Chris Barnden - FMG PRO - Physique Coach

Chris Barnden - FMG PRO - Physique Coach IG .coaching
🏆 PT + Clinical Nutritionist
💪 Comp Prep Coaching
🏋️‍♀️ Gen Pop Transformations
📈 Data Driven Results
📚 Client Education

22/04/2026

Some coaches rely too much on Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) calculators… and that’s where things can start to go wrong.

Two people can be the same height, weight and even have similar muscle mass yet have completely different maintenance calories.

If you’ve been chronically under-eating, your body down-regulates key hormones like testosterone, estrogen and thyroid hormones to conserve energy. Your metabolism slows to match the lower intake, just like it would during a prolonged diet.

On the flip side, if you’ve been consistently over-eating, you may start to see reduced insulin sensitivity, making it harder to partition nutrients effectively.

So instead of relying on a calculator… look at what your current intake is doing.

👉🏼 Is your weight stable or are you gaining or losing weight?
👉🏼 How is your performance, recovery and biofeedback?

From there you adjust. Calculated changes based on response… no guessing.

TDEE calculators are an indicator it’s a cookie-cutter program. Don’t get me started on % based macros 🤦🏻‍♂️

If you still look good mid-set, you’re not training hard enough. You shouldn’t be able to talk, smile or stay silent. Th...
20/04/2026

If you still look good mid-set, you’re not training hard enough. You shouldn’t be able to talk, smile or stay silent. The gym is one of the few places you show up wanting to fail!

That last rep that’s real close to failure… that’s the one giving your body a reason to adapt and grow bigger and stronger.

stepped on the stage for the first time at just 22 years old and delivered!🥇 1st - Classic Physique Juniors🥉 3rd - Cla...
16/04/2026

stepped on the stage for the first time at just 22 years old and delivered!

🥇 1st - Classic Physique Juniors
🥉 3rd - Classic Physique First Timers

Now moving out of juniors, Sam has plenty of room to grow into his weight cap before we bring him back but with the amount of data we’ve gathered across his off-season and prep, this next phase is set up to be even better.

The crazy part… his stage weight was heavier than when we first started working together back in August 2024. That’s how much quality muscle has been built. Just wait until there’s another 20kg on this frame 🤯

Credit to Sam for buying in fully, asking questions, enjoying the process and not letting anything get in the way of his prep!

I’m looking forward to plenty more phone call check-ins that run overtime… because once we’re done with the important stuff, it always turns into s**t talking 😂💪🏼

coaching

08/04/2026

Do you blame genetics for a lagging muscle group… it might actually be a learned recruitment pattern.

Over time, small form breakdowns create learned movement patterns. In a chest press, for example, your body may learn to initiate the lift with the front delts instead of the pecs. Eventually that pattern becomes automatic.

Even when you fix your technique, your nervous system may still default to the old pathway.

That’s why bringing up a weak body part is more than just pushing volume and you actually may be making the imbalance worse. In this case it needs specific exercise selection, program order, tempo and rest to retrain this pattern.

Learning a movement is easy.
Unlearning the wrong one is the hard part.

Drop me a DM if you’re struggling with 💪

A physique is built in the off season. This is when food is high and recovery capacity is maximised. You won’t find a be...
05/04/2026

A physique is built in the off season.

This is when food is high and recovery capacity is maximised. You won’t find a better time to build muscle.

No prep can outwork a wasted off season.

They say you can’t be friends with your clients…I disagree. At .coaching all check-ins are done via phone calls. No Loom...
29/03/2026

They say you can’t be friends with your clients…

I disagree.

At .coaching all check-ins are done via phone calls. No Loom, no texts, no voice notes. Because we don’t just hand out orders… we take the time to understand you, build healthy habits and adjust plans to fit your life.

We talk about everything.. where you’re struggling, how you’re feeling, digestion, illness, injuries, sleep, stressors… the stuff that separates average results from elite results.

You give me honesty and effort, I’ll give you the same along with understanding and the best possible outcome.

When you work that closely together, it often turns into a friendship. I’m still in contact with plenty of past clients and that says everything.

So yeah… I basically get to help out my mates every day.

Name a better way to spend your day…


20/03/2026

Peptides are trending at the moment. Before you jump on the trend educate yourself and decide if it’s going to align with your goals.

If you want to enhance performance through peptides do an enhanced show. It’s that simple.

If it’s for the treatment of a certain condition or injury, under doctor’s supervision (there are several clinics that do this) and you want to do a natural show, talk to the federation. Definitely no promises here but better to request approval beforehand, rather than risking retrospective approval being denied.

If you cheat I hope you get caught ❌

🙏 give me gains coaching films
17/03/2026

🙏 give me gains
coaching
films

03/03/2026

**No clients died in the making of this video** .dhami made it safely home before curfew 😂

Everyone has their own goals, priorities and level of sacrifice, I get that.

But stopping because it’s hard or because you don’t want to make that level of sacrifice are 2 very different things.

Dredging through the snow is hard, but everyone in New York competing had the same choice. Pushing through put .dhami one step ahead of everyone else that gave up.



coaching

6 week check up with the surgeon 👨🏻‍⚕️🏥 Everything is healing very well, mobility is great, no physio needed and on trac...
26/02/2026

6 week check up with the surgeon 👨🏻‍⚕️🏥

Everything is healing very well, mobility is great, no physio needed and on track to be back in the gym early April 💪

Until then I can at least start swimming since it’s low impact, low tension and get some exercise back in my day 🙌

19/02/2026

Low iron is not a fun time and deficiency is very common especially for women in a prep!

There are two types of iron:
• Haem iron (from animal foods) - higher absorption
• Non-haem iron (from plant foods) - lower absorption

Pair your iron with a source of Vitamin C to improve absorption especially if eating mainly non-haem iron.

Top iron-rich foods:
• Beef
• Lamb
• Chicken thigh
• Tuna
• Lentils
• Chickpeas
• Tofu
• Spinach (cooked)
• Pumpkin seeds
• Quinoa

Comment IRON below for the full .coaching supplement guide.

Address

193 Canterbury Road
Bayswater North, VIC
3153

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Chris Barnden - FMG PRO - Physique Coach posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Practice

Send a message to Chris Barnden - FMG PRO - Physique Coach:

Shortcuts

Share

Category