Personal Trainer Of The Month: Dewayne Malone

When most kids were still trying to figure out adolescence, Dewayne Malone was already planning for manhood. He started lifting at age 10, and training others when he was only 11 years old. He went on to win the Musclemania World Championships in 2009 and is now a successful personal trainer in Houston.

Training is never easy, but Dewayne does his best to make it simple. Most of his clients work directly with him in the gym. You won't catch him on his cell phone on the clock. When he's with you, he's all yours—if you can handle it!

These are serious times, and you need a serious trainer. Find what makes you happy and Dewayne will try his hardest to make it happen.

Q
Tell us a little about your background, personally and professionally.

I'm a father and family man. I've been married for 14 years and I have four children. I have been lifting weights hardcore since I was 10 years old.

I started lifting when my older brother got into it. He was 15 years old and made me spot him. I just joined in lifting because I was there.

I'm a promoter and also a Natural bodybuilding competitor for Musclemania. I won the Musclemania World Championships in 2009. I've also won the Natural Mr. Universe, the Texas State Natural championships, and a slew of other titles.

I do promotions of events for Musclemania events throughout the competition season. I get the word out for shows in my area: the Lonestar (Galveston, Texas), Space City (Houston), and All Forces (Houston, San Diego, and Alexandria, Virginia). I also co-promote the Musclemania Texas in Fort Worth.

When and why did you become a trainer?

I started training the kids in my neighborhood back in my hometown of Kansas City, Kansas. I started training others when I was only 11 years old, but I never really thought of making it a career until 2002. That's when I started working at 24-Hour Fitness.

Awards are won on the stage, but rewards are earned in the weight room.

I spent three years under their banner, then left and started Against All Odds Fitness in fall 2004. I have a god-given talent and passion for motivating and getting people in shape.

What is your training style? What methods do you use?

My training style is muscle confusion. I incorporate high reps with each exercise. The number of sets and reps can always change. I have my clients doing active rest in between sets by doing various plyometric exercises. My sessions usually only last 30 minutes, but they are at a high intensity level.

Do you have examples of success stories from clients using your methods?

I coached Callie Bowling through a transformation with the help of ABC Channel 13 in Houston. The special feature was shared on nationwide television. You can watch it if you subscribe to my YouTube channel: Dewayne Malone.

Who are some of your most notable clients?

Callie Bowling, Rebbeca Spera, Sonja Azod, Roderick Jackson, Denise Milne, Jennifer Sloan, Kendal Guice, Dereck Flora, Nichola Smiles, Lauren Austin, Tyler Heard, Gerry Heard, Ricky Ashton … this list could take forever!

Dewayne has trained many successful fitness models and bodybuilders. He also trained many personal trainers before they struck out on their own.

There are also many trainers who I no longer work with in Texas who all started with me. Many of them were in the best shape of their lives when they were working with me.

Give us an example of a meal plan and training approach you use for one of your clients.

My plans have balanced meals: protein, carbs, and fats. I average 2-4 oz. of protein in 5-7 meals per day. Don't be scared of carbs! My programs for my clients are easy to break down: They push, pull, or superset, with plyometric mixed in.

What are the most common mistakes a client makes?

Not preparing and blaming someone else for their own mistakes.

What are the most common mistakes you believe a trainer makes?

Not being professional, doing it for the money rather than the results, and not practicing what they preach!

Do you set your clients up with a full diet and training plan for them to follow by themselves?

A personal trainer must live the fit life, or his instruction means nothing.

Yes. I create custom menus based on foods that they enjoy eating. This helps motivate them to stick to the nutrition plan. I also create workouts for clients I train who do not live in Houston.

How do you keep your clients motivated?

Find out what gets them going: their personal life, kids, love ones, etc. Find out what makes them happy and help them get it.

Do you train a male client differently than a female?

Not really. They both have muscle and skeletal systems and both bleed red blood. The men have more testosterone, but I find women work the hardest, follow directions better, and end up being better clients.

How have your changed your approach to clients over the years of experience?

Before when I would train clients, I wouldn't make them contract and engage their muscles while lifting. Now my main focus is muscle contraction, and it helps my clients see more results in shorter time periods.

How do you start a client on a new program? Do you perform some kind of assessment?

Yes, I find out about injuries and tight and weak muscles. I do an initial body composition measurement. I use these to calculate their body fat and start setting their fitness goals. This information is also used when I create their nutrition programs.

Do you feel just as much like a psychologist as you do a personal trainer?

That's my best asset. I can get into their heads and get them to believe in themselves. The greatest work is done mentally.