I must admit I had difficulty writing this week’s blog. To be honest it wasn’t because I was too busy or that I could not decide on a topic to write about but more so because of my recent lack of energy and lower then normal functioning brain power. If you follow me on social media then you may already know that I am currently training for the Vancouver Pro AM and Expo Show to be held this weekend at the Convention Centre in Downtown Vancouver, British Columbia. Alas this being the final week of my contest prep I am feeling quite depleted, a little bit irritable and utterly mentally exhausted at the moment so my apologies if this week’s blog comes off as incomprehensible or illogical.

As a personal trainer I feel that it’s my duty to be completely transparent with my clients and you the reader when it comes to what I know about the health and fitness industry. I always remind people that my thoughts and opinions that I share through my blogs are just that and by no means have I ever tried to challenge or put down a style of training or diet plan designed by another fitness professional. I simply share a few facts and provide a little bit of insight as to what I myself have learned over the years working in this industry when it comes to training and nutrition. Today, I would like to share with you as to why I compete in bodybuilding and why even after all these years I continue to get up on the stage displaying my half naked physique for the general public to see and to be critiqued upon by a judging panel whom I’ve never met or spoke to before in my entire life. But more importantly I also want to explain to you why even though I continue to compete in this sport, as to why I believe that the majority of people should not even consider stepping on stage to be judge solely on their physical appearance. So at the risk of losing a few potential contest-prep clients, let’s get started.

Back in the Day….
I remember my first fitness contest that I ever entered. It was at a small theatre and there couldn’t have been more then one hundred people in the audience. My class alone only had eight people in it! The show was small but was run professionally and all the athletes were treated with respect and dignity. I remember telling clients and gym members that I was “prepping” for this particular show and I also remember that not a single person I spoke to even knew what the word “contest prep” meant. This was because at this time physique competitions were more of a cult following and something the average person had little to no interest in following or doing. Even the bikini division at that time had no more then a handful of girls in each class as opposed to today where we see hundreds of girls lining up on stage to be judged and critiqued on their external weaknesses and flaws. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m extremely happy to see that as a sport, physique competitions have become very popular within the general public over the past decade. The ongoing support from fans and competitors alike has allowed our sport to grow. We now have many more different divisions then ever and the fact that everyone is so keen on getting healthy and fit is truly amazing. Except for one thing – There is absolutely NOTHING healthy and/or fit about this sport.

Make it or Break it
Whenever a potential client contacts me for the sole purpose of helping him or her prepare for their very first fitness competition I always ask them why they want to compete. Once I have an understanding as to why this client wants to get on stage I then make sure that they fully understand what it takes to compete. And I don’t mean all the bullshit generic hype that we usually hear about sacrifice and determination, that’s a given. What I mean is the toll it takes on their bodies both physically and mentally. I’ve met so many competitors over the years who have transformed their bodies for the stage and looked amazing externally for that one day only to be left feeling absolutely terrible a few days later. Dieting and training for a severely long period of time for one particular day can be extremely difficult on the body and the mind. Once the show has ended and the results are in the athlete might feel lost and feel they no longer have a reason to train intensely and stick to a relatively clean diet plan. And this can be detrimental as it can lead to eating disorders, body dysmorphia and even severe depression in some cases. Win or lose the show will eventually be over. There is no longer an event to train for, no longer a reason to go to the gym, no longer a reason to not order that extra side of fries or eat that slice of cheesecake. And then all of a sudden, just like that, all those months of hard work have been wasted. And now, new and potential dangerous health issues have arised.

Train for Life, Not Just for the Stage
I know alot about competing in fitness and physique shows. I also know alot about what happens after the show is over. I didn’t learn about all the issues above from someone telling me though. Although in hindsight I now wish that I was at least warned. See after competing in my first show I was left feeling with all the mixed emotions that I listed in the above paragraph. I had no desire or motivation to go to the gym. I felt like I was constantly hungry (even though I really wasn’t) and I started to let my body go. I ate whatever I liked, I didn’t care about how I looked and I didn’t like how I felt about myself. These feelings lasted for a few months. I desperately needed to find my passion for training and reignite my flame to start working out again. But if I was going to do this properly I needed to have a goal in mind to help keep me focused. And that’s when I came up with the concept of looking, feeling and being fit for a lifetime, not just for a day.

Short Term Goals Turned Into a Long Term Goals
One of the things we always ask every single one of our clients to do when they first start working with us is to set both short term and long term goals. We feel that it’s important to not only set these goals but to set specific timelines to reach these goals. This allows our clients to stay on track with their training as well as their nutritional plans. Years ago after my first competition I decided it was time that I reset both my short term and long term goals myself. I personally like to set extremely difficult goals to achieve. Whether they are fitness or business related they are always on my mind and they allow me to stay focused and determined so that I get closer to reaching them each day I wake up. When it comes to my health and my physique, my goal is simple and direct – I want to look and feel better about my body each new day. I don’t believe in going backwards, only forwards. Sure, we all have slip ups from time to time, but for the most part it’s important for me to stay on course when it comes to my health and nutrition. Yes, I compete in bodybuilding competitions. And yes I want to always place the absolute best that I can in each show I do. But competing is just a hobby to me. It’s not my life nor is it my passion. If I had to stop competing tomorrow it would be difficult however it would not break me as it doesn’t effect my ultimate goal which is to be fit and healthy for life not just for a day or for a particular season. In keeping with this mindset, I can still be fit and never have to step on the stage again if I decide not to compete any longer.

In the End…..
Whether you are a fitness competitor or considering entering your first physique competition or you are a regular gym enthusiast getting ready for a particular event such as a wedding or summer vacation you need to remember that this is only a small portion of time in your life and that you have many more years on this planet to go. Therefore my recommendation is that you constantly set new short term goals to achieve along with one or two long term goals that you are always striving to continue to improve upon. I believe that it’s important to be satisfied with our accomplishments but that it’s also essential to make sure that we stay on track with our long term goals and never allow ourselves to rest or lose focus for too long before we risk developing poor behavioural habits.

“Arriving at one goal is just the starting point to starting another.”
John Dewey

Yours in Good Health,

Nick Cosgrove