It’s almost become a running joke, but it’s surprising the number of people who think that you cannot possibly consume enough protein on a vegan diet! A vegan or plant-based diet is one which does not include any animal foods, such as meat, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy or honey

For as long as I can remember, there has been a debate within the fitness industry about the use of protein intra-workout. The discussion has largely been around the benefits of supplementing branch chain amino acids (BCAAs), and whether or not it helped with the ‘gainz’ or was just expensive piss. All you need to do is type “are BCAAs good” into google and thousands of articles, studies and blogs will come up arguing for and against that argument.

As bodybuilders/physique athletes, we all want to maximise training performance in the gym. We want to perform at our highest possible level whilst ensuring that our muscles are receiving as much “fuel” (i.e. food) as possible too.

Now that the competing season has begun in the UK, you may have seen athletes posting photos on their Instagram stories with their physique/skin covered in big red patches (similar to sunburn). You may have wondered: what have they done to themselves there?! And if it has anything to do with dieting, how on earth does hot pink skin help with fat loss?

Over the years, I have realised that one of the most commonly shared traits amongst new clients is that they have very little green vegetables or fibre in their diet. In fact, in some cases their diet might be completely devoid of anything green at all. Whilst intuitively we all know this is far from optimal, I wanted to use this article to discuss the importance of green vegetables in physique development and bodybuilding.

In the bodybuilding scene you will have two different camps, both amongst coaches and athletes. On the one hand, we have athletes who prefer following an exact meal plan provided by their coach, and coaches who would rather their clients follow a meal plan to the T; and on the other hand, we have athletes who prefer to manage their own food choices and follow a macro-based plan, and coaches who also prefer prescribing this more flexible approach.

If you’ve been a long-time follower of the brand, by now you will have seen that we tend to have large amounts of carbs around the training window, and effectively more total carbohydrates on our training days in general. However, you might not be aware that we will tend to run these a bit lower on non-weight training days (NTDs). Simultaneously we will run our total calories for those day a little bit lower also when compared to training days (TDs).

In the final few days, as you prepare for your show/shoot, your coach might recommend you take natural diuretics, so you might be wondering what they do. Before we get into it though, I should probably say that if you are not lean enough, these will not change how your physique looks. However, if you are, they can create a slight change that can be advantageous for your show/shoot.

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