almond butter, evoo, or braz nuts.

with each of these meals get a variety of veggies in and make it a plate full. leafy greens, onions, peppers, mushrooms, tomato, carrots, olives, celery, broccoli, green beans etc. always include dark greens.

for carbs i suggest starting with .5g per lb of bw per day split between all 5 meals. try to use the veggies for as much as you can adding some fruit to make up the difference as needed. when you use fruits use banana and apple as your first choices followed by citris fruit.

training:
for training id start with a 3 day split revolving around the big lifts. these are the lifts that are going to make you big. bench, deads, and squats in that order. the big lift goes first and its the one that kicks your ass. then you follow with the accessory shit. a sample routine would be something like this.

day 1
flat bench 4 sets
standing ohp 3 sets
dips 3 sets
reverse grip bench 3 sets

day 2 off

day 3
deads 4 sets
cable rows 3 sets
bb shrugs 4 sets
chins 2 sets

day 4 off

day 5
squats 4 sets reps alternate 6/20/8/20
leg curl 4 sets
leg ext 2 sets
standing calf 1 high rep set 20-50

each lift unless reps are noted follow an alternating rep range of 4 reps for a week then 8 reps for a week then 6 reps for a week then 12 reps for a week the repeat. the rep ranges are a number to use as a target when selecting your weight. dont stop a set unless you are unsure of your ability to complete another rep. record your lifts with the weights and reps you do to help make better judgement as you go to get closer to your targets and to see your progress.

like i said these are rough estimates based on the info you provided. it is a start point that i would follow for at least 1 month on diet and 2 months on training then we could review how its going and start making changes.

does this sound realistic?

Thanks for taking the time to write all of that out. I realize I didn't offer as much information in my earlier post as I thought and thus it probably sounded like I didn't have much of a current plan. Currently I am about a month into cutting and my diet is this:

Meal 1: 40 grams whey protein with 1 tablespoon natural peanut butter
Meal 2: 6 ounces chicken breast with 1/3 cup almonds, cashews, and walnuts
Meal 3: 40 grams whey protein with 1.5 tablespoons natty pb
Meal 4: 8 ounces steak, ground beef, or ground bison
Meal 5: 40 grams whey protein with 1 tablespoon almond butter
Meal 6: 4 whole eggs with 4 whites
Fish oil
Multi
Have 1 big cheat meal every Saturday

Monday/Back
3 sets lat pulldowns 8-12 reps
3 sets bent over rows 4-8 reps
2 sets dumbbell rows 6-8 reps
3 sets machine rows 8-10 reps
2 sets deadlifts 4-10 reps

Tuesday/Shoulders
3 sets press (dumbbell, barbell, occasionally hammer strength) 6-12 reps
2 sets side laterals 10-12
2 sets rear delt movement (I switch this up a lot) 8-12
2 sets front raises 8-10
2 sets barbell shrugs 8-12

Wednesday/Chest
3 sets incline bench press 8-12
2 sets regular bench 8-10
2 sets dips to failure
1 set hammer strength incline press to failure
2 sets cable crossovers 10-15

Thursday/Legs
3 sets leg extensions 8-14 reps
4 sets squats 6-12 reps
2 sets leg press 12 reps
2 sets hamstring curl 12 reps
3 sets leg press calf raise 15 reps
3 sets calf raise machine 15 reps

Friday/Arms
2 sets triceps pushdowns 12
2 sets biceps cablecurl 10-12
2 sets close grip bench 12
2 sets dumbbell hammer curls 8 reps
2 sets dips 12
2 sets overhead extensions 12
3 sets concentration curls 12
4 sets forearm curls 15

Cardio is currently being done 1 hour 5 days a week after lifting. Before this I was bulking at around 3200 calories a day and I got too fat. Not obese but I was holding a ton of water, had a distended but hard gut, etc. Back then I trained high volume sometimes up to 40 sets. I have since realized that was a bad idea.

Anyway man, thanks for replying to my posts. I always like to be 2 steps ahead of what I am currently doing and have just been wondering what I will do after I finish cutting and just where my journey is going to go in general. I know I need to ultimately add a lot of weight but it can't be fat and right now I think I need to get leaner still. I will certainly save your diet/training plan and perhaps I will give it a try when I want to gain size again. If you have any comments on my current plan, feel free to comment.

Thanks again.

[joe d]

Thanks for taking the time to write all of that out. I realize I didn't offer as much information in my earlier post as I thought and thus it probably sounded like I didn't have much of a current plan. Currently I am about a month into cutting and my diet is this:

Meal 1: 40 grams whey protein with 1 tablespoon natural peanut butter
Meal 2: 6 ounces chicken breast with 1/3 cup almonds, cashews, and walnuts
Meal 3: 40 grams whey protein with 1.5 tablespoons natty pb
Meal 4: 8 ounces steak, ground beef, or ground bison
Meal 5: 40 grams whey protein with 1 tablespoon almond butter
Meal 6: 4 whole eggs with 4 whites
Fish oil
Multi
Have 1 big cheat meal every Saturday

Monday/Back
3 sets lat pulldowns 8-12 reps
3 sets bent over rows 4-8 reps
2 sets dumbbell rows 6-8 reps
3 sets machine rows 8-10 reps
2 sets deadlifts 4-10 reps

Tuesday/Shoulders
3 sets press (dumbbell, barbell, occasionally hammer strength) 6-12 reps
2 sets side laterals 10-12
2 sets rear delt movement (I switch this up a lot) 8-12
2 sets front raises 8-10
2 sets barbell shrugs 8-12

Wednesday/Chest
3 sets incline bench press 8-12
2 sets regular bench 8-10
2 sets dips to failure
1 set hammer strength incline press to failure
2 sets cable crossovers 10-15

Thursday/Legs
3 sets leg extensions 8-14 reps
4 sets squats 6-12 reps
2 sets leg press 12 reps
2 sets hamstring curl 12 reps
3 sets leg press calf raise 15 reps
3 sets calf raise machine 15 reps

Friday/Arms
2 sets triceps pushdowns 12
2 sets biceps cablecurl 10-12
2 sets close grip bench 12
2 sets dumbbell hammer curls 8 reps
2 sets dips 12
2 sets overhead extensions 12
3 sets concentration curls 12
4 sets forearm curls 15

Cardio is currently being done 1 hour 5 days a week after lifting. Before this I was bulking at around 3200 calories a day and I got too fat. Not obese but I was holding a ton of water, had a distended but hard gut, etc. Back then I trained high volume sometimes up to 40 sets. I have since realized that was a bad idea.

Anyway man, thanks for replying to my posts. I always like to be 2 steps ahead of what I am currently doing and have just been wondering what I will do after I finish cutting and just where my journey is going to go in general. I know I need to ultimately add a lot of weight but it can't be fat and right now I think I need to get leaner still. I will certainly save your diet/training plan and perhaps I will give it a try when I want to gain size again. If you have any comments on my current plan, feel free to comment.

Thanks again.

your current plan is cutting. are you preserving your muscle and losing fat?

[joe d]

also the plan i suggested is not recommended as something to try to see if it works its more of a basic start point to build from. gaining mass comes through constant change but in order to know how to make the change you have to know what is happening and why. the start is just a pretty solid base that will definitely change as you go.

[cmeis90]

your current plan is cutting. are you preserving your muscle and losing fat?

As far as I can tell, I am still progressing on both of those things.

[cmeis90]

also the plan i suggested is not recommended as something to try to see if it works its more of a basic start point to build from. gaining mass comes through constant change but in order to know how to make the change you have to know what is happening and why. the start is just a pretty solid base that will definitely change as you go.

Yeah that's true. I kind of figured that and realized I may have came across as more of a novice with lifting because of the lack of info I gave. I know everything in my head but nobody can read minds and sometimes I forget to write it all out lol. Always want to keep things relatively short so you don't have to read a lot but then you risk leaving out important info.

I really appreciate your understanding and replying to all my posts. I think maybe I know more than I think I do and get caught up in doubting myself. Often in the quest to educate myself more on all things bodybuilding I just get more confused. High carb, low carb, need to eat this many calories per pound, etc. Sometimes you just have to figure out what works for you and if it does, who cares what some study says. I guess that's one of the reasons I was thinking about a trainer. Someone who would essentially give me the thumbs up on what I was doing. But then what's the point of paying him lol.

[joe d]

As far as I can tell, I am still progressing on both of those things.

then i wouldnt change anything until you are ready to change the focus to building while staying lean, or progress stops and you havent lost enough fat yet.

[joe d]

Yeah that's true. I kind of figured that and realized I may have came across as more of a novice with lifting because of the lack of info I gave. I know everything in my head but nobody can read minds and sometimes I forget to write it all out lol. Always want to keep things relatively short so you don't have to read a lot but then you risk leaving out important info.

I really appreciate your understanding and replying to all my posts. I think maybe I know more than I think I do and get caught up in doubting myself. Often in the quest to educate myself more on all things bodybuilding I just get more confused. High carb, low carb, need to eat this many calories per pound, etc. Sometimes you just have to figure out what works for you and if it does, who cares what some study says. I guess that's one of the reasons I was thinking about a trainer. Someone who would essentially give me the thumbs up on what I was doing. But then what's the point of paying him lol.

thats the whole thing. to much confusion. hearing what works for 100 different people means nothing when it comes to you once you pass the initial phase where you can progress with ease by just lifting some weights and buying the shakes the gym sells. learning how to get where you want to be after that comes through self research and patience. you have to study your body with a scientific approach. once you figure yourself out you will be the best trainer/coach in the world for you.

heres an example of something i did along the way. i picked a program and stayed with it throughout. it was moderate lifting with moderate cardio 4 day split. i took my base diet that i was working with similar to what i suggested to you. then for 1 month i doubled the fat then went back down to the start diet for a few days then repeated the process with carbs, then again with protein. i got to see whar differences each made. i then re adjusted my diet and waited a month or so to confirm that the changes where for the better then i started doing my research on fine tuning the sources of each macro. this was more involved and took a bit longer like 2 years lol. then i fine tuned the amounts. then i had my picture perfect diet for being natural. once i started using enhancements i had to constantly make alterations depending on what i was on and how much i was on. that was even more tricky but would have been impossible without the stuff i did in the beginning.

[cmeis90]

thats the whole thing. to much confusion. hearing what works for 100 different people means nothing when it comes to you once you pass the initial phase where you can progress with ease by just lifting some weights and buying the shakes the gym sells. learning how to get where you want to be after that comes through self research and patience. you have to study your body with a scientific approach. once you figure yourself out you will be the best trainer/coach in the world for you.

heres an example of something i did along the way. i picked a program and stayed with it throughout. it was moderate lifting with moderate cardio 4 day split. i took my base diet that i was working with similar to what i suggested to you. then for 1 month i doubled the fat then went back down to the start diet for a few days then repeated the process with carbs, then again with protein. i got to see whar differences each made. i then re adjusted my diet and waited a month or so to confirm that the changes where for the better then i started doing my research on fine tuning the sources of each macro. this was more involved and took a bit longer like 2 years lol. then i fine tuned the amounts. then i had my picture perfect diet for being natural. once i started using enhancements i had to constantly make alterations depending on what i was on and how much i was on. that was even more tricky but would have been impossible without the stuff i did in the beginning.

That is all so true. People couldn't believe Evan was doing his own prep for the Flex show and the Arnold and he didn't do too bad to say the least. He certainly beat a lot of guys using coaches. Of course he had people who taught him along the way, but much of that information is out there and it is just up to me to find and apply it.

Patience is definitely something I have to work on. I look at the pros and then look at myself and what I see, it is a little different lol. Then I realize many of them have been doing this for 20+ years and if I don't make dramatic progress in a few months I think I am doing something wrong. That's just silly.

Your example is a great idea that I have actually thought of doing myself but was always scared to do. "Oh no I might mess up my progress because that would take awhile." 2 years is nothing in the long run when you think about it and if that helps you for the next 20, then it was a darn good investment in actually figuring out exactly what your body needs. When I get lean enough I may just try that out.

I get what you are saying about the pharmaceutical side too. If you don't know your body on how you were born and in its natural state, it is going to be harder to know it on different hormones and enhancements. I do sometimes feel that I need to start now because I know I would certainly make more progress in the short run than I am making now, but guys like you who have been around awhile and seem to know their stuff always tell young guys to wait. I know that you say that for good reasons. Once I know everything pretty well naturally, my progress enhanced will hopefully be so much faster once I do make that step. It all goes back to the patience thing and if I am truly going to be in this for the long haul, then 20 or 23 doesn't make much difference. If I can learn more now, then those future years can be put to better use because I will know more of what I'm doing.

[The Big Sexy]

The good thing is - you have time. Time to figure your body out, and time for someone who is working with you (and knows what they are doing) to figure it out... how to grow it, cut it, etc.

Personally, I like the idea of having someone local - to be able to see you at any given time - to be able to talk to them face to face, etc.

Then, you have guys like PJ Braun who do many online preps for people and give them a lot of time/attention. If you are going to go this route - make sure it is someone like PJ who has time (I'm sure there are others - Scoobs (a FL on RX)) to take a look at your photos, etc.

[joe d]

The good thing is - you have time. Time to figure your body out, and time for someone who is working with you (and knows what they are doing) to figure it out... how to grow it, cut it, etc.

Personally, I like the idea of having someone local - to be able to see you at any given time - to be able to talk to them face to face, etc.

Then, you have guys like PJ Braun who do many online preps for people and give them a lot of time/attention. If you are going to go this route - make sure it is someone like PJ who has time (I'm sure there are others - Scoobs (a FL on RX)) to take a look at your photos, etc.

i agree with this too, in the beginning it can help speed the process quite a bit (if you have someone good which is hard to find). but there comes a point where it comes down to you and your ability to self evaluate and make the changes. it may slow you down in the beginning but once you have it you will have it and have a better understanding of yourself without having relied on the trainer/coach/whatever in the beginning. at least thats my opinion.