The other day a fellow gym member asked me how much weight I squatted during my leg workouts. He was surprised that I was unable to give him a specific answer. Truth be told, I have no idea how much weight I squat. I’ve never recorded my maximum lifts as every workout is different. Some days I feel strong, while other days I may feel weak. Sometimes I train at 3am while others times I’ll train at 10pm. Some occasions I’ll have had plenty to eat prior to my workout and other times I will have eaten nothing at all. To be completely honest, I don’t really record or keep track of anything I do when it comes to my own training or diet. Pretty bad for a Personal Trainer/Competitive Bodybuilder right? Perhaps. But before you write me off as just another dim-witted meathead who plays in the gym and throws heavy weights around all day, let me explain to you my method of madness and why quite frankly it works exceptionally well for me.

I’ve competed in dozens of fitness competitions throughout my life. I’ve tried numerous types of diet plans throughout my entire competitive career. I’ve practiced pretty much every single style of training at least once, whether I’m in the offseason or getting ready for a show. And after all of this, to summarize what I believe works best?…….Well, I don’t really know.

That’s right, you heard correctly – I DON’T KNOW. I don’t keep track of any of the diet plans I’ve followed over the years. I can’t remember exactly what I ate during my prep when I won my class at my first fitness competition. I have no clue as to what my body fat percentage was when I won the overalls at my second fitness competition. And I would be guessing if I even attempted to give you a rough estimate as to how many carbs I was consuming when I had veins sticking out of my abs for my last competition. So why don’t I keep track of what’s worked for me over the years and what hasn’t? Because to me, it doesn’t really matter.

Now let’s be honest. The main reason why most people start working out is to improve upon their physical appearance. Yes, I understand that there are plenty of people out there who workout for the sheer joy of becoming more healthy and fit. And if you’re one of those people, than that’s fantastic, good for you! However for the majority of people (at least for the ones I work with) this is not the only reason as to why they would join the gym and/or hire a personal trainer. As I’ve stated in the past, I see absolutely nothing wrong with training for purely aesthetic reasons. If obtaining ripped abs, bulging biceps, and/or a firm butt gets you into the gym lifting weights, then what do I care? As long as you’re in the gym doing something good for your body then you’re doing something good for your health, whether you care or not.

So to get back as to why I don’t record weights that I lifted from 10 years ago, or don’t keep track of macros from a diet I did 5 years ago, or don’t even bother to remember a workout that I did two days ago, is because it’s all insignificant to my goals of today. Because I’m a competitive bodybuilder I’m judged solely upon my appearance. The judging panel does not care how much weight I lift, how many calories I consume or how much I weigh on the scale. The only thing that they care about is how I look. And in reality, that’s how I judge my progress with my own physical appearance, whether I am competing or not. The only tool that I use is the mirror. Whether I like to admit it or not, the mirror does not lie. What I see is what I have. No number on a scale or no new personal lifting record in the gym is going to give me any sense of validation.

From a health standpoint I judge my progress by the physical activities that I am able to do. I can easily walk up ten flights of stairs without losing my breath or needing to take a rest. I can go for a run or long walk whenever I feel like it without having to worry about my knees giving out on me. My blood pressure is not in the normal range, it’s in the optimal range. As for bad cholesterol? Doesn’t exist in my body. Oh, and my resting heart rate? 48 BPM – Enough said. Ofcourse genetics can have a major impact on all of these health issues that many people do have but I can’t control my own genetics and neither can you. I can however control my level of activity and physical exertion. And I can control as to which types of food I put into my body and which types of food that I don’t. For these reasons, I give very little credit to my genetics and most of the credit to my workouts and lifestyle for my good health.

The main reason I don’t keep track of what has worked for me and what hasn’t in the past is because my body has changed over the years. I don’t keep training journals nor do I save old diet plans on my hard drive (not even the ones I’ve made for my clients). This is because what worked last year might not and most likely will not work for them or for me this year. When it comes to my own training and dieting I try my best to live in the moment. I assess both my weakness and my flaws. I don’t obsess over the things that I can’t change or the things that I don’t like.

I work with the body that I was given. I train it hard, I feed it right and I treat it well. If I look and feel better than I did 3 years ago, 3 months ago, or even 3 days ago, then that’s enough of a progress report for me. Be realistic with your goals, become motivated by your failures and become obsessed with your results.

Don’t forget to write that down………

Yours in Good Health,

Nick Cosgrove
Forever Fit