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Elite Physique

Dan Kennedy

Educated at the University of Western Ontario, Dan employs his degree in Kinesiology as the foundation of his personal training business Elite Physique. He’s also a National level bodybuilder and judge. Dan’s earned a reputation for his knowledge and his tell-it-like-it-is approach to performance enhancement!

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Advice for a First time Competitor

Q. What is the best advice you can give a first-time competitor?

A. I think the best decision an athlete can make before stepping onstage is to hire a qualified coach. There’s something to be said for listening to your body and getting to know it, but I cannot stress how critical this is. Love him or hate him, Fouad Abiad is an athlete who took the fast track to his pro card. This is a guy who hired the best trainer (Chad Nicholls was the number one trainer during Fouad’s rise) and worked his way to the Nationals in four years and earned his IFBB pro status in another seven years (and I think he should have snagged it sooner). Fouad realized early in his competitive career that to be a pro, he had to do what the other pros do. Please read that again. If you plan on being a pro, print that out and tape it to your fridge: If you want to be a pro, you must do what the pros do! Like Fouad, you should hire a qualified coach. I could go on at length about “qualified” coaches, but I won’t. But I do want to mention the biggest excuse for not hiring a trainer: It costs too much. Really? What does wasting a year of your life mean to your career as a bodybuilder? That is the cost of a bad trainer. Fouad realized early that being a pro and making a good living is limited by time. If you waste your time in the amateur ranks, you’re crippling your earnings as a pro. If you plan on making your mark in the IFBB pro ranks, take my advice and hire a qualified coach.