It is not a secret that in order to build muscle, you will need to push your calories up to a surplus, and with that – as well as gaining quality tissue through training and recovery – will also come some body fat gain. Of course, this is completely normal and in fact, quite healthy and necessary too, as staying lean year-round is unsustainable at best, and exhausting and damaging at worst.

Change is something that scares many of us. Change means stepping out of your comfort zone, into an unknown space, and wholeheartedly trusting that the steps you’re taking will be worth it in the end, even if you cannot control the outcome [1].

Fear is something I see constantly in the fitness and bodybuilding world: a fear of not being ready in time for a show or shoot, a fear of other people’s opinions, the fear of making a mistake, and/or the fear of still being the person that you want to change by embarking on a transformation journey.

Are you sick of spending time training but not seeing the results you want or expected? Well, here’s a question you need to ask yourself: How hard are you working when nobody is watching?

Is this you? Do you feel like you’ll never be able to achieve an elite physique? Do a photoshoot? Step on stage? Here’s the thing: neither did I. But yet, irrespective of that, I tried. I didn’t let that stop me. And trust me, there were many times where I felt like I wish it had.

So, you’ve started a dieting-phase, and all is going well. Feeling a bit leaner, dropping weight on the scale, not struggling at all… till it hits you. The HUNGER is suddenly real, and you can feel yourself drooling over high calorie foods that you’d love to eat, but you know won’t help you achieve your goals.

Have you ever experienced self-doubt when it comes to your ability to achieve a goal? Yes, me too. In fact, we all have. As a competitor (beginner or experienced!) and/or as someone who is currently transforming and elevating their physique, you WILL question yourself and your ability to accomplish whatever you set out to do

Do you feel stressed and anxious when things don’t go your way? Do you feel agitated when your plans change last minute? You’re not alone.

Accomplishing any big goal that you’ve set for yourself takes a lot of consistent effort; it requires you to pour a lot of energy into something that might be months or years in the future. That is, it takes razor-sharp focus.

Let’s be honest, in an Instagram world that promotes being lean year-round as the epitome of fitness, going into a gaining phase / offseason / push phase as a female can be a real mental challenge

If you’ve ever taken part in any sports or performed anything (dance, music, singing, …) in front of an audience or crowd, it’s likely you’ll be familiar with experiencing some degree of competitive nerves or anxiety.

As both a physique coach and exercise psychologist, one of the questions I get asked most frequently is “How do I get myself out of this motivation slump?” It’s no secret that we all struggle or have struggled at some point with motivation to exercise and/or to nourish ourselves in a way that’s contingent with our goals. That’s because motivation isn’t something you either have or you don’t – it’s a lot more nuanced than that.

Have you heard of this expression? Do you ever feel like this is you? “All or nothing” or black and white thinking styles are incredibly common, especially when it comes to the fitness world. With this thinking, you’re either “making progress or you’re not”, “ticking the boxes or not”, “eating 100% clean or ordering a takeaway”, “smashing the gym 6x a week or not going at all”. Do you see where I’m going with this?

If you have competed before, or have gotten extremely lean, you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about when I refer to “prep brain”. If you haven’t been there before but are currently dieting for the first time, you will no doubt find out about prep brain soon enough. It’s not actually something you really need to worry about – it’s more just about knowing that the leaner you get and the closer it gets to your show/shoot, the very logical part of your brain may simply not be as rational as it normally is.

Self-care is a term that has become increasingly popular in the fitness community, and you’ll hear everyone throwing it around or showing the world their self-care routines. This isn’t a bad thing at all: whether we’re in an offseason or on prep, we all know for ourselves that self-care is relevant, but that doesn’t always lead us to practicing it deliberately.

Do you ever scroll through Instagram and wonder how on earth competitors cope with weight gain post-show? Do you sit there unable to relate to women embracing curvier bodies, whether it be after spending 20-24 weeks dieting for a show, or just as part of the “building” process?