As a coach over the years I’ve had many a conversation with females about their goals and desires. Whether that be composition, strength or performance. There always seems to be this conflict where everything needs to happen in conjunction with the other. There can’t be an isolated area of focus for long otherwise you’re not as good as someone else in another given area. Now, let me be clear. This blog isn’t about bagging out where women are going wrong or anything of that nature. I would actually love for this piece to start a conversation we you could help either share things that have worked for you or find some value in some points I put forward that could aid in your progress.
Needless to say the fitness industry has become an arena of fuckery and deceit that has created unrealistic perceptions of what it means to be fit and strong. Seeing some fitness models and the following they generate now on social media really concerns me as they can actually impart significant influence on large populations of impressionable girls. This part of the fitness industry gains momentum in my opinion due to where these populations generally train – in commercial facilities. Where do the majority of general pop. train? – the same place! So it’s a no-brainer to concede why the standards set by the fitness modelling industry are so easily adopted as “what I should look like”. A lot of people who aren’t educated in the sport also don’t realise that these athletes don’t work around week to week like they do on competition day. So to create the “I want to look like her” argument becomes even more of a fast. However to play devils advocate just to show some love for some of the female athletes i do know in the sport. The general pop. don’t realise how fucking hard it is to achieve some of those on-stage results. Discipline, education, consistency and “supps” (if you’re cheeky, wink wink).
But if I’m being completely honest the attribute a lot of these girls lack is strength. Unless you’re at a super elite level these girls simply aren’t strong. They’re lean and look half decent in a bikini but couldn’t will themselves through a set of deadlifts 1.5x their bodyweight for 10-20 reps if their Instagram likes depended on it. Instead you’ll have to endure a crash course in submaximal glute exercises that will get you the booty of your dreams (insert sarcasm). If we want to throw weight loss into the picture now the biggest mistake i see girls make is using WEIGHT loss as the only measure of progress in body composition instead of incorporating FAT loss. Most of the girls I know will hopefully already have implemented this. But if you haven’t I can guarantee you’ve had a meltdown over the scales! Which leads me to another area of the fitness industry I hate – group fitness chains. I don’t have to name names but you all the know the major player on every corner at the moment. My biggest gripe with this franchise is the cookie cutter approach they take training. If you possess any pathology that limits your ability to perform any movement, they don’t impose any regressions, they will simply change the entire exercise. So rather than giving you the light of day to I don’t…improve, they simply want to ensure you finish the session pissing out sweat and grab your insta selfie before you leave.
No doubt the training itself can generate quick results, especially if you’re trying to lose weight. If you’re okay with that weight also being muscle then you’re in luck! At the end of the 8-12 week training block the initial improvements you experienced will start to wash up, as with a number of training modalities. Where almost every other training modality will now take you is progressions. Attempting more complex movements or overload in new ways. Not these group training facilities though. Same shit, different day. They play on the quick-fix mentality our society currently possess. Everything is instantaneous and delayed gratification is low. I urge you to play the long game! It’s an old adage but still rings so true – anything good is worth waiting for. So please, do yourself a favour and don’t buy into a 8-12 week challenge if you have no plans on making a complete lifestyle change. Chances are you’ll blow out even worse than when you first started because you increased your calorie intake with training and failed to lower once you stopped.
The final place I’d like to touch on is finding an appropriate coach and community to train in. As observer, if you were to hear some of the conversations I have with my girls you may think I’m being harsh or overzealous. But what I ultimately try and bring to our conversations is passion and care. I’m not here to tell you it’s all gonna be okay and we don’t have to do this or that today. Your peers are there to lie to your face and bitch behind your back, not me. I’m honest and will always look to improve you not only in the gym but the standards you hold yourself too. I urge you to seek out coaches who do the same, who actually give a shit and go the extra mile. Next you need to find a place where even people who aren’t your coach give a shit. Year after year I’ve surrounded myself with coaches and other clients/members who are happy to wait around an extra 10, 20 even 30 minutes to help spot a client or “get a gate” for those who familiar with the powerlifting terminology. If you continue to immerse yourself in an environment in which you want to continually train in and those in it want you to succeed as much as you do you’ve found the right place!
So we’ve covered off on a few areas in this post:
- Don’t create a “I’ll never be as good as…” scenario for yourself. Have goals, but don’t look left & right of you every 5 seconds
- Stop setting your standards off what you see on social media
- Weight loss and fat loss aren’t the same thing. Just because the scales are down doesn’t always indicate you’re heading in the right direction long term
- Cookie-cutter group fitness franchises have a ceiling on the amount of progression/regression options they have for your training long-term
- Show delayed gratification
- Find a coach who cares
- Find a community who has your best interest at heart
If you take on board some of the things I’ve mentioned here you’re at a place where you can accept new long-term habits. Quit being influenced by flashy bullshit which is heavily market/advertisement driven. Once your money’s on the dotted line, care is gone. Find something that challenges you but you can see a path to still be improving 5, 10, 20 years down the track. It’s all out there. You’ve just to let go of the bullshit excuses you keep giving yourself.
Life as Benny 