Ask any guy who lifts how big they want to get and they’ll give you the name of a nearby planet, or moon. Seriously, asking yourself how big you want to get should not go unanswered. Some newbies may look up to bodybuilding legends like Phil Health or Arnold Schwarzenegger, but the majority will want to look like one of their fitness stars on Instagram.

However, before you decide how you want to look, first decide how much you’re willing to give to make it happen.

During the rock and roll era many youths aspired to play the electric guitar like their favourite musicians, yet how many ever came to do so? Learning an instrument, besides the triangle perhaps, takes years of practice and patience. It’s not something you can just pick up at the drop of a hat. In fact, musicians in general need to be very single minded because their success depends on it.

How many people do you know, in any field of life, that became an overnight success? Excluding lottery winners, I’d say none! Even those you may think to be an overnight success, were likely grinding long before you heard of them. Bodybuilding is no different.

Extraordinary results requires extraordinary effort, initially at least.

If you want to rival Mr Olympia, you’ll need to take bodybuilding as far as it takes you. Phil Heath’s full time job is a professional bodybuilder. That means he gets paid to be a bodybuilder, obvious right? Yes, but think about that for a second. That means his primary goal is to be the best bodybuilder around and to crush his opponents. How? Through hard work, extreme discipline, continued learning and the willingness to leverage any possible advantage.

Simply put if you want to rival a professional bodybuilder you must be willing to do, and sacrifice, what they do every single day. Can you eat every couple hours, consistently? Are you willing to use performance enhancing drugs? Steroids, HGH, insulin and whatever else may be available. Will you put bodybuilding before everyting else? If the answer to any of these is no, perhaps best to give up now. Seriously, it’ll be near impossible to rival the type of person willing to do anything it takes.

Yeah well, I don’t want to look like a bodybuilder anyway! They’re too big and gross. I want to look like so and so from Instagram/that TV show/magazine/film/etc

Oh you do now. Is their physical appearance an integral part of their job? Yes? Then why do you assume they put in any less effort than a professional bodybuilder? The truth is not everyone can be a bodybuilder, genetics play a big role in determining if you are champion material. Even if you trained the same way, eat the same way, injected the same drugs, and took the same supplements as the current Mr Olympia, you still wouldn’t necessarily rival him. Why? We are all different. For most people we cannot walk in their shoes because we were not built for it. Even if you survive the training, eating schedule and other aspects. Your body may just shut down because of all the drugs and/or it will not respond in the same way. Goodbye liver, it was nice whilst it lasted.

There is a common misconception amongst naive lifters. They think if they inject themselves with steroids they will instantly blow up to the size of a house with little or no effort. Well I got bad news for you, much like any drug, people react differently.

Let’s take the most basic drug paracetamol. Clinical studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of this household drug in countless randomised clinical studies, agreed? Then why do some people not get any pain relief from it? Better yet why do most people tolerate it without any side effect but others feel nauseous and unwell from taking a single tablet? Because we are all different. Given the same drug, or stimuli, we all have the potential to react differently. Bodybuilders respond particularly well to performance enhancing drugs and weight lifting, and that is one reason they are made to do what they do.

But Fitness Models do not take steroids, do they?

As I mentioned earlier, not everyone can be a bodybuilder, but more people can be a fitness model. I said more, not everyone. Obviously to be a fitness model you’ll need to have model looks in the face department and your muscles must form in an aesthetically pleasing way, something we have control over.

I don’t want to be a fitness model, I just want the body of one

Well we all grow differently and to say you want to look like someone else is not a good idea. You can however be a bigger, stronger version of yourself so don’t despair. If however you think that fitness models do not spend a big portion of their time to look like they do, or are not some sort of gear, well think again.

The Drugs Supplements Dilema

Think about it like this. You want to be in position X so bad, it hurts. Perhaps it’s your dream job. As it turns out, it’s a lot of peoples dream job, so the competition is high. The question therefore becomes, how do you get the competitive edge? Would you take a magic potion, that may have health consequences to make it happen? No. The other guy said he would, and now he looks better than you, unlucky.

Even if you work twice as hard as him, and on a physical level you’re both comparable, the other guy still may have the upper edge. Why? Well he did it in less time, and with the extra time gained he has more time to promote himself. Are you seeing the bigger picture now? That’s why most sports and industries based on physical appearance or strength are riddled with steroid use, because the people that dominate are willing to do whatever it takes.

What you will not do, best believe the next man will

Before we get too cynical not everyone is on ‘the juice’, just beware that when the stakes involve money whether that be prize money, salary or sponsorship deals, people will do what they need to do. Even if you’ll not.

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Realistically How Big Do You Want to Be?

The Time Dilemma

Painting with a very broad and general strokes, we look like we do because of the time and effort we put into our physical condition. If you’ve a chiselled physique that the almighty Zeus would be proud of, then chances are you’ve put in the time. The time to research around the topic, techniques, foods to eat, foods to avoid, best supplements, sleep requirements, different diets, time at the gym, time spent recovering/sleeping and so on. It includes the time you took to make something healthy rather than grabbing a takeaway because it’s quicker or easier.

Humans are creatures of habit and it is often the sum of many small actions which determine an outcome. Rarely is it controlled by one big move. This is not exclusive to fitness, this applies to all walks of life.

-A good relationship is based on lots of the little things over an extended period of time, not a single romantic gesture

-A good film is based on lots of great moments throughout, not a single good scene (well maybe Glengarry Glen Ross)

-A great business is based on an accumulation of good decisions, not a series of bad ones with a single great one.

-A good diet is based on a series of good decisions (consistently) not a single bad one

 

Is weight training my number one priority?

We all have the same number of hours in a day so how we choose to spend them is what separates us from others. If your number on goal in life is to be a bodybuilder or fitness model then I salute you and wish you all the best. You will need to spend a large proportion of your time progressing in this field and there is nothing wrong with that.

If on the other hand you want to be a professional chef or a musician, well don’t fool yourself into believing you can achieve what a professional physique competitor can with a fraction of the time.

The only question you need to answer, and answer honestly, is how much are you willing to give to achieve your goal?

The Food Dilemma

This relates to the time dilemma but I wanted to make a point of it alone. Many amateurs think that the time they spend in the gym is the pivotal factor to determining their gym success. Whilst it’s a contributing factor, I’d argue they’re wrong. Sure, physical activity is crucial part, but the real success comes from what happens outside the gym.

Consistency when it comes to eating is key, one bad meal will not ruin everything but multiple bad meals just might.

If you’re trying to lose weight but can’t stay away from KFC, I have no sympathy.

If you’re serious about your fitness goals getting serious about your diet needs to be your number one concern. We all know dieting can be tough but it’s even harder when you don’t help yourself. I have listed a few food related dilemmas below with possible solutions, if you’re not willing to invest in the solutions, don’t expect the results.

I can’t eat 5/6/7 times a day, it’s too hard and my work won’t allow it

This comes back to how important your fitness goals are to you. Is being a fitness model/bodybuilder your number one goal? If yes, perhaps you need to have word with your boss. Or find a more accommodating job.

But I love my job and I don’t want to quit

Try speaking with your boss and negotiating some sort of compromise. Perhaps you can split your lunch breaks into several smaller ones. Or perhaps, you can take a longer unpaid lunch break. Find a way to achieve what your boss wants, while achieving your goals too.

I can’t bring that much food to work, there isn’t space in the fridge for all my Tupperware.

Buy a meal management or meal prep bag. We at Gym Meals produce our own, and it can hold upto 8 meals depending on the size of each meal. Our meal prep bags also have space for all your other bits and bobs, like a protein shaker (with extra supplements) and a water bottle. The bags are fully insulated and come supplied with CMC gel ice packs to keep your meals cool for over 8 hours. Keep the bag under your desk if you must and your meals will stay fresh for when you’re ready to consume them.

Our meal prep bags (or insulated lunch bags) also come with a really clever Blender Bottle, water bottle, 10 meal containers, three hard shell ice packs and a padded shoulder strap making it convenient, comfortable to carry and excellent value for money. All for less than a pair of shoes.

Food where I work is too expensive or unhealthy

If you’re serious about your goals you shouldn’t be eating convenience food on a regular basis. Learn to meal prep and each meal will be a nutritional goldmine. Plus you’ll save both time and money in the process. Check out our article on meal prepping on a budget

I never know what to eat. What should I eat?

If you’re weight loss/bulk/cut means anything to you, doing the research should be a part of your plan. Allocate time for it and you’ll reap the rewards. Of course the internet is riddled with poor advice so be mindful of where and who you take advice from.

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Congratulations you have achieved it, now what?

Congratulations you’ve achieved your fitness goal. Perhaps you and your idol share the bodybuilding stage. Now what? Is this the career you want? Rock on. If not, was it worth it? Spending too long on something that isn’t that important to you is a massive waste of time, time you will never get back.

Once you achieve the size you want, it still requires maintenance and this often requires as much energy as it did to build the muscle. You still need to train and eat regularly, otherwise those gains will fade. Can you maintain that commitment?

It seems to me that people trying to lose weight tend to focus on the idea of a diet and consequently are doomed to fail

When it comes to selecting a realistic outcomes bear in mind it needs to fit your desired lifestyle. Perhaps the main reason people fail at dieting it because they see a diet as a temporary endeavour. A short 12 week stint and then back to usual. This results in what has come to be known as yo-yo dieting. The diet is viewed as like a short course of antibiotics, one they can start and stop as desired. The cycle of gaining a few pounds then putting it all back a few weeks later is normal.

Instead, it may better to have the mindset of starting a new lifestyle, NOT DIET. Your chosen diet should be sustainable and one you’ll follow indefinitely. This is a far healthier mind-set and is sure to yield better, more permanent results. I’ll write an article on this topic at a later date.

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So, how big do you really want to get?

It’s all good-and-well you want to look like so-and-so, but can you commit? Can you put in the the appropriate time and effort that the goal requires? Take a moment to really reflect. If you can, great! Otherwise there is nothing wrong with having more realistic goals. If anything, they’re better as you’ll be able to achieve them, and be happier for it! Remember, do not compare yourself to others, there is only one you and I want to see you become all you can be.