Successful nutrition coaching goes beyond science and formulas. The best coaches consider individual differences, habits, goals, and preferences. This certification begins with the foundational principles needed to build a nutrition program, and—most importantly—getting someone to stick to it.
All diets and nutrition strategies revolve around four things: type, timing, portion size, and hormonal response to foods. You need to take into account what foods you eat (type), when you eat them (timing), the amount you consume (portion size), and how it affects your body and performance (hormonal response).
Whether the goal is performance enhancement, weight loss, or weight gain, you need to know how to determine caloric intake and macronutrient ratios to build an effective nutrition program. This section will help you create that foundation and show you what adjustments you need to make based on the client’s goal.
Helping fighters get through camp and make weight is an exciting job, but it’s also stressful. The stakes are high, and fighting is a game where the smallest advantage matters. Whether you’re working with a fighter or helping a client reach a specific goal, the principles covered in this section will help you adapt and respond to the variety of scenarios that you will inevitably confront.
Weight cutting is a big part of why people know Lockhart and Leith, and it’s an important skill many combat-sport coaches lack. Here you will learn how to make the weight cut process as safe as possible, implement step-by-step strategies to make weight, a detailed breakdown of the bath, sauna, workout, and wrap protocols, as well as what warning signs to look out for and how to avoid them.
Making weight is only the beginning for a fighter. After safety, what matters most is ensuring the athlete can perform their best on fight night. For that reason, proper rehydration and replenishment after the cut are essential, and that is exactly what you will learn how to do in this section.
Some of the most respected nutrition coaches in MMA took the first step in their careers with the WCS Level 1 certification. The course goes beyond nutrition to include the essential principles that will help grow your business, expand your clientele, and ultimately help you become a more successful coach.
George Lockhart and Dan Leith are considered the world’s foremost experts on weight cutting, performance nutrition, and weight management.
In addition to working with the biggest names in combat sports, they have become the most respected teachers in the space, helping launch the careers of nutrition coaches who now work with fighters like Conor McGregor, Daniel Cormier, Gennady “GGG” Golovkin, and many more. For the first time, George and Dan are making their Level 1 Certification available online—a significant milestone on the company’s journey toward revolutionizing how coaches everywhere apply nutrition principles in the real world.
Check out this video by GQ Sports to learn their story and how they developed the most successful fight nutrition business on the planet.