Chris Mann Dip.IOPN
Sports nutritionist and personal trainer
Chris Mann has six years of coaching experience, specialising in helping beginners build muscle. He holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Sports Nutrition (Dip.IOPN), a Level 4 Certificate in Nutrition and a Level 3 Personal Training qualification, and writes every Bodywise Coach guide against published guidance.
Qualifications
- Postgraduate Diploma in Sports Nutrition (Dip.IOPN)
- Level 4 Certificate in Nutrition
- Level 3 Personal Trainer
How these guides are written
Every guide is written and checked against published guidance from bodies such as the NHS, the British Nutrition Foundation and peer-reviewed sports science journals. Sources are named and linked so you can read them yourself. Nothing here diagnoses, treats or manages a medical condition — for anything medical, speak to your GP.
Recent guides
- Quick start to training — The short answers to the six questions every beginner asks, in one page.
- First gym visit — A practical first-month plan for anyone who has never trained before.
- Gym confidence — Practical ways through gym self-consciousness, no diagnosis, just tactics.
- Machine guide — The core machines beginners should learn first, with setup steps for each.
- Equipment compared — How dumbbells, barbells and machines compare, and how to mix them.
- Pre-lifting warm-up — A quick, repeatable warm-up to do before every weights session.
- Training frequency — The training frequency that builds strength without burning you out.
- Workout splits — How full body, upper/lower and push-pull-legs compare for beginners.
- Progressive overload — The principle behind every strength and muscle gain you'll make.
- Rest and recovery — Why rest days, sleep and soreness matter as much as the workout itself.
- Best exercises — The compound and accessory exercises that do most of the work.
- Dumbbell plan — A full-body dumbbell plan for beginners with sets, reps and progression built in.