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Barna Academy · English edition

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24 modules, 257 lessons. Go at your own pace. Free preview lessons are open to everyone.

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Module 1Food Psychology and Eating Behavior

The foundation every transformation stands on

  1. 1Why People Eat When They're Not Hungry free preview✓
  2. 2How Eating Works: The Psychophysiology of Food Intake free preview✓
  3. 3Willpower, Self-Control and Behavior Change free preview✓
  4. 4Mindset, Beliefs and Dietary Restriction✓
  5. 5Hormones, Insulin and Appetite✓
  6. 6The Reward System: Liking, Wanting and Dopamine✓
  7. 7Building Habits: Context, Action and Small Change✓
  8. 8Environment as a Silent Coach✓
  9. 9Emotional Eating and Stress✓
  10. 10Sleep: The Hidden Lever of Hunger and Fat Loss✓
  11. 11Why Slow Wins: The Body as an Investment✓
  12. 12Identity: Change at the Level of "Who I Am"✓
  13. 13Motivation vs. Self-Discipline✓
  14. 14Stress and Coping With Pressure✓
  15. 15Perfectionism and All-or-Nothing Thinking✓

Module 2Anatomy and Movement

How the body creates and controls movement

  1. 1The Skeletal System: The Basis of Movement free preview✓
  2. 2Biomechanics and Levers✓
  3. 3Joint Actions and Classifying Movement✓
  4. 4The Nervous System and Postural Deviations✓
  5. 5Postural Muscles and Crossed Syndromes✓
  6. 6Can We Actually Change Posture? (Part 1)✓
  7. 7Correcting Posture (Part 2): Evolution and Practice✓
  8. 8Breathing, Intra-Abdominal Pressure and Core Stability✓
  9. 9Mobility, Range of Motion and Movement Prep✓
  10. 10Adaptation, Progressive Overload and Recovery✓
  11. 11Muscle Contraction and Fiber Types✓
  12. 12Energy Systems✓
  13. 13The Cardiovascular and Respiratory Systems✓
  14. 14The Nervous System and Motor Learning✓
  15. 15Hormones and the Endocrine System✓

Module 3Nutrition and Energy

Macros, expenditure, satiety, supplements

  1. 1Energy Balance: The Law That Always Applies free preview✓
  2. 2Protein: The Most Important Macronutrient✓
  3. 3Carbohydrates: Fuel, Not the Enemy✓
  4. 4Fats: Essential, Not Optional✓
  5. 5Satiety and Energy Density✓
  6. 6Fiber, Micronutrients and Gut Health✓
  7. 7Fluids, Hydration and Electrolytes✓
  8. 8Alcohol: Nutrition and Body Composition✓
  9. 9Supplements: What Works and What's Marketing✓
  10. 10Building a Meal Plan in Practice✓
  11. 11Diet Breaks and a Flexible Approach✓
  12. 12Nutrition Myths: Toxins, Detox and Fearmongering✓
  13. 13Nutrition for Women and the Menstrual Cycle✓
  14. 14Nutrition Around Training: Nutrient Timing✓
  15. 15Reading Studies Critically✓

Module 4Training Programming

Training built around the client

  1. 1Principles of Programming✓
  2. 2Exercise Selection and Movement Patterns✓
  3. 3Volume, Intensity and Frequency✓
  4. 4Technique and Cueing: How to Teach Movement✓
  5. 5Building a Training Split✓
  6. 6Cardio and NEAT✓
  7. 7Functional Training vs. Strength✓
  8. 8Realistic Expectations: How Much Muscle and Strength✓
  9. 9Building a Training Plan Step by Step✓
  10. 10Training Women: Cycle, Pregnancy and Postpartum✓
  11. 11Training Older Adults✓
  12. 12Back Pain and Common Complaints✓
  13. 13Training at Home With Minimal Equipment✓
  14. 14Training Children and Teenagers✓
  15. 15Returning to Training After Injury✓

Module 5Working With Clients & Coaching

Leadership, motivation, results

  1. 1The Initial Consultation: Where Everything Starts✓
  2. 2Goals and Realistic Expectations✓
  3. 3Measuring and Showing Progress✓
  4. 4Motivational Interviewing and Active Listening✓
  5. 5Breaking Through a Plateau✓
  6. 6Relapse and Coming Back After a Lapse✓
  7. 7Boundaries and Ethics of the Coaching Role✓
  8. 8Online vs. In-Person Coaching✓
  9. 9Group Coaching and Building Community✓
  10. 10Client Types and How to Approach Each One✓
  11. 11Working With Resistant and Difficult Clients✓
  12. 12Online Coaching: Leading Clients Remotely✓
  13. 13Sensitive Topics and Vulnerable Clients✓
  14. 14The Coaching Mindset: Guide, Not Dictator✓
  15. 15Growing as a Coach: Self-Reflection and Avoiding Burnout✓

Module 6Business for Coaches and Nutrition Advisors

A sustainable, profitable business

  1. 1Who You Are and Who Your Client Is free preview✓
  2. 2Psychographics of Your Target Audience✓
  3. 3The Fitness Industry: Supply and Demand✓
  4. 4Brand Analysis, Audience and SWOT✓
  5. 5Personal Brand I: Appearance and First Impressions✓
  6. 6Personal Brand II: Personality and Trust✓
  7. 7Business Structure and Financial Outlook✓
  8. 8Content and the Marketing Funnel✓
  9. 9Retention: How to Keep a Client✓
  10. 10Testimonials, Referrals and Social Proof✓
  11. 11Pricing and Service Packages✓
  12. 12Onboarding a New Client✓
  13. 13Social Media and Content Creation✓
  14. 14Products and Secondary Income Streams✓
  15. 15Scaling: From Solo Coach to a Team✓

Module 7Running the Client Process

The client from A to Z: my client management system

  1. 1The Client Journey From A to Z✓
  2. 2When a Client Isn't Losing Weight on the Expected Calories✓
  3. 3Communication and Reporting With Clients✓
  4. 4The Monthly Review✓
  5. 5The Client Welcome Guide✓
  6. 6Service Tiers and Price Levels✓
  7. 7Ending the Collaboration: Offboarding and Retention✓
  8. 8Crisis Communication, Complaints and Refunds✓
  9. 9Legal and Ethical Framework: Data, Contracts, Liability✓
  10. 10Client Data and Progress Tracking✓

Module 8Sport and Competition Prep

Peak week, supercompensation, contest dieting and mental prep for physique, bikini, bodybuilding and combat sports. No myths, no gear, and a clear line on safety.

  1. 1Strength and Conditioning for Fighters✓
  2. 2Weight Cutting: Making Weight Safely✓
  3. 3Peak Week and Supercompensation✓
  4. 4Contest Prep From A to Z✓
  5. 5Mental Preparation for Competitors✓
  6. 6Prep for Aesthetic Categories (Bikini, Physique)✓
  7. 7Nutrition for Fighters✓
  8. 8Conditioning and Recovery for Fighters✓
  9. 9Injury Prevention✓
  10. 10Long-Term Athlete Development and Careers✓
  11. 11Peak Week on Real Data: A Case Study✓

Module 9Periodization and Planning

How to plan training over time

  1. 1What Periodization Is and Why You Need It✓
  2. 2Blocks, Deloads and Tapers✓
  3. 3Periodization Models in Practice✓
  4. 4Deloads and Tapers: The Art of Subtraction✓
  5. 5Periodizing Nutrition✓
  6. 6Autoregulation: RPE, RIR and Listening to the Body✓
  7. 7Concurrent Training: Strength and Endurance✓
  8. 8The Annual Plan: Putting Periodization Together✓

Module 10Metabolism and TDEE in Depth

Break energy expenditure into its parts and work with it like a pro

  1. 1What TDEE Is and Why "Calories Out" Isn't One Number✓
  2. 2BMR and RMR: What You Burn Just by Being Alive✓
  3. 3TEF: The Thermic Effect of Food and Why Protein Matters✓
  4. 4NEAT: The Hidden Lever That Matters More for Fat Loss Than Cardio✓
  5. 5EAT: What You Really Burn Training (and Why It's Less Than You Think)✓
  6. 6Energy Flux: Why "Eat More, Move More" Works Better✓
  7. 7How Metabolism Adapts to Dieting (and What to Do About It)✓
  8. 8Calculating Maintenance Intake and Macros Step by Step✓
  9. 9A Practical Client Calculation: From Weight and Activity to Numbers✓

Module 11The Science of Fat Loss: Adaptation, Refeeds and Reverse Dieting

Advanced tools that help clients lose fat and keep it off

  1. 1The Mechanics of Fat Loss: What Really Happens When You Lose Fat✓
  2. 2Metabolic Adaptation: Why Fat Loss Stalls and What It Does (Not) Mean✓
  3. 3Refeeds: A Short-Term Carb Increase and When to Use One✓
  4. 4Diet Breaks: A Planned Pause and How It Differs From a Refeed✓
  5. 5Refeed vs. Diet Break: A Decision Framework by Goal and Client✓
  6. 6Reverse Dieting: Raising Calories After a Diet Without Gaining Fat✓
  7. 7The Recovery Diet: Safely Returning to a Growth Phase After a Diet or Contest✓
  8. 8Rate of Weight Loss: The Optimal Pace for Each Situation✓
  9. 9Weight Maintenance: Why Most Yo-Yo Dieting Starts Here✓
  10. 10Aggressive vs. Conservative Deficits: When Each One Pays Off✓
  11. 11Intermittent Fasting: What a Big Analysis of 99 Studies Says✓
  12. 12GLP-1 (Ozempic, Mounjaro): Coaching Clients on Weight-Loss Medication✓

Module 12Protein Science in Detail

Everything about protein, at the level of the world's most cited protein researchers

  1. 1How Much Protein You Really Need: Why the 0.8 g/kg RDA Is Only a Minimum✓
  2. 2MPS: How Muscle Actually Grows and What Triggers It✓
  3. 3The Leucine Threshold: The Switch Behind the Anabolic Response✓
  4. 4The Muscle-Full Effect: Why "Overloading" Protein in One Meal Makes No Sense✓
  5. 50.4 g/kg per Meal and Spreading Protein Across the Day✓
  6. 6Protein Quality: DIAAS vs. PDCAAS and What It Means for Clients✓
  7. 7Plant vs. Animal Protein: How to Close the Gap✓
  8. 8Whey, Casein and When Supplements Make Sense✓
  9. 9Protein in a Deficit: How to Protect (and Build) Muscle While Dieting✓
  10. 10Protein and Ageing: Anabolic Resistance and Sarcopenia✓

Module 13Hypertrophy for Natural Lifters

Evidence-based muscle building for clients who don't use performance-enhancing drugs

  1. 1What Really Drives Muscle Growth (and What's Just Myth)✓
  2. 2The Hierarchy of Priorities: What Comes Before Tempo and Rest Periods✓
  3. 3Volume as the Main Driver: How Many Sets per Muscle per Week✓
  4. 4Proximity to Failure: How Close to Failure to Train✓
  5. 5High Load vs. Low Load: Why Lighter Weights Build Muscle Just as Well✓
  6. 6Frequency and Distributing Volume Across the Week✓
  7. 7Progressive Overload in Practice for Natural Lifters✓
  8. 8Exercise Selection for Maximum Stimulus and Minimum Fatigue✓
  9. 9Managing Fatigue and When to Deload✓
  10. 10Realistic Expectations: How Much Muscle You Can Build in a Year Naturally✓

Module 14Evidence-Based Supplementation

What works, what's hype, and in what doses, according to the ISSN

  1. 1How to Evaluate a Supplement: The ISSN Evidence Hierarchy✓
  2. 2Creatine: The Best-Researched Supplement and How to Dose It✓
  3. 3Caffeine: Performance, Dosing and Timing✓
  4. 4Beta-Alanine and Sodium Bicarbonate: When and for Whom They Help✓
  5. 5Protein and EAAs: When a Supplement Adds Something Beyond Food✓
  6. 6Omega-3, Vitamin D and "Health" Supplements✓
  7. 7HMB, BCAAs and Others: What's Not Worth the Money✓
  8. 8Supplements by Goal: Fat Loss, Hypertrophy, Performance✓
  9. 9Safety, Purity and Banned Substances for Clients✓

Module 15Sleep, Stress and Recovery

The most underrated lever for performance, fat loss and health

  1. 1Sleep Architecture: NREM, REM and Why the Stages Matter✓
  2. 2The Two Sleep Regulators: Adenosine and the Circadian Rhythm✓
  3. 3Sleep Hygiene: Specific Rules That Actually Work✓
  4. 4Light as a Tool: Morning Sun and Evening Darkness✓
  5. 5Caffeine and Alcohol: How They Steal Your Recovery✓
  6. 6Sleep and Fat Loss: Ghrelin, Leptin and Why Less Sleep Means More Hunger✓
  7. 7Sleep Protects Muscle: The Nedeltcheva Framework for Dieting Clients✓
  8. 8Sleep Extension: Sleep as a Trainable Performance Variable✓
  9. 9NSDR and Napping: Fast Recovery Between Sessions✓
  10. 10Stress, Cortisol and Recovery: How It All Connects✓
  11. 11Wearables and HRV: How to Read the Data Without Going Crazy✓
  12. 12How Much Sleep? Duration, Regularity and What to Do When You Have to Choose✓

Module 16The Art of Coaching Compliance

The best plan is useless if the client doesn't follow it

  1. 1Adherence as a Skill: Why It Matters More Than the Perfect Plan✓
  2. 2Readiness to Change: How to Spot It and Program Around It✓
  3. 3Managing Hunger: Practical Tools for Dieting Clients✓
  4. 4Flexible vs. Rigid Approaches and Diet Sustainability✓
  5. 5Deep Health: Coaching the Whole Person, Not Just Macros✓
  6. 6GSPA: From Goals to Skills, Practices and Daily Actions✓
  7. 7Client Barriers: Finding What's Really Holding Them Back✓
  8. 8Language That Builds Trust and Leads to Change✓
  9. 9Relapse and All-or-Nothing Thinking: How to Handle Them✓
  10. 10Sensitive Topics: Body Image, Relationship With Food, and When to Refer Out✓

Module 17How to Read Science Without Getting Fooled

The backbone of every science-based coach's credibility

  1. 1The Hierarchy of Evidence: From Case Reports to Meta-Analyses✓
  2. 2The Replication Crisis: Why Many Published Findings Can't Be Trusted✓
  3. 3P-Values vs. Effect Sizes: Why "Statistically Significant" Isn't Enough✓
  4. 4Confidence Intervals and Noise: How to Read Uncertainty✓
  5. 5Meta-Analyses: The Gold Standard and Its Limits✓
  6. 6Effect Size in Practice: Turning a Study Result Into Reality✓
  7. 7Correlation vs. Causation and Common Statistical Traps✓
  8. 8How to Tell Broscience From Evidence✓
  9. 9How to Follow Research Without Falling for Every Headline✓

Module 18Women's Health

The cycle, hormones, PCOS, menopause and training women

  1. 1The Menstrual Cycle, Performance and Nutrition✓
  2. 2Hormonal Contraception, Body Composition and Performance✓
  3. 3PCOS: Nutrition, Insulin Resistance and Training✓
  4. 4Perimenopause and Menopause: What Really Changes✓
  5. 5Strength Training and Bone Health for Women 40+✓
  6. 6RED-S and Low Energy Availability✓
  7. 7Protein and Nutrition for Women Across the Lifespan✓
  8. 8Creatine for Women: Across the Cycle, Pregnancy and Menopause✓

Module 19Practice and Advanced Application

Putting it all to work: flexible dieting, food quality, maintenance after a diet, energy flux, peak week, chaotic schedules, portions without a scale, meal prep, weekend overeating

  1. 1Flexible Dieting in Practice (IIFYM Without the Chaos)✓
  2. 2Food Quality: What It Actually Means✓
  3. 3After the Diet: Keeping Your Results and Not Regaining✓
  4. 4Energy Flux: Eat More and Move More✓
  5. 5Peak Week: Dialing In for a Photo Shoot or Contest✓
  6. 6Chaotic Schedules: Eating Well With Shift Work and Travel✓
  7. 7Portions Without a Scale: Hand Portioning✓
  8. 8Meal Prep: A System That Keeps You on Track✓
  9. 9Weekend Overeating: A System Instead of Chaos✓

Module 20Martin's System in Practice

How I really work with clients: my whole system from practice since 2013 and 600+ clients. The order of levers, check-ins, macros, independence. This module keeps growing.

  1. 1The 5 Priorities in Practice: How to Set Them Up and Monitor Them✓
  2. 2Decision Rules: The Order of Levers Is Sacred✓
  3. 3Client Onboarding: The First Week✓
  4. 4Lead Clients to Independence (and Turn Them Into Your Best Advertising)✓
  5. 5Check-Ins: What You Track Weekly and How You Adjust✓
  6. 6Common Client Mistakes and How to Fix Them✓
  7. 7Starting Targets and Macros in Depth✓
  8. 8Measuring Progress: Four Windows, Four Speeds✓
  9. 9Why Training Doesn't Belong in the Calorie Engine✓
  10. 10Logging Without Excuses: Four Layers of Tracking✓
  11. 11Safety and Boundaries: When to Stay Quiet and Refer Out✓
  12. 12The Coach's Framework: How to Teach the System, Not Just Apply It✓
  13. 13Golden Lines and a Cheat Sheet✓

Module 21Social Media for Coaches

How to sell yourself on social media: positioning, content pillars, algorithms, hooks, and above all ethical marketing that sets you apart from "Instagram coaches". This module keeps growing.

  1. 1Positioning and Niche: Who to Be on Social Media✓
  2. 2Content Pillars: Turning Know-How Into Content✓
  3. 3How the Algorithms Work (IG, TikTok, FB, YouTube)✓
  4. 4Hooks and Storytelling: How to Stop the Scroll✓
  5. 5Ethical Marketing and a 30-Day Launch✓

Module 22Training and Coaching Women (Practice)

The female specifics most coaches ignore, even though they decide results: hormonal contraception, perimenopause and menopause, low energy availability (RED-S) and sensitive conversations about weight. Evidence-based, with a clear line on when to refer to a doctor.

  1. 1Hormonal Contraception: What a Coach Needs to Know✓
  2. 2Perimenopause and Menopause: Training, Protein, Bones✓
  3. 3RED-S and Low Energy Availability: Warning Signs✓
  4. 4Body Image, Weight and Sensitive Conversations With Women✓

Module 23Health Conditions and Ageing

Situations where both science and boundaries matter: vitamin D and supplements for at-risk clients, sarcopenia after 50, insulin resistance and cholesterol. What a coach can handle with lifestyle, and when to refer to a doctor, no question.

  1. 1Vitamin D and Supplements for At-Risk Clients✓
  2. 2Sarcopenia: Protecting Muscle in Clients 50+✓
  3. 3Insulin Resistance and Prediabetes: The Role of Lifestyle✓
  4. 4Cholesterol and Lipids: What Diet and Exercise Can Do✓

Module 24AI for Coaches and Nutrition Professionals

The most important skill this year: how to use AI (with Claude as the example) to run your whole business faster and better. From positioning, onboarding, check-ins, meal plans and training to content, ads and ethical boundaries. Everything points toward your tools and your expertise, not away from them.

  1. 1Why AI, and Why Right Now✓
  2. 2How to Give AI Tasks the Right Way✓
  3. 3AI as Your Business's Second Brain✓
  4. 4Onboarding Clients With AI✓
  5. 5Check-Ins: Review and Feedback With AI✓
  6. 6Meal Plans and Macros: AI as an Assistant, Not a Calculator✓
  7. 7Training Plans With AI✓
  8. 8Client Materials in a Fraction of the Time✓
  9. 9AI and Science: PubMed, Studies and the Hallucination Trap✓
  10. 10Social Media Content With AI✓
  11. 11Ads: Copy, Targeting and Reading Metrics With AI✓
  12. 12Your Day-to-Day AI System and Ethical Boundaries✓
  13. 13AI Agents and Automation (Advanced)✓
  14. 14Bonus: An AI Boss for Your Business✓

🏅 Final exam and certificate

Finish all 257 lessons to unlock the final exam. Pass the exam and the Master seal case study, and you get the Barna Academy Certificate.

Final exam (locked)