Solo training advice.

Evan Vogler, age 26, is a native of Ireland and a passionate bodybuilding competitor. The Dubois Herald sat down and asked him about his path into fitness and the motivation to compete as a journeyman bodybuilder.

Vogler migrated from Ireland to New Jersey in order to pursue a career in welding. After working on railroads he switched become a welding inspector. Obviously this relieved a lot of physical stress from his daily life, and he found his way into the gym as a substitute. Eventually he got certified as a personal trainer and began competing.

“Being that it was my first show and not having a coach, it was kind of nerve-wracking. But once I stepped out on stage, I had a good time, and all that nervousness just kind of melted away.”

At his first show, Vogler placed second competitors in the Debut Class at the Organization of Competition Bodies contest in Atlantic City. He also placed third in the Novice Class and third in the Open Class.

“I was never one to step out on stage. I was always kind of shy. But looking at it now, it’s like I think people should see what this lifestyle is about. It’s tough, there’s a lot of hard work, there’s a lot of dedication to it.”

When asked if he had just one training tip to give, Vogler said simply,

“ You have to mix it up. If you don’t confuse the muscle and change up your routine, eventually you’ll hit a plateau in the gym to where your body already knows everything that you’re going to do before you even set foot in the gym and it’s prepared for it. If you don’t expose yourself outside your daily activities, you’ll never get better.”

When asked about how he trains without a coach, Vogler said:

“I think the best coach is a coach that coaches himself and learns from his mistakes, which everybody should. The big thing with me is that I think people have lost track of the fact that if you don’t learn from your mistakes, you’re not growing as a person… It’s all about improvement.”

this is an interesting perspective. Certainly it is helpful to have a coach, but too often a coach becomes a crutch which prevents an athlete from really striving to improve their own perspective and knowledge.

Vogler closed saying he has no judgement for those whose path isn’t through the gym:

“Bodybuilding, working out, it’s not for everybody. It’s really not. It takes a lot of time, a lot of hard work and a lot of dedication. I think some people either don’t have time for it … or they don’t care. They’re content with where they’re at in life. Which, if you’re content, that’s fine, but you have to stay hungry.”

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