It started with Arnold.
Growing up in Argentina, Nicolas Gunn watched many American films and, like many teenagers in the 1990s, was inspired by Terminator himself.
Gunn hung posters of Arnold Schwarzenegger on his wall and began going to the gym with his friends, talking supplements and training techniques.
He strives to learn everything he can about “the whole science of brother,” as Gunn says.
Passion endured, becoming Gunn’s focus at university. He graduated from Licentiate en Nutritión (roughly the same as a registered nutritionist in the United States) and, after a short career as a personal trainer, worked as head of Food Services at several hospitals for many years. “But I’ve always been more interested in body composition than clinical work,” he explains.
Meanwhile, he and his wife explore their passion for adventure and travel. And when Gunn was 35, they decided to move to New Zealand, a warm, English-speaking country they loved.
There was only one problem: the New Zealand Nutrition Society, the organization in which Gunn would like to be registered as a nutritionist, does not accept experience abroad. He had to start from scratch and it would probably take years to regain his credentials.
Gunn prefers to start an online coaching practice, so he registered with a governing body with fewer requirements and turned his passion for muscle into a niche market.
Today, Gunn’s coaching business, Stamina Holistic Nutrition, focuses on serving women and men between the ages of 35 and 50, helping them build muscle for both aesthetics and better health.
In just two years, he went from individual consultations with clients to training dozens online. He recently hired two new employees and sees the company growing exponentially from here.
“I help not only my clients, but also other nutritionists and coaches with what I’ve learned about scaling up this business,” Gunn said.
Want to know all the details? Here’s how he did it.
Why did you decide to get a precision nutrition certificate?
New Zealand’s food accreditation system is different from Argentina’s. But that’s only part of the story.
Gunn had taken a few years off to travel before starting a coaching business in his new country. So he decided to refresh his nutritional (and coaching) knowledge.
“I knew I needed a course to remove the rust. In my research I found Certification for precision nutrition. It was scientifically based, available online, and had great reviews — including from other nutritionists and nutritionists.
Expecting a simple refresh, Gunn was surprised at how much information on the course was new to him.
“Once I got into it, I realized there were a lot of things I didn’t know. Especially things about body composition – I didn’t learn these things in uni. “
Another new element: a change in psychology.
“At Cert, I learned about the psychology of change. I had taken a course or two at university again, but I had never gone that deep. And that’s really the most important part of coaching. ”
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Aside from your own interests, why specialize in muscle gain?
Of course, when he had pasted Arnold’s posters against his wall, Gunn was interested in gaining muscle because of what he looked like.
But today he is a defender of the muscles for reasons that go beyond aesthetics.
“Muscle, like overall strength, is not just about aesthetics. It’s also about health, “he said. “I thought that performance, aesthetics and health were different things, but in fact they all overlap.”
As Gunn’s clients build muscle, he says they not only look better and train better, but also feel better, sleep better, and become more productive at work.
“Customers will tell me, ‘I couldn’t lift something light before, but now I can rearrange the furniture in my house on my own. “Things that used to be difficult or impossible are now doable. It really changes lives. “
And yes, aesthetics also matter.
“Changing their body composition gives customers confidence,” Gunn said. “Some of my clients started dating again and found partners after years of very low self-esteem.”
What are the typical challenges for 30-50 clients who want to build muscle?
“Compared to the younger population, people between the ages of 30 and 50 are more likely to have other health conditions or existing injuries to cope,” Gunn said.
“There may also be some long-standing misconceptions about nutrition in this population.”
As a protein intake.
“I have noticed that protein intake is very low in this population as a whole. They worry that a high-protein diet will harm their health, damage their kidneys, and so on. Younger people may know more about the value of protein, but someone in their late 30s or 40s may still be skeptical. “
Despite these differences, Gunn says the basic principles of nutrition – such as eating whole foods, lean proteins, healthy fats, smart carbs and vegetables – are still applicable.
And that, of course, is coaching.
Are there more women who are interested in gaining muscle these days?
“Definitely,” Gunn said.
He acknowledges the common belief that lifting weights will automatically make you “bulky” is still around, but he believes that is changing a lot.
“The women I talk to know the importance of weightlifting. They know that lifting won’t make them bulky if they don’t want to. And of course, they may want to look better – but mostly they want to become stronger. “
In the second half of his demographic age (40-50 years) the emphasis on health increases.
Gunn notes that perimenopausal or menopausal women want to maintain muscle mass with age, maintain their overall energy levels, prevent osteoporosis, and protect their overall health.
What would you say to a coach who is thinking of targeting his business to a niche market?
“It’s definitely worth doing,” Gunn said. “On the one hand, I’ve found that having a niche really helps when it comes to marketing yourself and separating.
Gunn says that as a result, his business is constantly growing.
“It also gives me more confidence in my experience,” he says. “When I took PN Cert, I realized that some of the things I learned were outdated. Now, every time I give advice or write a blog post, I feel good about what I have to say. I can say with confidence that I know my stuff. “
If you are a coach or want to be …
Learning how to educate clients, patients, friends or family members through healthy eating and lifestyle changes – in a way that is personalized for their unique body, preferences and circumstances – is both an art and a science.
If you want to learn more about both, consider Level 1 precision nutrition certification.