Beyond Bodybuilding

Name: Beyond Bodybuilding

Category: Contest Prep Coaches

Address / Location: Tampa, Florida, USA

Online Services: Yes

In Person: Not advertised as the primary coaching format

Services Offered: Bodybuilding Contest Prep Coaching · Personalized Training · Personalized Nutrition · Weekly Check-Ins · Physique Coaching · Offseason Coaching · Unlimited Email Support · Consultations

Federation / Competition Experience: WNBF · INBF · NPC

Pricing: Not publicly listed for ongoing 1:1 coaching. Prospective clients apply for coaching through the Beyond Bodybuilding website.

Description

Beyond Bodybuilding provides evidence-based online coaching for competitive bodybuilders, physique athletes, serious lifters and people working toward significant physique goals. Founded by professional natural bodybuilder, researcher and coach Christopher Barakat, the Tampa-based coaching team combines individualized training and nutrition with regular feedback, education and ongoing support.

For athletes preparing for a bodybuilding competition, Beyond Bodybuilding creates personalized training and nutrition plans based on the athlete's goals, strengths, weaknesses, performance and recovery needs. Competitors complete weekly check-ins, allowing their coach to review progress, provide objective feedback and make adjustments as the physique changes throughout contest prep. Clients also have access to ongoing email support between scheduled check-ins, which can be particularly valuable during the later stages of competition preparation when changes can occur quickly.

Founder Christopher Barakat brings both competitive bodybuilding and academic experience to the coaching team. He holds a Master of Science in Exercise and Nutrition from the University of Tampa and is an athletic trainer and Certified Sports Nutritionist. He is also a professional natural bodybuilder with WNBF professional status and has competed across INBF, WNBF and NPC events. His competitive history includes wins in Bodybuilding and Classic Physique, including victories at Florida competitions in Tampa Bay and St. Petersburg.

Beyond Bodybuilding places a strong emphasis on evidence-based practice. Barakat is involved in human-performance research and has authored or contributed to peer-reviewed research related to resistance training, hypertrophy, body composition and bodybuilding preparation. The company's approach is designed to combine that research background with practical experience coaching physique athletes from amateur competitors through professional and world-championship levels.

Competitors looking for an online bodybuilding contest prep coach are not limited to the Tampa area. Beyond Bodybuilding's coaching model is designed to work remotely, allowing athletes throughout Florida and across the United States to receive individualized programming, nutrition guidance, weekly assessments and ongoing communication with their coach.

The coaching team also includes Josh Bradshaw and Jess Bergin. Bradshaw has a background in exercise and nutritional sciences at the University of Tampa and competitive natural bodybuilding experience, while the broader team works with both competitive and noncompetitive physique clients.

Beyond Bodybuilding may be particularly relevant for natural bodybuilding competitors looking for a research-informed approach to contest preparation, as well as athletes who want to understand the reasoning behind changes to their training and nutrition rather than simply receiving a fixed plan. Prospective competitors can apply for 1:1 coaching through the Beyond Bodybuilding website and provide information about their goals, experience and current situation before beginning the coaching process.