Why Your Contest Prep Coach Wants to Fire You

by Kris Pitcher

Disclaimer: This topic was not inspired by any of you. It wasn't inspired by my husband, who is a coach. None of the acts here within represent behaviors of his clients. It may however hit a chord..If it walks like a duck...

Most people want to make relationships work, and that's no different for the coach-client relationship. But just because you've paid for someones services, doesn't mean you can't be fired.

Here are the top ten reasons your coach wants to FIRE you:

1. You say your diet is on point, but your facebook post says otherwise. - Don't forget you are fb friends with your coach. They will see that post about your "cheat day", those pics of you and your friends at the party drinking alcohol, and that anniversary dinner you also didn't clear.
2. You think your plan is a "suggestion". When you aren't doing your plan, your plan isn't going to work. You can't do it some days and not others. You can't do "most" of it. You are either doing it, or you're not. If you're not, your coach is really confused why you're not responding and progressing.
3. You want to eat a protein bar every day, for dessert. While marketing is king, bars don't fit your plan, your macros, or anything else. And competitors don't get dessert. You don't get first call out by replacing meals with bars.
4. You don't exactly eat all your meals. Number 2, your plan is not a suggestion. Skipping meals is not doing your plan. If you have time issues, or what ever your deal is, talk it out and find a solution with your coach. If they think you're eating, and you're not...they'll be confused about your progress (see a trend here?).
5. You don't check in.When you don't check in, or you check in once a month, your coach has forgotten about you. It's your responsibility to check in and provide good feedback. Coaches don't have time to chase you. And they cannot provide you with anything, if you aren't participating.
6. You wonder what you should eat if you're hungry. If it's not on your plan, you aren't eating it. Eat your meals, on time. There isn't anything "else" to eat. It is ok to be hungry, you will not die. Eat more green vegetables.
7. You are constantly insisting on diet changes. Usually this is accompanied by numbers 3, 4, and 5. Your coach isn't going to change your diet for the fun of it. They are also not going to change it if you aren't 100% compliant with your current plan. They can't tell if the current plan is working, because you aren't doing it. Once you do it, and they see if it's working, they'll make changes. That's how this works.
8. You are suffering on 200 gms of carbs a day. Your coach believes you have suffered for nothing in your privileged life. You don't know suffrage.
9. You blame your coach for your lack of progress. If you're guilty of any of the above, you're living in a fool's paradise. But honestly, when everything is working, you are making progress. When you have problems, it's usually on you. Tough love right there. You are accountable.
10. Ten year old girls are stronger than you, and you think you're "killin' it". There is a serious lack of understanding of proper intensity. And you think you are just really bad ass. I don't know if people are lazy, or want the IFBB to just come to their gym and hand out invitations to the league...I don't know. I sense this underlying generational feeling of entitlement. That's another blog.

I know of coaches who fire people left and right. I also know of coaches who never communicate and make it really hard for you to be a good client. A great coach is going to communicate with you, ,work through problems, provide solutions and build a strong relationship with you. Your role is to provide honest feedback, to do your plan, to trust them, meaning not second guessing every aspect of your program.

If you're neurotic and panicy, you'll make your coach crazy. If you withold information, lie, cheat, and believe every bit of bro science you can get your hands on...you're in line to be fired.

Food - Fair or Fuel

by Kris Pitcher

Recently my husband (who is also my coach) and I had a conversation about my off season weight. I'm currently less than 5 pounds up from contest weight 7 weeks post competition. "No one preps like you do." He said.

I told him my success was completely related to the fact he was currently dieting. I'm no fool. And that when he wasn't dieting, I knew it would be much harder for me. I gathered my bags ready to head out the door for work as he was pounding out his cardio on the stair master when he said, "You better think about that."

Not sure if my laughter remained inside my head, or if some of it snuck out...I assured him I was thinking about it. About when he was not dieting, and I would need to eat differently from him. Then I left for work. It was obviously a very serious topic.

But this is truly a point of contention for many couples. The bottom line is, food is not about equity in a relationship. It is not about fairness. There will be a time when he's eating ice cream on the couch, and I will not be able to eat that. I have to be ok with that.

Couples who eat in "fairness" are usually in similar shape. Now, he needs to eat differently to be 190 pounds. I am not 190 pounds. I do not want to be 190 pounds. Are you following?

Wouldn't it be silly if I resented him for being able to eat differently than me? Yet most couples fall into that. These feelings stem from childhood associations, from needing to fulfill basic needs, from food being about love, and everything except about the actual food.

When the time comes, in late November, when he is no longer dieting...it will be more difficult for me to maintain a tight off season. My weight will creep up, a little. I might have to do a few more minutes of cardio. We'll enjoy a few meals out now and then. And I will have to stay very connected to my goals.

Take a moment to stop and think about it. About how you feel about food. Is it fair, is it equitable? Or is it fuel. Does it get you to your goal? Is it ok if other people eat differently? Will you eat this way for a short while, or for the rest of your life?

My off season looks very much like my prep - just more of it. The reason is, this is my lifestyle. I've stopped seeing food as fair, or not fair. It's just fuel.

Timing Your Contest Prep, Will You Be Ready?

by Kris Pitcher

You're [fill in the blank] weeks out, and you don't feel like you'll be ready in time for your contest date. News flash! No one ever feels like they will be ready. I can't even count how many contests I've done, and I've rarely felt ready.

I've stood in the line up back stage, ready to go on for prejudging - and wasn't sure if I was ready. Here are a couple of things to ease your mind around this. First, you'll be as ready as you've ever been.

Most of you will be in the best shape of your life. You'll be the best you, you've ever been. How much better does it get? Maintaining perspective on this is so important. Every time I hit the stage, I'm better than the time before. If this is your first time, you will be in the best shape of your life.

You won't look like the pros. You can just stop comparing yourself to the pros you follow on instagram and facebook. Just stop that right now. Stop comparing yourself to women who compete in different divisions. Sure some of them do 2 NPC shows, then go to one national level show and turn pro. But that is NOT the norm. And it's not going to happen to you. Be willing to work. Hard.

You won't look or feel ready 4 weeks out, or 6, or even 3. If you are working with a coach, they are timing your progress so you're ready in time...not early. Keeping contest ready conditioning for a long period of time isn't something you want to do. With that in mind, you won't "look" ready. Because you aren't.

Most importantly, this process is not linear. You won't lose 5 pounds every week for 16 weeks. You aren't going to drop 3% body fat weekly for the duration of your prep. It doesn't work like that. Some weeks you will see a number change, some you won't. That doesn't mean nothing is happening.

Never feel frustrated with that. It's just science. It's what happens over the cumulative duration of your prep that makes you "ready" in time. Your weight doesn't matter, your body fat percentage doesn't matter.

There is no component during prejudging where every competitor will be weighed, measured, and tested for body fat. Get over it. Your numbers don't matter. What does matter is how you look. Which you become blind to. Your coach can see how you look. Trust them.

What you can rest assured in, is you are doing everything you should be doing to get ready in time. Leave nothing undone. Don't nibble, or miss meals. Don't miss workouts, or cut your cardio. Don't think you're "killin' it" by doing more than you are supposed to do. Just work your plan. And your plan will work.

It isn't until I look at stage pictures when I truly realize - I was ready. Putting energy into thinking about this now isn't serving you well. Trust your process. Trust yourself. Be confident that you will be ready. You won't believe your pictures! You're going to be ready.

When to Start Cutting - Contest Prep

by Kris Pitcher

You know that advertisement about unused vacation days? Where the kids are saying, "They're PAID vacation days!?" And, "That's the stupidest thing I ever heard?"

That's kind of how I feel about people talking about the exact point during their contest prep when they begin the "cutting" process. By definition, when you begin a caloric deficit...you ARE cutting. It's the stupidest thing I ever heard.

And then I take a deep breath and remind myself, a lot of coaches, gurus, and self-describe first time competitor-know-it-alls turned contest prep experts...have just enough information to be dangerous.

Aren't you glad I started writing again?

Here's the thing. We feel the need to define every single phase of this process. Week 1: X, Y, and then Z will happen. Week 2: etc. Week 7: Begin CUTTING phase. It's not important.

"Cutting" means you are trying to lose fat. Aren't you trying to do that from the very start of your prep? I sure am. Heck. I'm trying to do that off season. You begin trying to lose fat, AKA - cutting, at the beginning. Sometimes you start before the start. A jump start.

But the need to deconstruct something very simple overrides common sense. Either that, or it's just not that common. My point is, don't over complicate something which is actually very simple. We have named every phase of this, and I'm just not convinced that's necessary.

People get all caught up on if you started cutting at 5 weeks, or 4 or 7. And why that's different from what they are doing, and are they doing it right, or wrong? Should they fire their coach? Hire another one? Or just get their guidance form thousands of random people?

Silly. Just do your prep. We're all cutting. We all started cutting at the beginning. Cut it out.

Contest Prep, Where is Your Head At?

by Kris Pitcher


I actually had a hard time getting my head in the game this prep. It took me a couple of weeks not to resent peanut butter leaving my life. This was new for me. Usually, I just flip the contest prep switch and that's it. It is on!


Settling into the swing of things, I didn't have trouble in the sense that I cheated, or ate off my plan. It was just difficult for me to fully commit, for it to feel "real". June 1st began my prep and I felt like I was out there on an island all alone. It seemed no one else was prepping.


I have a news flash for you. This isn't the buddy system. Prepping for a contest is a personal commitment. Only you will be on stage. Sure, you have people in your corner. If you're smart - there's no way you go this alone. You hire a professional. Your coach.


Ultimately, what I mean is, you are accountable for your commitment, for your progress...for doing your plan. And in those first few weeks, I just had to put my head down and grind it out. Eat the plan. Lift the plan. Cardio the plan. Sleep the plan.


Eventually, WOW, 13 weeks into the prep now...I'm actually looking pretty freaking great. It is a slow process for me. We grow me into my show. We work hard to keep me full. And we take plenty of time to shed the fat revealing the gains made off season.


My point is, it's not easy. It's not easy the first time, and it's not easy the 10th time. Every time is different. It's different physiologically, it's different psychologically too. And, I'm human (not a news flash).


As fall is about to bring the line up of shows, how is your prep going? Who will help you succeed? And where is YOUR commitment level? It's all a head game. Where is your head at?

Probiotics and Digestive Enzymes, Which Supplement When?

by Kris Pitcher

My gut tells me there's a lot of confusion over two really helpful supplements. Probiotics, and digestive enzymes. Both of these are useful, in different ways...and different times. Let's clear things up.

Probiotics promote healthy bacteria in your intestines and can be taken daily. This healthy bacteria creates the right environment for you to get the most out of your nutrients (the food you take in), and helps your system work properly.

When we are dieting, or need to limit foods due to allergies, which naturally promote this healthy bacteria - like some yogurts - it can be a good idea to introduce those healthy bacteria by taking a supplement. Again, you incorporate this into your daily regimen.

The second supplement, digestive enzymes can be helpful in an "as needed" or acute situation. If we are limiting the sources of carbohydrate, take gluten for example, because of dietary needs our body stops producing the required enzymes to digest and break that down.

If we reintroduce that into our system...gas, bloating, and other distress begin in the intestines. This happens because we no longer are producing the required enzymes to digest those forms of sugars or proteins.

Taking a digestive enzyme can help in those situations. They can also speed up the digestive process when intestinal emptying seems to be taking forever. You're feeling full three hours after your last meal of 4 ounces chicken with 1 cup veggies and 1/4 cup of rice...still full and it's time to eat?

Digestive enzymes can assist in that scenario. If I haven't eaten dairy, or wheat, and I know I'm eating pizza...digestive enzymes. This isn't a tool you want to use all the time. If you aren't digesting your relatively small meal in 3 hours...we should talk alternatives, or other issues.

So, probiotics create a healthy bacterial environment and we want that daily. Digestive enzymes on the other hand are an "as needed" supplement we can introduce to help our system by reintroducing some of the enzymes we've stopped producing.

I hope that's helpful, and clears up some of the confusion about which of these you take when. Having a healthy gut is important.

Slow Contest Prep for BIG Change

by Kris Pitcher

"Have you noticed any changes yet?" Jacques asked. Now, this made me laugh because it was Tuesday evening. I started my prep on...Monday.

"It's only been TWO days! What changes would I see?" I laughed! And it got me thinking, it's going to be a LONG prep. It's would be especially long if I was looking for changes every day, or even every week.

That's the beauty of having his eyes, a coach's eyes, to look at me. He's going to see the changes in me I may not see. He holds the perspective, he holds the objectivity. The reality is, I don't have huge changes to make.

I won't be dropping 5 pounds a week...I don't have that much to lose. My changes will be small. They'll be in the curves of my arms, in the small of my back, and they'll be in the finer details. Changes will happen that I may not be able to see. I'll lose inter-muscular fat, I'll lose fat in places I didn't realize I had it.

The process will take weeks, months even. And this is why we start when we start. When you are in good condition as you begin your prep, you won't see sweeping changes. Those are the best kind of people to work with in terms of competitors, but often those same people have no idea where they are.

They can be looking for big changes, drops in numbers, and seeing changes on the scale. That hopefully won't happen. So it's the job of the coach to manage those expectations. We'll see very small changes on a weekly basis.

Fat loss will be slow. I may even continue to gain muscle into my contest. Will my weight fluctuate? Sure. Only being 14 pounds up from stage weight last year, I won't see big drops. If I'm losing a pound a week, that may be too fast.

It's OK if it's a slow process, that's the best scenario. Will my abs EVENTUALLY come in? Yes! Will my glute-hamstring tie in show up? Absolutely! But those won't be the first changes we'll see. Those will be closer to the end.

I gain, and lose, in a pretty balanced way. I expect to slowly get smaller, yes, smaller as the weeks pass. Things will get tighter. I'll lose everywhere! But it will be slow.

And we may even need to slow things down along the way. That's the BEST case scenario. My goal is to keep every bit of hard earned muscle I gained this past year as I slowly strip the fat off. So don't be looking for progress pictures, big losses, or massive changes.

Keep your perspective along the way as you make your journey to the stage. Huge drops and sweeping progress every week, are for people who have a long way to go. That just might not be you. For me, it's going to be a slow prep. But by the end, the change will be big!