before we get started, I’ll make a quick announcement: we are rolling out our online coaching program and are looking for some highly motivated individuals willing to change their bodies withing the next three months. If that is you, reply back.
Now on to today’s topic
Good news, bad news.
Good news first: today newsletter is not about me.
Bad news: it is pretty much full rant mode. After observing other two local fitness shows where apparently nobody bothered to train or diet before stepping on stage, I figured this may be a good time to outline what it really takes to be successful.
Take a look at the gentlemen in the pic. It is my godson, Jannik. Let me tell you about this remarkable young man: he inherited some talent for swimming, along with big feet, from his dad and quickly rose to prominence at my old club team. Soon, he was winning regionals and became mighty popular at home.
What did he do?
He LEFT! At age 16, he went to a boarding school that integrates training with school. Not only did he leave his friends and family about 800 miles behind, he also changed scenery from the most beautiful part of Germany to well, a not-so-pretty place. Why? I mean, he could have stayed, be the big fish in the small pond, appear in the newspaper every weekend…
Instead, he now trains with Olympians and World Champions which means he is getting his ass kicked twice a day. And guess what? This is what will propel him to really succeed. If you have ever fallen down the Instagram rat hole, you would think there are millions of great bodies out there judging the inflationary use of hashtags such as : beast mode, killing it, no days off, etc. Yet, you look around and all you see is people updating said statuses between sets.
The point is, you must get out of your comfort zone to truly rise. There are several ways to do so.
2. Do uncomfortable things in the gym . Look at the exercises you are not good at and start doing them in earnest
If most of us had a choice, we’d do flyes and curls or whatever we are generally good at. They are fun and we can impress other gym members with the numbers we put up. The problem is that it will hurt your overall development.
If you are not progressing, make a list of exercises you’d love to avoid for reasons other that injury and start adding them to your routine. You ll be shocked how quickly the gains will arrive.
3. Take a good , hard look at you food. If you are not really suffering you are not dieting. Have you really dropped body fat or gained muscle in the last three months?
If the answer is no, then you should make some changes.
Yes, looking great comes at a price but did you really think Bill Gates set up Microsoft by working from 9-5?