I love being able to help others achieve greatness in their life and, having my own personal health struggles when I was a teenager, I have always felt this calling to teach people how to be strong and see them fall in love with finding their own internal and physical strength. I had to figure a lot out on my own and in many ways, if I had some guidance perhaps I could have achieved things in a much better and healthier way. In that sense, I wanted to be that for other people. I also just love seeing others win in general and there is really no other place I can see people really find themselves and their power than in the gym.
Age:
33
City/Country:
Guelph, Ontario, Canada
Occupation?
Registered Dietitian and Online Fitness/Nutrition Coach
What’s the most challenging situation you’ve faced as a personal trainer, and how did you overcome it?
I would say the toughest thing I have faced is more a challenge to myself, which can then help me be a better coach for my clients, and that was actually committing to finally just taking enough time building and breaking the self-limiting beliefs I had about myself that I “couldn’t get there”. Hiring my coach to hold me accountable for not backing down when moments got tough has been a game changer for me and I can’t thank him enough for helping me to see my potential, helping me break through roadblocks I put in place for myself and I have gotten to actually truly look my own fears in the face and work through them. This then can help me be a better coach to my clients because we can’t expect our clients to work through tough things and lead them if we haven’t ever tested ourselves.
When Chelsea first contacted me for coaching, it was with the goal of improving her biofeedback and helping her build muscle. Chelsea had been training for years prior to us working together but had yet to develop the type of physique she had desired. As someone who suffers from Crohn’s disease, digestion and being able to eat enough to fuel the process of muscle growth has always been a struggle for her. Although having IBD is a unique challenge Chelsea encountered, many other women can relate to the fact that they’ve always desired a lean muscular physique yet have not been able to achieve that look. Often this is due to the fact that many women haven’t dedicated a prolonged period of time to fueling themselves adequately and pushing their training performances to the next level to build the physique they desire. Over the past year, Chelsea has embraced a mindset of abundance and has properly fueled herself on a daily basis while pushing herself in each of her training sessions as a result she has put on a significant amount of lean mass, especially in her glutes, quads, hams and deltoids. As a result of combining a strategic approach to nutrition with a progressive resistance training program, Chelsea is now the most muscular version of herself and has built a ton of mental resilience and fortitude in the process which has had downstream benefits on all aspects of her life including her quality of life, self-confidence and belief in herself. I’m incredibly proud of Chelsea’s progress and appreciate Status Fitness Magazine for supporting my coaching endeavours and client wins! ~ Coach Brandon DaCruz
How would you describe your training philosophy?
Movement is life and provides you with your freedom and independence. As with any part of coaching, nutrition or training, I meet clients where they are first and foremost. With that in mind, I am always very upfront with clients that I want to work them into a form of resistance training and will move in that direction because of the numerous health and physique benefits of it. I teach them how to train and build their confidence in themselves and then I will work to push their intensity for us to really work to build muscle and shape their body. I believe that weight should be a part of everyone’s lifestyle in some capacity if we want to live the best life possible.
Why did you choose Brandon? What have you learned from working with him?
So many reasons and teachings. Why I chose him because of his knowledge and approach to coaching, I had listened to his podcast for a while before reaching out, but I truly appreciated his expertise, professionalism and just overall how he spoke about and with his clients. He has a wonderful balance of pushing someone to ensure they push to their potential (especially when they don’t believe in themselves in that department) while also being an empathetic and supportive coach so that clients feel heard, seen and just capable.
Starting my journey with him I knew that the second I pulled the trigger to start, I was on a path of massively challenging my fears and pushing my own comfort zone because that is what I wanted to gain from Brandon. I have learned SO much on this journey but the biggest thing I have taken away is that I can work through discomfort much more than I gave myself credit for. A huge reason I never achieved the muscle I wanted was because I could never get myself past this immense discomfort and fear of seeing my body change + self-limiting beliefs that due to having Crohn’s I couldn’t eat what I needed to.
Training Plan:
5 days a week, legs 3x (building my lower body is the main goal) and 2x upper body (delts is the bias)
Nutritional Plan:
Macros – I have my highest macros on leg days, medium days on upper (only a bit lower than legs) and rest day macros
Supplement Plan:
Basic health stack (Vitamin D, selenium, B complex, magnesium and zinc). I also take digestive enzymes and ACV with each meal and for help with stress support, I take ashwagandha and l-theanine around training and at night. Finally, since my last Crohns flare, I have been doing IV glutathione and now take sublingual glutathione daily fast.
Do you prefer to take and recommend all-natural (no sugar, no artificial colours/flavours/sweeteners) supplements or supplements with artificial flavours and sweeteners? And Why?
Yes, for myself I don’t use things with artificial sweeteners because they just don’t sit well with my digestion. I have a very sensitive gut so I take care to choose ones that are more natural to not bother my stomach. For clients and those I’m recommending supplements with, I don’t demonize or want people to fear artificials or sugars in moderation, but I tend to focus on those that are sweetened with stevia for example.
What are your long-term career goals as a fitness trainer, and how do you plan to continue growing in this field?
- Continue to learn so I can be the best coach I can be for my clients and get them the best results. My clients are what fulfills my soul and I look forward to growing for them. I invest in various mentors to keep my ‘nerd side’ happy and working always.
- I have always wanted to do more speaking events, interviews, podcasts, etc and I do think that comes down to 1 knowing your craft well and having something to offer and also 2 networking so the first one is through my first goal above and continuing to meet people through my current network can help to build my ability to come into new opportunities
What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned?
Patience and effort can pay off when you do jump right in. Nothing will come easy, and that is the point. Great things shouldn’t be easy because easy means you didn’t grow. I have finally seen growth in myself more than ever because I have been confronted with a lot of discomfort that I have to work through. When you truly believe you CAN get there, you will get there, with effort and patience.
What does success look like for you?
Success is being a great human first and foremost, which means I have clients who feel very supported, safe and secure under my wing. Success looks like being someone people know can help them achieve their goals. Someone who people wouldn’t think second about referring those they care about to if they wanted help because they know I can help them get where they want to be. Lastly, and more personally, success looks like being proud of the person I am and what I provide to others and being proud of the physique I have worked for.
What are your favourite quotes?
- You get what you put in
- You get back the energy you give out into the world
- Though she is little she is mighty
Connect with Chelsea: IG
