Years ago, as a PT and Fat Loss Transformation Coach… I learnt some powerful lessons in “resilience” and “business”…
Women often bought into the misconception that performing heavier weights was going to turn them into “Arnie”... Men, were “hell yeah” to the benefits of muscle physically and mentally… especially if was going to help them look and be more powerful… or get laid. LOL
For Women…
The thought of a strong body, with some slight muscle definition… had them freaking out that they were going to grow a male appendage, that their husband / boyfriend would dump them because she’d look a man from using dumbbells…
…And that hours and hours of cardio was the only solution.
For Men…
The thought of being too slim, with not enough muscle… had them feeling like they would be considered too feminine… it was “how fast can I pack on muscle?”. And “can I do that while still drinking beer and eating pizza… and hitting the nightclub”?
For Women…
99% wanted to be super slim, slender. They wanted overnight results… Most were addicted the scales… Beating themselves up about why they couldn’t look the same as when they were in their late teens and 20’s.
…If their weight varied 1lb from one day to the next… There was a myriad of self worth issues that played on them mentally, emotionally and physically. It was an uphill battle trying educate women on the benefits of increasing muscle… not just for their present… but for future health.
For Men…
If they didn’t see an instant six pack… as they were competing / comparing with other Men… they’d get frustrated, and rebel against their training program… especially if they viewed Men with muscular bodies as role models, particularly if those Men were “pulling” women...
…Health benefits of muscle was far from the top of list…it was more about how they were being perceived as a man.
As the years continued…
I changed the language I used and worked hard on research, courses, training… I knew what to expect, how to adapt, adjust… found cool ways to educate clients to get them the best results they could… to suit their body, fitness, health or sports goals…
When I was contracting to gyms I never knew what clients I’d be working with… And the same when I started online. Clients would sign up with a vision in their head… but it would change along the way… especially with infomercials and fad diets being pumped into their minds.
I loved my clients to bits and had great connections with them…
But I also valued the clients big time who seemed more stable in their goals and weren’t so heavily influenced by others.. and fads.
This was why it was so important to include a mindset and resilience component in our training, along with workouts and nutrition… so that clients had strength and faith in themselves.
Then one day I was deep in thought about my clients and work…
And decided…
I was only going to take on new clients, Men and Women, who were genuinely open to creating and building muscle…
Men wanting a lean physique… for women a lean and curvy, shapely physique… both with a focus on great health, fitness… now and for the long term… more advanced results…
From a mindset point of view they were easily several levels ahead in personal growth, experience in resistance training and awareness of the importance and benefits of muscle.
Side note:
…there’s still old clients that have access to the Ultimate YOU Dream Body programs, and the previous programs to that… I gave lifetime access to them when I retired from PT and Fat Loss Body Transformation completely. It’s basically sitting there on a server.
Here’s what happened…
The first round, I took on a group of Women only… so I could iron out any kinks in the process… I’d worked really hard on the programs, trialed and errored, proofed them with clients and myself…
…I knew firsthand how transformational the methods and techniques within the program were from already training clients specifically utilising this.
All of the women, except for 2, were treadmill and / or cardio junkies. Moving into their late 30’s and early to mid 40’s…
No matter what they tried nothing would shift the body fat.
They wanted a lean, shapely hot rockin body. They wanted amazing shoulders and backs that popped in halter-neck dresses and tops… Defined arms… Sexy legs and glutes that you could bounce coins off… toned strong midsection.
I asked them to quit their current cardio for 6 to 8 weeks… Mainly because I wanted them to receive results sheerly from resistance training and nutrition… to prove to themselves what could be accomplished…
And to help give their bodies a break from the huge amounts of cardio they were currently doing.
So… We focused on the resistance program, which had some high-intensity components and the nutrition which was designed to support muscle growth and repair.
They were a little nervous… but followed the program, I was super proud of them…
They kicked ass!
Big time!... saying they’d never had a body like that… ever!
They were rocking bikinis… strong, fit, confident… doing things they’d previously procrastinated on due to internal mind and emotional games…
As the weeks continued we gradually bought back cardio 2 to 3 times per week… in small shorter stints.
Then we moved on to maintenance.
There was a powerful shift in them.
BUT there was also a powerful shift in me.
LESSONS IN RESILIENCE AND BUSINESS…
Y’see…
1. I’d chosen who I felt the most connected, inspired and loved to work with as clients.
Women and Men who had a higher level of awareness around muscle, mindset and resilience. Not only did they see the value in it… They understood the commitment, growth, insights and transformation that takes place physically, mentally and emotionally.
Which meant that the time that would normally be spent on working with a client to help get them to a place of acceptance, mindset, training experience, fitness level and education so they could achieve more specific results…
Could now be spent on advancing clients further with workouts, training, nutrition and on what they chose to accomplish… with exponential personal growth (mindset, resilience) and results.
2. Due to their genuine commitment… The programs aligned with the new clients…
They invested confidently – financially, timewise and in themselves… took responsibility for holding themselves to their word.
And due to a higher level of awareness… They weren’t trying to find shortcuts or quick fixes… they weren’t spending time attempting to negotiate and make excuses to devalue themselves and their own efforts. Which isn’t fun for either party.
Simply put… they had absolute faith in themselves.
3. Because of my own commitment to this… I got to coach more people in achieving VERY specific results…
The process was more flowing… And I got to add extra bonuses and spend time with them doing things that we were both incredibly passionate and dedicated too.
Which equals even MORE results… even better than expected outcomes for them physically, mentally, emotionally, in their personal life and business. (They were mostly Entrepreneurs.)
4. I also trained couples, and I trained Men… with continued better-than-expected outcomes.
5. I’d simplified things…. This also, internally for me, strengthened my own self rapport, my own intuition… it filled my cup big time… and was incredibly rewarding seeing their amazing outcomes and growth.
6. I got to set stronger boundaries, take more courageous action, hold myself more powerfully responsible, determined… I got to challenge and explore my own limits… help others challenge and explore theirs…
I got to be more gutsy and edgy in my approach to being more congruent to what’s important to me and my commitment to helping others achieve.
7. It led to me being one of the sponsors of the Ultimate Fitness Competitor in WA…via a conversation with a good friend and colleague.
8. Then… onto training one of the winners of the Ultimate Fitness Competitor … to absolutely kick ass at a major Body Building comp, it was her first time competing in those categories… she placed 2nd and 3rd.
9. I became even MORE passionate about the benefits of how building muscle supports our health, our brains, our metabolisms, our balance, our immune systems, our strength…
I got to speak up more about that. Which I’d been a kinda scared to do, before making that commitment to changing directions.
10. It led me to meeting new contacts, friends and an amazing photographer that I worked with years later for my own photoshoot for my poetry for Men and Resilience.
These days, years later… Even though I’m not a PT and Fat Loss Transformation Coach anymore… I still benefit from that decision… from that knowledge… from that dedication.
It also deepened my passion, my studies and my research into Mindset, Resilience and Anti-Fragility.
But that’s a story for another day.
Sometimes in life…
Having the guts to simplify things…
To move towards what you’re genuinely connected too…
(Versus robbing ourselves out of our own joy and feeling like we have to create suffering and complication because it’s what’s expected of us)…
Can offer us new growth, new perspective…
And a stronger purpose.
In saying that…
There’s also been plenty of times in my life when I could’ve made stronger decisions, believed in myself more…
We all have… we’re human.
But those choices have bought us to where we are now…
In our present moment…
Right now… we have the opportunity to create options that will honour us in life…
And build upon our resilience muscle… or not.
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