Hi team, as the inaugural male winner of the Pro Physique Transformation challenge, I have had the opportunity this week to welcome and support the challengers in the 2021 Pro Physique Transformation Challenge.
I really appreciated everyone that reached out to me with their questions regarding my own transformation journey last year and I wanted to share a few of my thoughts and advice with our Fit 40 Physique and Team F40P Coaching clients that were considering entering a body transformation competition or process.
I understand that this type of challenge can be daunting for many people, as it definitely scared the crap out of me, when I signed up last years competition.
From my perspective, you can only change what you can control, and I wanted to share with you the top 10 steps I would put in place, if I was competing in this year’s Pro Physique Challenge or working with a coach on a physique transformation process.
This information is not exclusive for over 40 women and men and is relevant to anyone wanting to be successful in a transformation process.
Here are my top 10 steps for having a successful physique transformation journey during the 2021 challenge process –
1. Set a Second Goal
Although we would all like to be a finalist in the challenge, this is ultimately out of our control. By all means set a goal of placing as high as possible or even winning the challenge, but I strongly recommend setting a 2ndgoal that’s all about you and that you have 100% control over.
For me last year, that goal was doing my first professional photo and video shoot. Having this goal in place made every workout just a little bit easier and when my calories started to get low, it was less difficult to stick to my target macros, due to wanting to look my best in my upcoming photos and video.
So, please choose a personal goal your passionate about and keep it in your forethoughts every day.
2. Become Personally Accountable
90 days doesn’t seem a long time, but I promise you as time progresses it will become more difficult. You will be tested often, and you will see some of your fellow entrants lose sight of their goals and eventually drop out of the challenge.
Please make a conscious decision to be accountable to yourself in finishing the full 90 days, achieving your personal goals and giving the challenge 100% effort.
If you do this, you will be a winner regardless of the final challenge placings.
3. Create a Plan
You have 90 days, 2160 hours, 129,600 minutes of body transformation challenge opportunity in front of you, how do you intend to use this valuable time?
It is essential that you have a game plan in place that will guide your actions over the coming three months.
As a minimum, I recommend the following –
a. Use a documented strength training program that progressively adapts over the entire 90 day period.
b. Document your macros targets and weight loss / gain targets and focus on those targets every day.
c. Develop a structured cardio program to keep those calories burning.
d. Create an accountability schedule to keep your efforts on track. For example, have weekly check-in’s with your coach, record your body measurements regular or take your progress photos on a frequent basis.
The great thing about having a documented plan is the ability to track and to tick off your progress. I can assure you that when you are sore, tired and hungry, being accountable to yourself for executing your plan, can make all the difference in hitting or missing your goals .
4. Get Yourself Organised
Everyone is busy, and although I am sure that everyone is 100% committed and excited to start a body transformation process, life can and usually does get in the way of us doing the work that we need to do to be successful, during the entire challenge process.
What I found helpful was to schedule every workout, every cardio session and every daily macro target within my online calendar. This way I could schedule my transformation challenge requirements in advance around my work and family commitments, and if a conflict occurred, I could then easily move my schedule around to ensure that everything got done, each and every day.
Meal prepping is also essential to a successful transformation challenge. Sunday afternoon was our designated prep day in our household and all of our protein would be cooked in one session and then portioned up for the week.
Meal planning was also simplified. I ate the same breakfast, lunch and pre workout meal every day. My post workout meal was on a 7-day rotating roster that contained a different protein each night, with the addition of the same carbohydrate on the side and either vegetables or a garden salad to round out the meal.
Yes, it sounds boring but with the addition of great low fat, low carbohydrate condiments, it was easy to stick to my meal plan and I must admit that I still eat and enjoy the majority of the same meals, 23 weeks after the challenge finished.
5. Set & Celebrate Milestones
During the 90-day challenge period, I highly recommend that you set a number of mini goals or “milestones”, as it will keep you motivated over the entire 90 day period and will keep you on track to achieve your desired final outcome.
These milestones can be interim body composition targets or adherence related targets that are associated with your workouts or diet macro targets. It is just as important however to celebrate the achievement of these milestones, as these “mini wins” will continue to build your confidence and momentum towards your final end goal.
6. Identify the Right Support Team
As mentioned before, there will be dark moments and challenging days, and its essential that we have supportive people in our corner, especially when things get tough.
Whether it’s a coach, friend or loved one, identify those people you can turn to as early as possible and be very clear with them what your goals and expectations are.
You want a support team of people that will keep you accountable and this may be challenging for family and friends, that don’t really understand what you are going through and why you are doing it.
Have these discussions now, and ensure that your support team is ready and willing to dish out some ‘tough love” when you need them to keep you accountable to achieving your goals.
7. Create Self-Motivation Triggers
Although some people are very self-motivated, many people (myself included), need a bit of extrinsic motivation along the way. I really liked having daily reminders of my goals in front of me every day. I used a countdown timer app on my phone to remind me of how many days I had to go until my end of my body transformation challenge photo shoot, and I had a framed photo next to my bed of the physique goal I was endeavouring to achieve.
Choose your own powerful self-motivation triggers and put them in places where you need that extra dose of self-encouragement.
8. Clean Out Your sh*t
I can guarantee you that motivation and self-control tend to wain as we move closer to our final body composition goal. If you can get rid of all of the foods and vices that won’t assist you during the challenge process, it will greatly assist you to be compliant throughout the entire 90-day transformation process.
I know first-hand how hard it can be to resist the corn chips in the cupboard, the wine on the shelf or the good cheese in the fridge, if is easily accessible. If you can toss is completely out of the house this is perfect solution, however getting it out of daily sight is a close 2ndoption.
As they say, “Out of sight out of mind. You soon forget people or things that are no longer visible or present”. Or as I say, get rid of your sh*t!
9. Log Your Progress
Management guru, Peter Druckerisoften quoted as saying that “You can’tmanage whatyou can’t measure.” This quote means thatyou can’tknow whether or notyouare being successful, unless successisdefined and being tracked.
During this challenge, set your goals, define your actions and measure your progress every day. You have 90 days to achieve your desired body composition, ensure that you are taking the action needed each and every day to get the result that you desire and rightly deserve.
I documented all of my goals, actions and targets on a spreadsheet and tracked each one of them for 90 days. Yes, it is a bit “anal-retentive”, but I can tell you first hand that it works, and this one action was a major contributor to my success last year.
10. Enjoy Yourself
Although this seems may seem obvious, it’s easy to forget why we started a transformation process in the first place. Keep focused on the positive changes that you will see every day, celebrate the small wins along the way and remember that you’re already a winner for taking the first steps to achieving your fitness and physique goals.
Please let me know if you have any questions as we would love to help you have a successful body transformation process. if you are looking for Body Transformation Coaching please check out our F40P Coaching Services page.
John
