Read the interview with David Costa by Eric Rallo in the March 2015 edition of Bodybuilding Rules .
Passion and skills above all!
A seasoned sportsman and true enthusiast, he is omnipresent on the web, the most prestigious brands use the image he represents: this month I have the pleasure of giving the floor to our collaborator, the famous coach David Costa!
Eric RALLO : Hello David, delighted to interview someone as passionate as you, but especially an experienced coach who has practiced many sports before obtaining numerous qualifications! Can you tell us about yourself and how you came to want to become a coach?
Cover of Bodybuilding Rules Magazine #22
David COSTA : Hi Eric! Thank you for this honor: Cover and interview in your magazine and following in the footsteps of bodybuilding greats is awesome!
From a very young age, I was a sports enthusiast: football, cycling, swimming, rollerblading, and so on. I had a daily need to expend energy. As I grew older, due to a growth-related cartilage issue, I had to stop all these activities. It was while watching US rap and R&B videos on TV that I discovered and appreciated the lean, muscular physiques of American singers, particularly the rapper LL Cool J. From then on (I think I was 16), I started researching the subject and training at home. When it came time to choose my field of study after high school, I opted for STAPS (Sports Science) so I could pursue my passion: sports. Over time, and throughout my studies, I became increasingly involved in bodybuilding, both theoretically (training, reading, seminars, internships, etc.) and practically. During my undergraduate studies, I looked into the fitness market and discovered the concept of sports coaching (I think it was in 2007). At the same time, like many of us, I was already giving advice to athletes at the gym during my own training sessions, purely out of passion. This calling to share and the desire to help people improve was already there! Sports coaching was the obvious next step!
ER : You’re a well-rounded athlete, yet your preferred area remains bodybuilding. How would you describe the benefits this practice brings to you and your students?
DC : Despite the potential pitfalls of this practice, it’s an extraordinary tool in my eyes when mastered properly. In my view, bodybuilding isn’t restrictive. With an understanding of physiology and anatomy, it offers a wide range of possibilities, from aesthetic muscle development and strength performance to physical preparation alongside other sports, improving daily and mental well-being, treating physical pathologies, and rehabilitation. Obviously, this doesn’t mean limiting oneself to bodybuilding and curls. That’s why I’m involved in bodybuilding, powerlifting, functional training, physical conditioning, and, more recently, weightlifting, to have even more tools at my disposal.
ER : What training techniques and muscle groups do you particularly like to target?
DC : I particularly enjoy squat and deadlift sessions for the challenge and the sense of competition you have with the barbell. And by their very nature, they’re movements that are incredibly rewarding if you give it your all! I’m addicted to them for building mass and strength. But I also like working all the other muscle groups with more bodybuilding-oriented methods and more analytical exercises! In fact, as long as the training leads to physical improvement in terms of strength, mass, endurance, or size, I’m in.
ER : You who stay in great shape all year round, how do you adapt your diet to be effective in training and perform despite long days of coaching, various photoshoots and travel?
DC : I PLAN AHEAD! I prepare my meals/snacks the night before, or when I can’t, I think about when I can stop at a supermarket to buy the day’s groceries. And during coaching sessions, it’s not uncommon for me to take out my Tupperware and eat it during my breaks!
ER : Beyond a balanced diet, what supplements do you use and for what purpose?
DC : Those that promote muscle recovery: BCAAs, Glutamine, and a booster depending on when I train. For the rest, everything comes from diet.
Bodybuilding Rules Magazine
ER : There is currently a strong interest in crossfit and functional training, you also regularly organize training camps with our mutual friend Vincent Issartel, can you tell us a little about it?
DC : Although I’m not a CrossFit addict, it’s a good thing because it has revitalized the practice with weights/barbells/kettlebells and rekindled the enjoyment of physical effort, while also giving a new lease of life to gymnastics and weightlifting. But this push towards popularization leads to information overload, which sows doubt about many aspects of our profession. It also leads to a distortion, even denigration, of weightlifting or gymnastics by some practitioners… purists at heart, I appreciate it when people respect their place and know what they’re talking about. Another negative aspect is that we very often encounter people devoid of any scientific basis or critical thinking who hide behind “pseudo” WODs or use the term CrossFit because they are unable to explain and justify the benefits of the sequence… but that’s not what true CrossFit is about.
As for functional training, for me it’s strength training on steroids, which I particularly love because of the transferable gains it offers! And during our workshops in Dijon, the audience, mostly coaches, really appreciates this type of training!
ER : The advent of the internet, and more specifically social media, has democratized sport and performance in general. However, during our last phone conversation, we also discussed the downside of this and the new “massive” proliferation of pseudo-coaches on the internet… what are your thoughts on that?
“You don’t build big arms by doing curls with your keyboard.”
DC : The problem, as mentioned earlier, stems from information overload, this free access, and the viral nature of information on the internet. I might be old-fashioned, but I struggle with this new generation that builds itself up virtually behind its computer screen, commenting on videos all day long or spreading poor-quality advice, its only merit being a physique (without legs) that they’ve sculpted in six months or a year using methods I don’t condone. And so, they sell dreams to all the young beginners and then rake in the cash! I believe in honesty, and I don’t find this legitimate, since reality lies in being on the ground, in experience, and in interacting with athletes (whether they’re competitive or recreational). As I said a while ago, “You don’t build big arms by doing curls with your keyboard.”
ER : What advice could you give to the readers of BBR magazine so that they can achieve their goals (weight gain/loss, endurance, preparation for competitions…)?
DC : WHERE THERE’S A WILL, THERE’S A WAY! That’s my motto! Of course, the goal must be achievable, and you have to give yourself the means to achieve it. For that, it’s essential to take advantage of expert advice!
ER : What is most important in your opinion when deciding to take up a sport, or to get back in shape?
DC: To ensure the quality of the training one will receive: qualifications, expertise, performance, experience of the coach or trainer. Because the goal is obviously to improve one’s health and not the opposite!
ER : Thank you so much David for this interview and for being part of our Bodybuilding Rules adventure ! A final word for your fans, your family, your friends…
DC : It’s always a pleasure to receive messages from people I motivate! So I’ll continue to do better, with powerlifting and fitness model competitions planned for 2015 to celebrate my return to training! Thanks, Eric, for your kind words!
Find my interview on Bodybuilding Rules .
Find me on Facebook for more sports information and check out my Instagram profile (@davidcostacoach) to follow me daily.
