STICKING TO THE PLAN

I know I’ve missed a couple of weeks but I’m still here, still dieting and still training hard. The reason for my absence is down to plan old focusing on the task in hand and a few hiccups. Firstly I managed to trap some nerves and to put it mildly I was wailing like a baby. The pain was, well, painful and poor Dave almost had to carry me out of the gym. I can now proudly say that I’m 99.9% recovered as long as I stick to the rules. There are a few people out there who train hard and do not suffer any type of injury and they are lucky but my left shoulder is the bain of my training.  I put it down to two major accidents and the specialist stating that I have weak lower traps which I have been given exercises to do and once competition is over I will spend my time working on.

Secondly I have been very busy and really just needed to focus on my goal. Setting ourselves goals, whether they are long term or short term really need focus and determination. Whether you are implementing a new structure to your training plan, shifting a few pounds for holiday or just getting yourself into the routine of going to the gym are goals. To reach a goal you must have a plan because if you fail to plan you plan to fail. Each and every one of my 12 weeks leading to the competition is set out in a plan. Dave put this together for me in a little black book and I carry it around with me like a vicar with their bible. All too often people set themselves a goal such as making a sudden declaration they have gained far too much weight (I believe not enough people think this but that’s another blog update) and decide that they want to lose a stone or two in a couple of weeks and so cut everything out that they enjoy in their diet, go to the market to buy low fat this, low fat that, no fat, reduced calorie, declare from the roof tops that they are going to abstain from alcohol, no cake, no biscuits... la la la la  and only live on chicken and salad and fruit, loads and loads of fruit so it fills them up. I could go on but I think you get the drift and for these people they have all the good intentions of the world on day 1. Now by day five it’s all going downhill. They have already found the packet of biscuits in the back of the cupboard after an extra long double session of good old cardio at the gym and scoffed the lot before their gym bag has touched the ground, they had to have a bottle of wine with Sally when they meet up in the week as she had just broken up with so and so and you couldn’t let her drink alone. Excuses, excuses, excuses is all I hear but what makes me frustrated the most is that they didn’t put a plan in place because if they had they would have already given away any kind of treats in the house and arranged to meet Sally in a suitable place such as a coffee shop with some healthy snacks in the bag. Plus as a nice cup of black coffee would have the perfect thermogenic effect on her body. The weeks are going by and my body shape is getting leaner and people come up to me in the gym and ask me how I do it. So I tell them I have a plan and even though this plan to get stage ready is 12 weeks I actually started this plan 8 months ago. Even now I have a good idea of the plan I’m going to follow from September for the next 12 months thus getting me ready to compete again next year. I know those same people will come up to me again a few months either looking the same or bigger and complain again how they just can’t shift the weight. If you are one of those people who just can’t seem to shift the weight (excuse me please) but for fuck sake pull yourself together, get realistic and get yourself a plan. If you do not work in the fitness industry how the fuck are you supposed to know what to do, that is why every gym has something we call a Personal Trainer. They are there for a reason so get your podgy little finger on your latest wifi phone and look up for a well educated, well respected PT who is PICP qualified and even better Biosignature qualified too. (Go to www.charlespoliquin.com to locate your nearest PICP coach).

Even though I have a plan and a trainer to tell me what I need to be doing it’s not easy but that’s what I love about it the whole challenge because if it was easy then everyone would be in amazing shape eating nothing but organic foods.

Apart from my shoulder everything is coming along well but anxiety is creeping in. I’m determined to follow it all the way through and be at my best on stage. I’m still getting leaner every week, weight hasn’t changed that much and I have gained lean muscle mass and my strength is still increasing. Now that’s what happens when you follow a good plan put together by a well educated PICP personal training coach. I’m so lucky to have Dave Lewis from Upfitness (www.upfitness.co.uk) with me on this journey.