Benjamin Ballinger
WPM's Personal Trainer of the Month - November 2011
Interviewed by: Mike Hall
Nominated by: Kasia Harmata
Benjamin Ballinger is a Certified Fitness Professional and owner of 2BFit in Orange County, CA. In addition to one-on-one training, he does semi-private training and fitness boot camps. His areas of expertise include body sculpting, post-natal rehabilitation, athletic performance enhancement and fitness model training. He takes a scientific approach to everything he does and puts a very strong emphasis on the importance of proper nutrition.
Because he takes an athletic approach to my clients' training, regardless of what background they come from, he states his clients see improvements in all areas of fitness: body composition, strength, balance, core stability, power, endurance, flexibility, cardio capacity, etc. "I do not feel that it is good enough to simply change the look of someone's body, they need to become fit inside and out", states Benjamin.
Benjamin also recently won the 2011 "Fitness Industry Rising Star" award in which 150 of the top up-and-coming trainers across the world were nominated by the biggest trainers in the industry, and then a vote was held to determine the top 5 from that group. He was one of 5 finalists.
"...I want to open a one-of-a-kind training facility by the end of 2013 that allows me to take my boot camp classes and training sessions to the next level. Because I have a unique approach to fitness, I need a space that is specifically tailored to my style. Additionally, I am on a mission to help 1,000 people reach their goals by the end of 2013."
WP: You have accomplished so much during your career! How long have you been a personal trainer?
I have been a personal trainer now for 3 years officially, but got my first certification in college which I used to casually train people on the side. 3 years ago was when I left my job and got serious about helping people through fitness and nutrition, so that's what I consider my true "starting date".
WP: What do you feel sets you apart from all other personal trainers out there?
I do not pretend like I know everything. I find that a lot of trainers have a tendency to act like the one-stop shop for medical, psychological, heck even financial advice for their clients. Nobody is an expert in everything and it only hurts the clients when trainers give advice in areas they are not qualified in. I am not afraid to say that I do not know the answer to a question or to refer my clients to folks who are more qualified than I am about certain things.
WP: What made you decide to get into this industry?
I have had a passion for fitness ever since I was a little kid. It was something instilled in me by my father, who was a California state champion in wrestling as well as an All-American football player. I grew up in an active household and it was a given that you take care of your body and eat a healthy diet. However, I never made it more than a hobby because I used to think that I was "too good" to be a personal trainer. I had a very immature view of success and having gone through the college life I was trained to be a cog on the corporate wheel.
Rather than embracing my passion and realizing that true success lies in doing what you love to do, I ignored my feelings and started trying to climb the corporate ladder. One day I was sitting in my office, staring out the window at the great So Cal weather and hating my life, and I decided that I was not going to spend the rest of my days sitting in a cubicle doing something I had no interest in. It was a scary leap at first, but I would never go back!
WP: What would you change about this industry if you could?
I strongly oppose the tendency for health professionals to make claims that are not backed by scientific research. A lot of the holistic nutritional advice that many trainers preach is based on completely debunked concepts or misinterpreted ones. Even worse, some trainers know that what they are saying is wrong but, do not care because saying it is lucrative for them. I refuse to make any claim that I cannot back up with peer-reviewed research, even if it could potentially present itself as a money-making opportunity for me.
I think it is important that we move towards a more regulated industry similar to that of dieticians, medical doctors and physical therapists. It scares me that anyone off the street can take an open-book, online quiz and get a "certification" to begin training people and that there are no consequences for giving potentially harmful advice. I like to stress the importance of doing one's homework before choosing a personal trainer to hire. There are some absolutely amazing trainers out there who change a lot of people's lives for the better, but there are also some very unqualified individuals out there who need to be avoided.
This is a subject that has been fairly hush-hush until recently, but increased transparency has been a trend in the fitness industry recently and issues like these are beginning to be talked about in the open now, which is a good thing.
WP: Do you believe in high-intensity or low-intensity?
It depends on the individual and what training modality we are talking about here. With cardio, I believe that a mixture of high intensity interval days with longer duration, lower intensity days for CNS recovery is the most effective, provided that the client can handle the difficulty of high intensity. The truth is some people just do not have the capacity for it, at least until you are able to really push that anaerobic threshold.
For weight training, if someone's goal is to increase strength, size or power, then intensity is definitely a huge factor. On the other hand, someone who is looking for post-rehabilitation or is more of a beginner is better off focusing on lighter weight and better form and stability.
WP: What are you goals?
I want to open a one-of-a-kind training facility by the end of 2013 that allows me to take my boot camp classes and training sessions to the next level. Because I have a unique approach to fitness, I need a space that is specifically tailored to my style. Additionally, I am on a mission to help 1,000 people reach their goals by the end of 2013.
WP: What future projects do you have planned?
I have a new program I am developing that target a demographic that is largely ignored in our industry, but needs fitness and nutritional counseling more than anyone. Because it is still in the infancy of its development, I can not reveal too much, but I plan to perform in-person trial runs on some of my current clients for case studies and then will be creating a full-featured product so that I can help folks across the nation who falls into this target group.
WP: What are your strengths and weaknesses in this industry?
My strengths are definitely the high standards of excellence I set for myself to reach, whether with my clients or with myself. I do whatever it takes to follow through on promises I make, and constantly strive to go above and beyond my clients' expectations. I also feel that I am a good connector - I believe in creating a community of health professionals rather than looking at our industry as one of scarcity - I have frequently referred clients to other personal trainers who I felt would better fit their goals than I would and I have a strong professional network I have built on my own who I refer to on a regular basis. In the end, it is better for the client and that is what matters most to me.
As for my weaknesses, above all I would say experience, which will come with time. Although I consider myself a skilled trainer, nothing I do will be able to trump someone who has been in the field for 20+ years and has an enormous clientele base. I simply do all I can learn from these folks' experiences and apply it to my own training to avoid reinventing the wheel as much as possible.
WP: What keeps fitness interesting to you?
I constantly strive to improve myself, not just physically, but in all aspects of my life. Fitness is so versatile that it never gets old, but beyond that, I can use fitness training to help develop other areas of my life such as mental discipline and stress management. I find that the key to avoiding boredom is to always have a goal you're trying to reach. The second you go into "maintenance mode" is the second that you will begin to find yourself losing motivation and becoming bored with your routine.
WP: Detail out your workouts to me.
Right now I am on a modified 3-day-split 5x5 program. I like to perform exercises based on movement rather than by muscle group, so my split is pulling movements, pushing movements and leg-dominant movements. Mondays consists of 5 sets of 5 reps on the dead lift, bent-over row and barbell curls. Wednesdays consists of the same rep scheme but with barbell incline bench press, barbell shoulder press and weighted tricep dips. Fridays is 5 sets, 5 reps with barbell squats and Romanian dead lifts, along with 3 sets of 12 reps on calf raises and weighted crunches.
As you can see, I like to keep my exercises simple and compound, and I am in and out of the gym in 60 minutes, including a warm-up and cool-down. Every 12 weeks I change the exercise selection, but rep/set numbers, tempo and rest periods remain constant. This workout program seems to net me the most consistent and sustainable improvements in both strength and mass.
WP: What is your diet?
It depends on my goal. I have personally found that a modified form of carb cycling with high protein and variable fat intake works best for me to shed body fat without losing muscle. During periods where I am looking to gain strength and size, I tend to eat slightly lower protein, moderately low fat and higher carbohydrates. Regardless of the time of year or my goals, I always eat a huge amount of fresh vegetables and load up on fruit as well. I also drink water religiously to maximize my performance, energy levels and metabolism.
WP: What are your hobbies outside of fitness?
I am a huge fan of music, and have been a musician my entire life. I play the guitar, bass, sing and a little bit of drums. I am also a closet nerd and love video games.
WP: What were you like in high school?
I played three sports in high school (football, wrestling and track) but was also involved in the jazz band as well as my own bands. I did not really conform to a "clique" I guess you could say, I was sort of friends with everyone. I was a total shrimp though. I weighed 165 lbs. as a senior!
WP: What plays on your iPod?
I love all types of music; seriously, from jazz to metal to gangsta rap, but when I am working out nothing beats high energy industrial and metalcore for me. Bands like old school Avenged Sevenfold, Killswitch, Stone Sour, Slipknot, Rob Zombie, Skrape, Disturbed, and then some more classic stuff like TooL and Metallica are on there too.
WP: What supplements do you take and why?
I rarely take supplements other than a multivitamin and fish oil caps, which I mainly take just as a backup in case my diet cannot cover the micronutrients I need for the day. I do use protein powder occasionally, but do not really consider it a supplement as much as a food replacement.
Most supplements strongly lack a convincing amount of supporting evidence of their efficacy, and those that have been proven to work still do not take the place of a well-designed and followed nutritional program. Thus, my primary focus is and always has been on my diet and exercise. From time to time, when I do need that extra little boost in performance (and I emphasize LITTLE), I will take creatine monohydrate, but that is about it!
WP: Anything you would like to mention before we close?
To anyone who is aspiring to reach their fitness goals; whether it is to lose 100 lbs. of body fat, to gain 20 lbs. of muscle, or something in between, the most important thing to remember is to put yourself in a position to succeed. Eliminating foods and situations that can sabotage your efforts, along with setting proper goals and rewarding yourself when you achieve your goals are all factors that are imperative to your success. No magic pill, fancy new piece of workout equipment or round-bottomed shoes are going to take the place of hard work and determination. You can achieve whatever you put your mind to, provided that you want it bad enough. So go get it!
WP: It has been a pleasure interviewing you! Congratulations once again!
Thank you very much!
