Custom training and nutrition from a competing bodybuilder, adjusted from your real numbers. The plan is the arc. You are the iron. Change happens where they meet.
All packages bill monthly in minimum blocks. No refunds. If life gets in the way, unused time is banked for 12 months so you can pick up where you left off.
04 · Contest prep
Prep that shows up on show day
I compete. I know what the last two weeks feel like. That is why I am in the room for them.
Your labs get reviewed through prep so the diet and supplements are built around what your body is actually doing.
In person, final 2 weeks
For Phoenix-metro athletes, 8 to 12 hands-on sessions in the final two weeks, depending on your split.
Show day
I attend your show, in state or out. You focus on the stage. I handle the plan.
05 · The method
How I program
Hypertrophy, strength and nutrition, welded into one system. Tap any line to see how it works.
Progressive overloadHow you keep growing
Every lift has a rep range, a target effort and a clear rule for when weight goes up. Isolation work runs on double progression: own the top of the range, then add load. No random jumps, no guessing.
AutoregulationEffort, not guesswork
Main lifts ramp up through feeder sets at about 60% and 80% of your working weight, then one hard working set at RPE 8, two reps in reserve. Powerlifters also get percentage-based work off their 1 rep maxes.
Fatigue managementRecover to progress
Volume and intensity are managed across the block so you keep progressing without grinding yourself down. When sleep, stress or recovery slip, the plan adjusts.
Exercise selectionNo filler
Machines and dumbbells for most lifters, barbells when your goal or sport calls for it. No redundant movement patterns in the same session. Every exercise has a job.
TechniqueEyes on your lifts
Send your sets in the TrueCoach app, up to 5 form reviews a week. Elite clients also get Loom video breakdowns with fixes you can use next session.
NutritionChecked before you see it
Custom macros and meal plans built around foods you actually eat, verified against their targets before delivery and adjusted from your check-ins and weigh-ins.
06 · Getting started
How it works
Apply
Two minutes. Tell me your goal, your training history and your timeline.
Free call
30 minutes to see if we are a fit. No pressure either way.
Onboard
Intake form, progress photos and your coaching agreement.
Get your plan
Training and nutrition delivered in the TrueCoach app.
Adjust
Check-ins, form reviews and changes based on your numbers.
On stage · Dennis James Classic Arizona 2026
07 · Your coach
Adam Solis
I spent my twenties drinking, smoking and broke. Now I am a competitive bodybuilder and the head coach of Arc & Iron Coaching.
I have rebuilt my body and my life under real pressure, as a dad, through a divorce, a custody fight and a layoff. That is the coaching you get: direct, laid back and built for real life. You will always know what to do and why you are doing it.
I coach physique competitors, powerlifters and everyday lifters from San Tan Valley, Arizona, with clients across the US and internationally.
Certified Personal TrainerCertified Nutrition CoachCompetitive Bodybuilder
2016 → 2026
Same guy. Ten years apart.
No shortcuts in between. A plan, a lot of reps, a few bad years and not quitting. Here's the long way, in four chapters.
The long way here · 01 / 14
01 The low years
Mid 20s
No gym, no plan.
Drinking and smoking my life away. Thumbs up like everything was fine.
2011 to 2016
Married, divorced, broke.
Had my two daughters and got divorced. Living paycheck to paycheck between rent and child support, driving a busted '99 Honda Civic across the Arizona and California desert to see my girls whenever I could afford to.
The bottom
Lucky to still be here.
Still no gym. Drinking and smoking nonstop, depressed. Honestly surprised I'm still around.
02 The turn
2016 to 2018
Sober. Then the fight started.
Met my partner and quit drinking and smoking. Started a custody battle for my daughters that would drag on for over half a decade.
2019
Started studying.
Started educating myself on nutrition and training programs instead of guessing. It was the first time I took my body composition seriously.
2020
The pandemic year.
2020 was the year I worked on myself. COVID didn't stop me from chasing my goals. Started January at about 195 lbs.
2020
195 to 154.
By August I was about 154 lbs. Roughly 41 lbs down in seven months.
By 2023
Won custody. Lost my job.
Won custody of my daughters, then got laid off.
03 The grind
2023 to 2024
Hella strong. Hella fat.
Started my online coaching business while working as a trainer at a commercial gym, with no idea how to scale it. Deep in my powerlifting phase.
2024 to 2025
Head down.
Coaching wasn't cutting it, so I took a real job with real income and real benefits. Ran several fat loss phases and taught myself how to scale the business while working full time to provide as a father.
04 Under pressure
January 2026
All in.
Quit my full-time job and embraced entrepreneurship again as clients started rolling in.
2026
First prep.
Everything from the last ten years went into this one.
2026
First show. Three medals.
Dennis James Classic Arizona. Pushed some serious limits, on stage and in the business.
05 Your chapter
If you're where I was, you don't need perfect.
You need a plan, honest feedback and someone in your corner. That's the job.
Yes, if your home gym has the equipment and enough load to keep progressing, like adjustable dumbbells or a rack with plates. Send me photos or a list of your setup and I will program around it. If something is missing for your goal, I will tell you up front. A commercial gym works too.
Do you coach clients outside Arizona?
Yes. Coaching runs through the TrueCoach app, so you can be anywhere. I coach clients across the US and internationally. In-person prep sessions are for the Phoenix metro.
Do you do posing coaching?
No. I refer posing out to specialists so you get the best coach for each piece of your prep.
Do you do powerlifting meet prep?
Contest prep covers bodybuilding divisions. Strength and powerbuilding goals are covered in Core and Elite coaching.
What if I need to pause?
There are no refunds, but your time is not lost. Unused time is banked for 12 months, so you can come back and finish what you paid for.
How fast will I see results?
It depends on your starting point, your goal and how consistent you are. That is why the minimum is 3 months. Real change takes a full block.
