Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Distance Client Review (from Canada)

Back in November, I received an email inquiring about my Individualized Training Services. After a few email exchanges and a meeting over Skype, everything seemed good to go.

David works an active job and more than 8 hours a day five days a week (and even a sixth day). However, that was never an issue. While he was following a four day routine, I didn't pile on the volume or weights. Instead, we focused on how he felt week-to-week.

That's how it went for the next four months. We discussed details through emails and took care of longer topics over Skype. Along with programming and troubleshooting, I offered diet and supplement recommendations. Outside of that, he oversaw the day-to-day organization of his plan.

Here are his thoughts on working with me.
Age: 32
Before (Dec.05/2013): 138 lbs
After (Apr.05/2014): 148 lbs
I've been playing around with weights for a couple years, though my lifts had been mostly sub­beginner, so it seemed it was about time to get some help. Looking through Niel's site, he clearly knows his stuff, and really, I considered (and still consider) the price to be a bargain.

My goals were pretty general, mainly just building some muscle and getting stronger. Both were accomplished, though my BF% went higher than I had hoped, but this might have had more to do with being overenthusiastic about the instructions to raise calories (a lot of the weight came on around the holidays). 
The program was more strength-based than I was used to, which meant that I was moving around heavier weights than normal. The reps and volume were initially relatively low, and quality reps took priority throughout. The program was based around barbell lifts, with a bit of assistance and some fun stuff thrown in (push­ press, grip work). The intensity, volume, and assistance varied across the training blocks, and were adjusted based on how the previous week went. Tweaks, variations, and drills were added and removed as needed. This was the first time I've used RPE's to set intensity, which took some getting used to, but I'm going to try to incorporate them in my future training.
There was a lot more easy, light training than I was expecting, but it usually followed a peak in volume or intensity, just as I was starting to get sore and tired. The form work and deloads were always beneficial, even if it felt like it was slowing progress, and I was consistently surprised by how much stronger I was when the work got heavier again.
One of the big things that made me to decide to work with Niel was his knowledge of technique, and I wasn't disappointed. First, he sent videos demonstrating form (along with cues). Then, we did a skype training session to try and work out some of the biggest errors. Through the entire time, I sent form check videos, all of which I received critiques for within a day, the same goes for any questions I had regarding training, nutrition, etc. I had been staying away from some of the lifts I assumed I'd never be good at, but by the end, I'm mostly comfortable with all the big ones, and had set PR's on every major lift. Even lifts which I had written off as hopeless greatly improved, and continue to improve.
Overall, I'm very happy with my experience training with Niel, and would recommend him to anyone looking to get stronger.
In the third month, there was a personal best he hit that made me happy. While I was reviewing his previous week, he commented that despite being at a higher bodyweight, he hit a PR for his pull-ups - which he couldn't do before.

Nice work David! And remember, stay strong!
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