Coach · Sport psychologist · Scientist · Sofia

IvanNedelchev.

Train smart. Live long.

More than 20 years in sport. PhD in sport psychology, chief assistant professor at New Bulgarian University, lecturer at the Bulgarian Football Union Coaching School, and founder of Ivan Nedelchev Academy — an academy for character and education through sport.

Book a consultation Calculate your heart-rate zones
Ivan Nedelchev in the gym with dumbbells
Dr. Ivan NedelchevFounder, Ivan Nedelchev Academy · since 2015
20+years of experience in sport
3degrees from the National Sports Academy
2014PhD in sport psychology
2015founds Ivan Nedelchev Academy
14K+Instagram followers
32K+Facebook likes
Guest and expert on Eurocom TVP-NewsSlava.bgZdrave.toFemenaBFU Coaching School
Start here

What brings
you here?

Athlete

I want to train

Personal training and a nutrition plan built around your age, health and goals.

Book a consultation → Parent

For my child

Mentoring programs for children: therapeutic exercise, corrective gymnastics and healthy habits.

See the programs → Coach · Organisation

Training and talks

Coach education, lectures and corporate programs for prevention and healthy teams.

Invite Ivan → Free tool

Heart-rate zones

Find your training zones with the Karvonen formula. It takes ten seconds.

Calculate now →
The method

Three pillars
of results

The academy does not sell single workouts. It builds a transformation that goes beyond the body: discipline, motivation and lifelong habits.

Pillar · Science

Science

A PhD, teaching at New Bulgarian University and the BFU Coaching School, dozens of research papers. Every recommendation rests on evidence, not on social-media trends.

Pillar · Leading by example

Example

The founder lives the model he teaches. Consistency between words and actions is the strongest guarantee a client can have.

Pillar · Mentoring

Mentoring

A coaching approach where the result in the gym is only the start. The goal is resilience and emotional maturity that carry over into life outside it.

I founded an academy in my own name for character and education through sport.
— Dr. Ivan Nedelchev

Ivan Nedelchev Academy

Change comes when you are ready.

New mindset1 dayNew habit21 daysNew skill90 daysNew body180 daysNew life365 daysNew you1095 days

From Ivan Nedelchev’s social media (translated)

Career

From the gym
to the lectern

2004

Bachelor’s in two majors

Physical Education and Bodybuilding & Fitness Coaching, plus a qualification as physical-training methodologist for the Ministry of Interior and the Bulgarian Army.

National Sports Academy · 2004–2008
2008

Master’s in sport psychology

Qualified as a sport psychologist — his third degree from the National Sports Academy.

National Sports Academy · 2008–2009
2009

Fitness instructor

Managing the training process, personal training, nutrition and training programs.

Park Hotel Vitosha, sport & spa centre
2014

PhD in sport psychology

Defends his dissertation on the personality traits of athletes in bodybuilding and fitness. The same year he joins New Bulgarian University as an assistant professor.

NSA · NBU
2015

Chief assistant professor and founder

Chief assistant professor at the Department of Healthcare and Social Work, New Bulgarian University. Founds Ivan Nedelchev Academy: personal training, nutrition, sport psychology and health education.

NBU · Ivan Nedelchev Academy
2018

Lecturer to football coaches

Regular lecturer on nutrition and supplements in football.

BFU Coaching School · since 2018
2019

First monograph

Contemporary Psychological and Philosophical Aspects of Bodybuilding and Fitness (in Bulgarian), NBU Press.

NBU Press
2023

A book on the profession

The Modern Profile of the Fitness Coach (in Bulgarian), Vdahnovenia Publishing.

Vdahnovenia
Ivan Nedelchev Academy · since 2015

The Academy

Sport science, psychology and mentoring in one system. The expertise goes to the person: in the gym, at the university, online and on social media.

ClientsHealth, fitness and safe, measurable results.
Young coachesKnowledge, academic grounding and a career path.
Parents and familiesHealth and nutrition literacy for children.
OrganisationsPrevention, productivity and healthy teams.

Personal training and nutrition

An individual training and nutrition program built around age, health and goals.

Coach education

The professional profile of today’s fitness coach: knowledge, responsibility and skills for the digital age.

Sport psychology

Motivation, discipline and resilience. The psychology of success in the gym and beyond.

Mentoring programs for children

Therapeutic exercise and corrective gymnastics, building healthy habits from an early age. New format since September 2026.

Health education and talks

Public lectures, the “Academy for Parents”, seminars and corporate prevention programs.

Topics

Areas
of expertise

Six areas that connect his practice, teaching and books.

Training

Training science and progressive overload.

  • strength
  • endurance
  • heart-rate zones
  • recovery

Nutrition

Eating that supports your goals, without extremes.

  • meal planning
  • protein
  • supplements
  • herbs

Movement and health

Physical activity for common health conditions.

  • excess weight
  • hypertension
  • back pain
  • heart health

Every age

Programs from childhood to later life.

  • children
  • teens
  • adults
  • 55+

Mind

Sport psychology and exercise for mental health.

  • motivation
  • discipline
  • stress
  • resilience

The coaching profession

The knowledge and skills of the modern fitness coach.

  • soft skills
  • digital tools
  • ethics
  • mentoring
Gallery

Body. Mind.
Food.

Train
smart.
Live
long.
What you are doing for the children is wonderful.
Yuliana M. · parent, on the mentoring programs (translated)
Tool · Karvonen formula

Train
in your zone

Smart training starts with the right intensity. The Karvonen formula calculates your target heart rate from your heart-rate reserve — the difference between your maximum and resting heart rate.

Maximum heart rate180
Target HR =
(HRmax − HRrest) × % + HRrest
HRmax ≈ 220 − age

Guideline values for healthy people. With cardiovascular or other chronic conditions, pregnancy, or medication that affects heart rate, set your intensity after talking to a doctor.

Books

Knowledge
on paper

Cover: Contemporary Psychological and Philosophical Aspects of Bodybuilding and Fitness, Ivan Nedelchev, NBU
Bodybuilding and fitness through the lens of psychologyNBU Press, 2019 · 199 pp. · ISBN 978-619-233-066-8 · in Bulgarian

A scientific look at the personality, motivation and values of people who train.

Cover: The Modern Profile of the Fitness Coach, Ivan Nedelchev, Vdahnovenia
What makes a good coach todayVdahnovenia, 2023 · ISBN 978-619-7342-75-8 · in Bulgarian

The knowledge, skills and responsibilities of the professional fitness coach in the digital age.

Coming soonA new book on movement, nutrition and health
Movement for every ageComing soon

Age-specific programs, exercise for common conditions, nutrition, and sport for mental health.

Science

Research
and stages

More than 40 research papers and conference talks in Bulgaria and abroad. His current focus is personal health, nutrition and training, adapted physical activity, and sport in the digital age. Titles of Bulgarian-language papers are translated.

International conferences
Niš2014Veles2016Vrnjačka Banja2017 · 2021Budva2018Bansko2017–2019Cherkasy2019–2021Ruse2015–2020Blagoevgrad2021 · 2025Sofia · NSA2013–2017
Projects
JUST SPORTErasmus+, 2017–2018
Knowledge is a keyEuropean Solidarity Corps, NSA
Children’s UniversityDaily sports sessions, NBU
Healthy and Fit for WorkPhysical education and sport at NBU
Recent publications
  • 2025

    Personal health and essential amino acids: the role of training in modern health strategywith K. Petrova · 8th Public Health Conference with international participation, South-West University “Neofit Rilski”

  • 2025

    A smart body-temperature monitoring system: hardware integration and algorithmic adaptation to external and physiological factorswith P. Mihova, V. Vasilev, G. Petrov, A. Seizov · 8th Public Health Conference, South-West University

  • 2025

    The social and cultural value of sport in the digital ageYearbook 2025 “Cross-Cultural Communication”, NBU · in press

  • 2025

    Adapted physical activity in Bulgaria: opportunities, challenges and future prospectswith S. Petkov, G. Kalaydzhiev

  • 2024

    Contemporary sport-pedagogical aspects of bodybuilding and fitnessSport & Science, no. 3–4, pp. 5–13

  • 2024

    Strategies for managing personal healthwith K. Petrova · Yearbook 2024 “Cross-Cultural Communication”, NBU

  • 2023

    Soft skills of the professional fitness coachYearbook 2023 “Cross-Cultural Communication”, NBU

  • 2021

    Sport and a healthy lifestyle during the pandemic: a situational analysisAnniversary conference “Challenges to Public Health”, South-West University

  • 2021

    Modern profile of the fitness coachKNOWLEDGE – International Journal, 45(6), 1273–1277

Foundational work
  • 2019

    The fitness coach as a social presenceKNOWLEDGE – International Journal, 35(6), 2155–2159

  • 2017

    Motivational orientations’ features of bodybuilders and fitness amateursActivities in Physical Education & Sport, 7(1) · cited in international research (2019)

  • 2014

    Personality traits of athletes in bodybuilding and fitnessPhD dissertation, National Sports Academy “Vasil Levski”

Media

In the media

Interviews and expert profiles on healthy movement, nutrition and motivation.

Video · “Authenticity” podcast, ep. 196 · in Bulgarian

“It is most human to communicate”

A conversation about sport, communication and authenticity.

Watch on YouTube ↗More videos on Instagram ↗
Eurocom TV

Guest on the show “Hologram”, 2026

P-News

Interview: “Excuses are a convenient barrier…”, 2025

Slava.bg

“Sacrificing health for looks is a sinister deal”

Zdrave.to

Guest features and expert advice on health and movement

Femena

Expert profile

Invest Stara Zagora

Event speaker

24Oct 2026
Upcoming · Speaker

“The Human in Balance”

Dynamic Health Summit Vol. 2 „The Resilient Human“ · Planet Schwarz Tech Theater

08Nov 2026
Upcoming · Speaker

Factor X

Forum on hormonal and metabolic health · Grand Hotel Plovdiv

30May 2026
Expert

Run2Gether Bulgaria

Expert on sport and healthy living · start/finish at St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Sofia

16May 2026
Guest speaker

“Movement as a Panacea”

Women’s Health Forum · “Women in Balance”

Science · Example · Mentoring

Train smart. Live long.

Partners

Brands he
works with

NutrendSports nutritionVisit ↗ Dan KoloffSupplements · by NutrendVisit ↗ Arnold Fit FoodHealthy kitchenOrder ↗ FlairSportswearVisit ↗ MonniMenswearVisit ↗
Contact

Start
today.

Personal training, a mentoring program for your child, a talk or coach education. Leave a short request and Ivan will get back to you. Sessions are in Bulgarian; talks and consultations in English on request.

Instagram@ivnedelchev
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Phone · consultations and mentoring programs+359 898 336 394
FacebookIvan Nedelchev – Personal fitness trainer & Nutritionist
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EmailNedelchevnsa@mail.bg
UniversityNew Bulgarian University, Department of Healthcare and Social Work