When I first competed in 2010 I did 4 shows with in 2 months with great success of 2 first and 2 second places. I then on the advice of my then trainer/nutritionist, gained quite a bit of weight. ( going from show weight 118 to my heaviest of 152…talk about uncomfortable). Going back into prep, I found my body was not responding like it once did. It was holding onto everything, barely making progress. It was a trial and error of no carbs, high carbs, no fat, high protein and none of the variations were working. Enter the addition night cardio, on top of my fasted cardio in the morning. Even though I had success that year of competing, a first place, 9th place at Team U and a 2nd at the yorton cup, I knew something wasn’t right. I was burnt out mentally and physically. I began to hate training and binge ate on every cheat meal. I was either starving, cramped over or throwing up. I ruined my metabolism, my health and my drive. In comes Joe! I googled local posing classes and Joes name popped up. I contacted him and went to a class, where I got to meet him face to face. I was on the fence about starting with someone new, I am a creature of habit and change scares me. After going back and forth in my head, I decided if I didnt do something now, I never would. As soon as I said yes is when everything really changed. I have never counted macros, I had no idea what that even meant. My old diet was written for me, the same basic food, no variety, no change. So needless to say, this macro thing was beyond confusing to me. Once I figured it out, I couldnt believe this was considered prep. I can eat fruit? dairy? cereal? peanutbutter??? WHHHAAAT?! This was a whole new world for me and my body was responding so well. My energy was up and the pounds were dropping. Once I got the diet in check, training and cardio were next. I actually did less cardio and training and was seeing better results then I had. I finally chose a show with the INBF organization and put everything into that prep, thinking the whole time that something wasnt right cause this prep was so easy. Leading up to the show was the best I’ve ever felt and when the day finally came, it was the best package Ive ever presented. Lean, muscular and confident! I put all my trust in Joe and I ended up winning my class, the overall and my WNBF pro card!!! It might sound like much, but Joe saved me. Through his diet, training, knowledge and patience, I felt like me again. I had my drive and passion back for this sport. For the first time I felt like I had real balance. There was so 0-60 or all or nothing. Ive learned from Joe and Im beyond grateful and thankful. I actually feel healthy and alive again. Ive learned to replace my cravings and binges with foods I wanted in moderation. My 2-3 hr cardio sessions with a diet that doesnt rely on cardio for leanness and my low energy workouts for a series of PRs. This whole experience couldn’t of been any easier. I never would of thought I could be where I am today. And did I mention…I will never have to dehydrate myself for 24 plus hours ever again!!! Thank you Joe doesn’t even begin show my gratitude.

Read more Amber Litzinger, OCB/WNBF Pro

Aria won the Novice Overall title and the Open Tall Class at the 2009 OCB Central Eastern Seaboard States ! Having an undergraduate degree in Health Studies, Master’s in Biochemistry/Molecular Biology as well as being a Master Trainer myself, one would think that I know all there is to know about exercise science. Wrong. Enter Joe Franco’s Individualized Training (F.I.T.). Joe is not only knowledgeable on the topic, he is highly experienced in the field. What I’m getting at is that someone who reads about karate doesn’t necessarily know how to do karate. In fact, to extend the analogy, I was a black belt on paper but getting my butt kicked in real life. Joe has taught me several important principles over my time with him. We started with phone coaching back in May 2007 and when I moved to Philly from DC in 2008, we began meeting bi-weekly and communicating heavily via e-mail. What have I learned? Joe ingrained in me the importance of the diet as it relates to the exercise. He puts a strong emphasis on the diet as this is where most of one’s physical goals are met. He adjusted my macronutrient intake according to my personal basal metabolism after he assessed it based on what I ate, and when and how I exercised. He taught me the importance of slow and steady dieting versus expecting results immediately. He also taught me a few tricks-of-the-trade in terms of body positioning during certain lifts to maximize specific muscle recruitment. Lo and behold I started shedding the pounds of fat and making strides of progress in building and preserving lean muscle. That’s when I found out how truly individualized Joe’s training is designed to be. Working with Joe, I went from a meager 6th place finish in the Organization of Competitive Bodybuilders (OCB) September 2007 Northern Atlantic States Men’s Open and Novice divisions, to a 1st place Men’s Open Tall division and winning the Overall Novice division at the June 2009 OCB Central Eastern Seaboard States competition. Although I am a competitive bodybuilder, as is Joe himself, one can see how he designs a workout and nutrition guideline specific to the individual – meaning his design will work for the pediatric as well as the geriatric. Finally, on a personal note, Joe is a friend. He is a genial person by nature with a wonderful family and you often find yourself lost in a conversation with him about topics completely unrelated to exercise and fitness. I have full confidence in his training style and hope to obtain my Professional designation in the OCB under his instruction in the near future. Go TEAM FRANCO!!!

Read more Aria Attia

I began working with Joe Franco 3 years ago several months out from a show I had set my sites on. With the time remaining before the show, Joe put a workout and a nutrition plan together for me. The prep was proceeding very well until I broke a bone in my foot in a clumsy accident. With bitter disappointment and 5 weeks out from the show, I had to put aside my plans for competing. As soon as I was out of the cast, Joe and I talked about my goals to compete again, but at a higher level. He was able to design a workout program which met my needs and challenged my body. At the appropriate intervals, Joe switched up my program to keep my body from getting too comfortable. After 9 months of working with Joe, I decided to compete in the 2011 Beyond Nutrition Natural. I completely trusted Joe and his method of preparing athletes for competition. From the beginning of the dieting period through peak week, Joe’s nutrition program worked like a charm and I was in the best shape of my life. I won my Class (grand masters) and placed 3rd in the Masters. My enthusiasm for competing was at an all time high, but I decided to take 18 months off to really work on my body with Joe as my coach. In the Fall of 2012, I again competed, this time at the Charm City Classic and won my IFPA Masters Pro Card. Without Joe’s expert coaching and support, this accomplishment would never have been possible.

Read more Bruce Glenny, OCB Master Pro

Truth is a statement, a code to live by, a lifestyle. For me, truth is of the utmost importance, and I found that through Joe and his coaching techniques — gracefully lighting my path to the stage with devotion, honesty and knowledge backed by science and experience. Before I started training with Joe, I felt lost and overwhelmed. I couldn’t wrap my head around finding the time to be a mother, a wife and to also find time to take care of my mind and body. With a simple phrase being repeated “trust the process, be consistent,” I was able to overcome the mayhem that surrounded me. Joe has guided me on a path that inevitably landed me on a stage standing next to some of the strongest people I’ve ever met. No matter what my future holds, I’ll always know that having genuinely good people in your corner is the backbone of any success story. Good people – that is what you’ll find with Joe; that is what you’ll find with Team Franco. That is truth.

Read more Ashley Crandall, OCB Bikini Pro

I won my figure pro card in 2009 and after competing in a couple of pro shows I knew that if I wanted to compete at the pro level and be the best I could be. I was going to have to be more knowledgeable about nutrition! Although I did know the basics about dieting, I knew there was much more to learn. I hired Joe in July 2011 and went on to compete in the Gaspari pro show in October 2011 taking first place in my class and overall. Three weeks later at my 1st Yorton Cup show, I placed 2nd place in my class! I speak so highly of Joe! After I hired him I thought to myself, I don’t know how this is going to work via emails/phone calls, and I’ve never met this man in person. After just a couple of emails it set my mind at ease because I could tell Joe was very professional,knowledgeable and he was ALWAYS very expeditious getting back to me with any questions I had. I couldn’t have been any happier with my results. I truly believe I was the best I could be because of all Joe’s help. Joe has taught me so much about diet/nutrition and peak week! I would highly recommend Joe to anybody! Thanks so much Joe!

Read more Donna Shea, OCB Pro