Making Prep Enjoyable

Fitness Competitions | | Jun 18, 2020 | Ally's Angels

Prep is hard.

Prep is painful.

Tiredness.

Hunger.

Cardio again… yuck.

And if I ever see another plate of chicken and broccoli, so help me God….

Prepping for a competition can be ALL these things, and so much more.

But the truth is, dieting and training (regardless of whether you are stepping on a state or not) can be as enjoyable as you chose to make it.

Just like anything in life, it’s whatever we make of it.

So let’s break it down.

Diet

So you receive your meal plan, and it looks boring. Or does it? How you prepare your food falls on YOU. You can take what is in front of you as a hard and fast plan, OR you can choose to get creative.

Play with texture:

  • Chop
  • Grate
  • Slice

Experiment with cooking methods:

  • Bake
  • Roast
  • Fry
  • Steam
  • Grill

Add Herbs and spices

Opt for FRESH, these are negligible and unless you are told otherwise by your Coach for a specific reason, you can go CRAZY here.

As coaches, we always program our clients based on their preferences, but it falls on you to take it to that next level and keep it interesting.

Training

Motivation can be limited in prep. The closer we get to stage, some find this decrease. Having spent upwards of 20 weeks preparing for a stage, the last month in particular can seem to drag. This is where true mindfulness and focus is essential.

Take a few moments before you train to reset, focus and be present.

Consider how far you have come with the training you have been doing.

Consider how far you can actually GO with the training you are about to do.

Grab a training buddy – reach out to your team and hit the gym together. You can keep each other motivated and sweating like an absolutely pig.

Cardio

Really deserves it’s own heading, wouldn’t you agree. The old “cardi-NO” gets a fair flogging. Cardio plays a very important role in our comp prep tool belt, in particular the last 4 weeks before stage. Injecting bursts of cardio into our clients programs allows us to keep calories and nutrients high, whilst reducing that last bit of body fat. The key here is to find a form of cardio that INTERESTS and stimulates you. Think outside the box – and gym. Swimming, bike riding, an outdoor class… don’t bore yourself on a treadmill if that indeed doesn’t interest you.

Mindset

The most important slice in the comp prep pie. Without a healthy, positive, growing mindset, the above components will simply not work. Sure, train your body, but also TRAIN YOUR BRAIN for a success.