Okay, perhaps you don’t exactly want to be a bodybuilder but chances are that if you’re reading this week’s blog, that you do have some interest in the health and fitness industry. Whether that interest lies strictly upon improving your aesthetics, or increasing your speed, agility and strength for your desired sport, or you just want to become overall more healthy and fit, you have an agenda to meet and fitness goal(s) that you want to accomplish. But what if the expectations that you place upon yourself are higher then average? Do you really know what it takes to become an elite athlete or a top fitness competitor in an extremely competitive and cut throat sport? What are you willing to sacrifice to achieve the body of your dreams? Are you ready to take both your training and diet up to that next level?
Peak Week Like a Pro
I want to first start by apologizing in advance for the possible run on sentences and mindless, incoherent dribble that might occasionally pop up within my writings this week. You see, I myself am in the middle of prepping for a Bodybuilding Show and I’m roughly 3 days, 14 hours and 27 minutes out from hitting the stage this upcoming Saturday (Not that I’m counting). And because I’m currently in the home stretch of my preparation period, my carbs are somewhat low. Why they’re low is not what’s important, but anyone who has ever followed a low carb diet for a long period of time will understand and relate to that when you begin to reduce your carbohydrates, your body and brain just don’t function as well. Your thought process is not as clear and precise as it once was. Your energy levels start to decrease while your irritability levels start to increase. As my body fat starts to diminish by the day, my level of comfort begins to deteriorate with it. I can’t sleep. I’m hungry. I’m cranky. I’m moody. And I absolutely love it.
Why Do This To Yourself?
When I first started competing in bodybuilding competitions I would constantly get asked as to why I would put my body through so much pain and discomfort for months on end, just for a few quick minutes on stage. Well to be honest, I didn’t really know the answer to this question. Therefore I defended my choice to compete by telling people that competing would be good for my own business as a Personal Trainer. That it would generate more leads and contacts for me to network within the fitness industry. That having a competitive background would give me a sense of credibility to potential clients. That it would help me achieve lucrative sponsorships and endorsement deals with supplement companies and training apparel organizations alike. Fast forward a decade later and to my surprise, all of these accomplishments actually came true! But the reality was and is that winning competitions and placing top 5 at numerous bodybuilding shows played a very minor role in these achivements.
The Academic Meathead
Despite what many people might think, I’m really not just some moronic meathead who is obsessed with building muscles and maintaining low body fat levels year round. Sure, I would be lying if I said that looking good wasn’t important to me, but it’s not of the utmost importance to me. Therefore when it comes to being the absolute best bodybuilder that I can be, even I set limitations on myself. And the reasons for those limitations are for longivity and health. Make no mistake, Competitive Bodybuilding IS NOT healthy. However I try my absolute best to keep it as healthy as I can for both myself and for my clients that wish to compete by not subjecting ourselves to supplement enhancement abuse or extreme dieting and malnourishment. There is a line that I’m not willing to cross nor am I willing to risk my health or my clients’ health in the long term just to win a fitness competition.
Building a Brand
If you follow me on Instagram or are a member of our Facebook Group Page, then all you’re going to find and see are training videos, comprehensive diet and nutritional material and pretty much anything and everything related to health and fitness. I rarely post photos or share information of my personal life because I use our social media platforms to advertise our brand, not just myself. I have no interest in becoming a social media influencer, I don’t want to be an Instagram star, and I don’t even know how to open a SnapChat account. I want to deliver a clear message to our followers that promotes a healthy lifestyle in a positive manner. Therefore bathroom selfies, ass update photos, and shaming people who might not exercise or eat as clean as we do, have no place on our platforms. I am committed to helping people better they’re lives by promoting regular activity and teaching proper nutrition. I go to battle with the fad diets and the latest training gimmicks on a regular basis because I feel that it’s my responsibility as a fitness professional to expose these fictitious facts for the bro science that they truly are. And I try my best to deliver this message intelligently with my brain first and then back it up with my body second.
Battling Balance
Bodybuilding is my hobby. I enjoy cooking and weighing out my meals. I look forward to going to the gym to challenge myself on a daily basis. I love the benefits that I receive from lifting weights, both physically and mentally. I honestly don’t think I would be the person that I am today without bodybuilding in my life. Bodybuilding has taught me how to set goals and then how to achieve them. Regardless if these goals are fitness, financially or business related, I’ve learned that anything worth achieving in life is worth going through a little bit of pain, discomfort and sacrifice to achieve it. In fact, I think these feelings are necessary to feel. For if you don’t go through the hardships, then how can you really value your accomplishments?
Closing Thoughts
I think it’s important to not get too frustrated and discouraged when we don’t accomplish the goals that we set in the time frame that we set them in. I do think it’s important to have high expectations of ourselves, however I think it’s just as important to make sure that these expectations are realistic. Before setting any goal, I’ve always been honest with myself as to what I’m actually willing to do and sacrifice to achieve that goal. And if I’m not willing to put in the necessary time, effort and discipline to accomplish that goal, then that goal obviously was never that important for me to accomplish to begin with.
“If you want to live a happy life, tie it to a goal, not to people or objects.”
Albert Einstein
Yours in Good Health,
Nick Cosgrove
Forever Fit Performance