What I would tell my beginner self

Believe it or not, I wasn’t always into my fitness. I didn’t play a lot of sports as a kid, I didn’t pick up a weight until I was 26 and before that, I was doing random body weight circuits. I was also convinced that the only way to get abs was by running for as long as I could. 

I believe the journey we take is the journey meant for us, everything happens for a reason. But if I could do it all again with the knowledge I now have, here’s what I’d prioritise:

1. Invest in yourself: Sure, a gym membership and a decent coach will set you back. But, I believe in investing in the things you care about. For me, that’s my business, my education, my living situation, the clothes that I wear, so why would my health - the thing that’s going to keep me alive for as long as possible, to enjoy all of the above, be any different?

2. Find like minded people: whether that’s one friend or a whole community of people who are going to keep you accountable, train with you and be there to normalise the ups and downs you’ll face along the way - we NEED these people in our corner. They take us to new heights - if you’re around people who’re partying all the time and have no interest in the things you’re working towards, this will set you back from achieving your goals.

3. Don’t be afraid to go against the grain: weight training is ‘in’ now.. But before weight training, everything I was exposed to was cardio based and the whole ‘nothing tastes as good as being skinny feels’ BS.. I started to educate myself and realised weight training was what I needed to do to achieve the physique I desired. The weights section was filled with dudes’ and the perception that lifting weights makes you ‘manly’. I went against the grain going into the weights room and I’ve never looked back. 

4. Don’t be afraid to lift heavy: Do you know how hard it is to build muscle? No, lifting weights won’t make you ‘manly’, it’ll give you feminine curves and it’ll take years. You want a booty? You want capped shoulders? You want abs? Focus on getting strong, manipulate your nutrition to suit your goal and if you’ve got no idea, get yourself a coach (refer to point 1). 

5. Technique is everything: If there’s one key thing you take away from this blog, let it be this! If you’re going up in weight but your technique sucks - you’re not training smart, and you’ll get injured. Progress with technique first in mind, master the basics and get really strong at them, before you think about upping the weight. This is how you’ll get killer results.

6. Don’t skip your warm up: A lesson I’m learning now - when you’re lifting heavy weights your body will break down if you’re not kind to it. Warm up efficiently to avoid injury and keep your mobility - isn’t ageing fun! 

7. Don’t rush things: I know you want gains, I know you want abs, I know you want them now, you impatient little thing. But this is one area you can’t speed up by working more, great results take time. Slow your lifts down and earn the right to add weight to the bar.

8. Don’t be afraid to rest: One of the biggest misconceptions about building your dream bod is that rest is for the weak. My best results came when I rested more and gave my body time to recover and repair the micro damage that occurs when you weight train. Science has shown that this is imperative to the growth of lean muscle. Give yourself the permission to sleep and rest - like actually rest, take a whole day off 1-3 times a week.

9. Be more conscious of your nutrition: It took me a long time to realise the HUGE role nutrition plays in achieving a strong and lean physique. I thought ‘eating healthy’ was enough but always wondered why I wasn’t losing weight… It wasn’t until I educated myself about tracking calories and macros, I realised I wasn’t getting enough protein or micronutrient dense foods to fuel my body. I began to understand energy balance, and started achieving my physique goal. 

I wanted a 10th tip because I like things to be even. But I’m out - follow these tips, pass them onto someone who needs to hear them and go lift safely with great technique! If you’re looking for a coach, a training program and a nutrition program, you’ve come to the right place!

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