I have this theory when it comes to diet and exercise. Essentially, I believe that if you train like shit, then you’re going to look like shit and that if you eat like shit then you’re going to feel like shit.

Pretty crazy right?

Contrary to what those 15 Minutes to Fast Abs Workouts and the If It Fits Your Macros Diet will sell…..Oops! I mean tell you, I wholeheartedly believe that if you want real long term lasting results, then you not only need to work for them, but you need to work your ass off for them. No fancy fitness app or overpriced nutritional guru or overhyped cardio class is going to produce “amazing” or “guaranteed” results for you. You have to be the one that’s willing to put in the time, effort and discipline with both your training and your diet to achieve your health and fitness goals.

I know, I know, many of you already know this. However unfortunately there are many more of you that actually don’t. And I can state this as a fact without hesitation simply because I work with many people online and in person on a daily basis who suffer from extremely high delusions or grandeur of what can be achieved with their physique when it comes to getting down to business, both in the gym and in the kitchen. And quite honestly, I can’t blame them. We are after all being constantly mislead on social media by false fitness facts and fake transformation results that were achieved with a very minimum amount of exercise and lots of flexible dieting.

Rookie Mistake

When I first started lifting weights I wanted to look like Arnold Schwarzenegger. So I ran out to the book store and purchased his Encyclopedia of Bodybuilding and read all 837 pages back to back within a span of 3 days. I figured that if I wanted to look like Schwarzenegger then I would have to train and eat like Schwarzenegger. So I did Arnold’s recommended training split, which involved training with weights twice a day, six times a week. I followed Arnold’s diet, which involved consuming over a dozen eggs a day and pounds upon pounds of poultry and red meat. For 1 year straight I did everything that Arnold told me to do. And after 365 days of training, dieting and living like a young Arnold Schwarzenegger (before he became rich and famous that is), I didn’t even look a fraction as good as he did!

So what went wrong?

False Pretences

Even though Arnold included his diet plan and training program in his book, he “forgot” to include a third and extremely important component as to how he achieved his world class physique – STEROIDS!

Now by no means can I blame Schwarzenegger for not openly admitting that he took steroids throughout his entire career as both a bodybuilder and an actor. Steroids are after all a banned substance in North America and even if only for personal use, can still attract a severe punishment whether in fines, incarceration, or both. I honestly only have myself to blame. My ignorance and naivety in the so-called health and fitness industry had got the best of me. I felt duped at first, but quickly realized that Arnold wasn’t the only one in Hollywood using supplement enhancements. Fast forward twenty something years later and many of our famous actors, musicians and athletes of today are still using anabolic steroids, if not more now then ever. And personally, I see nothing wrong with that. After all, whose to tell you what you can and cannot do with your body? And the fact of the matter is that if taken responsibly and under the supervision of a doctor, most steroids are relatively safe to use.

Fake Natty Bullshit

Where I take issue is with the people who claim to be “Natural” yet are obviously juicing and are using their image and physique to further advance their careers. In the bodybuilding industry, we call these people “Fake Nattys”. Whether it’s trainers on YouTube or Instagram selling their online weight loss programs, or jacked up celebrities and bodybuilders having ghost writers giving detailed accounts into their training programs and diet plans just to sell a few hundred thousand magazines (yes, some people still read magazines!) it pisses me off!

As someone who has spent alot of time in the kitchen, effort in the gym and money on legal supplements, I feel that it is my responsibility to expose these fitness phonies for what they truly are: Dirty Salesmen! This is why when a client tells me that they want to look like The Rock, I tell them that they better find out what his steroid cycle is then. Now by no means am I’m trying to put down The Rock, in fact I actually quite like The Rock. But if you want to look like The Rock, then you’re going to have to juice like The Rock. You’re also going to have to bust your ass in the gym and eat like The Rock. But without the addition of his special supplements to the equation, you’re going to look more like a pebble then a rock.

And ladies you might think those swimsuit and bikini models have amazing butts and toned legs, but don’t think for one second that every single one of these women are 100% natural. Sure, the odd one or two of them might be. There are some genetic freaks out there after all. But many, if not most are taking some type of pharmaceutical fat burner along with a hardening agent or two. And I’m not talking about the fat burners that you can buy at your local GNC!

Closing Statement

Now I’m not trying to demotivate you to eat clean and train hard naturally. Steroids are definitely not the only solution to achieving and obtaining an amazing looking physique. All of us can achieve fantastic results with our bodies naturally, if we’re willing to put in the effort and sacrifices needed. Some of us are willing to put in the work needed but want more. While others might not be willing to put in any work at all and are just looking for a short cut (FYI those people never last long in the fitness scene).

Whether you choose to be a natural athlete or an enhanced athlete is a decision that only you can make. But don’t create unrealistic expectations in your head of what you can achieve with your physique as you are only setting yourself up for failure and disappointment. I think that it’s important to have idols, but I would never suggest to only idolize someone for their outer appearance. Even if they did achieve it naturally, it’s still only aesthetics.

“Do not be fooled by its commonplace appearance. Like so many things, it is not what is outside, but what is inside that counts.”
Walt Disney

Yours in Good Health,

Nick Cosgrove
Forever Fit Performance