Confession of a Phoenixville Fitness Professional!
While training for my first amateur bodybuilding competition, I trained most weeks, 6 days a week. The goal was never truly to win, it was to get up there and do it! What I learned throughout my training was to give my body the respect it needed throughout the process. Being true to myself, I would train hard for 3 days then take a day off, then train hard again for 3 more days. Every 3 days I would rest, I wouldn’t do extra cardio or even do light sets, I didn’t step into the gym.
In the end, I stepped up onto the stage, (which was my ultimate goal) and I was proud of my efforts in and out of the gym. I didn’t starve myself but I did restrict my choices. I also tracked my intake of protein and made sure I spent the time to pay attention to my overall energy with my nutrients and my training regime.
The whole journey in the first competition and even the 2nd is what motivated me to get to the gym. Every rep, every set, every dumbbell, brought me that much closer to achieving my goal, getting up there and saying I did it. Every day I worked harder toward my goal. No bad attitude, that wasn’t going to get me any closer to my goal. The pain, fatigue and frustration, was given little attention, every day was approached with a determination to get it done. The journey was one of self-exploration and to see if it could really be done. And in the end it was done, and it brought me two wins.
Then the change happened, my mind didn’t focus on the journey it focused on the end result of the win. No matter how much I tried my attitude changed and it changed my determination and my training. My focus was on the prize rather than the awesome journey. It became drudgery to go the gym, my reward meals were more frequent. I lost the reason why I did it in the first place and only believed I had to win.
Find out what's happening in Phoenixvillefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
The mindset shift is what stopped me in my tracks. The expectations changed and it became all about the end result instead of the journey. The hard part was to dig down deep and realize I lost focus on the true purpose of my journey and only looked at my expected outcome. That is when I quit training so hard and started the real journey. It has taken a good 7-8 years to reconcile, the journey with any possible outcomes. At that point I realized I knew I wasn’t in it to become a Pro or even to make it to the National Level.
Every day is now about the journey in life. Whatever I choose to accomplish is only the end result of my hard work and dedication and no matter what may happen in the end, I know that I enjoyed the journey and the process it took for me to get there. The take away for everyone reading this account of my experience, is that it’s not always about the end result as much as it is about the fun you have getting somewhere. So, do not let the mind and noise around you detour the journey. Have fun every day and know that what ever your long range goals are it’s about the journey and how each day gets you closer.
