Now On Stage: Jason Phillips
Diet Guru of The Week!
Name: Jason Phillips
Date of birth: 08/17/1984
Hometown: Currently Charlotte, NC
Career: Inside sales for Europa Sports/Personal trainer
Sports background: Played soccer my whole life and started playing golf at the age of 14. Went on to play golf professionally from 21-23.
What do you like best about being a diet coach? I genuinely enjoy just meeting new people, so being able to meet like-minded people and help them achieve their goals and make quality life changes is something I truly feel blessed to do. Given my history, I know the value of a quality trainer/mentor in your life.
Competition history:
I have only done one bodybuilding show but plan to do Mens Physique next year. I have been published several times in Maximum Fitness and Muscle and Fitness and have been a sponsored athlete with Optimum Nutrition for almost 4 years now. What I think most people will find more interesting though is that I actually got into this industry after having an eating disorder. My journey began at 120lbs!!!! Currently I am 192lbs and will compete in physique at 180…so a total of 60lb muscle gained J
What Cardio Type Would You Recommend for Fat Loss and or Pre Contest, High Intensity Interval Training (H.I.I.T) or Low Intensity Steady State (L.I.S.S.)? This truly is an individual question but my general feeling about cardio is to use as little as possible. No one likes doing cardio but unfortunately many contest coaches rely on it. This isn’t to say that sometimes its not necessary but this 2-3 hour a day nonsense is just ridiculous.
How do you diet your clients? Using the carb cycling approach, keto? Another extremely individual question. A “one size fits all” approach is recipe for disaster. At the present moment I have 2 girls prepping for nationals, one is eating very high carbs (have actually had to increase daily starting 10 days out and now over 170g at 116lbs) and the other is higher fat and lower carb (approx 70-80g). Diet methods should be looked at like tools in a tool box, would you use a screwdriver to hammer in a nail?
What is your protocol for filing out days prior to stepping onstage? Being that the majority of my clients are figure and bikini athletes, I try not to change a whole lot. Minor (and I do mean minor) water manipulations are usually made but the rest depends on the client and the diet leading up to the show. Typically we have tested a carb or fat load at some point during the prep so I have a good idea how the body will respond. Sometimes absolutely nothing needs to be changed. Last year at nationals I had a top 5 bikini girl that I literally did nothing with and she achieved the best look of her life.
What is the most challenging aspect of dieting clients? I think in the beginning the hardest part is making sure the client “buys in” to your program. There is so much “information” floating around as to what the right diet and training program are that clients will get a 100 different answers if they ask 100 different trainers. Too many cooks in the kitchen will only hinder a prep, not help it. Once the client is on board completely, I don’t run into too many problems. I love my job and my clients will tell you that I will do everything in my power to see them succeed!
What supplements do you reccommend the most to your clients? Having been with ON for almost 4 years now, they are the only brand I trust. Gold Standard Whey and Hydro Whey are staples, along with a solid multivitamin. The rest of the supplements will vary from client to client, but I can tell you the list is never very extensive.
What is the oddest question you have ever been asked by a client? Wow, where do I begin??!?!!? Nothing really sticks out at the moment, but I definitely get at least one good laugh a day. I think more than anything it shows just how misguided our society really is in terms of diet/training mentality.
Do you also provide training programs to clients? If so, how do you determine the best program for each individual? The cost of working with me includes both diet and training. My clients will tell you that I have some very unique approaches to training, but they have proven over the years to be very effective. This also helps me in knowing exactly what the client is doing at all times so the diet programming is that much easier. As far as knowing what is best for the client, that can only come from an intensive client evaluation. I will do a phone call, ask for previous workouts, or sometimes have them video certain movements so I can see exactly what is going on. From there I program accordingly.
What formula do you use to determine how many macro nutrients to give each client? There are no “formulas” when determining a diet or macro needs. Typically I will take a look at what the person has been doing, and how their body has responded to it and will make changes accordingly. What most people will find interesting is that I typically INCREASE a persons calories when they come to me because most just aren’t eating enough.
Do you have clients manipulate water prior to getting onstage? If so how? I can’t make a blanket statement on how or if I do this. Do some of my clients manipulate water – yes, but others change absolutely nothing. This is so dependent on many other variables (degree of carb/fat load, sodium intake, etc..)
What is the best way for potential clients to reach you? I have a website that is currently being reconstructed at www.jasonphillipsfitness.com so for now they can email me directly at [email protected] or find me on facebook J
I want to take a minute to say a huge THANK YOU to Gail, Christy, Dave, Aceto and everyone at RX for not only this opportunity, but for promoting an industry I sincerely love.
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