About Coach huerta
From 3rd grade through 10th grade, Eric Huerta was an overweight child. Raised in a traditional Mexican household, as long as little Eric was eating, Momma was happy. This was the 80’s after all. Unfortunately, neither Eric or his parents understood the damage being inflicted to his body and his overall health from years of junk food and no exercise. When you know better, you do better. But this was during a time when education regarding healthy food options was scarce.
​
For eight tough years, Eric was known as the funny fat kid. That was how he coped while feeling insecure about his appearance and navigating through a time when frankly, kids can just be mean. Sound familiar? By 9th grade Eric was one of the most overweight kids in his grade. He was a huge football fan growing up but never really played any sports or played outside at all. He spent his time indoors, watching movies and eating snacks. Thank God there was only one cable channel back then.
​
When he finally got to high school, movies and snacks were no longer fulfilling enough to keep him indoors. He wanted to play football. He wanted to get outside. His favorite player for the Raiders was now a hall of famer defensive lineman, Howie Long. He idolized Howie. He wanted to be Howie. But considering the shape he was in; he was not going to get past playing a much slower position as an offensive lineman.
​
The irony is that during this time, since Eric was a young child and movie buff, his favorite actors looked like muscle-bound action figures. His favorite wrestlers on T.V. are probably all dead now from obvious steroid use. Eric’s perception of what a man should look like at a very early age was nothing short of a superhero, or at least someone who literally lived in a gym. But Eric had no guidance and without this guidance he could only dream of looking like these men while eating 2 Big Macs and a large fry in ten minutes flat or making multiple trips to the buffet line.
​
Now that he was in high school and playing the position of his dreams was virtually impossible, he watched his buddies dating girls that again, he could only dream of. At the tail end of 10th grade, Eric started to pay attention to every bodybuilding magazine he could get his hands on. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Lou Ferrigno were his favorites. Eric read, and read, and read. He was so inspired by what he was reading and the idea of what the human body was capable of that he asked his father to get him weights so he could train at home.
Since his father didn’t take this request too seriously, he ended up buying him a small set of weights that he found at a garage sale. These old school sand-filled plastic weights would change his life forever. His father saw him develop real discipline during this time and was proud that Eric was taking the initiative to change his life single-handedly. He spent months at home training with these weights until finally he was old enough to join a real gym.
​
By the last month of this sophomore year, Eric was training at the gym on a consistent basis. He trained before school every day at 4:30 am and again after football practice. Weekends were no different. That summer he passed up many pizza parties and McDonald’s runs. “Yeah, it was pretty lonely for me that summer,” he said, “my friends thought I was crazy. I ate so much tuna they joked I could probably breathe underwater.” The only thing truly “crazy” about all this were the transformative results he was experiencing. The “funny fat kid” was changing. The little changes were becoming more obvious and this fed his discipline and gave him even more motivation to keep pushing harder.
​
Finally, after five long months, football season came around. Eric was now faster and more agile. As a junior, he beat out a senior for the starting defensive position on the varsity team. He was the fastest in that position and pound-for-pound one of the strongest on the team. All the work he put in, all the sacrifices he made, just paid off.
​
And let’s not forget the girls! 55 pounds of fat lighter and 15 pounds of lean muscle heavier, the girls took notice. Eric to this day tells his clients, “if you want to know what a celebrity feels like, get in the best shape of your life and watch what happens!” Eric went from being one of the heaviest sophomores in his class, to being voted “best physique” in his senior yearbook. This newfound physical ability and attention was eye opening to say the least. From then on, he knew his life would never be the same.
​
Since that self-taught transformation, Eric dedicated himself to self-education in fitness and health. He played college football at Chapman University and after graduating, pursued a new dream of becoming a fitness model, training at Powerhouse Gym in Fullerton, CA, a bodybuilding mecca in the Orange County area. He learned about proper training and technique and how to safely supplement for specific goals. In 1998, Eric was sponsored by Luis Zwick, training for the 1998 Orange County Classic. Two weeks before the show, Eric was severely bitten in the face by a dog and was forced to pull out of the competition. Even though that was a devastating, freakish accident, he would not let this (or anything else) get in the way of his passion.
​
Eric’s focus gradually shifted from competing himself to helping others achieve their fitness goals. One of the main things Eric preaches is the integral part proper nutrition plays in this journey. “Any real nutritionist, trainer, or doctor will tell you that 75% of your fitness results come from the foods you eat,” Eric frequently says. He treats supplements as just that. A supplement to how you eat. Beginner or intermediate fitness enthusiasts are always looking for that extra edge and this need is what brought Eric to create his own supplement line in 2011. “As we get older, we need all the help we can get and unfortunately, there are some things the body will no longer produce.
The aging process is real but that does not mean we give up or use that as an excuse to stop pushing forward. As I get older, I have experienced firsthand what the aging process is capable of. Being overweight or out of shape is an express ticket to all kinds of complications and a plethora of prescribed medications. If by the age of 40, you don’t have a handle on your health, with every year that passes, it will be that much more difficult to get healthy again,” Eric says.
​
Eric is not a coach that hit the genetic lottery and has been in shape his entire life. He knows what it is like to be the “fat funny kid” or to be someone who feels uncomfortable in their own skin. But he also knows the unbelievable transformative power of knowledge, proper nutrition, and exercise. He firmly believes that because he did it, SO CAN YOU. He is not a 20-year-old fitness advocate with an undamaged metabolism or thyroid. Because of the damage done to his body during his younger years, he now must play by a different set of rules than someone who has never struggled with weight. At the age of 47 (yes, you read that right, he’s 47) how he eats, trains, and supplements is a constant practice. It is a way of life.
​
Eric understands that when it comes to those struggling with fitness there is no one-size-fits-all plan. Part of the reason he has such a great connection with his clients is because he’s been there. He can empathize with their situation.
​
To be a great mentor, advisor, coach, in any field, it is best when that person has experienced what they preach. After 30 years, Coach Huerta still walks the walk. Friends, family, and past clients will tell you the same. He still practices what he preaches at 47 and his passion is showing others how anything is possible, so long as you are willing to make the effort. If you are ready, if you are willing, Coach Huerta is ready to help.
Eric Huerta