Fifteen years of working with people, not with theory.
A fitness coach from Split with a master’s degree in kinesiology, and the man who made bodybuilding into something usable for people who will never step on stage.
Master of Kinesiology and founder of the Big Beard Man system
15+ years of experience working with clients and recreational athletes in Split
Coach educator: runs the “Gym Fitness Instructor” program at Učilište Jantar
Former competitor: national bodybuilding champion and powerlifting record holder
His own platform: built because the waiting list for one-on-one training became too long
Leo Vladimir has been training people in Split for more than fifteen years. By education he holds a master’s degree in kinesiology; in practice, he is one of the most sought-after coaches in the region.
He has been in bodybuilding for seven years, and before that he competed in powerlifting, where he broke Croatian records. He trains six times a week himself, in short, intense sessions.
What set him apart was adapting bodybuilding to ordinary people. He does not prepare competitors, but recreational lifters who want to be more functional in their everyday obligations. Today most of his clients are women, because, as he himself says, they are more persistent and more realistic in their ambitions.
Before any collaboration, he asks for a conversation. Expectations are aligned with effort, and goals are defined at the start, because the worst expectations are the ones that, after a while, have nothing to back them up.
The most common mistake he encounters is wanting results in the shortest possible time. A body that has had no activity progresses even with two workouts a week; adding load abruptly is a double-edged sword. For a recreational lifter, the key is to master technique first. Intensity comes gradually.
Alongside his work with clients, Leo runs the “Gym Fitness Instructor” program at Učilište Jantar in Split, an institution with thirty-four years of tradition in adult education.
Why I built Big Beard Man
After years of one-on-one coaching, I noticed that most people don’t need more information. They need a system: a clear plan, the right pace and someone who tracks their progress.
The waiting list for in-person training became too long, and I couldn’t take on everyone who wanted to train with me. So I built Big Beard Man: the same way of working as in person, available to everyone, wherever they are.
Leo
Competition results
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National bodybuilding champion
He won the title in his very first competitive season, competing in the heavyweight class.
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Gold in Jagodina (2016)
Winner of the international bodybuilding competition held in Jagodina in 2016.
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Croatian powerlifting records
Before moving to bodybuilding, he achieved a number of notable results in powerlifting and set Croatian records in his class.
I’ve been training with Leo for 2 years, and saying I’m more than satisfied is an understatement. His approach changed not only how I look, which is the main reason I started training with him, but also the way I think. Step by step, with his knowledge, patience and support, I changed my habits, learned to take better care of myself and to push my own limits.
With him I gained much more than knowledge about training, because somewhere along the way I started applying that attitude, responsibility and discipline in everyday life too.
So if you’re thinking about starting to train with him, don’t overthink it!
M.D., client
Ready to start?
Whether you’re training for the first time or want more serious progress, the first step is the same: take the questionnaire and find out which approach suits you best.
Training that fits your life, not the other way around
Through years of sport and breaking records, I learned how far the body can go when you put everything into one goal. But working with people taught me something more important: most people do not build their lives around training.
They have jobs, families, obligations, good days and bad days.
That is why my job is not to push you to the limit of endurance. My job is to find the optimal amount of quality work that brings steady, sustainable progress.
My training philosophy
Frequency over volume Stimulus over fatigue Consistency over aggression
Results do not come from a few perfect weeks. They come from a system you can follow consistently for months and years.
How I got here
For most of my life I searched for my own limits.
First through powerlifting, where I set Croatian records, and then through bodybuilding, where I became national champion. For years I believed that more work, more discipline and a greater willingness to sacrifice had to bring better results.
And they did.
But working with people showed me that what a top competitor needs is not necessarily what someone needs who wants to look better, feel stronger or have more energy for everyday life.
Most people will never step onto a competition stage.
But they want to progress.
They want to move without pain, be stronger, have more confidence and feel better in their own body.
That is where my job begins.
Not to show how much someone can endure, but to find how much work it takes to progress and to organise it in a way that can be sustained long term.
Big Beard Man Training System
Out of that way of thinking came the Big Beard Man Training System.
These are not separate programs, but different phases of one long-term process.
Because you do not always need more.
Sometimes you need better structure. Sometimes higher training frequency. Sometimes a more precise stimulus. And sometimes the best decision is to change almost nothing and simply keep building on what already works.
My conclusion
Today, after more than fifteen years of working with clients, a master’s degree in kinesiology, competitive experience and years spent educating future coaches, I still look at training the same way:
as a process of making better and better decisions.
For most of my life I tried to find my own limits. It took me time to understand that a good coach should not lead other people toward his own limits.
He should help them find theirs.
Why the Big Beard Man Training System?
Logic and structure instead of random exercises.
The programs Foundation, Structure, Focus, Intensification and Continuity are not random workouts, but designed phases of long-term progress. Sometimes you need better structure, sometimes higher frequency, and sometimes the best decision is to change nothing and keep going.
The app gives you the same experience and coaching as in-person training, available anytime, anywhere.
The waiting list for one-on-one training became too long. The platform does the same thing as his in-person coaching, only virtually, and it is available to everyone, regardless of age, sex or where they live.
