As a competitor, it is crucial to have a reputable source to rely on when it comes to your diet, training, cardio, and so forth….and it most cases, that comes from your coach. (For tips on how to find the best coach FOR YOU check out my past blog post here) In my past experiences, i have had coaches on complete opposite ends of the spectrum: from unreliable, unresponsive, uneducated, and by no means a “coach” to reliable, educated, responsive, and caring coaches who looks out for my best interest on and off the stage.
I know that some of you who are reading my blog may be prepping for your first show or are thinking about competing in the future..Or maybe you are just looking to get healthy and change your lifestyle. Either way, i thought it would be a cool idea to interview my coaches, Chris and Eric Martinez, of Dynamic Duo Training. I wanted to let you all know a little more about Team DDT and take the opportunity to ask them questions about competition prep, advice for choosing a coach, and how to avoid those “coaches” who will give you a cookie cutter meal plan and a cookie cutter training program. Here is my interview with them…
- Tell me a little about yourself and your experience competing/coaching/etc. How did Team DDT come about?
First and foremost we wanted to thank you for having us on your blog Lauren! To really find out who we are and how we started our business we suggest reading this article we wrote here.
- Who do you look up to in the fitness community?
We look up to those that really match our “Core Values” which are as follows: Integrity, Family, Legacy, Success, and Hard Working individuals. We are huge advocates of having mentors and we have had some great ones the past 6 years. Layne Norton first mentored us for 4 years, then Dr. Joe Klemczewski, and now we are being mentored by Eric Helms of 3DMJ. These are all people we have really looked up to for quite some time so we figured why not learn from the best. There are many others in the industry that we respect but these three people really made us push harder and really master our craft as coaches. We recommend following anywhere from 5-6 people that you really look up to and make sure they practice what they preach.
- Any advice for those looking to compete?
The first thing that comes to mind is to have a reason to compete. What we mean by this is, do not just compete for the sake of getting on stage. We see too many people follow fads and trends within the industry. If you are going to compete, take it serious, hire a well-educated coach that will be there every step of the way for you, be open minded to learning, and enjoy every moment of the process. A first time competitor should always give themselves at least 6 months for a prep. The reason being is more time is always better, prep is not a linear road, there are always small bumps along the road. When you go into prep mode, you have to develop good sound habits, turn the volume dial up a notch, be willing to make some sacrifices, and understand that your competition each day is yourself. Prep is a roller coaster and when it is over you have to think back and say to yourself, “I did everything I possibly could to bring the best physique.”
- What to look for in a coach? Any red flags?
This is the million-dollar question 😉 In all honesty, there are some great coaches and there are some very bad ones as well. We suggest looking for a coach that has a good record of accomplishment with clients, has credentials, willing to educate their clients, and has integrity. If they do not have this, run the other direction. At the end of the day, a great coach always puts their athletes/clients in a position to succeed. A great coach should have the ability to develop a good sound relationship with their athlete/client. If a coach cannot offer an initial phone consultation to discuss their game plan for you, then why would you give your hard-earned money to that person? The thing with this industry is there are no regulations, anyone can say they are a coach. The majority of people do not want to pay a lot of money for coaching, so they go for the cheaper coach that has a large following on Instagram. You really have to understand that a coach pretty much is in control of your health, which can be very scary when you think about it. Why not invest your money in someone that is qualified and will go the extra mile to educate you and help you succeed? We recently wrote an in depth article on coaching here.
- Have you had anyone come to you after bad experiences prepping from another coach? What were some of those experiences?
All of the time! There was one point where it was pretty much cleaning up other coaches messes. But it seems like athletes are getting better and smarter about doing their research with coaches and it could be that coaches that used old practices are educating themselves now.
Some of the major repercussion’s athletes came to us with were:
- Severe metabolic adaptation
- Eating disorders
- Binging disorders
- Fat overshooting
- Body dysmorphia syndrome
- How long do you recommend a competition prep to be? Thoughts on a short 12 week prep?
It really depends on the athlete’s current conditioning, caloric intake, and how many weeks out they are. But lets take a client that needs to drop 20 lbs in 20 weeks for a show as an example. They would need to lose 1 lb of fat loss per week, chances are the prep won’t go this linearly, meaning they could drop at a slower rate, the exact rate we need or at a faster rate and some adjustments will be needed along the way. But do you really think the athlete won’t get burnt out after 20 straight weeks of prep and not binge at least once? Highly likely, so it is best to give this athlete 24 weeks or more to include diet breaks and diet blocks, to come in ready early and do a metabolic building phase where we are feeding them into the show. The final product will be much better, less metabolic adaptations, less tendency to develop eating disorders, and the athlete will have had a much better experience throughout the prep.
- What do you think sets you apart as coaches?
We would have to say the Bert and Ernie eyebrows 😉
On a serious note we have been very fortunate to have had such great mentors like Layne Norton, Dr. Joe Klemczewski, and Eric Helms. I’d also say we have an insatiable desire to keep learning and keep getting better as coaches. We are always going to be students and we will always look to deliver first class services to our clients. Also, we think we are just easy going, down to earth and humble guys and we create great relationships with our clients.
- Services you offer?
- Training
- Nutrition and lifestyle coaching
- Contest prep
- Training on the go
- Anything else to add??
Thank you so much for interviewing us, its an honor.
The Guys Behind Dynamic Duo Training: Chris & Eric Martinez
I hope those of you reading this post found it to be helpful in getting your thoughts rolling about coaching, your health, and the competition prep process. I believe in Dynamic Duo Training 110%. I think it says a lot about their character as people, not just as coaches, that they took the time out of their busy schedules to answer these questions. Please check out dynamicduotraining.com for more information and if you have any questions shoot them an email @ dynamicduotraining@gmail.com , let them know you read my blog, and i know they would be more than willing to answer any questions that you have.
Please “like” this post if you found this interview to be beneficial and keep checking back for more posts in my BIKINI PREP SERIES.
Talk soon,
PBandLaurenKelly 