Question thread for our AMA with Dr. Brandon M Roberts and Dr. Peter J Fitschen starting Wednesday April 15th!

[thepcwife]

@niecey85 Yes, I did during my last two preps. I used Coach Alberts from 3dmj from 2016-2019. Even if you know exactly what to do during a prep it can be difficult not to make wild changes because you don't see improvements. I am self-coached now during my (2-3 year?) offseason.

 

[niecey85]

@paparazi257 Q4Both:

How necessary would you say hiring a coach is for someone interested in competing? And what should we check when looking for one?

 

[robertven]

@niecey85 While you can learn what you need to know to compete and be successful coaching yourself, having a coach may accelerate that timeline. It also takes away the stress of having to make all of your own decisions. You can just do what you are told, report back and it is on your coach to make changes. A good coach should also be someone you can ask questions, learn from, trust and discuss things with both related and not related to competing. I've actually become pretty good friends with many of my clients over the years.

When you are looking for a coach, some things to consider:

- Have they competed themselves / how long have they been competing?

- Do they have any formal education or credentials?

- How long have they been coaching / what do their clients look like?

- Do they primarily coach natural or enhanced athletes?

- How are their response times? How available are they?

- Do they have any client testimonials or better yet can you talk to some of their clients?

 

[thepcwife]

@niecey85 I don't think it's necessary for a full prep, or necessary for everyone. I. think it makes life a lot easier. I'd compare it to having a wikiguide for a video game. It could save you a ton of time and help you enjoy it more. That said, not everyone has the money to spare so I understand.

 

[niecey85]

@paparazi257 Q4Both:

As competitors, researchers, coaches, speakers, authors, how do you manage to find balance between the many aspects of your professional lives, social lives, family and yourselves?

 

[robertven]

@niecey85 Scheduling is huge for me.

I also think that having boundaries is important as well. For example, when I'm lifting at the gym, my phone is in my car. When I am lifting in my back garage in my home gym, my phone is on do not disturb mode. If it isn't the day prior or day of a client's show I am not working while lifting.

Similarly, I try to keep most of my work to during the day and limit what I do in the evening when my wife is home. That isn't always possible, but I do try to turn my phone off after a certain point a couple of days a week (not days I have clients competing though).

 

[niecey85]

@paparazi257 Q4Both:

What books would you recommend both to improve our practices, and in general outside of our field?

 

[robertven]

@niecey85 My book! https://www.amazon.com/Bodybuilding-Complete-Contest-Preparation-Handbook/dp/1492571334

Others I would recommend are Eric Helms Pyramid Books, Layne Norton's Contest prep book and Brad Schoenfelds Science of Muscle Development and Hypertrophy. I own all of these as well.

 

[niecey85]

@paparazi257 Q4Both:

If someone wants to be certified as a coach, which certification is the most useful one in your opinion, both for learning and for finding a job?

 

[robertven]

@niecey85 I may be biased because I have a CSCS, but that is the training cert I typically recommend. It requires a 4 year degree to take the exam and the pass rate on the exam actually isn't all that high. If I remember right it was something like 50-60%.

Now just because someone has a CSCS doesn't mean they are a good coach or knowledgeable, but it is at least a good first step.

 

[mcolley10]

@paparazi257 Questions for both

What is the biggest thing you have learned or do differently know with prepping clients than you did in the past?

 

[robertven]

@mcolley10 Several things:

- Less HIIT Cardio

- More aggressive carb ups during peak week

- Greater focus on NEAT

- Use of back to back refeeds / diet breaks

- I've actually brought back a bit more "bro" and a bit less powerlifting into my / clients training

 

[trumpeter2]

@robertven

• Greater focus on NEAT

What focus? Do you get your clients to consciously twitch/flex or keep up a certain step count?

 

[robertven]

@trumpeter2 Most of my clients track steps during prep. At first we just aim for their usual daily activity then as prep progresses we may add more in as necessary and it essentially turns into a bit of LISS. However, the biggest thing is that daily steps aren't going down when they feel tired and sluggish since that minimum is still there to hit.

 

[thepcwife]

@mcolley10 I echo everything @robertven mentioned. I also think people are now prepared/expecting longer preps, so I try not to do anything less than ~16 weeks for most people.

 

[mcolley10]

@paparazi257 Question for both

What study or studies would you most like to see be conducted in the future? Or perhaps a better question would be what questions would most like to see answered from a study?

 

[robertven]

@mcolley10 I would like to see some peaking research done. Specially, it would be interesting to know why people respond differently to the same protocol.

For example, some people look best the day after a high day, for others they may look best 2 days late and I've even worked with some who look watery for 3-5 days after even a moderate carb up and do best not doing much in terms of a carb up in the final days prior to their show. Getting at some of the why behind these observations would be interesting.

 

[mcolley10]

@paparazi257 Question for both

Do you believe that body fat setpoint can be changed?