Comp prep for competitive physique athletes: There is a 20-week minimum commitment... 16 weeks before your first competition, and 4 weeks after your last competition. If you are doing multiple shows within one season, your minimum commitment will be longer.

Some competitors begin 'prep' before 16 weeks out but this is the latest we are willing to coach anyone into a show. 

The overwhelming majority of our athletes complete their check-in every week, but on the occasion that you miss your agreed check-in day/time, you forfeit your weekly assessment and changes that week. Your coach may, if they can, clear space for you the following day instead.

If your check-in day/time is no longer working for you, speak to your coach about adjusting it.

 If you fail to make multiple check-ins during your comp prep, your coach may suspend your coaching due to not having enough info to properly coach you to the high Flex standards. 

We've set this minimum commitment before the show because, in our experience, this is the minimum time typically necessary to get athletes up to Flex standards.

It also allows time to take athletes through the 'Flex Risk Reduction Checklist'. Some of the inclusions of this checklist are as follows: 

- Muscle loss risk reduction during an extreme cut. 

- Blood test analysis to help guide the coaching process to reduce the risk of, or severity of negative health outcomes. 

- Allow time for refeeds and/or diet breaks where necessary to reduce the risk of stress-related weight retention and/or psychological stress and/or relationship breakdowns. 

The 4-week post-show portion of the minimum commitment takes athletes through 'The Flex Recovery System'

After the shows are over, the risk of binge eating and excessive weight regain skyrockets, so having the careful guidance of an experienced coach helps dramatically reduce the risk of this and sets the athlete up for a productive offseason (growth phase) ahead.

The Recovery System helps athletes navigate food, training, and socialising again after such an extreme period of hyper-focus, and guides them towards balance again. 

During your comp rep, every week is very important. If you need to pause your coaching during prep, you are effectively pulling out of coaching for comp prep.

If you are in your 'off-season', it is a different story, and you are entitled to pause once your minimum term has expired.

Offseason pause policy: You are entitled to 2 x 1-2 week pauses per calendar year. Pauses for longer than this period of time are considered a cancellation, and we cannot guarantee you a spot back on the team without joining the waiting list. 

The policy is in place for the following 2 reasons: 

1 - In order to keep our level of coaching high for each athlete, Flex Coaches have limited spots. All clients, active or paused, are taking up a spot on the team. Allowing for longer pauses means a spot that someone else could be taking advantage of is not being used.

2 - Not a lot of changes occur in 2 weeks. This means coaching can resume smoothly after this period of time. But longer pauses require a re-evaluation via questionnaires and a video call, and potentially a total overhaul of direction, plans, level of support, and tracked data is required of you each week. This would be considered a 'new start-up' which attracts a 'start-up fee' due to all the initial work.

We do not expect perfection from anyone, as we understand this is not possible for long. Rather, we expect commitment, integrity, hard work, honesty, reliability, and open communication. 

When athletes make mistakes (eg missed training sessions, nutrition slip-ups, poor sleep routines, supplement mistakes etc) it is paramount that they mention it to their coach ASAP with all the necessary details. It is only when mistakes are recognised that lessons can be learned and solutions can be found. Mistakes kept a secret only grow into bigger problems instead of lessons. 

For the most up-to-date costings, please put through an application and if you are accepted, you'll be informed of the weekly fee before starting. But as a rough guide, your coaching for the entire week is about the same price as a 1 hour PT session. 

For every new or returning client, we have a once-off $100 AUD admin & set-up fee. This helps us cover the costs of your setup and ongoing administration while you're a client.  

Yes, absolutely. Please keep in mind that your coach's advice may change as your body changes through the duration of comp prep and your ‘stage body’ is revealed.

Posing: Yes, in the duration of a comp prep, you will be asked to upload ‘posing videos’ regularly as practice and for ‘posing fitness’. Your coach will review them and give you posing guidance based on this. However, if your posing is very poor, you will be asked to see a posing coach in person outside of Flex Success until it has improved enough.

Tan: Strict tanning guidelines are normally given by the federation you are competing in. Your coach can help you locate these instructions, which often dictate the brand of tan and the company that will apply it.

Trunks / Bikini: We have a recommended company we use at Flex Success that produce affordable, quality trunks and bikinis, with reliable and fast delivery. The category you compete in will dictate the style of your trunks or bikini, but the details (like colour etc) are up to you. For male Flex Athletes, we even have a special ‘Flex cut’ that is more flattering.

Everything is included, within our scope of practice. Flex Coaches are certified and experienced to coach you in areas such as nutrition, exercise, stress management, supplements, and weight loss. Things outside of our scope of practice are mental health issues, injury or physical illness diagnosis and treatment, or nutrition for disease populations. We do however encourage you to seek any attention from other health professionals if you require it and your Flex Coach will be happy to correspond and work with them directly if it relates to your coaching in any way.

Your coach will absolutely be in contact with you on stage day, having regular touchpoints with you along the way. 

But because the coach and athlete may not be in the same country, and/or have different clients at different competitions, it is unlikely your coach will be there in person. 

There are times, especially for pro shows, or shows with multiple athletes, that a Coach will attend on the day, however, it is best not to expect it. 

Rest assured that your coach will still pour themselves over every detail of your success leading up to the show and on stage day via various pieces of technology. 

You may request a coach, and your preference will be considered. If your application for coaching is accepted, you will be offered a coach that is suited to your individual needs, and who has availability. If the coach that is best suited to your needs is full, you will be offered a position on their waiting list. 

No. The cost of coaching is the same regardless of which Flex Coach you are working with. 

Transformation Coaching is designed for fitness enthusiasts who are not pursuing competitive bodybuilding, and who want to make a healthy, sustainable, physical transformation. We focus on building nutrition and exercise knowledge & skills, mindset adjustments, long-lasting habit changes, and a balance that suits you.

Athlete Coaching is designed to bring your best to a bodybuilding competition. This requires lifestyle balance to be put on hold while extreme practices are maintained for a period of time in pursuit of bodybuilding excellence. This comes at the sacrifice of some health metrics and your peak weights (offseason highs and competition lows) are not sustainable. However, we take every measure to do it in the healthiest way possible, with the smartest exit strategy. 

Yes, if you are on the Flex team, all coaches use the same broad system. However, everything will be tailored to you specifically within that system. 

Example: Every client fills out important data as part of their weekly 'check-in' and will receive a reply from their coach that is totally custom to you. What data you are asked to fill out will depend on what you're trying to do. What praise, changes, focus points, or learning material you receive will depend on the info you gave in your check-in.  

All coaching is 'evidence informed', well thought out, and individualised. 

Yes, however, we will not begin a prep with an athlete without being in good physical and mental health first, and without a developed enough physique. 

We do take clients on from whatever stage they are in and develop them in an extended off-season and will agree to prep them for a show when both client and coach agree they are ready and can deliver a Flex standard Physique. 

All athletes, in prep or in the growth-season, will follow the same structure: 

Online video calls: When you or your coach request it, you will have private video calls with your coach. This occurs at whatever interval you require it, and they last around 30 minutes, and you can expect a call about monthly. 

Pre-recorded videos: Where helpful or efficient, your coach will pre-record a video for you to watch later to help explain things like posing or training technique changes, go over your bloodwork, or to give praise or constructive criticism.

Weekly/daily data tracking: The bulk of your 'weekly check-in' will be completed via the Flex Success Coaching app. Eg morning weight, daily steps, nutrition tracking, and qualitative feedback such as digestion, hunger levels etc . Our training programs are delivered via a different online platform as it provides the level of customisation and detail we require. Your coach will review everything weekly, and reply with either written or video feedback. 

Other: We also have a base of resources to help support your journey. These tackle things like hunger management, poor sleep, food cravings, unhelpful or negative thoughts or mindsets, bad habits etc. You are expected to work through the specific resources that your coach has identified as helpful to you. 

All competitive athletes of all Flex Coaches are in a chat group and interact almost daily. You are free to interact as much or as little as you please. 

As an active client, you are also encouraged to go to the comps of other athletes to support them, but this is entirely voluntary. 

The group will be invited annually to catch up for a few days in person for the international shows of Flex Athletes. Think of everyone who attends, but does not get on stage, as the 'support crew'. 

Some. Your coach will consider your preferences, continue to listen to what is going well and what is not, and make adjustments accordingly.

However, if your preferences are against Flex Success values (such as behavior with a high-risk profile that outweighs the benefits), or something that conflicts with the overall end result, your coach may not agree to implement your preferences into the plan. 

Because the 'readiness check' is so thorough before we agree to prep an athlete, it is uncommon that someone does not see it through. 

But in the event that you request to pull the pin before your competition, you have 2 options: 

OPTION 1: Continue coaching with Flex until your minimum term is up, but no longer with the goal of getting on stage. Please note: You may be transferred to another Flex coach. 

OPTION 2: Pay the cancellation fee which is 50% of your remaining invoices on the minimum term. 

No. All coaching is done virtually (online, mainly). 

Please see 'How will I be coached' above for more details.