The Prep Diaries – Episode 3

Welcome back! Week 3 is here and I’m raring to go. Had another 2lb drop so things still moving nicely, taking me to a total of 11lbs lost!

Starting weight: 16st 8lbs

Current weight: 15st 11lbs

The drop-in weight means there’s still no change to cardio or diet, I can’t see this lasting however as I’m starting to fall off in strength. 4 weeks ago, I could OH row 180kgs for reps where as 160kgs felt like it was super glued to the floor this week, so if my gym output is falling, my food will have to as well. To counter act this however my reps has gone up, and this is probably where the saying low reps for strength/size and high reps for getting lean comes from, its more about what you can manage. The less food means my body can’t recover the same way it was in a bulk phase, if I keep trying to push heavy weights and go for gym PBs every week, then I’m ultimately going to get injured, and that’s the last thing I need right now, not only for bodybuilding, but for teaching classes to you lovely people as well. Watch this space, first food drop is around the corner and you’ll probably see me sulking about it.

I want address a common theme that I’m sure a lot of you guys will be familiar with this week, and that’s gaining support from the people around us when we undergo a new challenge. I touched on last week about starting to train with my best mate and also being in contact, and spending time with my coach, to help feed off their support. But these people aren’t always around to support you, and the attitude of the people closest to you can play as massive part on your own attitude and motivation towards achieving your goals.

Time and time again we will tried to be swayed by the people who are meant to support us the most. We will here from friends or even partners, “oh come on, 1 won’t hurt”, or “why don’t you just have the night off tonight”, or maybe even more specifically, “just don’t take a picture of it and send it in”, was one example I heard in the groups this week. It can be so draining to be around this constant negative attitude of people trying to drag you down and steer you away from the goal you have so excitedly set your sights on. I think a big part of it can come from people’s own negative attitude towards how they view themselves, you being successful when they aren’t able to, is holding a mirror up to their own failings, and if they can’t raise you up and help you on your path, I would have to question, are they even a friend at all? Well it probably does have to remain a question because I can say I’ve been guilty of it myself many times in the past.

The worse case in my own experience was over hearing a conversation from a close family member that I was stupid and an idiot for going through a bodybuilding prep, it was a waste of time and it was making me miserable. Maybe they were right, but what they also fail to see, is the misery I experience without that purpose, drive and focus in my life to over come adversity and achieving something that I believed was worthwhile. This is the same for many of you, who have been miserable with the way they look and embarked upon a fitness journey to better yourself. Well I for one used this as fuel, and said let them doubt me, let them think what they want, I’m going to show them, and it made the victory all the more sweeter when I knew it had been achieved despite adversity!

I heard a saying this week, that you are the sum of the 5 closest people to you, that means if you hang about with 5 down and outs, that’s what you will become, if you are surrounded with motivated helpful people, then that’s what you are, find people who are moving in the same direction as you, and that’s good advice for life, not just fitness. Moving to today and I consider myself very lucky, I share most of my own training and diet in the sculpt group as this is the group closest to my own goals, and I was overwhelmed with the reception I got to the news I was starting a new prep, this alongside it being the first prep with Sophie by my side, I’m feeling unstoppable at this point.

The only concern is, I absolutely thrived in the face of adversity, so if people want to start calling me a loser at classes, you’ll be helping me out. At the same time, there is a certain pressure that comes with leading these groups, I HAVE to succeed, and it’ll be come evident over the coming weeks, that just because I preach this lifestyle, doesn’t mean it comes so naturally to me. I am only human, and I’ll be hard on a lot of you, but I face those same struggles you all can, on a weekly, if not daily basis! This is the advice I give to you, prove the doubters wrong, don’t let the whispers of “oh she’ll only fail again” become any louder than that, prover them wrong with your success. I will be using any negatives I find to my advantage, and although they may not be anyone obvious to prove wrong this time, there is always people waiting to watch you fail, and I for one, won’t be giving them that satisfaction.

I think this week’s diary shows a change in my mindset, fitness and nutrition is something I enjoy, but the serious tone of the diary shows a shift into a serious mindset, something I will need to get through this successfully. I’m sad to say it will become even more evident as the weeks pass, and you’ll see it face to face if you come to my classes, so feel free to tell me to fuck off, or stick to shouting loser.

Aaron