Taking the pressure off and mindset changes.

I just competed in my first competition of 2024, and for the first time in a number of years, I went into it with no pressure to do well, and it was an amazing feeling.

For the last few years, my focus has been on getting to the standard that saw me finish 5th in Europe and 16th in the World, the training for this was brutal, constant and extremely frustrating.

For the past 3 years, I have been so intent on hitting certain numbers by a certain time in my training plan, that I would push myself to the point of over training, which would then see me picking up too many small injuries that effectively hamstringed my progress.

I found myself doing everything that I tell my clients not to do and then paying the price for it.

This year, however, I have a completely different outlook on training and competing. I’m no longer putting pressure on myself to get back to the standard required to compete internationally, instead, I’m looking to have fun in competitions, picking ones that are within my current capabilities and that don’t require me to push to breaking point. Which is exactly what this last competition was about.

I’ve also shifted my goals to changing my body composition and getting into better shape. This new goal means a reduced calorie intake, additional cardiovascular training and higher rep ranges for a more hypertrophic style of training, and I have to say, I’m loving the way I look in the mirror now, which is furhter motivation to keep going.

February 3rd at 128kg to April 19th at 118kg

To keep me accountable for my body composition changes, I’m documenting my progress weekly and will be booking in a photoshoot to give me something to work towards and I can’t wait to share the phots of how I’ll be looking when I do the shoot.

In conclusion,

If you are finding the pressure of training and competing to be too much, take a step back or change direction to give yourself a break, remember, sport at the amateur level is just a hobby, and if you let it become all consuming, you might find yourself missing out on so many amazing experiences.