19/10/2023
Stress & the scalextric analogy. Words of wisdom from an experienced athlete who's been bodybuilding longer than most of the modern crop have been alive & MUCH longer than social media has been around.
Can you answer yes to any or all of these questions:
Do you weigh all your food to the gram, even in the offseason?
Do you weigh even your salt?
Do you take a Tupperware with your food on a night out?
Do you recoil in horror if someone offers you some food that you haven’t prepped?
Do you consider this normal, or even ‘hardcore’ & that normal people just wouldn’t understand?
Do you worry if you’re late for a meal?
Do you find yourself obsessing over foods you've denied yourself?
Do you have little or no social life because of your bodybuilding?
Yes? You need to read on…
When I first started bodybuilding, I was THAT guy. I researched the ins & outs of everything, I had an insatiable thirst for knowledge. I was meticulous to the core & fiercely defended my attitude as being ‘hardcore’ and to hell with anyone who didn’t get it. I revelled in being so dedicated. I carried a set of jewellers scales to weigh even something so innocuous as a baked potato when going out. I wanted to succeed so this was normal, right? In short no, but I believe this part of the learning curve is unavoidable too a degree as if I went back in time to myself back then, I’d probably not even listen to me of today offering better advice.
When I stopped competing in 2009, the pressure of the next show was now gone so I finally allowed myself to relax. I went from a religious six meals a day, to four. I allowed myself treats when I wanted them. Did I get fat? No, in fact I grew more than the previous decade inside of two years and stayed even leaner. So was I doing it all wrong before? Yes & no, and here’s why. Yes, you need to have a handle on your nutrition, training & rest but when you’re THAT obsessed, your actions to achieve this become imperceptible building blocks of stress, dressed up as being ‘dedicated’. Everything has to be just so, to the point where you stress over it. This inevitably has a cumulative effect, restricting growth & promoting fat storage as you become a seething pot of cortisol. Picture a Scalextric set; a child will pull that trigger hard, ALL the time & when they encounter a bend in the track, they fly off & crash. An experienced player knows to let off the gas & will negotiate the bend intact & win the race. Your ‘hardcore’ habits are the child squeezing that trigger & until you recognise where easing off the gas is actually beneficial, you’ll never really achieve your true potential.
Ease off to get ahead. Question your habits & ask yourself are you adding avoidable stress by being too strict? This may be a leap of faith moment for many but I promise you you'll thrive, not just survive, if you stop obsessing over every tiny little thing. Bodybuilding should enhance your life, not engulf it.
