What does it take to become a prep coach?

You must completely immerse yourself in that world...

I haven’t been in the health and fitness industry long as a professional. In fact, I would call myself ‘a baby’ still. Because there is still so much to learn! And to get to where I am today, took a hell of a lot of learning. I’m grateful for the way my journey began, as it’s made me who I am as a coach today. I started LATE in the coaching game. I came from English & drama teacher background, with no knowledge outside of what I’d learnt in my past competition preps as a client myself. I was 25 years old, had been competing for four years and had decided that teaching in high-school wasn’t for me…I wanted to be a prep coach. Not only that I wanted to become one of the best prep coaches in the world. So, I got my Certificate III & IV in fitness, and began learning everything I could. I looked to some of the best competitors, and coaches, in my industry and saw that a lot of them had been educated in the same place. SO, that’s where I went. I did my first course in nutrition coaching, and made it my goal to get a job at CHFI. I knew, if I was going to learn, I had to be surrounded by the best, to learn from the best. I was lucky enough to be given a chance to work at that world leading facility as a personal trainer, and online coach. And I realised very quickly how much learning I had to do. All of my colleagues had been coaching for YEARS and had been in the health and fitness industry before I really even knew what it was. They had experience, knowledge and insight - I remember being at one of my first ever team meetings, listening to the discussion and thinking: ‘I’ll never be able to get to this level. They all probably see me as a dumb bikini chick who just got this job because she’s a competitor.’ That was my own insecurities talking, but, it got me working. Hard. I wanted to prove I belonged not only with my colleagues, but in the health and fitness industry. I wanted to become one of the best at what I did - and my speciality, was prep coaching. So. I started learning. I would listen to podcasts on my commute to work, in my break while getting steps. I’d read before bed, I listened to every conversation my colleagues had, followed the people they were following, engulfed myself in the content of these industry experts. Then, I started going to courses. It meant a lot of financial investment. But, it was worth it. Not only was I learning about the best in my industry - I was able to learn FROM them! In my first year as a PT, and coach, I learnt more valuable insight toward my career, than I had in 4 years of university education, two degrees and a Masters at university when becoming a writer and a teacher Because it was real-world experience, that made me learn fast. I was very much thrown in the deep end at CHFI - and I am so grateful for it! Sink or swim… it forced me to swim. I now see a lot of competitors who have been through their first competing journey and also decide they want to become a prep coach. I am familiar with that path, because I’ve walked it. And I know the industry needs more prep coaches. But it also needs the right kind of prep coach. Someone who is willing to get themselves educated, understands the time, sacrifice and investment they must put in first, to be able to coach a client to stage condition, and back out again, without impacting their health. It's just like competing. You can’t suddenly decide one day you’re going to step on stage, with no background in training, with no understanding of nutrition, and no prep habits in place – and expect to walk away with a Pro card first go. It takes YEARS to build the foundations. You need to develop your understanding of movement, intensity and overall training to refine your technique, you need to develop your strength work capacity and then your overall muscle mass to build shape. You need to learn to understand nutrition, and become meticulous with it, so when you get deeper into your cut, you’re on top of every macro. You need to be able to structure your day completely to balance your training, steps, cardio, posing practice, organisation of everything for show days from hair and makeup, to nails, to tans, to photoshoots, while still going about your usual life and job. Your first few shows, you may need to learn, take feedback from the judges to develop further, and then keep coming back until you finally bring that pro worthy complete package. In the same way…you should not do one or two competitions, and then become a prep coach. Because, you may understand how YOUR body works in a prep from your experiences. Every body is different. We go through different physiological and psychological responses to prep. We will all have a different prep experience. And you need to become a pro-level coach in all ways first, to be able to coach your clients optimally. Build the foundations – so, you are working from a solid structure. For those who are wanting to get into coaching, here’s a snapshot of my journey, to bring me to the place I’m at now, coaching teams of incredible clients to the WBFF, ICN & IFBB stage. The things you do see are:

• The incredible physical transformation of clients

• The team days, doing photoshoots with your team to celebrate the hard work

• Show day, the glitz, the glam and the reward when your clients achieve their goal

• The tears when your clients are called out, or earn that title/pro card they’ve been dreaming of

The things you did not see?

• The 8 years of competing experience I had prior to becoming a coach, to develop an understanding of the different physical & mental demands of a prep

• Investment of money - getting educated isn’t cheap, and it doesn’t stop at a Cert 3 / 4 – I now have a hell of a lot of certifications under my belt, and this list will continue to grow. BUT, education doesn’t just come from a certificate. It comes from real-world experience. My financial investment also came by immersing myself into the competing world. Paying to go to all of my client’s shows, to buy tickets, so I could watch them compete or be there with them backstage. Paying to travel internationally, alone, to be a part of the first WBFF show in NZ, to watch my competitors, to be able to go to an exclusive seminar with Paul Dillet and find out more about the WBFF. Buying any and all past show videos I could get, to watch the competitors, to see who won and what they brought to stage, to understand the judging and results. This also helped understand the judging of marketability and presentation for WBFF, which is very different to other federations! Understanding how to coach clients on their dresses, shoes and look as well as their posing and presentation.

• Investment of time! As a coach, we should strive for constant development: in my time as a coach, I have been lucky enough to work with some of the best to learn all aspects of training, nutrition & coaching! From: Mark Carroll, Daine McDonald Hattie Boydle Ben Pakulski & Dr. Jordan Shallow Layne Norton Martin McDonals Wolfgang Unsoeld Dr. Andrew Locke Sebastian Oreb Christian Thibaudeau Tony Parra Nathan Harewood And this list will continue to grow... When we become prep coaches, we aren’t just putting someone through a body transformation. We are pushing the limits of the body and mind. We have to not only understand how things work from a physiological perspective, but also from a psychological perspective, ensuring we can get our clients to stage in the healthiest way possible both physically and mentally. Ensuring they are not broken along the way, but also ensuring they bring their best and reach their full potential. When you begin your journey to become a prep coach, know that there is always learning to be done, and always someone you can learn from. I believe, as a prep coach, you should also practice what you preach. Even if you only ever do one prep and show – do it ONCE so you know what your client is going through and can relate to them when the times do get tough. Something many people don’t know, is I spent time using a vegan and then vegetarian diet through preps to learn how I needed to adapt my food, for first-hand experience on the impact it would have on prep and my body, so I would be able to better adapt my coaching for my vegan and vegetarian clients. I’ve tried a lot of different prep approaches over my last 13 preps, and have worked with many different coaches, to learn their approaches. BUT, as I said, I'm still a baby with a lot left to learn. I’ve been in the health & fitness industry as a professional, now for just over four years. In that time, I’ve completely transformed as a coach. I’ve started my own business with partner Jack. Worked for a year in our own private studio coaching face to face sessions. We have a huge squad of incredible clients and athletes. We’ve got four pro cards and multiple top placings under our belt. Our first three pros are currently prepping for their pro debuts. I’ve been to a LOT of shows across multiple federations. Traveled interstate, and internationally, to watch my clients. Four years ago I was standing in a high school classroom - teaching kids about Chaucer, Shakespeare and Wollstonecraft. Today, I’m coaching competitors to pro winning titles. So much can change, in such a short amount of time - with enough dedication, education and passion. - Lauren