“Whenever you make a mistake or get knocked down by life, don’t look back at it too long. Mistakes are life’s way of teaching you. Your capacity for occasional blunders is inseparable from your capacity to reach your goals. No one wins them all, and your failures, when they happen, are just part of your growth. Shake off your blunders. How will you know your limits without an occasional failure? Never quit. Your turn will come.”
Og Mandino (1923-1996)

The motivation to succeed!!

Q: Lately I have noticed that I am lacking the usual enthusiasm to get into the gym. I really am not sure why this is happening, since I enjoy staying in shape, and eventually would like to compete in a bodybuilding show. Do you ever have times when you really don’t feel like working out?

A: Are you kidding? I never get tired of standing in front of the mirrors at the gym while looking at myself! I am only being facetious... please don’t take me seriously! It appears that you are running into a very common problem that people have while trying to accomplish their fitness goals. Almost every athlete of any type that I have talked to has at one time or another found it difficult to push themselves and remain MOTIVATED. The solution is to try and discover the reason why you are feeling less motivated than usual, and come up with a plan to conquer your lack of enthusiasm. The basic idea is to change your time in the gym from something that you feel that you HAVE to do into something that you WANT to do.

There are many reasons why we might experience a drop in our level of motivation. Our priorities might change, we aren’t getting enough sleep for muscle repair, we aren’t getting the proper nutrition for our body to recuperate, we see no rewards for our efforts, we are faced with financial burdens, our social life is under duress, and the list could keep going and going. The first thing we must do is identify what is causing our motivation to decrease. How can we make ourselves WANT to get back into the gym, and WANT to train hard to meet our goals?

The first thing to ask yourself is, “Did my priorities change?” At one point it may have been your plan to put on some muscle and compete in the local city championships. However, you got promoted at work and find your career is taking up more of your time and energy than it used to. You barely have time to make it to the gym and work out to stay in shape, and to sustain competition level intensity is becoming too demanding. You have to consider the other factors in your life and decide to sacrifice some of your other pleasures in order to create time and energy for your bodybuilding. You may have to give up your favourite TV shows for a few months in order to get to bed earlier. The weekends at the clubs with your friends may have to take a backseat for a while until you have accomplished your goals. One very important part of motivation is the EFFORT to achieve the goals you have set. You must give the goal the necessary attention, which means that some things will have to be sacrificed, and the goal will have to maintain a high priority.

Your lack of motivation may be due to something as simple as a lack of sleep or nutrition. Sleep deprivation will not allow your body to make much needed muscle repairs. Your mental alertness will also suffer, making it more difficult to uphold the psychological edge while working out. If you find yourself falling behind in sleep, make it a priority to use products like Venice Beach’s Engauge combined with Venice Beach “WOW Trim Fuel Tea.” When combined it becomes a pre-workout intensity amplifier that supports energy while also improving mental focus for those tough workouts. Additionally, use testosterone boosters like Primestrin+ and products to suppress the release of cortisol and boost immune system function like Venice Beach ADL3 and AGF MAX. This combination will boost your system for optimal performance, muscle growth and recovery, thus helping to reverse the effects of overwork and lack of sleep.

Always be certain to receive the proper nutritional amounts during your training cycles. Other than the actual workouts, your diet is the most important part of your training regimen. For complete information on putting together the perfect diet see my series titled “Diet, Nutrition and Change” at www.bodyfitness-uk.com and the upcoming series in the Top Trainers Network Column on the Venice Beach Diet. Both series will give you very detailed specifics on optimal diet and nutrition for mass building and fat loss.

The importance of the correct amount and ratio of protein, carbohydrates and fats cannot be stressed enough when it comes to maximizing gains! You need these nutrients in sufficient amounts in order to keep from going into a catabolic state. A lack of protein and carbs will cause you to become tired, weaker, and lose motivation. You will be using less weight, losing muscle mass and have less intensity than normal. This can dishearten even the most elite of athletes. Also, if you are not currently supporting your diet with a good protein powder I would strongly recommend that you start and for good reason. Several studies clearly show us that our nutritional needs, especially the protein component, sharply increase when following a weight train program as a result of the body trying to repair itself. This, my friend, directly effects progress, and by maintaining positive gains our motivation gets charged.

A study was conducted at Tufts University in Boston titled “Muscle Damage: Nutritional Considerations.” With regard to the damage caused by exercise researchers stated, “These metabolic alterations may result in the increased need for dietary protein, particularly at the beginning of a training program that has a high eccentric component such as strength training.” Getting enough protein spread out evenly throughout the day is a key component in the overall mix which allows your body to respond in a more predictable manner, by dramatically losing more body fat while gaining more muscle. Gram for gram I get the best results with absorption enhanced UDA Protein and Kazitol Protein Powder. They are ideally suited for hard-core lifters. I turn all my clients on to them because they rank at the very top as the most bioavailable of any proteins with the highest amounts of BCAAs and other growth factors for superior muscle synthesis. Feed your body, or it will start feeding off itself. Remember, individuals with the right diet and training approach who are continuing to grow muscle are more likely to stay motivated.

Also, try your best to keep financial and personal affairs in order. Not only will problems in these areas burden your mind, but also studies have shown that stress releases cortisol in your system. Cortisol destroys muscle and makes our bodies recuperate slower. By limiting stress, you can keep cortisol levels down and limit the effects that stress has on your motivation.

Goal setting
When setting goals, keep them attainable. If you are never reaching your goals then it is likely that your motivation to keep trying will diminish. As honourable as it is to “aim very high,” be realistic and don’t frustrate yourself. As you progress (accomplishing smaller goals), your abilities expand and you can set higher goals. It is also a smart idea to set many small goals on your way to accomplishing the overall goal. If your overall goal is to compete in a bodybuilding show, then set smaller ones on the way that lead to that goal. Maybe the first goal could be to add ten more pounds of muscle, then add some sweep to your thighs. Next, you could set a goal to add half an inch to your arms, etc. Setting these smaller goals will help keep your motivation high while staying focused on the larger picture. Additionally, you will experience the gratification of achievement sooner and more often.

Keep reminders of the rewards of accomplishing your goals around you. Have pictures of competitive bodybuilders that inspire you where you can see them many times throughout the day. This is what Arnold did when he first got started and it sure seemed to help keep him fuelled to reach his goals. Doing this will help you visualize yourself as a competitive bodybuilder and support your desire for change. It will remind you of what you are trying to achieve. Ask competitive bodybuilders how gratifying it felt when they were standing on stage in the best condition of their life.

Make it a point to put your goals in terms of behaviours and review them daily.
This will enable you to become a motivated person. As an example tell yourself these things:

Physical Skills: “Daily I will take steps both in terms of training, diet and supplementation to add size, shape, and decrease body fat to help move me towards my goal of becoming a competitive bodybuilder, or to reach my physique goals.”

Cognitive Skills: “I’ll use visualization as much as possible to feel the muscle more and become a better poser.”

Gain Knowledge: “I’ll read and re-read the information in this MET one year physique transformation series (see www.bodyfitness-uk.com) along with books, bodybuilding magazines, etc., to get the best and most complete information on diet and training.”

Courage: “I’ll train harder today than I did yesterday, and strive to never miss a workout, no matter what!”

Social Support: “I’ll talk to promoters and judges about what it takes to do a bodybuilding show. I’ll become friends with other competitive bodybuilders.”

As you can see, there are many factors involved in staying motivated. Set realistic goals that you WANT to achieve. Ones that are just out of reach but not out of sight. Once you know the overall goal, set goals for the smaller steps needed to achieve that goal. Stay focused and use your head as well as your heart! It is easiest to maintain momentum when we feel capable of reaching the goal, in charge of the outcome of our actions, self-sufficient, recognized for our accomplishments, and optimistic.

A winning approach
Your “angle of approach” is everything. Set your goals in writing and approach it like a winner with a real expectancy for success and a winning master plan. This will go a long way in helping you to stay motivated and on track. With a clear plan and well defined goals laid out in your MET Goals Tracker (also available for free at the above web site) you can easily trace where you are right now and where you are going. With a master plan or blue print you know how and what you will be training and eating today, tomorrow and next week. This is valuable in that it brings clarity, confidence and anticipation to what you are doing.

As the old saying goes, “You get out what you put in.” It all comes down to: (A) How badly you WANT to accomplish your goals, and (B) Following the right plan. Now is the time to put on your “game face” and get ready to take charge. Visualize your outcome often. Conceive it, set your goal in writing, believe it, and then achieve it!!

The difference in success for people with a written goal (compared to those without a written goal) is anywhere from 10:1 to 100:1! The chances of success grow substantially through the power of a written goal that is kept fresh in your mind. WRITE IT DOWN and keep it somewhere that you can see it often.

Creative process in motion

Before drifting off to sleep at night see yourself looking into the mirror and viewing the body you always dreamed of having. See the details of you back, chest, shoulders, thighs and calves and make it as real as possible. This will help set your creative processes into motion. Get excited and see yourself walking along the beach in the months to come in the best condition of your life. Feel what it would feel like to be living in that body and know that with vision, a sound plan and consistent follow through you can harness success and gain mastery over anything in the world that you set your mind to.

This month I will leave you with a poem I came across years ago by an unknown author that carries as much truth today as it did the first time I read it:

• State Of Mind
  If you think you are beaten, you are; if you think you dare not, you don’t;
• If you’d like to win, but think you can’t, it’s almost certain you won’t.
• If you think you’ll lose, you've lost, for in the world you find
• Success begins with a fellow’s will; it’s all in a state of mind.
• If you think you’re outclassed, you are; you’ve got to think high to rise; you’ve got to be sure of yourself before you can ever win a prize.
• For many a race is lost before ever a step is run; and many a coward fails before ever his work’s begun.
• Think big and your deeds will grow; think small and you’ll fall behind; think that you can and you will; it’s all in a state of mind.
• Life’s battles don’t always go to the stronger or faster man,
• But sooner or later the man (or women) who wins, is the fellow who thinks he can.

  Anonymous