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Freak Fitness

Darren Mehling BA, CSCS

As a strongman competitor, Darren has pulled 50,000 lb trucks and dead lifted 805 lbs. As a competitive bodybuilder, he has won Provincial Super-heavyweight & Overall titles. As President & CEO of FREAK Fitness, he has coached his clients to hundreds of Novice, Provincial/State, National, and IFBB Pro titles. Having been involved in the sport of bodybuilding for over 20 years, Darren has his finger on the pulse of the local and international bodybuilding scenes, and will be keeping you informed through his column, “Freak Fitness."

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How do I keep my clients accountable

Being a highly regarded online competition prep coach, I have the opportunity to work with clients located both near and far, throughout the country and the world. Most clients I do eventually get to meet, but I’ve never met many of my clients in person and yet, no matter where they live, my clients continue to achieve great success. For those not familiar with the online coaching process, many people wonder how I’m able to keep my clients on track and honest. This month I’m going to tell you about some of the reasons why I’m able to effectively coach my clients and keep them accountable to the process, to me, and to their goals.

It all starts when I have the initial consultation. I clearly lay out the expectations of our relationship in that it can only exist with trust, honesty, open communication, and hard work. The coaching process only works with their trust in my abilities and my trust in their full execution of the plan I have developed for them; nothing can happen without hard work. I guarantee my clients that I will work hard for them because I trust they are working hard for me. Lastly, open communication is a must. If clients can’t keep me posted on their progress, I can’t help them. Good or bad news, I need to know what’s going on a regular basis so I can make any needed adjustments.

Once all of this is agreed upon, then I fill them in on some less known facts about me that help me go above and beyond what most coaches can do.

From my past career as an investigator, I have training and experience in witness interviewing and interrogation techniques. So, I am trained to look and listen for various voluntary and involuntary signs of deception. Among many obvious things such as the words spoken, I also pay attention to changes in tone and volume of the client’s voice as well as his or her body language and positioning.
Along the same lines, how clients present themselves in update pictures or posing classes can tell me a lot about how their week went. Aside from looking for obvious changes in body composition, shape, and size, I’m looking at how they’re posing or how their posing has changed. If they’re trying to hide the Costco muffins they’ve been having all week, trust me—it shows in how they pose.

For ongoing monitoring, aside from the regular info, I want clients to email me in their weekly updates such as change in weight, status of strength and muscle pumps. I’m also paying attention to what they didn’t include. Because I also have statement analysis training from my investigator days, I’m able to detect deception from the way I have clients send me their updates and how they answer them.
Anybody who has competed and given it 110 percent will agree that as the weeks go by and the show draws near, focus and confidence can dwindle for various reasons. But, fortunately for my clients, I’m able to use various techniques I learned in my past coursework in behavioral modification and sports psychology to get them back on track mentally. I then take it a step further, and remind them of where they started and how far they have come already. If they have already experienced success, they can do it again!

Most people don’t realize what they are capable of, and I have found that if given the proper guidance, confidence, and push to achieve their personal best, my clients are able to far exceed whatever they thought they could! They don’t call me the “Freak Maker” for nothing!

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