Personal Trainer Of The Month - Marika Johansson!

Congratulations Marika Johansson on being our Personal Trainer Of The Month! Marika was awarded the Bodybuilding.com Personal Trainer of the Month for her health and fitness contributions that she provides for her clients!

She is a PROPTA certified personal trainer, a Sweedish deep tissue masseuse, and a nutrition coach. Marika coaches many of her clients online as well as in person.

Check Out Marika Johansson's BodySpace Profile Here.

Vital Stats

Name: Marika Johansson
Education/Certification:

• PROPTA certified personal trainer and certifier
• Diploma in Swedish deep tissue massage
• Nutrition coach

Location: Boise, Idaho
Contact Info: marika@kagedmuscle.com
Number Of Clients:

It varies since I have many online clients that come and go with different packages together with my normal personal trainer clients.

Rates: It varies from what package they choose and also if it is online or in person.

Bio/Background

[ Q ] Could you tell us a little about your background - personally and professionally?

I am an IFBB pro bodybuilder that started training over 20 years ago in Sweden. My father and 2 of my 4 brothers were powerlifters so to start weightlifting was natural for me.

I did my first show 12 months after I started to train and believe it or not I happened to be pregnant - I was in my 4th month. No wonder I had only one big square pack instead of six pack. My son Sebastian got a very lean start from my dieting but everything turned out ok.

I continued my road through the bodybuilding world in Sweden with trial and errors. I have tried almost all diets and training methods that have ever been invented and I can tell you exactly which ones work and which ones you should stay away from.

I competed in many Swedish Nationals and I did 3 World Championships - 5th place was my best placing. 2000 was the year I did my first show in the USA and it was a great adventure. After having finished 1st and receiving so much support and encouragement from the audience and judges over here, I felt this was me - this is where I want to be.

Unfortunately my life was put on hold after my mother got sick with cancer. Priorities in my life changed and my brother and I decided to nurse her in her home all the way to her end 6 months later.

With words I cannot describe the pain I had following this and how lost I was, but after a few weeks, my friends and fans everywhere pushed me to go back to the gym. I then remembered how much my mom loved my sport and how proud she was of me for being different than the other girls.

I wanted to make her proud and I know she would never have wanted me to quit training. Her dream was to travel and see the world and hopefully move to Los Angeles. I knew that I needed to live for her and make sure I made her dreams come true.

I went back to the gym with focus and aggression and in 2004 I received my IFBB Pro card. My first Pro show was the 2005 Europa Super Show. My life changed after I met my future husband, Kris Gethin, in LA during a photo shoot.

Like a stroke of lightning I decided to live with him in LA and leave Sweden behind me permanently. For two years we lived together in LA until we moved to Boise at the end of 2007 after Kris had been offered a job with Bodybuilding.com.

[ Q ] When and why did you become a trainer?

I started my personal training career in early 2000 when friends from the gym asked me for training and diet advice. I then started to work as a trainer and coach for the government, helping people that had injuries to get back to a normal life again and to be able to go back to work.

I also worked with people with disabilities like ADD, Autism and Turrets syndrome. That was challenging but very rewarding when you saw what kind effect the activity and training had on them. I got certified by PROPTA in 2003 and I decided to focus 100% on personal training.

I started to work more and more online with clients from all over the world to help them with diet and training. When I moved to LA in 2006 it was easy to bring these clients with me over seas. Besides being an online trainer I worked as a personal trainer and nutrition coach in people's homes and in different gyms in LA.

I love training people and helping them reach their goals. I am always eager to learn new things when it comes to diet and training as people are unique, so there are always new problems to be solved in different ways.

[ Q ] What is your training style? What methods do you use?

Time is very valuable for all my clients. Outside the gym they are mothers, fathers, spouses, wives and successful business men/women, and have very little time to spare for themselves. I try to make their workouts fast, intense and to failure.

That is why my HIT program is always so popular. Besides this form of training, I also design specific training plans that will work for every individual and their specific goal and level of experience.

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

I do. Unfortunately it is hard to pick one since they all are special in different ways. I work with so many clients from various backgrounds.

I was approached by young man from Europe via email and started to work with him online to help him put on weight through motivation, diet and training. He was a very successful business man in his early twenties but his body was like a 40 or 50 year old, both inside and outside.

He worked so many hours that he hardly ever slept, with his time being filled with stress and responsibilities. His brain was in top gear all the time. After work he would meet up with his co-workers in the local pub to drink beer most of the night and then go back to work early in the morning again.

His weight had dropped, he was weak, and he started to lose track of time and place. He felt bad about his look and how weak and tired his body was. His brain started to suffer and he made some bad decisions business wise. This was his wake up call.

He was burned out and at the bottom of his business. Online, I helped motivate him to get back to the gym and I made a healthy, easy-to-follow nutrition plan. He started taking my suggested supplements and made it a habit to read nutrition labels. A few months after we started working online we met up every time he was in LA for several boot camps.

I took him food shopping, supplement shopping, showed him how to make healthy choices at restaurants, cardio sessions on the beach and then weight training at Gold's gym. This was a huge step for him since he had never been to a hardcore gym before because he felt intimidated by muscular men and because he was unsure of how to use the equipment.

After doing a couple of camps and having constant contact online, he realized a life of energy, vitality, focus and strength. He is now more successful than ever and is aiming to open a chain of gyms too.

[ Q ] What are the most common mistakes a client makes?

Lack of consistency. Too many focus on short term goals and want a quick fix. They must realize that they have to set long term goals and stick it out for a certain amount of time for lifetime results, especially if you have a stubborn body and metabolism.

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

That he/she doesn't follow the client's progress from beginning to end. He/she also need to know the whole picture of a client's life - work, relaxation, recreation, stress, etc. to better understand and adjust a program suited to their needs.

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

It depends since I have many different packages to choose from. I have one time diet and training plans that work good for the more serious and experienced client, but I also have 6 to 12 weeks packages for clients that need coaching throughout out their journey to their goals.

Another option is monthly coaching which is for clients that don't have specific goals or dates for when they need to be in shape. This is a general lifestyle or maintaining program.

[ Q ] How do you keep your clients motivated?

I remind them about the progress they have made and realign their focus on their goals constantly, explaining to them how they will succeed.

I always tell my clients to contact me as soon as they feel like they have reached a plateau and I will help them get over it as a team effort.

[ Q ] Do you train a male client differently to a female?

Only if they have different goals and experience. Weightlifting is performed the same way by women and men.

[ Q ] Where do you train your clients?

Apart from training my online clients, I train my others in their home, in their local gym, outside in parks and in my own facility. I am very mobile.

[ Q ] How often will you speak with your clients online or over the phone?

Again, it all depends what package they have. I usually go through their progress with them in person or by email at least once a week unless something urgent comes up or it is the last two weeks on a contest preparation, then I am with them almost everyday.

For me, communication is one of the most important factors when it comes client commitment to succeed in reaching goals.

[ Q ] What supplements do you recommend to your clients?

My basic recommendations are:
• Whey Protein Isolate: It's fast released which is great to use at breakfast and after workouts for muscle repair.
• Casein Protein: It's slower released protein. Great to have during the day and before bed time.
• Genr8 Vitargo: A must have for before, sometimes during and right after the workout for energy, full recovery and ultimate growth of the muscle.
• Glutamine: Essential for muscle recovery and a building block to the immune system.
• Multivitamin
• Vitamin C
• Protein Bars: A great substitute to food if you stuck in traffic, delayed in meetings, on the go, etc. With these in hand you can never have the excuse of missing a meal

Apart from this, the supplement list of products will grow depending on the client's level of experience and goal.

[ Q ] Would you like to add anything else?

I want to thank Bodybuilding.com for being a great portal of knowledge and help for people all over the world. I always recommend my clients to the Bodybuilding.com SuperSite to learn more about training and nutrition, and to become a BodySpace member. That way they can meet people in the same situation as them and get some inspiration from different success stories.

Knowledge is power, and no book, TV show, fitness expert or any other website has the power of Bodybuilding.com. Together we can all make changes to peoples' life and body, and that is something we should be thankful for but also take very seriously.

Check Out Marika Johansson's BodySpace Profile Here.

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